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Page 1: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

166 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

Sometimes we act in ways we later regret. Imagine that you could go back in

time and change the way you treated someone you love. What would you

change_and how? The narrator of “The Scarlet Ibis” remembers a time he

was cruel and selfish. He thought he was doing the right thing, but pride

clouded his judgment. As you read the story, decide how you would have

acted in the narrator’s place.

LITERARY FOCUS: SYMBOLSA symbol is a person, a place, a thing, or an event that stands both for itself

and for something beyond itself. For example, you may find that a writer

mentions a mirror many times in a story. A mirror is an actual object, but

the writer may be using it to stand for vanity or for an unreal world. Writers

invent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The

Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-

nections between one character and the scarlet ibis. The ibis is a rare water

bird with long legs; a long, slender, curved bill; and brilliant orange-red

feathers.

• As you read, look for clues that suggest that the ibis stands for something

more than itself.

READING SKILLS: MAKING INFERENCESAn inference is an intelligent guess you make about the meaning of some-

thing. You form inferences by putting together several related details and

then generalizing about what they might mean. In making inferences about

characters, you also draw on your own experiences. For example, if you

observe a character who speaks harshly to her dog, slams the door, and

won’t speak to her classmates, you can make an inference that this charac-

ter is upset about something. You make that inference based on story

details and on your own experience with people.

To make inferences about the meaning of a symbol, follow these steps:

• Pay careful attention to details. Does the writer repeat something, such

as a color, an animal, or an object, throughout the story?

• Think about what the color, animal, or object represents to you. If the

object is a ring, for example, it may represent love or faithfulness.

• Then, combine your own experience and the evidence in the story to

make an inference about what this object or animal or color might signify.

• Be prepared to revise your inferences about symbols. You might have to

re-read the story to be sure your inference holds up.

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The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst

Literary SkillsUnderstandsymbolism.

ReadingSkills

Make inferencesfrom details.

VocabularySkills

Understandsimiles.

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The Scarlet Ibis 167

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sullenly (sul√¥n·l≤) adv.: resentfully; gloomily.

Sullenly, the narrator took Doodle with him, allthe while resenting the task.

imminent (im√¥·n¥nt) adj.: near; about to

happen.

When thunder boomed and the sky darkened,they could tell the storm was imminent.

iridescent (ir≈i·des√¥nt) adj.: rainbowlike; display-

ing a shifting range of colors.

The bird’s wings glowed with iridescent color.

serene (s¥·r≤n√) adj.: peaceful; calm.

The serene lake was as smooth and calm as amirror.

infallibility (in·fal≈¥·bil√¥·t≤) n.: inability to make

a mistake.

Because of his belief in his infallibility, the nar-rator never doubted the success of his project.

blighted (bl¢t√id) v. used as adj.: suffering from

conditions that destroy or prevent growth.

The blighted fields would never produce anycorn or cotton.

doggedness (dôg√id·nis) n.: stubbornness;

persistence.

Because of his doggedness, Doodle did learn towalk.

reiterated (r≤·it√¥·r†t≈id) v.: repeated.

Several times, the narrator reiterated his desireto teach Doodle to swim.

precariously (pri·ker√≤·¥s·l≤) adv.: unsteadily;

insecurely.

Doodle balanced precariously on his thin legs.

mar (mär) v.: damage; spoil.

The storm could mar the cotton and other crops,causing the loss of acres of profits.

PREVIEW SELECTION VOCABULARYThe following words appear in the story you’re about to read. You may

want to become familiar with them before you begin reading.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGEFigurative language helps you see familiar things in new ways. The simplest

type of figurative language, the simile, uses comparisons to create fresh,

new meaning. A simile is a comparison between two dissimilar things linked

by a word such as like, as, or resembles. For example:

The storm was as fierce as an angry lion.

In this simile, a storm is compared to a lion. Comparing a fierce storm to an

angry lion helps readers see how violent and dangerous the storm was.

As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” look for other similes. Figure out what is

being compared. Ask yourself: “What does this simile help me see? How

does it help me understand the story more fully?”

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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 rank1 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.

It’s strange that all this is still so clear to me, now that that

summer has long since fled and time has had its way. A grind-

stone 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.

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168 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

© Frank Lane Picture Agency/CORBIS.

A clove (kl£v) is a division orsplit of some kind. Duringwhat time of year does thisstory take place?

Re-read the narrator’sdescription of the garden(lines 1-9). Underline thewords and phrases that bringto mind death or dying.

NotesNotes

1. rank (ra«k) adj.: thick and wild. Rank also means “smelly.”

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James R. Hurst from The Atlantic Monthly, July 1960. Copyright © 1960 by The AtlanticMonthly. Reprinted by permission of the author.

The Scarlet The Scarlet James Hurst

Ibis

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Doodle was just about the craziest brother a boy ever had.

Of course, he wasn’t a crazy crazy like old Miss Leedie, who was

in love with President Wilson and wrote him a letter every day,

but was a nice crazy, like someone you meet in your dreams. He

was born when I was six and was, from the outset, a disappoint-

ment. He seemed all head, with a tiny body which was red and

shriveled like an old man’s. Everybody thought he was going to

die—everybody except Aunt Nicey, who had delivered him. She

said he would live because he was born in a caul2 and cauls were

made from Jesus’ nightgown. Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpen-

ter, build a little mahogany coffin for him. But he didn’t die, and

when he was three months old, Mama and Daddy decided they

might as well name him. They named him William Armstrong,

which was like tying a big tail on a small kite. Such a name

sounds good only on a tombstone.

I thought myself pretty smart at many things, like holding

my breath, running, jumping, or climbing the vines in Old

Woman Swamp, and I wanted more than anything else someone

to race to Horsehead Landing, someone to box with, and some-

one to perch with in the top fork of the great pine behind the

barn, where across the fields and swamps you could see the sea.

I wanted a brother. But Mama, crying, told me that even if

William Armstrong lived, he would never do these things with

me. He might not, she sobbed, even be “all there.” He might, as

long as he lived, lie on the rubber sheet in the center of the bed

in the front bedroom where the white marquisette3 curtains bil-

lowed out in the afternoon sea breeze, rustling like palmetto

fronds.4

It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having

one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to

make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow.

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The Scarlet Ibis 169

In lines 32-33, the narratorcompares his brother’s givenname to a “big tail on asmall kite.” What does thissimile tell you about the nar-rator’s opinion of his broth-er’s name?

Re-read lines 35-41. Whatdoes the narrator want?Underline what you find out.

Re-read lines 20-23.Underline the detail that tellsyou that the story takesplace in the past.

2. caul (kôl) n.: membrane (thin, skinlike material) that sometimes covers a baby’s head at birth.

3. marquisette (mär≈ki·zet√) adj.: made of a thin, netlike fabric.4. palmetto fronds: fanlike leaves of a palm tree.

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However, one afternoon as I watched him, my head poked

between the iron posts of the foot of the bed, he looked straight

at me and grinned. I skipped through the rooms, down the

echoing halls, shouting, “Mama, he smiled. He’s all there! He’s

all there!” and he was.

When he was two, if you laid him on his stomach, he began to

try to move himself, straining terribly. The doctor said that with

his weak heart this strain would probably kill him, but it didn’t.

Trembling, he’d push himself up, turning first red, then a soft

purple, and finally collapse back onto the bed like an old worn-

out doll. I can still see Mama watching him, her hand pressed

tight across her mouth, her eyes wide and unblinking. But he

learned to crawl (it was his third winter), and we brought him

out of the front bedroom, putting him on the rug before the

fireplace. For the first time he became one of us.

As long as he lay all the time in bed, we called him William

Armstrong, even though it was formal and sounded as if we

were referring to one of our ancestors, but with his creeping

around on the deerskin rug and beginning to talk, something

had to be done about his name. It was I who renamed him.

When he crawled, he crawled backward, as if he were in reverse

and couldn’t change gears. If you called him, he’d turn around

as if he were going in the other direction, then he’d back right

up to you to be picked up. Crawling backward made him look

like a doodlebug5 so I began to call him Doodle, and in time

even Mama and Daddy thought it was a better name than

William Armstrong. Only Aunt Nicey disagreed. She said caul

babies should be treated with special respect since they might

turn out to be saints. Renaming my brother was perhaps the

kindest thing I ever did for him, because nobody expects much

from someone called Doodle.

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170 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

5. doodlebug (dºd√´l·bug≈) n.: larva of a type of insect that movesbackward.

Why is it so important to thenarrator that his brother is“all there” (lines 54-55)?

What does the description inlines 59-61 tell you aboutDoodle?

Pause at line 79. Why doesn’tAunt Nicey like Doodle’snickname?

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Although Doodle learned to crawl, he showed no signs of

walking, but he wasn’t idle. He talked so much that we all quit

listening to what he said. It was about this time that Daddy built

him a go-cart, and I had to pull him around. At first I just

paraded him up and down the piazza,6 but then he started cry-

ing to be taken out into the yard and it ended up by my having

to lug him wherever I went. If I so much as picked up my cap,

he’d start crying to go with me, and Mama would call from

wherever she was, “Take Doodle with you.”

He was a burden in many ways. The doctor had said that he

mustn’t get too excited, too hot, too cold, or too tired and that

he must always be treated gently. A long list of don’ts went with

him, all of which I ignored once we got out of the house. To dis-

courage his coming with me, I’d run with him across the ends of

the cotton rows and careen him around corners on two wheels.

Sometimes I accidentally turned him over, but he never told

Mama. His skin was very sensitive, and he had to wear a big

straw hat whenever he went out. When the going got rough and

he had to cling to the sides of the go-cart, the hat slipped all the

way down over his ears. He was a sight. Finally, I could see I was

licked. Doodle was my brother, and he was going to cling to me

forever, no matter what I did, so I dragged him across the burn-

ing cotton field to share with him the only beauty I knew, Old

Woman Swamp. I pulled the go-cart through the sawtooth fern,

down into the green dimness where the palmetto fronds whis-

pered by the stream. I lifted him out and set him down in the

soft rubber grass beside a tall pine. His eyes were round with

wonder as he gazed about him, and his little hands began to

stroke the rubber grass. Then he began to cry.

“For heaven’s sake, what’s the matter?” I asked, annoyed.

“It’s so pretty,” he said. “So pretty, pretty, pretty.”

After that day Doodle and I often went down into Old

Woman Swamp. I would gather wildflowers, wild violets,

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The Scarlet Ibis 171

6. piazza (p≤·az√¥) n.: large covered porch.

Re-read lines 91-101. In yourown words, describe the nar-rator and his brother as theymight look to an observer.

Re-read lines 108-112, andcircle the details that helpyou infer Doodle’s charactertraits. What are they?

What does the narratortransport Doodle in (lines82-90)? Underline the sen-tence where you find out.

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honeysuckle, yellow jasmine, snakeflowers, and waterlilies, and

with wire grass we’d weave them into necklaces and crowns.

We’d bedeck ourselves with our handiwork and loll about thus

beautified, beyond the touch of the everyday world. Then when

the slanted rays of the sun burned orange in the tops of the

pines, we’d drop our jewels into the stream and watch them float

away toward the sea.

There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in

others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as

our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction, and at

times I was mean to Doodle. One day I took him up to the barn

loft and showed him his casket, telling him how we all had

believed he would die. It was covered with a film of Paris green7

sprinkled to kill the rats, and screech owls had built a nest

inside it.

Doodle studied the mahogany box for a long time, then

said, “It’s not mine.”

“It is,” I said. “And before I’ll help you down from the loft,

you’re going to have to touch it.”

“I won’t touch it,” he said sullenly.

“Then I’ll leave you here by yourself,” I threatened, and

made as if I were going down.

Doodle was frightened of being left. “Don’t go leave me,

Brother,” he cried, and he leaned toward the coffin. His hand,

trembling, reached out, and when he touched the casket, he

screamed. A screech owl flapped out of the box into our faces,

scaring us and covering us with Paris green. Doodle was para-

lyzed, so I put him on my shoulder and carried him down the

ladder, and even when we were outside in the bright sunshine,

he clung to me, crying, “Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me.”

When Doodle was five years old, I was embarrassed at having a

brother of that age who couldn’t walk, so I set out to teach him.

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172 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

7. Paris green n.: poisonous green powder used to kill insects.

Re-read the long sentence inlines 122-125. What is the narrator saying about therelationship between loveand cruelty?

sullenly (sul√¥n·l≤) adv.:resentfully; gloomily.

Pause at line 144. Why do youthink the narrator showsDoodle the coffin? Whatmight this event foreshadow?

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We were down in Old Woman Swamp and it was spring and the

sick-sweet smell of bay flowers hung everywhere like a mournful

song. “I’m going to teach you to walk, Doodle,” I said.

He was sitting comfortably on the soft grass, leaning back

against the pine. “Why?” he asked.

I hadn’t expected such an answer. “So I won’t have to haul

you around all the time.”

“I can’t walk, Brother,” he said.

“Who says so?” I demanded.

“Mama, the doctor—everybody.”

“Oh, you can walk,” I said, and I took him by the arms and

stood him up. He collapsed onto the grass like a half-empty

flour sack. It was as if he had no bones in his little legs.

“Don’t hurt me, Brother,” he warned.

“Shut up. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to teach you

to walk.” I heaved him up again, and again he collapsed.

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The Scarlet Ibis 173

Re-read lines 147-149.Underline the simile, andexplain what two things arebeing compared.

NotesNotes

© PhotoDisc, Inc./Getty Images.

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This time he did not lift his face up out of the rubber grass.

“I just can’t do it. Let’s make honeysuckle wreaths.”

“Oh yes you can, Doodle,” I said. “All you got to do is try.

