The Scarlet Ibis
by James Hurst
Some Background Information
Bleeding Tree
Gardenia
“Graveyard Flowers”
Direct Quotes from the story, with
quotation marks and page numbers
What literary device? How does it make the reader
feel? Why does the author use it? What does it MEAN?

A millstone around the neck –
old medieval punishment that
now symbolizes guilt.

Allusion – something that refers
to something in history, religion,
or culture.

Repetition – a word or phrase
repeated several times

Motif - An image or symbol
repeated more than once
Double-Entry Journal
Direct Quotes from the story, with
quotation marks and page numbers

“I did not know then that
pride is a wonderful,
terrible thing, . . .”(347).

. . . a knot of cruelty borne
by the stream of love . .
.”(346).
What literary device? How does it make the reader
feel? Why does the author use it? What does it MEAN?

Oxymoron – two words
right next to each other
that have opposite
meanings

Antithesis – two opposite
ideas placed in a sentence
or phrase
Double-Entry Journal
Symbolism:
A symbol is an object, person, animal or
event that stands for something more
than itself.
 Public Symbols are common and known
to most people:

◦ Dove = peace
◦ cross = Christianity

In literature, an author can invent a
symbol linking an object to a character, or
event in the story.
Why Symbolism?

All figurative language and stylistic devices
are used to help convey the theme of the
story. If you cannot figure out what a
symbol stands for, think about the
controlling ideas of the story, and your
theme will lead you to understand the
symbol.
What does the scarlet ibis stand
for?
The bird is a rare, beautiful thing that is
destroyed when it is blown out of its
natural habitat
 Doodle is also a rare, beautiful thing that
is destroyed when his brother tries to
make him do things he cannot do.

◦ on a more allegorical level, both Doodle and
the bird are symbolic of countries at war, who
are destroyed when they try to control one
another
Other Symbols in the Story:
The screech owls: in many cultures, the
cry of an owl is an omen of death.
 The casket: obvious death symbol
 Wreaths are circles of plants or flowers
that symbolize the circular nature of life,
ending with death. They are often used to
mark graves.
 The storms that blow the bird off course
and cause Doodle’s death are symbolic of
fear and chaos.

Allegory
An allegory is a story in which characters,
settings and actions stand for something
beyond themselves.
 These can be:

◦ abstract ideas (democracy, truth, innocence)
◦ historical figures and events

Allegories can be read and interpreted on
two levels: as a story that stands on its
own, or as an allegory giving us lessons on
life.
Allusion
Allusions are references to cultural things
like history, other literature, or even
popular figures. Authors expect the
readers to know what they are talking
about when they use allusions.
 Allusions are often hard for readers to
identify and understand because,
especially when we read older works, we
do not share the cultural, historic and
literary knowledge of the writer.

Why use Allusions?
Historical and geographical allusions help to set
the scene – by telling us that the family talked
about battles in WWI, we know the time period
of The Scarlet Ibis. By mentioning President Wilson,
we know that the story takes place during his
administration
 Religious allusions help us understand a
character’s belief system, which in turn helps us
understand his or her actions.

Why don’t I get these Allusions?


Many literary allusions are just a way of an author showing
his audience that he has the same cultural reference as
they do. For example, if you are reading a story that
mentions Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn, you likely
share some degree of who these characters are. But if the
story mentions Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, you
might have a better shared vision.
Allusions to popular movie stars, TV shows, movies, or
music may be easily understood now, but will be very
hard for future generations to get. That’s why you don’t
always get references in older literature.
Grindstone: a round stone used to
grind grain into flour (also called a
millstone)
“But if anyone causes one of
these little ones who believe
in me to sin, it would be
better for him to have a large
millstone hung around his
neck and to be drowned in
the depths of the sea.”
Matthew 18:6
New International
Version (Bible)
Why is the grindstone important?
The Biblical Allusion says that someone
who hurts children, or causes a child to
sin, should be punished with a millstone.
 A grindstone is a kind of millstone.
 The narrator is partially responsible for
the death of his brother, who is a child.
 Therefore, the allusion of the grindstone
to a Biblical idea of punishment is
important to the theme of the story.

Other Allusions in The Scarlet Ibis
“Of course, he wasn’t a crazy crazy like old Miss Leedie,
who was in love with President Wilson . . .” (IR169).
President Woodrow Wilson was the US President from
1913-1921 (During World War I)
“And during that summer, strange names were heard
through the house: Chateau-Thierry, Amiens, Soissons,
and in her blessing at the supper table, Mama once said,
‘And bless the Pearsons, whose boy Joe was lost at
Belleau Wood’”(IR177).
These place names are references to World War I
battles.
Some really meaningful quotes:
“I did not know then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed
that bears two vines, life and death”(IR 174).
This metaphor compares the narrator’s pride with a plant that
can grow to be either a good or bad thing. It is a good thing that he
challenges Doodle and makes his life more beautiful, but deadly in
the end.
“There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) 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” (IR 172).
Hurst uses this metaphor to show that the meanness of the
narrator is tied up in him, but connected to Doodle by the love
that brother’s share. It also foreshadows the destruction of Doodle.
More Quotes of Note:
“We’d bedeck ourselves with our
handiwork and loll about thus beautified,
beyond the touch of the everyday world”
(IR 172).
Symbolism Poster Assignment
You will make a poster with the following:
◦ an image that shows three things used as
symbols in The Scarlet Ibis.
◦ A paragraph telling what the symbols are, how
they are used, and what they stand for in the
story. Make sure you tell the author’s purpose
for using the symbols, and tie it in to the theme.
Use the TAG (Title, Author, Genre) in the topic
sentence and use three quotes from the story
that show the symbolism.
 Make it pretty and colorful. Paragraph will be
typed into the netbooks. I have card stock for you
to do the final draft.

