"The Scarlet Ibis" Critical Thinking
“The Scarlet Ibis” Critical Thinking
1. In what ways does the setting at the beginning of the story set the *tone* for the rest? Support your answers with evidence.
-Right when we began reading “The Scarlet Ibis’ by James Hurst, we were able to the identify the elements in the first two paragraphs that presented foreshadowing. The tone was gloomy, grim, and somewhat mournful. There were rotting flowers and flowers that would be found in a graveyard, a bleeding tree and colors of grays and browns. He saw a grindstone which was what initiated the entire flashback. What was interesting was that this setting was what reminded the narrator of his younger brother Doodle. Rotting flowers? A bleeding tree? This gloomy setting was one of the components in the story that helped set the somber mood for the rest story.
2. How does the narrator treat his brother? What motivates his behavior? Do you agree with his actions?
-Most of the plot revolved around Doodle and his brother’s feelings and thoughts towards him. After finding out that his little brother was disabled, he had the mentality that he has an “invalid brother”. He even planned to smother Doodle with pillow. After he saw that Doodle was “all there”, he changed his mind and decided to make his brother “normal” but not for the good of his little brother, but for his own personal gain. He pushed his brother to the limit and unfortunately, Doodle died because of it. His different behaviors throughout the story was motivated by many different emotions. His actions towards his brother, more specifically at the swamp, was motivated by his shame and insecurity because of Doodle’s disability. Personally, I agree and disagree with his actions. I agreed with his actions because he was the reason why Doodle was motivated to go out and feel “normal”. He was the reason why Doodle learned how to stand and walk on his own. On the other hand, the brother pushed Doodle to the limit and the end result was him
1. In what ways does the setting at the beginning of the story set the *tone* for the rest? Support your answers with evidence.
-Right when we began reading “The Scarlet Ibis’ by James Hurst, we were able to the identify the elements in the first two paragraphs that presented foreshadowing. The tone was gloomy, grim, and somewhat mournful. There were rotting flowers and flowers that would be found in a graveyard, a bleeding tree and colors of grays and browns. He saw a grindstone which was what initiated the entire flashback. What was interesting was that this setting was what reminded the narrator of his younger brother Doodle. Rotting flowers? A bleeding tree? This gloomy setting was one of the components in the story that helped set the somber mood for the rest story.
2. How does the narrator treat his brother? What motivates his behavior? Do you agree with his actions?
-Most of the plot revolved around Doodle and his brother’s feelings and thoughts towards him. After finding out that his little brother was disabled, he had the mentality that he has an “invalid brother”. He even planned to smother Doodle with pillow. After he saw that Doodle was “all there”, he changed his mind and decided to make his brother “normal” but not for the good of his little brother, but for his own personal gain. He pushed his brother to the limit and unfortunately, Doodle died because of it. His different behaviors throughout the story was motivated by many different emotions. His actions towards his brother, more specifically at the swamp, was motivated by his shame and insecurity because of Doodle’s disability. Personally, I agree and disagree with his actions. I agreed with his actions because he was the reason why Doodle was motivated to go out and feel “normal”. He was the reason why Doodle learned how to stand and walk on his own. On the other hand, the brother pushed Doodle to the limit and the end result was him