American History

The Scarlet Ibisby James Hurst

2The Scarlet IbisIntroducing the StoryI thought myself pretty smart at many things . . .

3The Scarlet IbisLiterary Focus: SymbolsA symbol is an object, event, person, or animal that stands for something more than itself.Symbols are all around you in your everyday life. Their special meanings have been handed down over time.

5 As you read a story, you make inferences, or educated guesses, about what the writer is trying to say.You can base your inferences on your own prior knowledge and on evidence from the text.

The Scarlet IbisReading Skills: Making Inferences from DetailsPrior Knowledgeabout how stories workabout your own life experiencesEvidence from Text descriptions setting dialogue+=Inference

The Scarlet IbisLiterary Focus: SymbolsA writer might take a regular object or event and make it stand for some human concern.In literature, symbols add deeper levels of meaning to a work.Sometimes a symbol is associated with a particular character.Symbols speak to the readers emotions and imagination. They make stories memorable.

In The Scarlet Ibis, youll notice similarities and links between one character and a bird.Pay attention to how the author makes a symbolic connection between the character and the bird.The Scarlet IbisLiterary Focus: SymbolsThis symbolism can help deepen your understanding of the character.

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The Scarlet IbisQuickwriteMake the Connection[End of Section]Make a list of situations that might make someone feel proud. Is pride positive or negativecan it be both? Jot down your thoughts about what it means to be proud. One way to make better inferences is to notice important details in the story.

The Scarlet IbisReading Skills: Making Inferences from DetailsDetails may seem insignificant at first, but most writers choose details carefully to help convey a certain meaning or message.Colors, seasons, names, times, objects, animals, and clothingalmost any little thing can help you make inferences about meaning.

Previewing the Vocabularysullenly adv.: resentfully; gloomily.imminent adj.: near; about to happen. iridescent adj.: rainbowlike; displaying a shifting range of colors.serene adj.: peaceful; calm.infallibility n.: inability to make a mistake.The Scarlet IbisVocabularyJames Hurst was born on a farm in coastal North Carolina in 1922. After studying at North Carolina State College, he served in the army during World War II.Hurst wants readers of The Scarlet Ibis to think of how the war raging among brothers in Europe is related to the conflict between Doodle and his brother. Perhaps, he reflects, people always suffer when others try to make them over in their own image.More About the WriterThe Scarlet IbisMeet the Writer[End of Section]

20Introducing the StoryLiterary Focus: SymbolsReading Skills: Making Inferences from DetailsThe Scarlet Ibisby James Hurst

Feature MenuVocabularyPreviewing the Vocabularyblighted v. used as adj.: suffering from conditions that destroy or prevent growth.doggedness n.: stubbornness; persistence.reiterated v.: repeated.precariously adv.: unsteadily; insecurely.mar v.: damage; spoil.The Scarlet IbisVocabulary1. The sudden thunder disturbed the ___________ mood.2. The sunlight cast an ___________ glow over the lake.3.A darkening sky warned that a storm was ___________ . 4. The crops are ___________ due to the severe drought.5.The trembling bird perched ___________ on a tree limb.Vocabulary Activity: Sentence CompletionFill in the blanks with the correct Word Bank words. iridescent blightedsereneprecariously imminent imminent d The Scarlet IbisVocabulary[End of Section]1. The sudden thunder disturbed the ___________ mood.2. The sunlight cast an ___________ glow over the lake.3.A darkening sky warned that a storm was ___________ . 4. The crops are ___________ due to the severe drought.5.The trembling bird perched ___________ on a tree limb.Vocabulary Activity: Sentence CompletionFill in the blanks with the correct Word Bank words. iridescent blightedsereneprecariously imminentsereneiridescentimminentblightedprecariouslyThe Scarlet IbisVocabulary[End of Section]Meet the Writer