Name________________________________________Date____________Class_______
James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis”: Double-Sided Journal
Instructions: James Hurst uses several literary techniques to develop his short story.
What you have here is a double-sided journal entry. On one side, there is a space
provided for literary terminology; on the other, there is a space provided for the evidence
from the text. I have given you half of the information, please fill in the rest.
Evidence from Text
Literary Terminology
1. “The flower garden was stained with
rotting brown magnolia petals and
ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox.”
2. “…their smell drifted across the cotton field
and through every room in our house…”
3. “…when the slanted rays of the sun
burned orange in the tops of the pines…”
1.
2.
3.
Simile
4.
5.
1. Scarlet Ibis
2. Old Woman Swamp
Epithet
“…cauls were made from Jesus’
nightgown…”
1.
2.
Foreshadowing
3.
4.
“The doctor had said that he mustn’t
get too excited, too hot, or too tired…”
“I would teach him to run, to swim,
to climb trees, and to fight.”
“That summer, the summer of 1918…”
Theme
1.
2.
Colloquial Diction/Syntax
3.
1. “Success lay at the end of summer…”
2. “Promise hung about us…”
1. “The sun disappeared and darkness
descended”
2. “parallel paths”
The color red:
1. “huddled beneath a red nightshade bush”
2. the scarlet (red) ibis
3. “his neck and the front of his shirt were
stained brilliant red…”
4. “Trembling he’d push himself up, turning
first red, then a soft purple…”
1.
2.
3.
Foreshadowing
4.
5.
Brotherhood/People Who are Different/
Conflict Between Love and Pride/
1.
1. Protagonist
2.
2. Antagonist
*For this one, you will have to briefly explain your reasoning for your answers.