Now come on,” and I hauled him up once more.

It seemed so hopeless from the beginning that it’s a miracle

I didn’t give up. But all of us must have something or someone

to be proud of, and Doodle had become mine. I did not know

then that pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears

two vines, life and death. Every day that summer we went to the

pine beside the stream of Old Woman Swamp, and I put him on

his feet at least a hundred times each afternoon. Occasionally I

too became discouraged because it didn’t seem as if he was try-

ing, and I would say, “Doodle, don’t you want to learn to walk?”

He’d nod his head, and I’d say, “Well, if you don’t keep try-

ing, you’ll never learn.” Then I’d paint for him a picture of us as

old men, white-haired, him with a long white beard and me still

pulling him around in the go-cart. This never failed to make

him try again.

Finally, one day, after many weeks of practicing, he stood

alone for a few seconds. When he fell, I grabbed him in my arms

and hugged him, our laughter pealing through the swamp like a

ringing bell. Now we knew it could be done. Hope no longer hid

in the dark palmetto thicket but perched like a cardinal in the

lacy toothbrush tree, brilliantly visible. “Yes, yes,” I cried, and he

cried it too, and the grass beneath us was soft and the smell of

the swamp was sweet.

With success so imminent, we decided not to tell anyone

until he could actually walk. Each day, barring rain, we sneaked

into Old Woman Swamp, and by cotton-picking time Doodle

was ready to show what he could do. He still wasn’t able to walk

far, but we could wait no longer. Keeping a nice secret is very

hard to do, like holding your breath. We chose to reveal all on

October eighth, Doodle’s sixth birthday, and for weeks ahead we

mooned around the house, promising everybody a most

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174 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

Underline the simile in lines184-186. What do you thinkthe narrator means?

imminent (im√¥·n¥nt) adj.:near; about to happen.

Pause at line 171. Underlinethe two statements the nar-rator makes about pride. Puthis statements in your ownwords.

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spectacular surprise. Aunt Nicey said that, after so much talk, if

we produced anything less tremendous than the Resurrection,8

she was going to be disappointed.

At breakfast on our chosen day, when Mama, Daddy, and

Aunt Nicey were in the dining room, I brought Doodle to the

door in the go-cart just as usual and had them turn their backs,

making them cross their hearts and hope to die if they peeked. I

helped Doodle up, and when he was standing alone I let them

look. There wasn’t a sound as Doodle walked slowly across the

room and sat down at his place at the table. Then Mama began

to cry and ran over to him, hugging him and kissing him. Daddy

hugged him too, so I went to Aunt Nicey, who was thanks-pray-

ing in the doorway, and began to waltz her around. We danced

together quite well until she came down on my big toe with her

brogans,9 hurting me so badly I thought I was crippled for life.

Doodle told them it was I who had taught him to walk, so

everyone wanted to hug me, and I began to cry.

“What are you crying for?” asked Daddy, but I couldn’t

answer. They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride,

whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices; and

that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a

crippled brother.

Within a few months Doodle had learned to walk well and

his go-cart was put up in the barn loft (it’s still there) beside his

little mahogany coffin. Now, when we roamed off together, rest-

ing often, we never turned back until our destination had been

reached, and to help pass the time, we took up lying. From the

beginning Doodle was a terrible liar, and he got me in the habit.

Had anyone stopped to listen to us, we would have been sent off

to Dix Hill.

My lies were scary, involved, and usually pointless, but

Doodle’s were twice as crazy. People in his stories all had wings

and flew wherever they wanted to go. His favorite lie was about a

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The Scarlet Ibis 175

8. Resurrection: reference to the Christian belief in the rising of Jesusfrom the dead after his burial.

9. brogans (br£√g¥nz) n.: heavy, ankle-high shoes.

Re-read lines 215-218. Is thenarrator describing pridethat brings something won-derful or something terrible?

Re-read lines 225-226. DixHill is a state mental hospitalin Raleigh, North Carolina.What does the narratormean by this statement?

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boy named Peter who had a pet peacock with a ten-foot tail.

Peter wore a golden robe that glittered so brightly that when he

walked through the sunflowers they turned away from the sun

to face him. When Peter was ready to go to sleep, the peacock

spread his magnificent tail, enfolding the boy gently like a clos-

ing go-to-sleep flower, burying him in the gloriously iridescent,

rustling vortex.10 Yes, I must admit it. Doodle could beat me

lying.

Doodle and I spent lots of time thinking about our future.

We decided that when we were grown, we’d live in Old Woman

Swamp and pick dog’s-tongue11 for a living. Beside the stream,

he planned, we’d build us a house of whispering leaves and the

swamp birds would be our chickens. All day long (when we

weren’t gathering dog’s-tongue) we’d swing through the cy-

presses on the rope vines, and if it rained we’d huddle beneath

an umbrella tree and play stickfrog. Mama and Daddy could

come and live with us if they wanted to. He even came up with

the idea that he could marry Mama and I could marry Daddy.

Of course, I was old enough to know this wouldn’t work out,

but the picture he painted was so beautiful and serene that all I

could do was whisper yes, yes.

Once I had succeeded in teaching Doodle to walk, I began to

believe in my own infallibility and I prepared a terrific develop-

ment program for him, unknown to Mama and Daddy, of

course. I would teach him to run, to swim, to climb trees, and to

fight. He, too, now believed in my infallibility, so we set the

deadline for these accomplishments less than a year away, when,

it had been decided, Doodle could start to school.

That winter we didn’t make much progress, for I was in

school and Doodle suffered from one bad cold after another. But

when spring came, rich and warm, we raised our sights again.

Success lay at the end of summer like a pot of gold, and our

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176 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

10. vortex (vôr√teks≈) n.: something resembling a whirlpool.11. dog’s-tongue n.: wild vanilla.

Re-read lines 231-236.Underline the details thathelp you visualize Doodle’slie. Why is the peacockimportant in his lie?

iridescent (ir≈i·des√¥nt) adj.:rainbowlike; displaying ashifting range of colors.

serene (s¥·r≤n√) adj.: peace-ful; calm.

infallibility (in·fal≈¥·bil√¥·t≤)n.: inability to make a mistake.

Pause at line 260. Do youthink the narrator’s “devel-opment program” is a goodidea? Briefly explain.

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campaign got off to a good start. On hot days, Doodle and I

went down to Horsehead Landing, and I gave him swimming

lessons or showed him how to row a boat. Sometimes we

descended into the cool greenness of Old Woman Swamp and

climbed the rope vines or boxed scientifically beneath the pine

where he had learned to walk. Promise hung about us like

leaves, and wherever we looked, ferns unfurled and birds broke

into song.

That summer, the summer of 1918, was blighted. In May

and June there was no rain and the crops withered, curled up,

then died under the thirsty sun. One morning in July a hurri-

cane came out of the east, tipping over the oaks in the yard and

splitting the limbs of the elm trees. That afternoon it roared

back out of the west, blew the fallen oaks around, snapping their

roots and tearing them out of the earth like a hawk at the

entrails12 of a chicken. Cotton bolls were wrenched from the

stalks and lay like green walnuts in the valleys between the rows,

while the cornfield leaned over uniformly so that the tassels

touched the ground. Doodle and I followed Daddy out into the

cotton field, where he stood, shoulders sagging, surveying the

ruin. When his chin sank down onto his chest, we were fright-

ened, and Doodle slipped his hand into mine. Suddenly Daddy

straightened his shoulders, raised a giant knuckly fist, and with a

voice that seemed to rumble out of the earth itself began cursing

heaven, hell, the weather, and the Republican party.13 Doodle

and I, prodding each other and giggling, went back to the house,

knowing that everything would be all right.

And during that summer, strange names were heard

through the house: Château-Thierry, Amiens, Soissons, and in

her blessing at the supper table, Mama once said, “And bless the

Pearsons, whose boy Joe was lost in Belleau Wood.”14

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The Scarlet Ibis 177

12. entrails (en√tr†lz) n.: inner organs; guts.13. Republican party: At this time most southern farmers were loyal

Democrats.14. Château-Thierry (sha√t£’ t≤·er√·≤), Amiens (ß·mya‰√), Soissons

(swä·sô‰√), Belleau (be·lô√) Wood: World War I battle sites in France.

blighted (bl¢t√id) v. used asadj.: suffering from condi-tions that destroy or preventgrowth.

Re-read lines 274-277.Underline the simile the nar-rator uses to describe thedestruction of the oak trees.Why do you think the writerchose this comparison?

Pause at line 288. If the“blighted” summer, includ-ing the violent hurricane, is asymbol of what is to come,what might lie in Doodle’sfuture?

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So we came to that clove of seasons. School was only a few

weeks away, and Doodle was far behind schedule. He could

barely clear the ground when climbing up the rope vines, and

his swimming was certainly not passable. We decided to double

our efforts, to make that last drive and reach our pot of gold. I

made him swim until he turned blue and row until he couldn’t

lift an oar. Wherever we went, I purposely walked fast, and

although he kept up, his face turned red and his eyes became

glazed. Once, he could go no further, so he collapsed on the

ground and began to cry.

“Aw, come on, Doodle,” I urged. “You can do it. Do you

want to be different from everybody else when you start

school?”

“Does it make any difference?”

“It certainly does,” I said. “Now, come on,” and I helped

him up.

As we slipped through the dog days,15 Doodle began to

look feverish, and Mama felt his forehead, asking him if he felt

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178 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

© PhotoDisc, Inc./Getty Images.

15. dog days n.: hot days in July and August, named after the Dog Star(Sirius), which rises and sets with the sun during this period.

Underline the details in lines309-313 that suggest Doodleis becoming increasingly illand weak. Based on thesedetails, what do you predictwill happen to Doodle?

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ill. At night he didn’t sleep well, and sometimes he had night-

mares, crying out until I touched him and said, “Wake up,

Doodle. Wake up.”

It was Saturday noon, just a few days before school was to

start. I should have already admitted defeat, but my pride

wouldn’t let me. The excitement of our program had now been

gone for weeks, but still we kept on with a tired doggedness. It

was too late to turn back, for we had both wandered too far into

a net of expectations and had left no crumbs behind.

Daddy, Mama, Doodle, and I were seated at the dining-

room table having lunch. It was a hot day, with all the windows

and doors open in case a breeze should come. In the kitchen

Aunt Nicey was humming softly. After a long silence, Daddy

spoke. “It’s so calm, I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a storm

this afternoon.”

“I haven’t heard a rain frog,” said Mama, who believed in

signs, as she served the bread around the table.

“I did,” declared Doodle. “Down in the swamp.”

“He didn’t,” I said contrarily.

“You did, eh?” said Daddy, ignoring my denial.

“I certainly did,” Doodle reiterated, scowling at me over

the top of his iced-tea glass, and we were quiet again.

Suddenly, from out in the yard came a strange croaking

noise. Doodle stopped eating, with a piece of bread poised ready

for his mouth, his eyes popped round like two blue buttons.

“What’s that?” he whispered.

I jumped up, knocking over my chair, and had reached the

door when Mama called, “Pick up the chair, sit down again, and

say excuse me.”

By the time I had done this, Doodle had excused himself

and had slipped out into the yard. He was looking up into the

bleeding tree. “It’s a great big red bird!” he called.

The bird croaked loudly again, and Mama and Daddy came

out into the yard. We shaded our eyes with our hands against

the hazy glare of the sun and peered up through the still leaves.

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The Scarlet Ibis 179

doggedness (dôg√id·nis) n.:stubbornness; persistence.

reiterated (r≤·it√¥·r†t≈id) v.:repeated.

In your own words, explainwhat the narrator means inlines 316-319.

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On the topmost branch a bird the size of a chicken, with scarlet

feathers and long legs, was perched precariously. Its wings hung

down loosely, and as we watched, a feather dropped away and

floated slowly down through the green leaves.

“It’s not even frightened of us,” Mama said.

“It looks tired,” Daddy added. “Or maybe sick.”

Doodle’s hands were clasped at his throat, and I had never

seen him stand still so long. “What is it?” he asked.

Daddy shook his head. “I don’t know, maybe it’s—”

At that moment the bird began to flutter, but the wings

were uncoordinated, and amid much flapping and a spray of fly-

ing feathers, it tumbled down, bumping through the limbs of

the bleeding tree and landing at our feet with a thud. Its long,

graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and

the bird was still. A white veil came over the eyes, and the long

white beak unhinged. Its legs were crossed and its clawlike feet

were delicately curved at rest. Even death did not mar its grace,

for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we

stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty.

“It’s dead,” Mama said.

“What is it?” Doodle repeated.

“Go bring me the bird book,” said Daddy.

I ran into the house and brought back the bird book. As we

watched, Daddy thumbed through its pages. “It’s a scarlet ibis,”

he said, pointing to a picture. “It lives in the tropics—South

America to Florida. A storm must have brought it here.”

Sadly, we all looked back at the bird. A scarlet ibis! How

many miles it had traveled to die like this, in our yard, beneath

the bleeding tree.

“Let’s finish lunch,” Mama said, nudging us back toward

the dining room.

“I’m not hungry,” said Doodle, and he knelt down beside

the ibis.

“We’ve got peach cobbler for dessert,” Mama tempted from

the doorway.

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180 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

Pause at line 364. LikeDoodle, the scarlet ibis isdescribed as being uncoordi-nated, delicate, and unique.How might the death of theibis foreshadow the story’sending?

precariously (pri·ker√≤·¥s·l≤)adv.: unsteadily; insecurely.

mar (mär) v.: damage; spoil.

Re-read lines 346-351. Inwhat ways does the birdremind you of Doodle?

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Doodle remained kneeling. “I’m going to bury him.”

