“The Scarlet Ibis”
by James Hurst
Background Information
James Hurst- author
* born in 1922*grows up in Jacksonville North Carolina on a
coastal farm
*serves in U.S. Army during WWI
* Studies to be a chemical engineer
*studies singing/acting at Julliard School in NYC
*goes to Italy to pursue a career in Opera;
returns 3 yrs. later
*returns in 1951 to States & becomes a banker
for 34 yrs.
*wrote plays & short stories in spare time
Story Information
*“Scarlet Ibis” – only well-known story by Hurst
*first published in monthly magazine in 1960
• story is an example of a personal narrative
*What is a Scarlet Ibis?
- wading bird known for its bright red color as it gets
older
- Over 20 species of the Ibis birds
- inhabits tropical South America- Caribbean
- national bird of Trinidad & Tobago (coat of arms)
- sociable, caring personality
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QycT9GA4fOE
First Paragraph Analysis
It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but
autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in
the bleeding tree. The flower garden was stained
with rotting brown magnolia petals and ironweeds
grew rank amid the purple phlox. The five o’clocks
by the chimney still marked time, but the oriole nest
in the elm was untenanted and rocked back and
forth like an empty cradle. The last graveyard
flowers were blooming, and their smell drifted
across the cotton field and through every room of
our house, speaking softly the names of our dead.
Bleeding Tree
Magnolia Flowers
Purple Phlox Flowers
5 O’Clock Flowers
Question?
What type of mood does the first
paragraph create for the reader?
Underline the words in the text that
support this mood.
Second Paragraph Analysis
Its strange that all this is still so clear to me, now
that summer has long since fled and time has had
its way. A grindstone stands where the bleeding
tree stood, just outside the kitchen door, and now
if an oriole sings in the elm, its song seems to die
up in the leaves, a silvery dust. The flower garden is
prim, the house a gleaming white, and the pale
fence across the yard stands straight and spruce.
But sometimes (like right now), as I sit in the cool,
green-draped parlor, the grindstone begins to turn,
and time with all its changes is ground away- and I
remember Doodle.
Grindstone Machine- used to
sharpen tools
What is the grindstone a symbol for in the
text?
Literary Elements
*Symbols1) grindstone= symbolizes Brother’s
memories
Ex. “sharpens or grinds” Brother’s memories
of his past and “cuts” him at the same time
with the pain of Doodle’s death
2) Ibis= symbolizes Doodle
Ex. Not meant to live or be there, both are
rare, uncoordinated, death similarities
Literary Elements
3) Peacock (in Doodle’s lie)= symbolizes Doodle
Ex. Doodle’s peacock- small bird with a 10 ft. tail
Doodle’s name (William Armstrong) is described as a
small kite with a long tail
4) Old Woman Swamp= symbolizes a place of paradise
for the boys
5) Red= symbolizes Doodle described a a baby, the
Ibis, coffin, bleeding tree, Doodle’s embarrassment at
failing & Brother embarrassed of Doodle, Doodle at
death, etc.
6) War= symbolizes the World War taking place
during 1918 & the “war” of cruelty that Brother fights
with Doodle
Literary Elements
Foreshadowing1) “red dead birds are bad luck”
2) coffin
Literary Elements
• Allusions1)Literary- “No crumbs left behind”Hansel & Gretel
2)Historical- WWII references in France
3)Biblical- Resurrection, “Shall We
Gather At the River” hymn