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What Does William Armstrong Symbolize In The Scarlet Ibis

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Keep the Darkness Inside In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis”, the author James Hurst suggests to never let darkness take over, through the use of indirect characterization. William Armstrong, or Doodle, is born crippled and he can't do things that normal people could do. His older brother is ashamed of that, and sets out to teach Doodle how to walk. It takes a lot of hard work and effort. However, when Doodle finally succeeds in walking, it is revealed that his older brother only does it only for his own pride and because he does not want to be embarrassed of his little brother. After the walking accomplishment, Doodle’s older brother prepares “...a terrific development program for...” Doodle. He teaches “him to run, to swim, to climb trees,
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Characterization Essay Sometimes in life people are not the luckiest at birth. The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst is a story about a boy who learns to walk. Doodle displayed determination and that he could work hard. Doodle is very determined to learn and be able to walk.

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At a young age Doodle wants to go with his brother everywhere: “To discourage him coming with me, I’d run with him across the ends of the cotton rows and carren him around corners on two wheels” ( Hurst 465). When Doodle was five, his older brother was embarrassed with having a brother you could not walk. So he helped his brother learn, after a few weeks of trying to stand up. On Doodle’s sixth birthday he walked: “That Doodle only walked because I was ashamed of having a crippied brother” (468). After that, he wants to teach Doodle to swim and climb but before they can do that a storm comes.

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Just imagine if you were born with not being able you to do any physical activities. Doodle, also known as William Armstrong, was born just like this. The narrator, which is Doodle’s brother, is very proud of what Doodle has accomplished over the past three years of his rough life. There is a plan for the narrator and Doodle to make his life better, maybe even more than one plan. Doodle is a disappointment to the family, until he does physical activities with his brother.

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Short Story Essay: Literary Terms Analysis Some people are too naive to see that their own happiness might come from someone else’s pain. In the short story called, The Scarlet Ibis, written by James Hurst, a young boy tries to get by in life despite his severe physical disabilities and his unreasonable egotistical older brother. When the narrator taught Doodle how to walk just because he wanted to have a “normal” brother, he proved to the readers that excessive amounts of pride make people treat those they love with inhumanity; this is exhibited in the symbolism of the scarlet ibis and the characterization incorporated into the story.

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When Doodle and his brother were playing one day his brother carried him up to the barn and made him touch his coffin that had been prepared for him. Doodle’s Brother was embarrassed by him because he was five years old and could not walk. Doodle’s brother did not want Doodle to go to school and not be able to

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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.

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"Shut up. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to teach you to walk." Brother heaved him up again, and again he collapsed. One day after many days of practice Doodle finally stood alone for a few seconds.

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Would you ever think a person with a disabled brother would be ashamed of him? Sadly, throughout most of the story the narrator in The Scarlet Ibis” has tried to change him and make him a normal kid. Some of the character traits that the narrator has are that he is generous, ignorant, and dramatic. One of the first things the reader notices is how cruel the narrator is. When the narrator threatens to leave Doodle all by himself.

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‘Why?’ he asked. I hadn't expected such an answer. ‘So I won't have to haul you around all the time.’ ‘I can't walk, Brother,’ he said. ”(2-3 Hurst) Doodle was taught since he could remember that he could not do certain things, and was unfit to play with his older brother.

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Brother is ashamed of Doodle’s disability because Doodle isn't like other boys. Brother is trying to make Doodle as normal as possible so that other kids don't bully them. So, Doodle is taught to walk by Brother. Brother says, “I was embarrassed of having a brother that age

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There are 56.7 million people in the United States have a physical disability, that is 19 percent of the population of the whole country. Imagine each and every one of those people being hated and shamed by their family, specifically their older siblings. Older siblings are supposed to be a role model for the younger children in the family but in “The Scarlet Ibis” the narrator was a prideful, spiteful, and murderous person who held shame and hate in his heart for his invalid younger brother. The narrator was the older brother to an invalid child who could not even walk, yet the narrator hated him for what he was and felt shame that he had to associate with a kid such as his brother. The narrator was the cause of his younger brother’s death

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“He was born when I was six, from the outset, a disappointment”. (Hurst, 350) from the moment Doodle was born he was viewed as not good enough for the narrator. The narrator had longings of what a brother would be like, when his new brother was physically incapable to live up to his desire he tried to change him out of pridefulness. Embarrassment and pride were the only reasons that Doodle was taught to walk, not because the narrator thought he was able. “Shut up, I’m not going to hurt you, I’m going to teach you to walk” (Hurst, 354) Doodle’s disability was not something he could ‘fix’, and on account of his brothers ego, Doodle was pushed too far, thus ultimately he could be pushed no

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The Selfish Narrator In “The Scarlet Ibis,” Hurst demonstrates excessive pride can lead to a selfish personality by the attitude the narrator takes to his brother, Doodle. When Doodle first walks in front of their family, the narrator feels this emotional thought that “the pride, whose slave I am, which speak louder than all other voices, and that Doodle walked only because” of the selfishness that he has inside of him(9). The narrator knew the selfishness in him which motivates him to keep going, even though he knows it isn’t the right choice. The narrator uses the word “slave”, as if he was trapped in selfishness, only listening to his voice “ which speak louder than all other voices”.

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Sometimes it 's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever. In "The Scarlet Ibis" James Hurst expresses the theme of death in his short. When he wrote "summer was dead and Autumn has not been born" it shows that there is a deep meaning to the story. Another example of death in his story is when Aunt Nicey said "red dead birds are bad luck" when the family sees the Scarlet Ibis fall out of a tree and die. It foreshadows the events that will happen in the storm because of brother leaving him behind.

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In the story “Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator is flawed in his inability to let go of his desire to have a normal brother. The narrator has a little brother named Doodle, with an extreme amount of disabilities. Before Doodle was born, the narrator fantasized about having a little brother who would be his playmate. Doodle, however, was not the ideal brother. He could not walk or do much on his own.

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