The Scarlet Ibis
Essay Prompt
Write an essay telling how, even though he loves his little brother, the narrator in “The
Scarlet Ibis” causes Doodle’s death. Give three reasons why the narrator, “Brother”
causes Doodle’s early death.
In each body paragraph, discuss how pushing Doodle too hard, secretly wanting to “kill”
him, and trying to put him on a “development program” lead to the end.
You may also put in comments about how guilty Brother feels after he finds Doodle
under the tree, and how Brother has taken a future away from Doodle. You will be
graded on the following:
Introductory Paragraph:

~Hook (a question, a picture in reader’s mind, a fact, etc.)

~Author’s Name—James Hurst

~the words, “short story”

~the title, “The Scarlet Ibis” in quotation marks

~thesis statement with a subject and opinion
5 points
5 points
5 points
4 points
10 points
Body Paragraphs:


~three body paragraphs, each with a different topic sentence
(this must also be the sentence that puts your quote in context)
21 points
~at least one quote with page number in each paragraph
(you can certainly have more than one quote if you wish)
15 points

~two commentaries (“this shows that”) after each quote
(“this also shows that”, “it’s horrible to imagine that”, etc.)
Concluding Paragraph:

20 points
~at least one sentence restating your thesis about Brother’s
guilt or pushing Doodle too hard
5 points

~at least one sentence making a fresh point about this story
5 points

~at least one sentence finishing the essay—an image of the red
bird, an image of Brother sheltering Doodle from the rain, etc.
5 points
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE:
100 POINTS
Extra Credit will be given if you include a statement (anywhere in your essay) about
how the scarlet ibis is a symbol of a fragile person like Doodle. (Explain!)
Panicacci English 1 CP