Scarlet Ibis
By James Hurst
http://www.miettecast.com/2006/
10/06/the-scarlet-ibis-unabridged/
James Hurst

Once asked the meaning of the story,
Hurst replied, “I hesitate to respond, since
authors often do not understand what
they write. That is why we have critics. I
venture to say, however, that it comments
on the tenacity and the splendor of the
human spirit.”
Scarlet Ibis
Tropical bird rarely found in North
Carolina, where the story takes place.
 Hurst refers often to plants and animals
native to his hometown and to the setting
of the short story.

“the ibis lit in the bleeding tree”
“The garden was stained with
rotting brown magnolia petals…”
What
is the mood
and what words cue
you to the mood?
What are their
connotations?
 The
mood is somber or sad.
 Words like dead, bleeding, graveyard,
stained, rotting, rank, untenanted,
empty etc.
 The connotation of the words brings
up images of death or dying which is
paired with a few words in the
opening that resemble life such as
cradle and born.
What does the line mean
“speaking softly the names of
our dead?”
Sweet
gardenias are often
planted in graveyards because
they bloom every year.
The flowers are reminding us
that the dead rest in those
graves every year.
What does this line
foreshadow?
What is the difference between
crazy crazy and nice crazy?
Nice
crazy- someone
exciting, full of life, “like
someone you meet in
your dreams.”
Why does Aunt Nicey say
Doodle would live?
Doodle was born in a caul which were
made from Jesus’ nightgown.
 A caul is a thin membrane that covers the
head of some babies at birth.
 Indicates the person will have a “special
destiny”

Why does the father have a
coffin built for Doodle right after
he was born?
Doodle
“was, from the outset,
a disappointment.”
Doodle is born sick, “red and
shriveled”
Why would parents have a
coffin built for their child after
his birth?
Why does the name William
Armstrong only sound good on
a tombstone?
“It
was like tying a big tail on a
small kite.”
A strong name deserves a
strong individual to represent
it. No one thought Doodle
was strong, because of the
way he was born; therefore,
he did not deserve the name.
What does the narrator want in
a brother?
He wants a brother he can run,
jump, swim, play with, etc.
What does it say about the
narrator and why would he
makes plans to smother his
brother, Doodle, with a pillow?
He is angry about not having a
brother he can play with. He
feels wronged.
What
does the narrator mean
by "he became one of us?“
Doodle joins the rest of the
family in the living room.
Doodle conforms and becomes
a real part of his family, but
only after learning to crawl.
Why do they refer to Doodle like
he is one of their ancestors?
No
one expects much of
Doodle. Do not have
faith in his survival.
What is implied in the line
"caul babies turn out to be
like saints?“
Foreshadowing Doodle’s
nature

What are the conflicts in the story and
what type of conflicts are they?
Internal Conflict: Narrator vs. Himself in
that he wants a “real” brother, but does
not have one that fits that mold which
causes him internal turmoil.
 External Conflict: Conflict developing
between the brothers.

Why does the narrator take
Doodle to Old Woman Swamp?
Narrator
has decided that
“Doodle was my brother
and he was going to cling to
me forever.” Narrator
accepts the relationship with
his brother.
 There
is within me a knot of cruelty
borne by the stream of love, much as
our blood sometimes bears the seed
of our destruction, and at times I was
mean to Doodle..." What does this
line mean? In your journal, explain a
time when you have been mean to
someone you love and why?
 (Worth 10 points)
Why does the narrator make
Doodle touch the casket?
Narrator wants to punish
Doodle for the way he was
born, for not being a “normal”
brother.
"Don't leave me." What is
implied in Doodle's phrase and
what is the tone?
Desperate for the love of his
brother.
What is the narrator's
motivation in teaching Doodle to
walk?
Narrator is “embarrassed at
having a brother of that age
who couldn’t walk.”
Journal:
How is pride a terrible or
wonderful thing? How does it
bear both life and death?
(Worth 10 points)
Discuss a time when pride
caused you to do something
that seemed selfless to others,
but was actually selfish.
What is an allusion and
why does the author
refer to the
Resurrection?
 An
allusion is a reference to
another work of literature, story,
person, etc. and is meant to add
meaning to the reading.
 Doodle’s growth is miraculous and
he is a wholly good and “saintly”
person.
What does the line mean "They did
not know I did it for myself...“
Pride made the narrator teach
Doodle to walk at first, but then he
realizes that his pride is what
motivated him, not the love of his
brother.
 What
do Doodle's stories say
about him?
 His
stories show his desire to “fly”
and his desire to be comforted
and loved and “enfolded” by
others.
 The sunflowers turn to look at
him, to admire him.
What is the narrator's new plan
concerning Doodle?
The narrator plans on teaching
his brother, based on his
previous success, to “run,
swim, climb trees, and to
fight.”
What does the line "no
rain and the crops
withered" foreshadow?
Why
are the children
frightened when their father
puts his head down when
looking at the damage to his
land?
. What does the line mean "Do
you want to be different from
everybody else when you start
school?" What does this say
about Doodle and the narrator?
 Fitting
in is important to the
narrator.
 Doodle responds, “Does it make
any difference?”
 Doodle cares more about his
brother than fitting in with
classmates.
Why
is Doodle so
shocked by the Ibis
dying? How might
Doodle look like an Ibis?
What
is significant about
Doodle wanted to bury the
bird but his mother telling him
no because he might have a
“disease?”
How does the storm represent
the crisis of the story, the
turning point?
A bad storm can change the
course of things. The storm
represents the inner turmoil the
narrator feels.
Why does the narrator feel "that
streak of cruelty within me
awaken?”
Doodle had failed his training,
failed as a brother, failed to
comform, which caused the
cruelty in the narrator to
awaken, stemming from his
pride.
What happens to Doodle? Why
did the narrator stop running to
then look back for Doodle?
Doodle dies. He is hit by
lightning. The narrator realizes
what he has done and his
“childish” fit fades.