Graphic Organizer for Paragraph Ideas
Example/
Symbol
The scarlet ibis
is a symbol of
Doodle’s
struggle and
death
Grindstone
symbolizes the
guilt that
Brother feels.
What Literary
Device ?
(besides
symbolism)
The struggle of
the bird
foreshadows
Doodle’s death
It echoes the
struggles of
Doodle on the
bed
In the beginning,
which makes it
foreshadow that
narrator feels guilt
for something.
How does it
make reader
Feel? How does
it tie in with
theme?
Sadness
both for
the bird
and for
Doodle
Makes
reader think
about who is
guilty of what
in the story.
What Literary
Device?
Mood – the
feeling that
setting
descriptions
give a story.
Tone – the
attitude of
the
narration.
Quote from the story with page
number
What the quote means, what it does,
connect to theme
“One day, I took him up to
the barn loft and showed him
his casket” (346).




A casket is an obvious
symbol of death
By showing Doodle his
casket, Hurst is
foreshadowing his death.
Because Brother is the one
who showed Doodle the
casket, it is part of the guilt
that he feels as narrator.
Guilt for Doodle’s death is
a theme of the story.
Start with three t-charts
Turn in your “The Scarlet Ibis”
Work
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
If you have vocabulary as notecards or in a
notebook, raise your hand and I will come and
check it off. Otherwise, include it in the packet.
Double Entry Journal
Page 356, 1-9 in Complete Sentences
Story Plot Diagram Worksheet
Graphic Organizer of Literary Terms Filled Out
DO NOT TURN IN YOUR T-CHARTS: We
are not done writing the paragraph yet!!
Turn T-Charts Into a Paragraph
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
Start with the Thesis Statement:
◦ TAG since this is the only paragraph, your topic
sentence and thesis statement are the same thing
◦ Put the symbols and why he uses them into this
sentence

Example: In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” James
Hurst uses the symbols of a casket, graveyard flowers
and the color red to set a grievous mood in which the
conflict plays out.
Writing Transitions to Quotations
Do not just throw the quote into the
paragraph. Do not start the paragraph
with the quote.
 Use a transition phrase. Try not to use
“for example” more than one time in a
paper. It gets really boring. Try these:

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◦ As the story begins, the author writes, “------”
(253).
After your quotation:
 Early
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in the story, the narrator, Brother tells
of his teasing of Doodle, saying “One day, I
took him up to the barn loft and showed
him his casket” (346). The casket is an
obvious symbol of death, and by showing
Doodle the coffin built for him, Brother is
foreshadowing his death. Because Brother
is the one who showed Doodle the casket,
it represents part of the guilt that he feels
for Doodle’s death, which is a theme in the
story.
The final sentence:

Look again at your topic sentence:
◦ In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” James
Hurst uses the symbols of a casket, graveyard
flowers and the color red to set a grievous
mood in which the conflict plays out.

Take out the details:
◦ The symbols in the story set a grievous mood
in which the conflict plays out.

Change around the words:
◦ These symbols create a sad mood that
enhances the theme of the story.
Example Paragraph:
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In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” James Hurst uses the symbols
of a grindstone, a casket, and the color red to set a grievous mood in which
the conflict plays out. The opening of the story introduces the memories of
the narrator through the image of a grindstone, as he notes that “a
grindstone stands where the bleeding tree stood . . . “ (344). In the Bible,
Jesus speaks of a millstone as a punishment for anyone who harms a child. The
grindstone of guilt was not in the yard when the story takes place, so then is a
sign of the guilt that Brother feels now. As the characters of Doodle and his
family grow, the narrator, Brother tells of teasing Doodle, saying “One day, I
took him up to the barn loft and showed him his casket” (346). That casket is
an obvious symbol of death, and by showing Doodle a coffin made for him,
Brother is foreshadowing his death. Because Brother is the one who showed
Doodle the casket, it represents the internal conflict of guilt that he feels as
narrator, which is a theme in the story. Finally, Hurst imbues the entire story
with the color of blood, telling of
The mood of sadness in the story is shown through these important symbols.
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Example Paragraph:
In the allegorical story “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst uses the
symbol of the grindstone to show how causing his brother’s death has
changed the narrator forever. In the opening paragraph, the scene is
described as he looks out into the yard. “A grindstone stands where
the bleeding tree stood, just outside the kitchen door…” (IR168). The
grindstone is a reference to a millstone, symbolizing the Biblical
punishment for harming a child. Hurst uses this symbol to indicate that
the narrator is guilty for the death of Doodle. The grindstone is the
catalyst for the narrator’s memory, as when, “as I sit in the cool, greendraped parlor, the grindstone begins to turn, and time with all its
changes is ground away—and I remember Doodle” (IR168). This image
is what reminds the narrator, now an adult, of his actions and blame for
Doodle’s death. The author uses this image to symbolize a punishment
that lasts the narrator for years. His shame reflects the mistakes he
made in pushing his brother too hard.
Example of Poster
Examples
Selection Vocabulary
sullenly (adv.) – resentfully; gloomily
imminent (adj.) – near, soon, about to happen
iridescent (adj.) – rainbowlike; with shifting colors
serene (adj.) – peaceful; calm
infallibility (noun) – inability to make a mistake
blighted (adj.) – suffering from disease that keeps
growth from happening (usually referring to a plant
disease)
7. doggedness (noun) – stubbornness; persistence
8. reiterated (verb) - repeated
9. precariously (adv.) – unsteadily; insecurely
10. mar (verb) – to damage; spoil
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