“Don’t you dare touch him,” Mama warned. “There’s no

telling what disease he might have had.”

“All right,” said Doodle. “I won’t.”

Daddy, Mama, and I went back to the dining-room table,

but we watched Doodle through the open door. He took out a

piece of string from his pocket and, without touching the ibis,

looped one end around its neck. Slowly, while singing softly

“Shall We Gather at the River,” he carried the bird around to the

front yard and dug a hole in the flower garden, next to the petu-

nia bed. Now we were watching him through the front window,

but he didn’t know it. His awkwardness at digging the hole

with a shovel whose handle was twice as long as he was made

us laugh, and we covered our mouths with our hands so he

wouldn’t hear.

When Doodle came into the dining room, he found us seri-

ously eating our cobbler. He was pale and lingered just inside the

screen door. “Did you get the scarlet ibis buried?” asked Daddy.

Doodle didn’t speak but nodded his head.

“Go wash your hands, and then you can have some peach

cobbler,” said Mama.

“I’m not hungry,” he said.

“Dead birds is bad luck,” said Aunt Nicey, poking her head

from the kitchen door. “Specially red dead birds!”

As soon as I had finished eating, Doodle and I hurried off

to Horsehead Landing. Time was short, and Doodle still had a

long way to go if he was going to keep up with the other boys

when he started school. The sun, gilded with the yellow cast of

autumn, still burned fiercely, but the dark green woods through

which we passed were shady and cool. When we reached the

landing, Doodle said he was too tired to swim, so we got into a

skiff and floated down the creek with the tide. Far off in the

marsh a rail was scolding, and over on the beach locusts were

singing in the myrtle trees. Doodle did not speak and kept his

head turned away, letting one hand trail limply in the water.

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The Scarlet Ibis 181

Pause at line 395. Why isDoodle so fascinated by thescarlet ibis? Why does hetake such pains to bury it?

The description of Doodle’sburial of the scarlet ibis inlines 385-399 is a very mov-ing passage. Read the boxedpassage aloud twice. Focuson conveying meaning thefirst time you read. The sec-ond time you read, try toconvey the passage’s emo-tional overtones.

NotesNotes

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After we had drifted a long way, I put the oars in place and

made Doodle row back against the tide. Black clouds began to

gather in the southwest, and he kept watching them, trying to

pull the oars a little faster. When we reached Horsehead

Landing, lightning was playing across half the sky and thunder

roared out, hiding even the sound of the sea. The sun disap-

peared and darkness descended, almost like night. Flocks of

marsh crows flew by, heading inland to their roosting trees, and

two egrets, squawking, arose from the oyster-rock shallows and

careened away.

Doodle was both tired and frightened, and when he

stepped from the skiff he collapsed onto the mud, sending an

armada16 of fiddler crabs rustling off into the marsh grass. I

helped him up, and as he wiped the mud off his trousers, he

smiled at me ashamedly. He had failed and we both knew it, so

we started back home, racing the storm. We never spoke (what

are the words that can solder17 cracked pride?), but I knew he

was watching me, watching for a sign of mercy. The lightning

was near now, and from fear he walked so close behind me he

kept stepping on my heels. The faster I walked, the faster he

walked, so I began to run. The rain was coming, roaring through

the pines, and then, like a bursting Roman candle, a gum tree

ahead of us was shattered by a bolt of lightning. When the deaf-

ening peal of thunder had died, and in the moment before the

rain arrived, I heard Doodle, who had fallen behind, cry out,

“Brother, Brother, don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!”

The knowledge that Doodle’s and my plans had come to

naught was bitter, and that streak of cruelty within me awak-

ened. I ran as fast as I could, leaving him far behind with a wall

of rain dividing us. The drops stung my face like nettles, and the

wind flared the wet, glistening leaves of the bordering trees.

Soon I could hear his voice no more.

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182 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

16. armada (är·mä√d¥) n.: group. Armada is generally used to mean“fleet, or group, of warships.”

17. solder (säd√¥r) v.: patch or repair. Solder is a mixture of metals melt-ed and used to repair metal parts.

Re-read lines 416-425. Circlethe details describing theapproaching storm. What doyou think the storm fore-shadows?

Underline line 441. Then,underline the parts of thestory where you have heardthis before_Doodle’s beg-ging his brother not to leavehim or not to hurt him. What could these wordsforeshadow?

Pause at line 447. Why doesthe narrator leave Doodlebehind?

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I hadn’t run too far before I became tired, and the flood of

childish spite evanesced18 as well. I stopped and waited for

Doodle. The sound of rain was everywhere, but the wind had

died and it fell straight down in parallel paths like ropes hanging

from the sky. As I waited, I peered through the downpour, but

no one came. Finally I went back and found him huddled

beneath a red nightshade bush beside the road. He was sitting

on the ground, his face buried in his arms, which were resting

on his drawn-up knees. “Let’s go, Doodle,” I said.

He didn’t answer, so I placed my hand on his forehead and

lifted his head. Limply, he fell backward onto the earth. He had

been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his

shirt were stained a brilliant red.

“Doodle! Doodle!” I cried, shaking him, but there was no

answer but the ropy rain. He lay very awkwardly, with his head

thrown far back, making his vermilion19 neck appear unusually

long and slim. His little legs, bent sharply at the knees, had never

before seemed so fragile, so thin.

I began to weep, and the tear-blurred vision in red before

me looked very familiar. “Doodle!” I screamed above the pound-

ing storm, and threw my body to the earth above his. For a long,

long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my

fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy20 of rain.

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The Scarlet Ibis 183

18. evanesced (ev≈¥·nest√) v.: faded away; disappeared.19. vermilion (v¥r·mil√y¥n) adj.: bright red.20. heresy (her√¥·s≤) n.: here, mockery. Heresy generally means “denial

of what is commonly believed to be true” or “rejection of a church’steaching.”

Corel.

What do the details in thedescription of Doodle in thelast two paragraphs remindyou of? Why do you thinkthe writer makes this association?

In lines 468-470, what does the narrator call his deadbrother?

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184 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

The Scarlet Ibis

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Symbol Chart In “The Scarlet Ibis,” some of the people, places, things, and events

stand both for themselves and for something beyond themselves. Fill out the

symbol chart below to see how symbols convey meaning in the story. In the first

column are passages from the story. Locate a symbol from each passage, and write

it in the second column. Then, write the meaning of the symbol in the third

column. The first row is done for you. Fill in the bottom row with a symbolic

story passage that you find on your own.

That winter we didn’t make

much progress, for I was in

school and Doodle suffered

from one bad cold after anoth-

er. But when spring came, rich

and warm, we raised our sights

again (lines 258-260).

When Peter was ready to go to

sleep, the peacock spread his

magnificent tail, enfolding the

boy gently like a closing go-to-

sleep flower, burying him in the

gloriously iridescent, rustling

vortex (lines 233-236).

Sadly, we all looked back at the

bird. A scarlet ibis! How many

miles it had traveled to die like

this, in our yard, beneath the

bleeding tree (lines 372-374).

spring new start; rebirth

Story Passage Symbol Meaning

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The Scarlet Ibis 185

Skills ReviewSkills Review

Complete the sample test item below. Then, read the explanation at the right.

The Scarlet Ibis

3. The setting of the story as presented

in the opening paragraph could best

be described as_

A sad and suggestive of death

B cheerful and suggestive of life

C peaceful and suggestive of heaven

D haunted and suggestive of danger

4. Which of these details is not an exam-

ple of foreshadowing in the story?

F “‘Don’t hurt me, Brother,’ he

warned.”

G “The oriole nest . . . rocked back

and forth like an empty cradle.”

H “One day I took him up to the

barn loft and showed him his

casket. . . .”

J “Keeping a nice secret is very

hard to do. . . .”

1. The description of Doodle’s last sum-

mer as “blighted” foreshadows _

A Doodle’s birth

B Doodle’s coming death

C the scarlet ibis

D life in the South

2. The scarlet ibis symbolizes Doodle in

that both the child and bird are _

F able to move very quickly

G trying to learn to fly

H rare, beautiful, and fragile

J very fond of being outside

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of each correct answer.

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Literary SkillsAnalyzesymbolism.

Explanation of the Correct Answer

The correct answer is A; the writer uses

birds as symbols all through the story.

B and D are not correct because they

are used only once. C is not correct

because bees aren’t mentioned in the

story.

Sample Test Question

Which of the following are recurring

symbols in “The Scarlet Ibis”?

A birds

B flowers

C bees

D tombstones

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Skills ReviewSkills Review

186 Collection 6: Symbolism and AllegoryPart 1

Similes

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter of the correct response.

The Scarlet Ibis

sullenly

imminent

iridescent

serene

infallibility

blighted

doggedness

reiterated

precariously

mar

Word BoxWord Box

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VocabularySkills

Identify andinterpret similes.

Use words incontext.

Vocabulary in Context

DIRECTIONS: Complete the paragraph below by writing words from the box

in the correct blanks. Not all words from the box will be used.

G For the first time he became one

of us.

H He was a burden in many ways.

J Finally, I could see I was licked.

3. Which of the following sentences

contains a simile?

A The flower garden was brown.

B A grindstone stands where the

bleeding tree stood.

C The oriole nest rocked back and

forth like an empty cradle.

D The pale fence across the yard

stands straight.

1. What does this simile indicate?

They named him William Armstrong,which was like tying a big tail on asmall kite.

A The baby’s abilities are amazing.

B Babies do not need decoration.

C The baby’s name is too grand.

D Coming up with names is tricky.

2. Which of the following sentences

contains a simile?

F He collapsed onto the grass like a

half-empty flour sack.

Tony stared (1) out the window. He was

unhappy about the weather. The vacation brochure had showed a (2)

lake, calm and blue. Another photograph fea-

tured a waterfall that sparkled, (3) and colorful.

Here, however, Tony saw nothing but a (4) land-

scape, brown, bare, and damp. He said to the empty room, “Nothing is

going to (5) my vacation! I’m going to enjoy

myself, rain or shine.”

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Student Pages with Answers 85

The

Scar

let

Ibis

167

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

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tel

l the

sto

rm w

as i

mm

inen

t.

irid

esce

nt

(ir≈

i·des

ôn

t) a

dj.:

rain

bo

wlik

e; d

isp

lay-

ing

a s

hif

tin

g r

ang

e o

f co

lors

.

The

bir

d’s

win

gs g

low

ed w

ith

irid

esce

nt

colo

r.

sere

ne

(s¥·

r≤n

√) a

dj.:

pea

cefu

l; ca

lm.

The

ser

ene

lake

was

as

smoo

th a

nd c

alm

as

am

irro

r.

infa

llib

ility

(in

·fal

≈¥·b

il√¥·

t≤)

n.:

inab

ility

to

mak

e

a m

ista

ke.

Bec

ause

ofh

is b

elie

fin

his

infa

llib

ilit

y,th

e na

r-ra

tor

neve

r do

ubte

d th

e su

cces

s of

his

proj

ect.

blig

hte

d(b

l¢t√

id)

v. u

sed

as

adj.:

suff

erin

g f

rom

con

dit

ion

s th

at d

estr

oy

or

pre

ven

t g

row

th.

The

bli

ghte

dfi

elds

wou

ld n

ever

pro

duce

any

corn

or

cott

on.

do

gg

edn

ess

(dô

g√id

·nis

) n

.:st

ub

bo

rnn

ess;

per

sist

ence

.

Bec

ause

ofh

is d

ogge

dnes

s,D

oodl

e di

d le

arn

tow

alk.

reit

erat

ed(r

≤·it

√¥·r

†t≈id

) v.

:rep

eate

d.

Seve

ral t

imes

,the

nar

rato

r re

iter

ated

his

desi

reto

tea

ch D

oodl

e to

sw

im.

pre

cari

ou

sly

(pri

·ker

√≤·¥

s·l≤

) ad

v.:u

nst

ead

ily;

inse

cure

ly.

Doo

dle

bala

nced

pre

cari

ousl

yon

his

thi

n le

gs.

mar

(mär

) v.

:dam

age;

sp

oil.

The

sto

rm c

ould

mar

the

cott

on a

nd o

ther

cro

ps,

caus

ing

the

loss

ofa

cres

ofp

rofi

ts.

PREV

IEW

SEL

ECTI

ON

VOCA

BULA

RYTh

e fo

llow

ing

wo

rds

app

ear

in t

he

sto

ry y

ou

’re

abo

ut

to r

ead

. Yo

u m

ay

wan

t to

bec

om

e fa

mili

ar w

ith

th

em b

efo

re y

ou

beg

in r

ead

ing

.

FIGU

RATI

VE L

ANGU

AGE

Fig

ura

tive

lan

gu

age

hel

ps

you

see

fam

iliar

th

ing

s in

new

way

s. T

he

sim

ple

st

typ

e o

f fi

gu

rati

ve la

ng

uag

e, t

he

sim

ile,u

ses

com

par

iso

ns

to c

reat

e fr

esh

,

new

mea

nin

g. A

sim

ileis

a c

om

par

iso

n b

etw

een

tw

o d

issi

mila

r th

ing

s lin

ked

by

a w

ord

su

ch a

s lik

e, a

s,o

r re

sem

ble

s.Fo

r ex

amp

le:

The

sto

rm w

as a

s fi

erce

as

an a

ng

ry li

on

.

In t

his

sim

ile, a

sto

rm is

co

mp

ared

to

a li

on

. Co

mp

arin

g a

fie

rce

sto

rm t

o a

n

ang

ry li

on

hel

ps

read

ers

see

ho

w v

iole

nt

and

dan

ger

ou

s th

e st

orm

was

.

