Figurative Language In The Scarlet Ibis

While reading ”The Scarlet Ibis” it is clear that Hurst uses foreshadowing to give the reader the sense that something bad may happen later in the story. The first example of when Hurst uses foreshadowing for dramatic effect is when the Narrator describes why he is disappointed with his brother Doodle. “... and I wanted more than anything else someone to race…” from the statement we can infer that he (the Narrator) would do anything to get the ‘perfect’ brother, even if that means possibly overlooking Doodles health problems. We already had seen part of the evil and terrifying side of the Narrator in the passage, “... I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow.” the passage just proves my point, he doesn't really care

In the fictional story “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst illustrates several themes of the text through the symbols of the Old Woman Swamp and green. Doodle “climbed rope vines”(Hurst 3) at the Old Woman swamp and “learned [how] to walk [there]”(Hurst 3). Old memories can bring people together. For instance, Doodle going to the swamp with his brother brought back memories of them having fun. This brought them closer, he realized he didn't always dislike his brother. Doodle walked through the “shady cool… dark green woods”(Hurst 4). Innocence can be found in nature. The quote helps explain how Doodle learned how to walk in nature and felt relaxed. Consequently, Hurst places importance on the Old Woman’s Swamp and green in order to uncover hope

The setting of the story is very descriptive to where you can see it in your head:” Then when the slanted rays of the sun burned orange in the tops of the pines, we’d dropped our jewels in the stream and watch them float away toward the sea”(601). The setting of the story can be hard to understand if the author doesn’t describe it well. Yet, in “The Scarlet Ibis" the author describes a clear picture in the story and where it is set. The setting of the story can affect how the characters relate to it and shows how descriptive the writing is The bird, the scarlet ibis, is also described very well the first time we see it in the story. The bird in the story can be described as: ” … a bird the size of a chicken, with scarlet feathers and long legs… its wings hung loosely..”(601). The bird is one of the most important things in the story. It describes the birds features and characteristics. With this picture in your head, you can tell there's something wrong with it. With imagery, you are able to see vivid pictures in your mind that can help understand the story better. This is another great example that makes “The Scarlet Ibis” the best

It is told through the narrator’s eyes, as he looks back on his childhood, and the remarkable life of his younger brother, Doodle. It is a story of two brothers, and how the pride of one person can be an incredible and destructive force. The Scarlet Ibis is told by the narrator in first person as he looks back upon his childhood

Hurst utilizes foreshadowing to demonstrate how the brother’s selfishness and pride leads to the death of Doodle. Not long after Doodle was born, the mother explains to the brother that Doodle might be mentally handicapped as well as physically handicapped. The brother could not accept the fact that his brother is different, so he “began to make plans to kill him [Doodle] by smothering him in his sleep” (Hurst 1). From the very beginning, Doodle’s brother is unable to except the fact that his brother is not normal and never will be. His selfishness and pride leads him to want to kill

The narrator of James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis” feels proud of Doodle’s accomplishments, but at the same time his pride makes him disappointed because of Doodle’s disability. “The Scarlet Ibis” has many dark and complex metaphors and similes in a “heart warming” story. For instance, "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." This is one of the darker examples because, this metaphor is explaining how the narrator describes summer as being "dead" and autumn soon to be "born." The seasons dying and coming back to life fits with how death surrounds the story.

The short story "The Scarlet Ibis" is a about a young boy who battles with caul and how he begins to overcome his limitations with his older brother. The story takes place in the south around the time of World War One. The author James Hurst uses figurative language; such as personification, metaphors, similes, and imagery; to create the setting of the story.

When a person feels remorseful, he feels guilty from actions he has done. This leads to self-reflection and then ultimately to one’s admission of his mistakes. In the short story "The Scarlet Ibis" written by James Hurst, the author employs the elements of flashback and foreshadowing to manifest the narrator's emotion of remorse surrounding Doodle's life and death. Hurst conveys the use of flashback in the story when the narrator is constantly having recollections of his actions, which evokes the remorse he feels surrounding these actions. Foreshadowing is utilized by setting descriptions and symbolisms related to Doodle's death and to also to convey the narrator's feelings surrounding death.

The color red symbolizes a strong motif throughout this short story. “The Scarlet Ibis,” and scarlet is a shade of red. Doodle and the scarlet ibis are connected to each other. They both are damaged and die in a windstorm. As the ibis fell and hit the ground, he had blood coming from it’s mouth. When Doodle dies in the storm his brother treats him as if he were sick. Then Doodle symbolically overtakes the Scarlet Ibis.

The first and one of the most important literary devices you can detect in this writing, is the usage of flashback. Hurst uses flashback to develop the whole story, relationship between Doodle and Brother, and explain what happened to Doodle. A majority of “The Scarlet Ibis” is told through this flashback and past tense. The flashback improves the story and is used in a way to show Brother at the beginning and how much his past with Doodle still affects him. We really get to see that guilt and even his maturity when he is older, because he goes back to all these places where him and Doodle played and grew up. Yet even though it's so far in the past, going to his old home and fields brings back painful memories. *

Although the hurricane conveys how the brother’s relationship is focused around Brother’s destruction due to his expectations of Doodle, Hurst uses the symbol of the scarlet ibis to further amplify the havoc Brother causes. The first time Hurst utilizes the scarlet ibis to show Brother’s destruction is when Brother explains how the scarlet ibis is dying. “At that moment the bird [begins] to flutter, but the wings [are] uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of flying feathers, it [tumbles] down, bumping through the limbs of the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud. It’s long, graceful neck [jerks] twice into an S, then [straightens] out, and the bird [is] still… Sadly, we all [look] back at the

Figurative language is a main component in showcasing the emotions the characters reveal. An example being when the author writes “ The children huddled up to her and breathed like little calves waiting at the bars in the twilight.” This portrays the children's emotions with more emphasis and really shows how they watched everything Granny Weatherall did with precision. This type of writing really helps the reader understand what is going on within the characters and their actions. The author also displays figurative language in the way she describes how John would be in the situation of them still being together. She describes him as being more of a child, rather than taking a parent role.

The second example of red is found in the quote, “For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.” Hurst contrasts Doodle to the scarlet ibis. Covered in brilliant red blood, Doodle had bled to death. The narrator transforms Doodle into the scarlet ibis in an effort to hide from the horrific truth that Doodle is dead. The image of Doodle is so gruesome, so Hurst tries to lighten the scene by making it sound more beautiful, by using words such as brilliant red. The narrator does not realize how alike Doodle and the scarlet ibis are until he holds Doodle in his arms, and he can feel his slender frame and sees the bright red blood on his body, which looks like the scarlet ibis’s

In “The Scarlet Ibis,” James Hurst uses the empty cradle, the scarlet ibis, and the mahogany coffin as symbols to offer greater insight into abstract ideas that are difficult to understand on their own. In “The Scarlet Ibis,” an oriole nest is immediately compared to an empty cradle. This adds an ominous element to the short story. It, on top of that, foreshadows the death of a young child.

The first example of red is found in the quote, “It was in the clove of the seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in the bleeding tree.” Red is a commonly associated color with summer. The color red brings to mind thoughts of colorful red flowers, and the color red is also associated with heat. Autumn also brings to mind the color red with the bright red changing leaves and fall colored clothing. The bleeding tree sets a dreary mood for the story. Hurst uses the bleeding tree, along with the visual of the color red, to symbolize the foreboding shadow of sickness and death in the foreseeable future of the