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An essey for "the scarlet ibis" for literary divices develuping the theme
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In “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst shows that one should not take the easy way out by submitting to one’s obstacles because in the end, it won’t be worth it. “I heaved him up again collapsed… ‘I just can’t do it.’ [Doodle says]” (Hurts 598). An example of the theme is when Doodle submits to his obstacle, which is his brother setting a goal for him he doesn’t care to achieve. By not facing his problems, The narrator’s younger brother’s problems get worse, and somewhat lead to his death.
Soon empty threats displayed during the foreshadowing would present themselves nearly exactly in Doodle’s death “It’s long graceful neck jerked twice into an S”(Hurst 5) compared to “I cried, shaking him… making his vermilion neck appear unusually long and slim”(Hurst 6). The death of the scarlet Ibis draws many similarities to Doodle’s unfortunate end whether that be when comparing their necks or the brilliant red displayed by Doodle’s blood and the birds feathers. This final quote being so close to Doodle’s expiration leaves little suspense when leading to final act. All the examples quoted lend themselves in order to show the brilliance in the use of foreshadowing throughout The Scarlet Ibis. The use of foreshadowing early on keeps readers guessing on whether this will be a story of Doodle’s unlikely survival or foreseeable doom.
After the scarlet ibis died, Doodle claims that he wants to bury it, but his mom doesn’t allow him to touch the bird. Doodle finds a way to bury the scarlet ibis anyway. The author writes, “He took out a piece of string from his pocket and, without touching the ibis, looped one end around its neck. Slowly, while singing softly "Shall We Gather at the River," he carried the bird around to the front yard and dug a hole in the flower garden, next to the petunia bed.” This introduces the correlation between the scarlet ibis and Doodle, because of how intrigued and how much he cares about the scarlet
My evidence to support this statement is on page 7 he was far behind the narrator's expectations it says doodle was way behind schedule so we decided to double our efforts then later it said: “I made him swim until he was blue”. It clearly shows the effect of training doodle to far which led to doodles downfall later. Which also later the ibis dies and doodle only notices which is an example of foreshadowing which represents that doodle is the ibis that died by the storm. Their grandma points out the red ibis is bad luck another example of foreshadowing.
In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the narrator is an abuser to his younger brother Doodle. For example, a few weeks before school was to begin, Doodle experiences sleepless nights and wakes up crying from nightmares as a result of his brother’s goal to teach Doodle to walk. It is understandable to try and have Doodle learn to walk day by day, but the stress Doodle is under to please his brother shows how the narrator puts his own pride above Doodle’s well-being. Considering that the narrator doesn’t take Doodle’s responses to his activities into account as he teaches, the narrator knows no boundaries as to what is helpful and what is treated as abuse. In addition, the narrator runs out of Horseshoe Landing leaving Doodle alone in the rain
The scarlet ibis symbolizes Doodle because they both have physical weaknesses, die trying to survive in
Avelina Proshak Ms. Watson English 9 / Block 4 28 February 2023 Birds and Doodle. In his short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” author Hames Hurst uses birds as a symbol for Doodle’s current emotions by showing Doodle’s fear of being left alone and not being protected. Doodle, the narrator's brother, was born with a rare disease; however, instead of dying as a baby he ended up growing up with his family. Nevertheless, Doodle was weak and fragile and the use of birds as symbols helps us understand Doodle’s current emotions.
Logan Feeler Mrs. P. Getzin English 9 Pre-AP 24 January 2023 “The Scarlet Ibis” Constructed Response Throughout the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” the author, James Hurst, used symbolism to symbolically connect two different characters, Doodle and the scarlet ibis. These characters may seem completely different but instead are totally alike. The use of symbolism helped enhance both Doodle and the scarlet ibis.
“The Scarlet Ibis” a short story written by James Hurst. He uses numerous literary devices, however the main one he focused on is symbolism. He uses the scarlet ibis to symbolize Doodle’s loneliness and death. There are various examples throughout the story showing the symbolism. One example symbolized in the scarlet ibis is Doodle’s struggle to survive in his environment.
In James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator’s remorseful attitude towards Doodle’s death is illustrated through the utilization of foreshadowing and flashback. This is made evident through the passing of the scarlet ibis and the narrator’s own prideful behavior and faith in his infallibility. The scarlet ibis that symbolizes Doodle with its death is incorporated into the foreseeable outcome of the end of Doodle’s life, and the indication of the narrator’s future guilt is manifested through his reminiscence of cruelty he displayed towards Doodle in his past. The significance of the appearance of the bird is emphasized alongside specific characteristics to foreshadow Doodle’s own fate, followed by the narrator’s guilt.
“It was covered with a film of Paris green sprinkled to kill the rat, and the screech owls had built a nest inside it” (Hurst 353). The tone of the “Scarlet Ibis” is mournful and melancholy from start to finish about a boy who struggled through his life trying to be like his older brother. Through the use of figurative language, imagery, and symbolism James Hurst wove a tale that touched everyone's hearts.
The scarlet ibis symbolizes Doodle. “It lives in the tropics. How many miles it has traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath the bleeding tree,” (424). Doodle, like the scarlet ibis, does not belong in his environment. He is mentally and physically impaired, which makes him different and stand out.
Such ending of The Scarlet Ibis is surprizing for both the narrator and the reader. In fact, the death of Doodle after growing up is unexpected by neither the narrator nor the reader. (Hamdi, DeAngelis, 2008, Page
The quote said “he was looking up into the tree”. “It’s a great big red bird” he called”. Later after Doodle said that, the bird fell through the tree and died. While everyone looked at the Scarlet Ibis, the reader can see a similarity in the bird and Doodle. They were both weak and Doodle was born a shade of red, as the Ibis is.
Hurst uses foreshadowing in the form of the Narrator’s internal dialogue (i.e. “I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life and death”), as well as the dialogue between the Narrator and Doodle (i.e. “‘I’m going to teach you to walk, Doodle […] so I won’t have to haul you around all the time’”), to illustrate his guilt. Both elements support the idea that the narrator’s guilt is due to his pride throughout the story, and the Narrator understands and acknowledges that he harmed and ultimately killed Doodle. Thus, the Narrator becomes the storm that kills the Scarlet Ibis: his crippled