As

you

rea

d “

The

Scar

let

Ibis

,” lo

ok

for

oth

er s

imile

s. F

igu

re o

ut

wh

at is

bei

ng

co

mp

ared

. Ask

yo

urs

elf:

“W

hat

do

es t

his

sim

ile h

elp

me

see?

Ho

w

do

es it

hel

p m

e u

nd

erst

and

th

e st

ory

mo

re f

ully

?”

166

Co

llect

ion

6:

Sym

bo

lism

an

d A

lleg

ory

Part

1

Som

etim

es w

e ac

t in

way

s w

e la

ter

reg

ret.

Imag

ine

that

yo

u c

ou

ld g

o b

ack

in

tim

e an

d c

han

ge

the

way

yo

u t

reat

ed s

om

eon

e yo

u lo

ve. W

hat

wo

uld

yo

u

chan

ge_

and

ho

w?

The

nar

rato

r o

f “T

he

Scar

let

Ibis

” re

mem

ber

s a

tim

e h

e

was

cru

el a

nd

sel

fish

. He

tho

ug

ht

he

was

do

ing

th

e ri

gh

t th

ing

, bu

t p

rid

e

clo

ud

ed h

is ju

dg

men

t. A

s yo

u r

ead

th

e st

ory

, dec

ide

ho

w y

ou

wo

uld

hav

e

acte

d in

th

e n

arra

tor’

s p

lace

.

LITE

RARY

FO

CUS:

SYM

BOLS

A s

ymb

oli

s a

per

son

, a p

lace

, a t

hin

g, o

r an

eve

nt

that

sta

nd

s b

oth

fo

r it

self

and

fo

r so

met

hin

g b

eyo

nd

itse

lf. F

or

exam

ple

, yo

u m

ay f

ind

th

at a

wri

ter

men

tio

ns

a m

irro

r m

any

tim

es in

a s

tory

. A m

irro

r is

an

act

ual

ob

ject

, bu

t

the

wri

ter

may

be

usi

ng

it t

o s

tan

d f

or

van

ity

or

for

an u

nre

al w

orl

d. W

rite

rs

inve

nt

sym

bo

ls t

o d

eep

en t

he

mea

nin

g o

f th

eir

sto

ries

. As

you

rea

d “

The

Scar

let

Ibis

,” y

ou

’ll n

oti

ce t

hat

th

e w

rite

r ke

eps

dra

win

g s

imila

riti

es a

nd

co

n-

nec

tio

ns

bet

wee

n o

ne

char

acte

r an

d t

he

scar

let

ibis

. Th

e ib

is is

a r

are

wat

er

bir

d w

ith

lon

g le

gs;

a lo

ng

, sle

nd

er, c

urv

ed b

ill; a

nd

bri

llian

t o

ran

ge-

red

feat

her

s.

•A

s yo

u r

ead

, lo

ok

for

clu

es t

hat

su

gg

est

that

th

e ib

is s

tan

ds

for

som

eth

ing

mo

re t

han

itse

lf.

READ

ING

SKIL

LS:

MAK

ING

INFE

RENC

ESA

n in

fere

nce

is a

n in

telli

gen

t g

ues

s yo

u m

ake

abo

ut

the

mea

nin

g o

f so

me-

thin

g. Y

ou

fo

rm in

fere

nce

s b

y p

utt

ing

to

get

her

sev

eral

rel

ated

det

ails

an

d

then

gen

eral

izin

g a

bo

ut

wh

at t

hey

mig

ht

mea

n. I

n m

akin

g in

fere

nce

s ab

ou

t

char

acte

rs, y

ou

als

o d

raw

on

yo

ur

ow

n e

xper

ien

ces.

Fo

r ex

amp

le, i

f yo

u

ob

serv

e a

char

acte

r w

ho

sp

eaks

har

shly

to

her

do

g, s

lam

s th

e d

oo

r, an

d

wo

n’t

sp

eak

to h

er c

lass

mat

es, y

ou

can

mak

e an

infe

ren

ce t

hat

th

is c

har

ac-

ter

is u

pse

t ab

ou

t so

met

hin

g. Y

ou

mak

e th

at in

fere

nce

bas

ed o

n s

tory

det

ails

an

d o

n y

ou

r o

wn

exp

erie

nce

wit

h p

eop

le.

To m

ake

infe

ren

ces

abo

ut

the

mea

nin

g o

f a

sym

bo

l, fo

llow

th

ese

step

s:

•Pa

y ca

refu

l att

enti

on

to

det

ails

. Do

es t

he

wri

ter

rep

eat

som

eth

ing

, su

ch

as a

co

lor,

an a

nim

al, o

r an

ob

ject

, th

rou

gh

ou

t th

e st

ory

?

•Th

ink

abo

ut

wh

at t

he

colo

r, an

imal

, or

ob

ject

rep

rese

nts

to

yo

u. I

f th

e

ob

ject

is a

rin

g, f

or

exam

ple

, it

may

rep

rese

nt

love

or

fait

hfu

lnes

s.

•Th

en, c

om

bin

e yo

ur

ow

n e

xper

ien

ce a

nd

th

e ev

iden

ce in

th

e st

ory

to

mak

e an

infe

ren

ce a

bo

ut

wh

at t

his

ob

ject

or

anim

al o

r co

lor

mig

ht

sig

nif

y.

•B

e p

rep

ared

to

rev

ise

you

r in

fere

nce

s ab

ou

t sy

mb

ols

. Yo

u m

igh

t h

ave

to

re-r

ead

th

e st

ory

to

be

sure

yo

ur

infe

ren

ce h

old

s u

p.

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

The

Scar

let

Ibis

by

Jam

es H

urst

Lit

era

ry S

kills

Und

erst

and

sym

bolis

m.

Readin

gSkills

Mak

e in

fere

nces

from

det

ails

.

Voca

bula

rySkills

Und

erst

and

sim

iles.

Collection 6Student pages 166–167

Page 23: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

86 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

Doo

dle

was

just

abo

ut

the

craz

iest

bro

ther

a b

oy e

ver

had

.

Of

cou

rse,

he

was

n’t

a cr

azy

craz

y lik

e ol

d M

iss

Leed

ie,w

ho

was

in lo

ve w

ith

Pre

side

nt

Wils

on a

nd

wro

te h

im a

lett

er e

very

day

,

but

was

a n

ice

craz

y,lik

e so

meo

ne

you

mee

t in

you

r dr

eam

s.H

e

was

bor

n w

hen

I w

as s

ix a

nd

was

,fro

m t

he

outs

et,a

dis

appo

int-

men

t.H

e se

emed

all

hea

d,w

ith

a t

iny

body

wh

ich

was

red

an

d

shri

vele

d lik

e an

old

man

’s.E

very

body

th

ough

t h

e w

as g

oin

g to

die—

ever

ybod

y ex

cept

Au

nt

Nic

ey,w

ho

had

del

iver

ed h

im.S

he

said

he

wou

ld li

ve b

ecau

se h

e w

as b

orn

in a

cau

l2an

d ca

uls

wer

e

mad

e fr

om J

esu

s’n

igh

tgow

n.D

addy

had

Mr.

Hea

th,t

he

carp

en-

ter,

build

a li

ttle

mah

ogan

y co

ffin

for

him

.Bu

t h

e di

dn’t

die

,an

d

wh

en h

e w

as t

hre

e m

onth

s ol

d,M

ama

and

Dad

dy d

ecid

ed t

hey

mig

ht

as w

ell n

ame

him

.Th

ey n

amed

him

Will

iam

Arm

stro

ng,

wh

ich

was

like

tyi

ng

a bi

g ta

il on

a s

mal

l kit

e.Su

ch a

nam

e

sou

nds

goo

d on

ly o

n a

tom

bsto

ne.

I th

ough

t m

ysel

fpr

etty

sm

art

at m

any

thin

gs,l

ike

hol

din

g

my

brea

th,r

un

nin

g,ju

mpi

ng,

or c

limbi

ng

the

vin

es in

Old

Wom

an S

wam

p,an

d I

wan

ted

mor

e th

an a

nyth

ing

else

som

eon

e

to r

ace

to H

orse

hea

d La

ndi

ng,

som

eon

e to

box

wit

h,a

nd

som

e-

one

to p

erch

wit

h in

th

e to

p fo

rk o

fth

e gr

eat

pin

e be

hin

d th

e

barn

,wh

ere

acro

ss t

he

fiel

ds a

nd

swam

ps y

ou c

ould

see

th

e se

a.

I w

ante

d a

brot

her

.Bu

t M

ama,

cryi

ng,

told

me

that

eve

n if

Will

iam

Arm

stro

ng

lived

,he

wou

ld n

ever

do

thes

e th

ings

wit

h

me.

He

mig

ht

not

,sh

e so

bbed

,eve

n b

e “a

ll th

ere.

”H

e m

igh

t,as

lon

g as

he

lived

,lie

on

th

e ru

bber

sh

eet

in t

he

cen

ter

ofth

e be

d

in t

he

fron

t be

droo

m w

her

e th

e w

hit

e m

arqu

iset

te3

curt

ain

s bi

l-

low

ed o

ut

in t

he

afte

rnoo

n s

ea b

reez

e,ru

stlin

g lik

e pa

lmet

to

fron

ds.4

It w

as b

ad e

nou

gh h

avin

g an

inva

lid b

roth

er,b

ut

hav

ing

one

wh

o po

ssib

ly w

as n

ot a

ll th

ere

was

un

bear

able

,so

I be

gan

to

mak

e pl

ans

to k

ill h

im b

y sm

oth

erin

g h

im w

ith

a p

illow

.

20 30 40 50

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

The

Scar

let

Ibis

169

In li

nes

32-

33, t

he

nar

rato

rco

mp

ares

his

bro

ther

’s g

iven

nam

e to

a “

big

tai

l on

asm

all k

ite.

” W

hat

do

es t

his

sim

ilete

ll yo

u a

bo

ut

the

nar

-ra

tor’

s o

pin

ion

of

his

bro

th-

er’s

nam

e?

Re-

read

lin

es 3

5-41

. Wh

atd

oes

th

e n

arra

tor

wan

t?U

nd

erlin

e w

hat

yo

u f

ind

ou

t.

Re-

read

lin

es 2

0-23

.U

nd

erlin

e th

e d

etai

l th

at t

ells

you

th

at t

he

sto

ry t

akes

pla

ce in

th

e p

ast.

2.ca

ul(

kôl)

n.:

mem

bra

ne

(th

in, s

kin

like

mat

eria

l) t

hat

so

met

imes

co

vers

a b

aby’

s h

ead

at

bir

th.

3.m

arq

uis

ette

(mär

≈ki·z

et√)

ad

j.:m

ade

of

a th

in, n

etlik

e fa

bri

c.4.

pal

met

to f

ron

ds:

fan

like

leav

es o

f a

pal

m t

ree.

The

sim

ile s

ug

ges

ts

that

th

e n

arra

tor

thin

ks t

he

nam

e

“Will

iam

Arm

stro

ng

” is

too

wei

gh

ty a

nd

imp

ort

ant-

sou

nd

ing

for

a ch

ild a

s p

hys

ical

ly

wea

k as

his

bro

ther

.

It w

as in

th

e cl

ove

ofse

ason

s,su

mm

er w

as d

ead

but

autu

mn

had

not

yet

bee

n b

orn

,th

at t

he

ibis

lit

in t

he

blee

din

g tr

ee.T

he

flow

er g

arde

n w

as s

tain

ed w

ith

rot

tin

g br

own

mag

nol

ia p

etal

s,

and

iron

wee

ds g

rew

ran

k1am

id t

he

purp

le p

hlo

x.T

he

five

o’cl

ocks

by

the

chim

ney

sti

ll m

arke

d ti

me,

but

the

orio

le n

est

in

the

elm

was

un

ten

ante

d an

d ro

cked

bac

k an

d fo

rth

like

an

empt

y cr

adle

.Th

e la

st g

rave

yard

flo

wer

s w

ere

bloo

min

g,an

d

thei

r sm

ell d

rift

ed a

cros

s th

e co

tton

fie

ld a

nd

thro

ugh

eve

ry

room

of

our

hou

se,s

peak

ing

soft

ly t

he

nam

es o

fou

r de

ad.

It’s

str

ange

th

at a

ll th

is is

sti

ll so

cle

ar t

o m

e,n

ow t

hat

th

at

sum

mer

has

lon

g si

nce

fle

d an

d ti

me

has

had

its

way

.A g

rin

d-

ston

e st

ands

wh

ere

the

blee

din

g tr

ee s

tood

,ju

st o

uts

ide

the

kitc

hen

doo

r,an

d n

ow if

an o

riol

e si

ngs

in t

he

elm

,its

son

g

seem

s to

die

up

in t

he

leav

es,a

silv

ery

dust

.Th

e fl

ower

gar

den

is

prim

,th

e h

ouse

a g

leam

ing

wh

ite,

and

the

pale

fen

ce a

cros

s th

e

yard

sta

nds

str

aigh

t an

d sp

ruce

.Bu

t so

met

imes

(lik

e ri

ght

now

),

as I

sit

in t

he

cool

,gre

en-d

rape

d pa

rlor

,th

e gr

inds

ton

e be

gin

s to

turn

,an

d ti

me

wit

h a

ll it

s ch

ange

s is

gro

un

d aw

ay—

and

I

rem

embe

r D

oodl

e.

10

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

168

Co

llect

ion

6:

Sym

bo

lism

an

d A

lleg

ory

Part

1

© F

ran

k La

ne

Pict

ure

Ag

ency

/CO

RB

IS.

A c

love

(kl£

v) is

a d

ivis

ion

or

split

of

som

e ki

nd

. Du

rin

gw

hat

tim

e o

f ye

ar d

oes

th

isst

ory

tak

e p

lace

?

Re-

read

th

e n

arra

tor’

sd

escr

ipti

on

of

the

gar

den

(lin

es 1-

9). U

nd

erlin

e th

ew

ord

s an

d p

hra

ses

that

bri

ng

to m

ind

dea

th o

r d

yin

g.

Notes

Notes

1.ra

nk

(ra«

k) a

dj.:

thic

k an

d w

ild. R

ank

also

mea

ns

“sm

elly

.”

“Th

e Sc

arle

t Ib

is”

by

Jam

es R

. Hu

rst

fro

m T

he

Atl

anti

c M

on

thly

,Ju

ly 1

960.

Co

pyr

igh

t ©

196

0 b

y Th

e A

tlan

tic

Mo

nth

ly. R

epri

nte

d b

y p

erm

issi

on

of

the

auth

or.

It t

akes

pla

ce d

uri

ng

the

tim

e w

hen

sum

mer

tu

rns

into

autu

mn

.

The

Sc

arle

t Th

e S

car

let

Jam

es H

urs

tIb

is

Collection 6Student pages 168–169

Page 24: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

Student Pages with Answers 87

Alt

hou

gh D

oodl

e le

arn

ed t

o cr

awl,

he

show

ed n

o si

gns

of

wal

kin

g,bu

t h

e w

asn’

t id

le.H

e ta

lked

so

mu

ch t

hat

we

all q

uit

liste

nin

g to

wh

at h

e sa

id.I

t w

as a

bou

t th

is t

ime

that

Dad

dy b

uilt

him

a g

o-ca

rt,a

nd

I h

ad t

o pu

ll h

im a

rou

nd.

At

firs

t I

just

para

ded

him

up

and

dow

n t

he

piaz

za,6

but

then

he

star

ted

cry-

ing

to b

e ta

ken

ou

t in

to t

he

yard

an

d it

en

ded

up

by m

y h

avin

g

to lu

g h

im w

her

ever

I w

ent.

IfI

so m

uch

as

pick

ed u

p m

y ca

p,

he’

d st

art

cryi

ng

to g

o w

ith

me,

and

Mam

a w

ould

cal

l fro

m

wh

erev

er s

he

was

,“Ta

ke D

oodl

e w

ith

you

.”

He

was

a b

urd

en in

man

y w

ays.

Th

e do

ctor

had

sai

d th

at h

e

mu

stn’

t ge

t to

o ex

cite

d,to

o h

ot,t

oo c

old,

or t

oo t

ired

an

d th

at

he

mu

st a

lway

s be

tre

ated

gen

tly.

A lo

ng

list

ofdo

n’ts

wen

t w

ith

him

,all

ofw

hic

h I

ign

ored

on

ce w

e go

t ou

t of

the

hou

se.T

o di

s-

cou

rage

his

com

ing

wit

h m

e,I’

d ru

n w

ith

him

acr

oss

the

ends

of

the

cott

on r

ows

and

care

en h

im a

rou

nd

corn

ers

on t

wo

wh

eels

.

Som

etim

es I

acc

iden

tally

tu

rned

him

ove

r,bu

t h

e n

ever

tol

d

Mam

a.H

is s

kin

was

ver

y se

nsi

tive

,an

d h

e h

ad t

o w

ear

a bi

g

stra

w h

at w

hen

ever

he

wen

t ou

t.W

hen

th

e go

ing

got

rou

gh a

nd

he

had

to

clin

g to

th

e si

des

ofth

e go

-car

t,th

e h

at s

lippe

d al

l th

e

way

dow

n o

ver

his

ear

s.H

e w

as a

sig

ht.

Fin

ally

,I c

ould

see

I w

as

licke

d.D

oodl

e w

as m

y br

oth

er,a

nd

he

was

goi

ng

to c

ling

to m

e

fore

ver,

no

mat

ter

wh

at I

did

,so

I dr

agge

d h

im a

cros

s th

e bu

rn-

ing

cott

on f

ield

to

shar

e w

ith

him

th

e on

ly b

eau

ty I

kn

ew,O

ld

Wom

an S

wam

p.I

pulle

d th

e go

-car

t th

rou

gh t

he

saw

toot

h f

ern

,

dow

n in

to t

he

gree

n d

imn

ess

wh

ere

the

palm

etto

fro

nds

wh

is-

pere

d by

th

e st

ream

.I li

fted

him

ou

t an

d se

t h

im d

own

in t

he

soft

ru

bber

gra

ss b

esid

e a

tall

pin

e.H

is e

yes

wer

e ro

un

d w

ith

won

der

as h

e ga

zed

abou

t h

im,a

nd

his

litt

le h

ands

beg

an t

o

stro

ke t

he

rubb

er g

rass

.Th

en h

e be

gan

to

cry.

“For

hea

ven’

s sa

ke,w

hat

’s t

he

mat

ter?

”I

aske

d,an

noy

ed.

“It’s

so

pret

ty,”

he

said

.“So

pre

tty,

pret

ty,p

rett

y.”

Aft

er t

hat

day

Doo

dle

and

I of

ten

wen

t do

wn

into

Old

Wom

an S

wam

p.I

wou

ld g

ath

er w

ildfl

ower

s,w

ild v

iole

ts,

90 100

110

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

The

Scar

let

Ibis

171

6.p

iazz

a(p

≤·az

ô)

n.:

larg

e co

vere

d p

orc

h.

Re-

read

lin

es 9

1-10

1. In

yo

ur

ow

n w

ord

s, d

escr

ibe

the

nar

-ra

tor

and

his

bro

ther

as

they

mig

ht

loo

k to

an

ob

serv

er.

Re-

read

lin

es 1

08-

112,

an

dci

rcle

th

e d

etai

ls t

hat

hel

pyo

u in

fer

Do

od

le’s

ch

arac

ter

trai

ts. W

hat

are

th

ey?

Wh

at d

oes

th

e n

arra

tor

tran

spo

rt D

oo

dle

in (

lines

82-

90)?

Un

der

line

the

sen

-te

nce

wh

ere

you

fin

d o

ut.

Poss

ible

res

po

nse

: Th

e

nar

rato

r is

a n

orm

al-

size

d b

oy,

bu

t D

oo

dle

is t

iny,

eve

n f

or

his

age.

Th

e n

arra

tor

is

pu

llin

g D

oo

dle

beh

ind

him

in a

ho

mem

ade

cart

. He

is g

oin

g v

ery

fast

, an

d D

oo

dle

is

gra

spin

g t

he

sid

es o

f

the

cart

. Do

od

le is

wea

rin

g a

big

hat

th

at

has

slip

ped

do

wn

ove

r

his

ear

s.

He

is e

mo

tio

nal

an

d

resp

on

sive

to

bea

uty

.

How

ever

,on

e af

tern

oon

as

I w

atch

ed h

im,m

y h

ead

poke

d

betw

een

th

e ir

on p

osts

of

the

foot

of

the

bed,

he

look

ed s

trai

ght

at m

e an

d gr

inn

ed.I

ski

pped

th

rou

gh t

he

room

s,do

wn

th

e

ech

oin

g h

alls

,sh

outi

ng,

“Mam

a,h

e sm

iled.

He’

s al

l th

ere!

He’

s

all t

her

e!”

and

he

was

.

Wh

en h

e w

as t

wo,

ifyo

u la

id h

im o

n h

is s

tom

ach

,he

bega

n t

o

try

to m

ove

him

self

,str

ain

ing

terr

ibly

.Th

e do

ctor

sai

d th

at w

ith

his

wea

k h

eart

th

is s

trai

n w

ould

pro

babl

y ki

ll h

im,b

ut

it d

idn’

t.

Trem

blin

g,h

e’d

push

him

self

up,

turn

ing

firs

t re

d,th

en a

sof

t

purp

le,a

nd

fin

ally

col

laps

e ba

ck o

nto

th

e be

d lik

e an

old

wor

n-

out

doll.

I ca

n s

till

see

Mam

a w

atch

ing

him

,her

han

d pr

esse

d

tigh

t ac

ross

her

mou

th,h

er e

yes

wid

e an

d u

nbl

inki

ng.

Bu

t h

e

lear

ned

to

craw

l (it

was

his

th

ird

win

ter)

,an

d w

e br

ough

t h

im

out

ofth

e fr

ont

bedr

oom

,pu

ttin

g h

im o

n t

he

rug

befo

re t

he

fire

plac

e.Fo

r th

e fi

rst

tim

e h

e be

cam

e on

e of

us.

As

lon

g as

he

lay

all t

he

tim

e in

bed

,we

calle

d h

im W

illia

m

Arm

stro

ng,

even

th

ough

it w

as f

orm

al a

nd

sou

nde

d as

ifw

e

wer

e re

ferr

ing

to o

ne

ofou

r an

cest

ors,

but

wit

h h

is c

reep

ing

arou

nd

on t

he

deer

skin

ru

g an

d be

gin

nin

g to

tal

k,so

met

hin

g

had

to

be d

one

abou

t h

is n

ame.

It w

as I

wh

o re

nam

ed h

im.

Wh

en h

e cr

awle

d,h

e cr

awle

d ba

ckw

ard,

as if

he

wer

e in

rev

erse

and

cou

ldn’

t ch

ange

gea

rs.I

fyo

u c

alle

d h

im,h

e’d

turn

aro

un

d

as if

he

wer

e go

ing

in t

he

oth

er d

irec

tion

,th

en h

e’d

back

rig

ht

up

to y

ou t

o be

pic

ked

up.

Cra

wlin

g ba

ckw

ard

mad

e h

im lo

ok

like

a do

odle

bug5

so I

beg

an t

o ca

ll h

im D

oodl

e,an

d in

tim

e

even

Mam

a an

d D

addy

th

ough

t it

was

a b

ette

r n

ame

than

Will

iam

Arm

stro

ng.

On

ly A

un

t N

icey

dis

agre

ed.S

he

said

cau

l

babi

es s

hou

ld b

e tr

eate

d w

ith

spe

cial

res

pect

sin

ce t

hey

mig

ht

turn

ou

t to

be

sain

ts.R

enam

ing

my

brot

her

was

per

hap

s th

e

kin

dest

th

ing

I ev

er d

id f

or h

im,b

ecau

se n

obod

y ex

pect

s m

uch

from

som

eon

e ca

lled

Doo

dle.

60 70 80

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

170

Co

llect

ion

6:

Sym

bo

lism

an

d A

lleg

ory

Part

1

5.d

oo

dle

bu

g(d

ºd

√´l·b

ug

≈) n

.:la

rva

of

a ty

pe

of

inse

ct t

hat

mo

ves

bac

kwar

d.

Wh

y is

it s

o im

po

rtan

t to

th

en

arra

tor

that

his

bro

ther

is“a

ll th

ere”

(lin

es 5

4-55

)?

Wh

at d

oes

th

e d

escr

ipti

on

inlin

es 5

9-61

tel

l yo

u a

bo

ut

Do

od

le?

Pau

se a

t lin

e 79

. Wh

y d

oes

n’t

Au

nt

Nic

ey li

ke D

oo

dle

’sn

ickn

ame?

Poss

ible

res

po

nse

: Th

e

nar

rato

r w

ants

Do

od

le

to d

evel

op

no

rmal

ly

ph

ysic

ally

so

th

ey c

an

pla

y to

get

her

.

Do

od

le is

no

t p

hys

i-

cally

str

on

g.

She

says

th

at t

he

nam

e d

oes

no

t sh

ow

eno

ug

h r

esp

ect

for

bab

ies

like

Do

od

le,

wh

o a

re o

ften

ble

ssed

or

gif

ted

in s

om

e w

ay.

Collection 6Student pages 170–171

Page 25: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

88 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

We

wer

e do

wn

in O

ld W

oman

Sw

amp

and

it w

as s

prin

g an

d th

e

sick

-sw

eet

smel

l of

bay

flow

ers

hun

g ev

eryw

her

e lik

e a

mou

rnfu

l

son

g.“I

’m g

oin

g to

tea

ch y

ou t

o w

alk,

Doo

dle,

”I

said

.

He

was

sit

tin

g co

mfo

rtab

ly o

n t

he

soft

gra

ss,l

ean

ing

back

agai

nst

th

e pi

ne.

“Why

?”h

e as

ked.

I h

adn’

t ex

pect

ed s

uch

an

an

swer

.“So

I w

on’t

hav

e to

hau

l

you

aro

un

d al

l th

e ti

me.

“I c

an’t

wal

k,B

roth

er,”

he

said

.

“Wh

o sa

ys s

o?”

I de

man

ded.

“Mam

a,th

e do

ctor—

ever

ybod

y.”

“Oh

,you

can

wal

k,”

I sa

id,a

nd

I to

ok h

im b

y th

e ar

ms

and

stoo

d h

im u

p.H

e co

llaps

ed o

nto

th

e gr

ass

like

a h

alf-

empt

y

flou

r sa

ck.I

t w

as a

s if

he

had

no

bon

es in

his

litt

le le

gs.

“Don

’t h

urt

me,

Bro

ther

,”h

e w

arn

ed.

“Shu

t u

p.I’

m n

ot g

oin

g to

hu

rt y

ou.I

’m g

oin

g to

tea

ch y

ou

to w

alk.

”I

hea

ved

him

up

agai

n,a

nd

agai

n h

e co

llaps

ed.

150

160

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

The

Scar

let

Ibis

173

Re-

read

lin

es 1

47-

149.

Un

der

line

the

sim

ile,a

nd

exp

lain

wh

at t

wo

th

ing

s ar

eb

ein

g c

om

par

ed.

Notes

Notes

© P

ho

toD

isc,

Inc.

/Get

ty Im

ages

.

Poss

ible

res

po

nse

: Th

e

scen

t o

f th

e fl

ow

ers

is

com

par

ed t

o a

“m

ou

rn-

ful s

on

g.”

Th

e si

mile

sug

ges

ts t

he

hym

ns

sun

g a

t fu

ner

als.

hon

eysu

ckle

,yel

low

jasm

ine,

snak

eflo

wer

s,an

d w

ater

lilie

s,an

d

wit

h w

ire

gras

s w

e’d

wea

ve t

hem

into

nec

klac

es a

nd

crow

ns.

We’

d be

deck

ou

rsel

ves

wit

h o

ur

han

diw

ork

and

loll

abou

t th

us

beau

tifi

ed,b

eyon

d th

e to

uch

of

the

ever

yday

wor

ld.T

hen

wh

en

the

slan

ted

rays

of

the

sun

bu

rned

ora

nge

in t

he

tops

of

the

pin

es,w

e’d

drop

ou

r je

wel

s in

to t

he

stre

am a

nd

wat

ch t

hem

flo

at

away

tow

ard

the

sea.

Th

ere

is w

ith

in m

e (a

nd

wit

h s

adn

ess

I h

ave

wat

ched

it in

oth

ers)

a k

not

of

cru

elty

bor

ne

by t

he

stre

am o

flo

ve,m

uch

as

our

bloo

d so

met

imes

bea

rs t

he

seed

of

our

dest

ruct

ion

,an

d at

tim

es I

was

mea

n t

o D

oodl

e.O

ne

day

I to

ok h

im u

p to

th

e ba

rn

loft

an

d sh

owed

him

his

cas

ket,

telli

ng

him

how

we

all h

ad

belie

ved

he

wou

ld d

ie.I

t w

as c

over

ed w

ith

a f

ilm o

fPa

ris

gree

n7

spri

nkl

ed t

o ki

ll th

e ra

ts,a

nd

scre

ech

ow

ls h

ad b

uilt

a n

est

insi

de it

.

Doo

dle

stu

died

th

e m

ahog

any

box

for

a lo

ng

tim

e,th

en

said

,“It

’s n

ot m

ine.

“It

is,”

I sa

id.“

An

d be

fore

I’ll

hel

p yo

u d

own

fro

m t

he

loft

,

you’

re g

oin

g to

hav

e to

tou

ch it

.”

“I w

on’t

tou

ch it

,”h

e sa

id s

ull

enly

.

“Th

en I

’ll le

ave

you

her

e by

you

rsel

f,”I

thre

aten

ed,a

nd

mad

e as

ifI

wer

e go

ing

dow

n.

Doo

dle

was

fri

ghte

ned

of

bein

g le

ft.“

Don

’t g

o le

ave

me,

Bro

ther

,”h

e cr

ied,

and

he

lean

ed t

owar

d th

e co

ffin

.His

han

d,

trem

blin

g,re

ach

ed o

ut,

and

wh

en h

e to

uch

ed t

he

cask

et,h

e

scre

amed

.A s

cree

ch o

wl f

lapp

ed o

ut

ofth

e bo

x in

to o

ur

face

s,

scar

ing

us

and

cove

rin

g u

s w

ith

Par

is g

reen

.Doo

dle

was

par

a-

lyze

d,so

I p

ut

him

on

my

shou

lder

an

d ca

rrie

d h

im d

own

th

e

ladd

er,a

nd

even

wh

en w

e w

ere

outs

ide

in t

he

brig

ht

sun

shin

e,

he

clu

ng

to m

e,cr

yin

g,“D

on’t

leav

e m

e.D

on’t

leav

e m

e.”

Wh

en D

oodl

e w

as f

ive

year

s ol

d,I

was

em

barr

asse

d at

hav

ing

a

brot

her

of

that

age

wh

o co

uld

n’t

wal

k,so

I s

et o

ut

to t

each

him

.

120

130

140

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

172

Co

llect

ion

6:

Sym

bo

lism

an

d A

lleg

ory

Part

1

7.Pa

ris

gre

enn

.:p

ois

on

ou

s g

reen

po

wd

er u

sed

to

kill

inse

cts.

Re-

read

th

e lo

ng

sen

ten

ce in

lines

122-

125.

Wh

at is

th

e n

arra

tor

sayi

ng

ab

ou

t th

ere

lati

on

ship

bet

wee

n lo

vean

d c

ruel

ty?

sulle

nly

(su

lôn

·l≤)

adv.

:re

sen

tfu

lly; g

loo

mily

.

Pau

se a

t lin

e 14

4. W

hy

do

yo

uth

ink

the

nar

rato

r sh

ow

sD

oo

dle

th

e co

ffin

? W

hat

mig

ht

this

eve

nt

fore

shad

ow

?

The

nar

rato

r is

say

ing

that

cru

elty

can

sp

rin

g

fro

m lo

ve.

Poss

ible

an

swer

: Th

e

nar

rato

r is

bei

ng

mea

n

to D

oo

dle

. Per

hap

s h

e

is t

ryin

g t

o s

care

Do

od

le s

o t

hat

Do

od

le

will

do

wh

at t

he

nar

rato

r w

ants

him

to

do

. At

som

e p

oin

t in

the

sto

ry, t

he

nar

rato

r

or

Do

od

le w

ill d

ie.

Collection 6Student pages 172–173

Page 26: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

Student Pages with Answers 89

spec

tacu

lar

surp

rise

.Au

nt

Nic

ey s

aid

that

,aft

er s

o m

uch

tal

k,if

we

prod

uce

d an

yth

ing

less

tre

men

dou

s th

an t

he

Res

urr

ecti

on,8

she

was

goi

ng

to b

e di

sapp

oin

ted.

At

brea

kfas

t on

ou

r ch

osen

day

,wh

en M

ama,

Dad

dy,a

nd

Au

nt

Nic

ey w

ere

in t

he

din

ing

room

,I b

rou

ght

Doo

dle

to t

he

door

in t

he

go-c

art

just

as

usu

al a

nd

had

th

em t

urn

th

eir

back

s,

mak

ing

them

cro

ss t

hei

r h

eart

s an

d h

ope

to d

ie if

they

pee

ked.

I

hel

ped

Doo

dle

up,

and

wh

en h

e w

as s

tan

din

g al

one

I le

t th

em

look

.Th

ere

was

n’t

a so

un

d as

Doo

dle

wal

ked

slow

ly a

cros

s th

e

room

an

d sa

t do

wn

at

his

pla

ce a

t th

e ta

ble.

Th

en M

ama

bega

n

to c

ry a

nd

ran

ove

r to

him

,hu

ggin

g h

im a

nd

kiss

ing

him

.Dad

dy

hugg

ed h

im t

oo,s

o I

wen

t to

Au

nt

Nic

ey,w

ho

was

th

anks

-pra

y-

ing

in t

he

door

way

,an

d be

gan

to

wal

tz h

er a

rou

nd.

We

dan

ced

toge

ther

qu

ite

wel

l un

til s

he

cam

e do

wn

on

my

big

toe

wit

h h

er

brog

ans,

9hu

rtin

g m

e so

bad

ly I

th

ough

t I

was

cri

pple

d fo

r lif

e.

Doo

dle

told

th

em it

was

I w

ho

had

tau

ght

him

to

wal

k,so

ever

yon

e w

ante

d to

hu

g m

e,an

d I

bega

n t

o cr

y.

“Wh

at a

re y

ou c

ryin

g fo

r?”

aske

d D

addy

,bu

t I

cou

ldn’

t

answ

er.T

hey

did

not

kn

ow t

hat

I d

id it

for

mys

elf;

that

pri

de,

wh

ose

slav

e I

was

,spo

ke t

o m

e lo

ude

r th

an a

ll th

eir

voic

es;a

nd

that

Doo

dle

wal

ked

only

bec

ause

I w

as a

sham

ed o

fh

avin

g a

crip

pled

bro

ther

.

Wit

hin

a f

ew m

onth

s D

oodl

e h

ad le

arn

ed t

o w

alk

wel

l an

d

his

go-

cart

was

pu

t u

p in

th

e ba

rn lo

ft (

it’s

sti

ll th

ere)

bes

ide

his

littl

e m

ahog

any

coff

in.N

ow,w

hen

we

roam

ed o

ffto

geth

er,r

est-

ing

ofte

n,w

e n

ever

tu

rned

bac

k u

nti

l ou

r de

stin

atio

n h

ad b

een

reac

hed

,an

d to

hel

p pa

ss t

he

tim

e,w

e to

ok u

p ly

ing.

From

th

e

begi

nn

ing

Doo

dle

was

a t

erri

ble

liar,

and

he

got

me

in t

he

hab

it.

Had

any

one

stop

ped

to li

sten

to

us,

we

wou

ld h

ave

been

sen

t of

f

to D

ix H

ill.

My

lies

wer

e sc

ary,

invo

lved

,an

d u

sual

ly p

oin

tles

s,bu

t

Doo

dle’

s w

ere

twic

e as

cra

zy.P

eopl

e in

his

sto

ries

all

had

win

gs

and

flew

wh

erev

er t

hey

wan

ted

to g

o.H

is f

avor

ite

lie w

as a

bou

t a

200

210

220

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

The

Scar

let

Ibis

175

8.R

esu

rrec

tio

n:r

efer

ence

to

th

e C

hri

stia

n b

elie

f in

th

e ri

sin

g o

f Je

sus

fro

m t

he

dea

d a

fter

his

bu

rial

.9.

bro

gan

s(b

r£√g

¥nz)

n.:

hea

vy, a

nkl

e-h

igh

sh

oes

.

Re-

read

lin

es 2

15-

218.

Is t

he

nar

rato

r d

escr

ibin

g p

rid

eth

at b

rin

gs

som

eth

ing

wo

n-

der

ful o

r so

met

hin

g t

erri

ble

?

Re-

read

lin

es 2

25-

226.

Dix

Hill

is a

sta

te m

enta

l ho

spit

alin

Ral

eig

h, N

ort

h C

aro

lina.

Wh

at d

oes

th

e n

arra

tor

mea

n b

y th

is s

tate

men

t?

Poss

ible

an

swer

: It

has

bro

ug

ht

bo

th, a

s th

e

nar

rato

r p

red

icte

d. T

he

nar

rato

r ta

ug

ht

Do

od

le t

o w

alk,

bu

t

for

a se

lfis

h r

easo

n.

The

nar

rato

r ca

lls h

im-

self

a “

slav

e” t

o h

is

pri

de,

wh

ich

su

gg

ests

ther

e m

ay b

e u

nh

app

y

con

seq

uen

ces.

He

mea

ns

that

peo

ple

wh

o h

eard

th

em

wo

uld

hav

e th

ou

gh

t

they

wer

e in

san

e.

Th

is t

ime

he

did

not

lift

his

fac

e u

p ou

t of

the

rubb

er g

rass

.

“I ju

st c

an’t

do

it.L

et’s

mak

e h

oney

suck

le w

reat

hs.”

“Oh

yes

you

can

,Doo

dle,

”I

said

.“A

ll yo

u g

ot t

o do

is t

ry.

Now

com

e on

,”an

d I

hau

led

him

up

once

mor

e.

It s

eem

ed s

o h

opel

ess

from

th

e be

gin

nin

g th

at it

’s a

mir

acle

I di

dn’t

giv

e u

p.B

ut

all o

fu

s m

ust

hav

e so

met

hin

g or

som

eon

e

to b

e pr

oud

of,a

nd

Doo

dle

had

bec

ome

min

e.I

did

not

kn

ow

then

th

at p

ride

is a

won

derf

ul,

terr

ible

th

ing,

a se

ed t

hat

bea

rs

two

vin

es,l

ife

and

deat

h.E

very

day

th

at s

um

mer

we

wen

t to

th

e

pin

e be

side

th

e st

ream

of

Old

Wom

an S

wam

p,an

d I

put

him

on

his

fee

t at

leas

t a

hun

dred

tim

es e

ach

aft

ern

oon

.Occ

asio

nal

ly I

too

beca

me

disc

oura

ged

beca

use

it d

idn’

t se

em a

s if

he

was

try

-

ing,

and

I w

ould

say

,“D

oodl

e,do

n’t

you

wan

tto

lear

n t

o w

alk?

He’

d n

od h

is h

ead,

and

I’d

say,

“Wel

l,if

you

don

’t k

eep

try-

ing,

you’

ll n

ever

lear

n.”

Th

en I

’d p

ain

t fo

r h

im a

pic

ture

of

us

as

old

men

,wh

ite-

hai

red,

him

wit

h a

lon

g w

hit

e be

ard

and

me

still

pulli

ng

him

aro

un

d in

th

e go

-car

t.T

his

nev

er f

aile

d to

mak

e

him

try

aga

in.

Fin

ally

,on

e da

y,af

ter

man

y w

eeks

of

prac

tici

ng,

he

stoo

d

alon

e fo

r a

few

sec

onds

.Wh

en h

e fe

ll,I

grab

bed

him

in m

y ar

ms

and

hugg

ed h

im,o

ur

lau

ghte

r pe

alin

g th

rou

gh t

he

swam

p lik

e a

rin

gin

g be

ll.N

ow w

e kn

ew it

cou

ld b

e do

ne.

Hop

e n

o lo

nge

r h

id

in t

he

dark

pal

met

to t

hic

ket

but

perc

hed

like

a c

ardi

nal

in t

he

lacy

too

thbr

ush

tre

e,br

illia

ntl

y vi

sibl

e.“Y

es,y

es,”

I cr

ied,

and

he

crie

d it

too

,an

d th

e gr

ass

ben

eath

us

was

sof

t an

d th

e sm

ell o

f

the

swam

p w

as s

wee

t.

Wit

h s

ucc

ess

so i

mm

inen

t,w

e de

cide

d n

ot t

o te

ll an

yon

e

un

til h

e co

uld

act

ual

ly w

alk.

Eac

h d

ay,b

arri

ng

rain

,we

snea

ked

into

Old

Wom

an S

wam

p,an

d by

cot

ton

-pic

kin

g ti

me

Doo

dle

was

rea

dy t

o sh

ow w

hat

he

cou

ld d

o.H

e st

ill w

asn’

t ab

le t

o w

alk

far,

but

we

cou

ld w

ait

no

lon

ger.

Kee

pin

g a

nic

e se

cret

is v

ery

har

d to

do,

like

hol

din

g yo

ur

brea

th.W

e ch

ose

to r

evea

l all

on

Oct

ober

eig

hth

,Doo

dle’

s si

xth

bir

thda

y,an

d fo

r w

eeks

ah

ead

we

moo

ned

aro

un

d th

e h

ouse

,pro

mis

ing

ever

ybod

y a

mos

t

170

180

190

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

174

Co

llect

ion

6:

Sym

bo

lism

an

d A

lleg

ory

Part

1

Un

der

line

the

sim

ilein

lin

es18

4-18

6. W

hat

do

yo

u t

hin

kth

e n

arra

tor

mea

ns?

imm

inen

t(i

mô

·n¥n

t) a

dj.:

nea

r; a

bo

ut

to h

app

en.

Pau

se a

t lin

e 17

1. U

nd

erlin

eth

e tw

o s

tate

men

ts t

he

nar

-ra

tor

mak

es a

bo

ut

pri

de.

Pu

th

is s

tate

men

ts in

yo

ur

ow

nw

ord

s.

The

sim

ile is

co

mp

ar-

ing

ho

pe

to a

car

din

al

wh

ose

bri

llian

t re

d

colo

r su

gg

ests

a

po

wer

ful l

ife

forc

e.

He

says

th

at e

very

on

e

wan

ts t

o b

e p

rou

d o

f

som

eth

ing

or

som

e-

on

e. H

e al

so s

ays

that

pri

de

bri

ng

s b

oth

go

od

thin

gs

and

bad

th

ing

s.

Collection 6Student pages 174–175

Page 27: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

90 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

cam

paig

n g

ot o

ffto

a g

ood

star

t.O

n h

ot d

ays,

Doo

dle

and

I

wen

t do

wn

to

Hor

seh

ead

Lan

din

g,an

d I

gave

him

sw

imm

ing

less

ons

or s

how

ed h

im h

ow t

o ro

w a

boa

t.So

met

imes

we

desc

ende

d in

to t

he

cool

gre

enn

ess

ofO

ld W

oman

Sw

amp

and

clim

bed

the

rope

vin

es o

r bo

xed

scie

nti

fica

lly b

enea

th t

he

pin

e

wh

ere

he

had

lear

ned

to

wal

k.P

rom

ise

hun

g ab

out

us

like

leav

es,a

nd

wh

erev

er w

e lo

oked

,fer

ns

un

furl

ed a

nd

bird

s br

oke

into

son

g.

Th

at s

um

mer

,th

e su

mm

er o

f19

18,w

as b

ligh

ted

.In

May

and

Jun

e th

ere

was

no

rain

an

d th

e cr

ops

wit

her

ed,c

url

ed u

p,

then

die

d u

nde

r th

e th

irst

y su

n.O

ne

mor

nin

g in

Ju

ly a

hu

rri-

can

e ca

me

out

ofth

e ea

st,t

ippi

ng

over

th

e oa

ks in

th

e ya

rd a

nd

split

tin

g th

e lim

bs o

fth

e el

m t

rees

.Th

at a

fter

noo

n it

roa

red

back

ou

t of

the

wes

t,bl

ew t

he

falle

n o

aks

arou

nd,

snap

pin

g th

eir

root

s an

d te

arin

g th

em o

ut

ofth

e ea

rth

like

a h

awk

at t

he

entr

ails

12of

a ch

icke

n.C

otto

n b

olls

wer

e w

ren

ched

fro

m t

he

stal

ks a

nd

lay

like

gree

n w

aln

uts

in t

he

valle

ys b

etw

een

th

e ro

ws,

wh

ile t

he

corn

fiel

d le

aned

ove

r u

nif

orm

ly s

o th

at t

he

tass

els

tou

ched

th

e gr

oun

d.D

oodl

e an

d I

follo

wed

Dad

dy o

ut

into

th

e

cott

on f

ield

,wh

ere

he

stoo

d,sh

ould

ers

sagg

ing,

surv

eyin

g th

e

ruin

.Wh

en h

is c

hin

san

k do

wn

on

to h

is c

hes

t,w

e w

ere

frig

ht-

ened

,an

d D

oodl

e sl

ippe

d h

is h

and

into

min

e.Su

dden

ly D

addy

stra

igh

ten

ed h

is s

hou

lder

s,ra

ised

a g

ian

t kn

uck

ly f

ist,

and

wit

h a

voic

e th

at s

eem

ed t

o ru

mbl

e ou

t of

the

eart

h it

self

bega

n c

urs

ing

hea

ven

,hel

l,th

e w

eath

er,a

nd

the

Rep

ubl

ican

par

ty.13

Doo

dle

and

I,pr

oddi

ng

each

oth

er a

nd

gigg

ling,

wen

t ba

ck t

o th

e h

ouse

,

know

ing

that

eve

ryth

ing

wou

ld b

e al

l rig

ht.

An

d du

rin

g th

at s

um

mer

,str

ange

nam

es w

ere

hea

rd

thro

ugh

th

e h

ouse

:Ch

âtea

u-T

hie

rry,

Am

ien

s,So

isso

ns,

and

in

her

ble

ssin

g at

th

e su

pper

tab

le,M

ama

once

sai

d,“A

nd

bles

s th

e

Pear

son

s,w

hos

e bo

y Jo

e w

as lo

st in

Bel

leau

Woo

d.”14

270

280

290

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

The

Scar

let

Ibis

177

12.

entr

ails

(en

√tr†

lz)

n.:

inn

er o

rgan

s; g

uts

.13

.R

epu

blic

an p

arty

:At

this

tim

e m

ost

so

uth

ern

far

mer

s w

ere

loya

lD

emo

crat

s.14

.C

hât

eau

-Th

ierr

y(s

ha√

t£’

t≤·e

r√·≤

), A

mie

ns

(ß·m

ya‰

√), S

ois

son

s(s

wä·

sô‰

√), B

elle

au(b

e·lô

√) W

oo

d:W

orl

d W

ar I

bat

tle

site

s in

Fra

nce

.

blig

hte

d(b

l¢t√

id)

v. u

sed

as

adj.:

suff

erin

g f

rom

co

nd

i-ti

on

s th

at d

estr

oy

or

pre

ven

tg

row

th.

Re-

read

lin

es 2

74-

277.

Un

der

line

the

sim

ileth

e n

ar-

rato

r u

ses

to d

escr

ibe

the

des

tru

ctio

n o

f th

e o

ak t

rees

.W

hy

do

yo

u t

hin

k th

e w

rite

rch

ose

th

is c

om

par

iso

n?

Pau

se a

t lin

e 28

8. If

th

e“b

ligh

ted

” su

mm

er, i

ncl

ud

-in

g t

he

vio

len

t h

urr

ican

e, is

asy

mb

olo

f w

hat

is t

o c

om

e,w

hat

mig

ht

lie in

Do

od

le’s

futu

re?

The

wri

ter

is u

sin

g a

bir

d in

th

e si

mile

as

he

has

use

d b

ird

s to

rep

-

rese

nt

oth

er t

hin

gs

in

the

sto

ry.

If t

he

wea

ther

is s

ym-

bo

lic, t

hen

Do

od

le is

in

for

a ve

ry b

ad t

ime,

and

may

eve

n d

ie.

boy

nam

ed P

eter

wh

o h

ad a

pet

pea

cock

wit

h a

ten

-foo

t ta

il.

Pete

r w

ore

a go

lden

rob

e th

at g

litte

red

so b

righ

tly

that

wh

en h

e

wal

ked

thro

ugh

th

e su

nfl

ower

s th

ey t

urn

ed a

way

fro

m t

he

sun

to f

ace

him

.Wh

en P

eter

was

rea

dy t

o go

to

slee

p,th

e pe

acoc

k

spre

ad h

is m

agn

ific

ent

tail,

enfo

ldin

g th

e bo

y ge

ntl

y lik

e a

clos

-

ing

go-t

o-sl

eep

flow

er,b

ury

ing

him

in t

he

glor

iou

sly

irid

esce

nt,

rust

ling

vort

ex.10

Yes,

I m

ust

adm

it it

.Doo

dle

cou

ld b

eat

me

lyin

g. Doo

dle

and

I sp

ent

lots

of

tim

e th

inki

ng

abou

t ou

r fu

ture

.

We

deci

ded

that

wh

en w

e w

ere

grow

n,w

e’d

live

in O

ld W

oman

Swam

p an

d pi

ck d

og’s

-ton

gue11

for

a liv

ing.

Bes

ide

the

stre

am,

he

plan

ned

,we’

d bu

ild u

s a

hou

se o

fw

his

peri

ng

leav

es a

nd

the

swam

p bi

rds

wou

ld b

e ou

r ch

icke

ns.

All

day

lon

g (w

hen

we

wer

en’t

gat

her

ing

dog’

s-to

ngu

e) w

e’d

swin

g th

rou

gh t

he

cy-

pres

ses

on t

he

rope

vin

es,a

nd

ifit

rai

ned

we’

d hu

ddle

ben

eath

an u

mbr

ella

tre

e an

d pl

ay s

tick

frog

.Mam

a an

d D

addy

cou

ld

com

e an

d liv

e w

ith

us

ifth

ey w

ante

d to

.He

even

cam

e u

p w

ith

the

idea

th

at h

e co

uld

mar

ry M

ama

and

I co

uld

mar

ry D

addy

.

Of

cou

rse,

I w

as o

ld e

nou

gh t

o kn

ow t

his

wou

ldn’

t w

ork

out,

but

the

pict

ure

he

pain

ted

was

so

beau

tifu

l an

d se

ren

eth

at a

ll I

cou

ld d

o w

as w

his

per

yes,

yes.

On

ce I

had

su

ccee

ded

in t

each

ing

Doo

dle

to w

alk,

I be

gan

to

belie

ve in

my

own

in

fall

ibil

ity

and

I pr

epar

ed a

ter

rifi

c de

velo

p-

men

t pr

ogra

m f

or h

im,u

nkn

own

to

Mam

a an

d D

addy

,of

cou

rse.

I w

ould

tea

ch h

im t

o ru

n,t

o sw

im,t

o cl

imb

tree

s,an

d to

figh

t.H

e,to

o,n

ow b

elie

ved

in m

y in

falli

bilit

y,so

we

set

the

dead

line

for

thes

e ac

com

plis

hm

ents

less

th

an a

yea

r aw

ay,w

hen

,

it h

ad b

een

dec

ided

,Doo

dle

cou

ld s

tart

to

sch

ool.

Th

at w

inte

r w

e di

dn’t

mak

e m

uch

pro

gres

s,fo

r I

was

in

sch

ool a

nd

Doo

dle

suff

ered

fro

m o

ne

bad

cold

aft

er a

not

her

.Bu

t

wh

en s

prin

g ca

me,

rich

an

d w

arm

,we

rais

ed o

ur

sigh

ts a

gain

.

Succ

ess

lay

at t

he

end

ofsu

mm

er li

ke a

pot

of

gold

,an

d ou

r

230

240

250

260

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

176

Co

llect

ion

6:

Sym

bo

lism

an

d A

lleg

ory

Part

1

10.

vort

ex(v

ôr√

teks

≈) n

.:so

met

hin

g r

esem

blin

g a

wh

irlp

oo

l.11

.d

og

’s-t

on

gu

en

.:w

ild v

anill

a.

Re-

read

lin

es 2

31-

236.

Un

der

line

the

det

ails

th

ath

elp

yo

u v

isu

aliz

e D

oo

dle

’slie

. Wh

y is

th

e p

eaco

ckim

po

rtan

t in

his

lie?

irid

esce

nt

(ir≈

i·des

ôn

t) a

dj.:

rain

bo

wlik

e; d

isp

layi

ng

ash

ifti

ng

ran

ge

of

colo

rs.

sere

ne

(s¥·

r≤n

√) a

dj.:

pea

ce-

ful;

calm

.

infa

llib

ility

(in

·fal

≈¥·b

il√¥·

t≤)

n.:

inab

ility

to

mak

e a

mis

take

.

Pau

se a

t lin

e 26

0. D

o y

ou

thin

k th

e n

arra

tor’

s “d

evel

-o

pm

ent

pro

gra

m”

is a

go

od

idea

? B

rief

ly e

xpla

in.

Poss

ible

res

po

nse

: Th

e

pea

cock

is im

po

rtan

t

bec

ause

it p

rote

cts

him

. Per

hap

s h

e is

thin

kin

g o

f b

ein

g w

ith

som

eon

e w

ho

is k

ind

er

than

his

bro

ther

.

Poss

ible

res

po

nse

: Th

e

nar

rato

r’s

“dev

elo

p-

men

t p

rog

ram

” is

to

o

dif

ficu

lt f

or

Do

od

le.

Do

od

le’s

co

lds

sug

ges

t

that

he

is w

eake

r th

an

the

nar

rato

r re

aliz

es.

Collection 6Student pages 176–177

Page 28: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

Student Pages with Answers 91

ill.A

t n

igh

t h

e di

dn’t

sle

ep w

ell,

and

som

etim

es h

e h

ad n

igh

t-

mar

es,c

ryin

g ou

t u

nti

l I t

ouch

ed h

im a

nd

said

,“W

ake

up,

Doo

dle.

Wak

e u

p.”

It w

as S

atu

rday

noo

n,j

ust

a f

ew d

ays

befo

re s

choo

l was

to

star

t.I

shou

ld h

ave

alre

ady

adm

itte

d de

feat

,bu

t m

y pr

ide

wou

ldn’

t le

t m

e.T

he

exci

tem

ent

ofou

r pr

ogra

m h

ad n

ow b

een

gon

e fo

r w

eeks

,bu

t st

ill w

e ke

pt o

n w

ith

a t

ired

dog

ged

nes

s.It

was

too

late

to

turn

bac

k,fo

r w

e h

ad b

oth

wan

dere

d to

o fa

r in

to

a n

et o

fex

pect

atio

ns

and

had

left

no

cru

mbs

beh

ind.

Dad

dy,M

ama,

Doo

dle,

and

I w

ere

seat

ed a

t th

e di

nin

g-

room

tab

le h

avin

g lu

nch

.It

was

a h

ot d

ay,w

ith

all

the

win

dow

s

and

door

s op

en in

cas

e a

bree

ze s

hou

ld c

ome.

In t

he

kitc

hen

Au

nt

Nic

ey w

as h

um

min

g so

ftly

.Aft

er a

lon

g si

len

ce,D

addy

spok

e.“I

t’s s

o ca

lm,I

wou

ldn’

t be

su

rpri

sed

ifw

e h

ad a

sto

rm

this

aft

ern

oon

.”

“I h

aven

’t h

eard

a r

ain

fro

g,”

said

Mam

a,w

ho

belie

ved

in

sign

s,as

sh

e se

rved

th

e br

ead

arou

nd

the

tabl

e.

“I d

id,”

decl

ared

Doo

dle.

“Dow

n in

th

e sw

amp.

“He

didn

’t,”

I sa

id c

ontr

arily

.

“You

did

,eh

?”sa

id D

addy

,ign

orin

g m

y de

nia

l.

“I c

erta

inly

did

,”D

oodl

e re

iter

ated

,sco

wlin

g at

me

over

the

top

ofh

is ic

ed-t

ea g

lass

,an

d w

e w

ere

quie

t ag

ain

.

Sudd

enly

,fro

m o

ut

in t

he

yard

cam

e a

stra

nge

cro

akin

g

noi

se.D

oodl

e st

oppe

d ea

tin

g,w

ith

a p

iece

of

brea

d po

ised

rea

dy

for

his

mou

th,h

is e

yes

popp

ed r

oun

d lik

e tw

o bl

ue

butt

ons.

“Wh

at’s

th

at?”

he

wh

ispe

red.

I ju

mpe

d u

p,kn

ocki

ng

over

my

chai

r,an

d h

ad r

each

ed t

he

door

wh

en M

ama

calle

d,“P

ick

up

the

chai

r,si

t do

wn

aga

in,a

nd

say

excu

se m

e.”

By

the

tim

e I

had

don

e th

is,D

oodl

e h

ad e

xcu

sed

him

self

and

had

slip

ped

out

into

th

e ya

rd.H

e w

as lo

okin

g u

p in

to t

he

blee

din

g tr

ee.“

It’s

a g

reat

big

red

bir

d!”

he

calle

d.

Th

e bi

rd c

roak

ed lo

udl

y ag

ain

,an

d M

ama

and

Dad

dy c

ame

out

into

th

e ya

rd.W

e sh

aded

ou

r ey

es w

ith

ou

r h

ands

aga

inst

the

haz

y gl

are

ofth

e su

n a

nd

peer

ed u

p th

rou

gh t

he

still

leav

es.

320

330

340

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

The

Scar

let

Ibis

179

do

gg

edn

ess

(dô

g√id

·nis

) n

.:st

ub

bo

rnn

ess;

per

sist

ence

.

reit

erat

ed(r

≤·it

√¥·r

†t≈id

) v.

:re

pea

ted

.

In y

ou

r o

wn

wo

rds,

exp

lain

wh

at t

he

nar

rato

r m

ean

s in

lines

316-

319.

Thei

r d

esir

e to

get

Do

od

le t

o s

ucc

eed

ph

ysic

ally

is b

lind

ing

them

to

th

e d

ang

er t

o

Do

od

le’s

hea

lth

. “Le

ft

no

cru

mb

s b

ehin

d”

mea

ns

that

th

ey le

ft

no

pat

h b

ehin

d

them

—n

o w

ay o

ut

of

thei

r p

red

icam

ent.

So w

e ca

me

to t

hat

clo

ve o

fse

ason

s.Sc

hoo

l was

on

ly a

few

wee

ks a

way

,an

d D

oodl

e w

as f

ar b

ehin

d sc

hed

ule

.He

cou

ld

bare

ly c

lear

th

e gr

oun

d w

hen

clim

bin

g u

p th

e ro

pe v

ines

,an

d

his

sw

imm

ing

was

cer

tain

ly n

ot p

assa

ble.

We

deci

ded

to d

oubl

e

our

effo

rts,

to m

ake

that

last

dri

ve a

nd

reac

h o

ur

pot

ofgo

ld.I

mad

e h

im s

wim

un

til h

e tu

rned

blu

e an

d ro

w u

nti

l he

cou

ldn’

t

lift

an o

ar.W

her

ever

we

wen

t,I

purp

osel

y w

alke

d fa

st,a

nd

alth

ough

he

kept

up,

his

fac

e tu

rned

red

an

d h

is e

yes

beca

me

glaz

ed.O

nce

,he

cou

ld g

o n

o fu

rth

er,s

o h

e co

llaps

ed o

n t

he

grou

nd

and

bega

n t

o cr

y.

“Aw

,com

e on

,Doo

dle,

”I

urg

ed.“

You

can

do

it.D

o yo

u

wan

t to

be

diff

eren

t fr

om e

very

body

els

e w

hen

you

sta

rt

sch

ool?

“Doe

s it

mak

e an

y di

ffer

ence

?”

“It

cert

ain

ly d

oes,”

I sa

id.“

Now

,com

e on

,”an

d I

hel

ped

him

up. As

we

slip

ped

thro

ugh

th

e do

g da

ys,15

Doo

dle

bega

n t

o

look

fev

eris

h,a

nd

Mam

a fe

lt h

is f

oreh

ead,

aski

ng

him

ifh

e fe

lt

300

310

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

178

Co

llect

ion

6:

Sym

bo

lism

an

d A

lleg

ory

Part

1

© P

ho

toD

isc,

Inc.

/Get

ty Im

ages

.

15.

do

g d

ays

n.:

ho

t d

ays

in J

uly

an

d A

ug

ust

, nam

ed a

fter

th

e D

og

Sta

r(S

iriu

s), w

hic

h r

ises

an

d s

ets

wit

h t

he

sun

du

rin

g t

his

per

iod

.

Un

der

line

the

det

ails

in li

nes

309-

313

that

su

gg

est

Do

od

leis

bec

om

ing

incr

easi

ng

ly il

lan

d w

eak.

Bas

ed o

n t

hes

ed

etai

ls, w

hat

do

yo

u p

red

ict

will

hap

pen

to

Do

od

le?

Do

od

le is

fai

ling

an

d

mig

ht

colla

pse

—o

r

per

hap

s ev

en d

ie—

soo

n.

Collection 6Student pages 178–179

Page 29: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

92 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

Doo

dle

rem

ain

ed k

nee

ling.

“I’m

goi

ng

to b

ury

him

.”

“Don

’t y

ou d

are

tou

ch h

im,”

Mam

a w

arn

ed.“

Th

ere’

s n

o

telli

ng

wh

at d

isea

se h

e m

igh

t h

ave

had

.”

“All

righ

t,”sa

id D

oodl

e.“I

won

’t.”

Dad

dy,M

ama,

and

I w

ent

back

to

the

din

ing-

room

tab

le,

but

we

wat

ched

Doo

dle

thro

ugh

th

e op

en d

oor.

He

took

ou

t a

piec

e of

stri

ng

from

his

poc

ket

and,

wit

hou

t to

uch

ing

the

ibis

,

loop

ed o

ne

end

arou

nd

its

nec

k.Sl

owly

,wh

ile s

ingi

ng

soft

ly

“Sh

all W

e G

ath

er a

t th

e R

iver

,”h

e ca

rrie

d th

e bi

rd a

rou

nd

to t

he

fron

t ya

rd a

nd

dug

a h

ole

in t

he

flow

er g

arde

n,n

ext

to t

he

petu

-

nia

bed

.Now

we

wer

e w

atch

ing

him

th

rou

gh t

he

fron

t w

indo

w,

but

he

didn

’t k

now

it.H

is a

wkw

ardn

ess

at d

iggi

ng

the

hol

e

wit

h a

sh

ovel

wh

ose

han

dle

was

tw

ice

as lo

ng

as h

e w

as m

ade

us

lau

gh,a

nd

we

cove

red

our

mou

ths

wit

h o

ur

han

ds s

o h

e

wou

ldn’

t h

ear.

Wh

en D

oodl

e ca

me

into

th

e di

nin

g ro

om,h

e fo

un

d u

s se

ri-

ousl

y ea

tin

g ou

r co

bble

r.H

e w

as p

ale

and

linge

red

just

insi

de t

he

scre

en d

oor.

“Did

you

get

th

e sc

arle

t ib

is b

uri

ed?”

aske

d D

addy

.

Doo

dle

didn

’t s

peak

bu

t n

odde

d h

is h

ead.

“Go

was

h y

our

han

ds,a

nd

then

you

can

hav

e so

me

peac

h

cobb

ler,”

said

Mam

a.

“I’m

not

hu

ngr

y,”h

e sa

id.

“Dea

d bi

rds

is b

ad lu

ck,”

said

Au

nt

Nic

ey,p

okin

g h

er h

ead

from

th

e ki

tch

en d

oor.

“Spe

cial

ly r

edde

ad b

irds

!”

As

soon

as

I h

ad f

inis

hed

eat

ing,

Doo

dle

and

I hu

rrie

d of

f

to H

orse

hea

d L

andi

ng.

Tim

e w

as s

hor

t,an

d D

oodl

e st

ill h

ad a

lon

g w

ay t

o go

ifh

e w

as g

oin

g to

kee

p u

p w

ith

th

e ot

her

boy

s

wh

en h

e st

arte

d sc

hoo

l.T

he

sun

,gild

ed w

ith

th

e ye

llow

cas

t of

autu

mn

,sti

ll bu

rned

fie

rcel

y,bu

t th

e da

rk g

reen

woo

ds t

hro

ugh

wh

ich

we

pass

ed w

ere

shad

y an

d co

ol.W

hen

we

reac

hed

th

e

lan

din

g,D

oodl

e sa

id h

e w

as t

oo t

ired

to

swim

,so

we

got

into

a

skif

fan

d fl

oate

d do

wn

th

e cr

eek

wit

h t

he

tide

.Far

off

in t

he

mar

sh a

rai

l was

sco

ldin

g,an

d ov

er o

n t

he

beac

h lo

cust

s w

ere

sin

gin

g in

th

e m

yrtl

e tr

ees.

Doo

dle

did

not

spe

ak a

nd

kept

his

hea

d tu

rned

aw

ay,l

etti

ng

one

han

d tr

ail l

impl

y in

th

e w

ater

.

390

400

410

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

The

Scar

let

Ibis

181

Pau

se a

t lin

e 39

5. W

hy

isD

oo

dle

so

fas

cin

ated

by

the

scar

let

ibis

? W

hy

do

es h

eta

ke s

uch

pai

ns

to b

ury

it?

The

des

crip

tio

n o

f D

oo

dle

’sb

uri

al o

f th

e sc

arle

t ib

is in

lines

385-

399

is a

ver

y m

ov-

ing

pas

sag

e. R

ead

th

e b

oxe

dp

assa

ge

alo

ud

tw

ice.

Fo

cus

on

co

nve

yin

g m

ean

ing

th

efi

rst

tim

e yo

u r

ead

. Th

e se

c-o

nd

tim

e yo

u r

ead

, try

to

con

vey

the

pas

sag

e’s

emo

-ti

on

al o

vert

on

es.

Notes

Notes

Do

od

le is

fas

cin

ated

bec

ause

th

e ib

is is

stra

ng

e an

d b

eau

tifu

l

—u

nlik

e an

y b

ird

th

at

Do

od

le h

as e

ver

seen

.

He

take

s p

ain

s to

bu

ry

it b

ecau

se h

e fe

els

kin

ship

wit

h t

he

bir

d.

On

th

e to

pmos

t br

anch

a b

ird

the

size

of

a ch

icke

n,w

ith

sca

rlet

feat

her

s an

d lo

ng

legs

,was

per

ched

pre

cari

ousl

y.It

s w

ings

hu

ng

dow

n lo

osel

y,an

d as

we

wat

ched

,a f

eath

er d

ropp

ed a

way

an

d

floa

ted

slow

ly d

own

th

rou

gh t

he

gree

n le

aves

.

“It’s

not

eve

n f

righ

ten

ed o

fu

s,”M

ama

said

.

“It

look

s ti

red,

”D

addy

add

ed.“

Or

may

be s

ick.

Doo

dle’

s h

ands

wer

e cl

aspe

d at

his

th

roat

,an

d I

had

nev

er

seen

him

sta

nd

still

so

lon

g.“W

hat

is it

?”h

e as

ked.

Dad

dy s

hoo

k h

is h

ead.

“I d

on’t

kn

ow,m

aybe

it’s—

At

that

mom

ent

the

bird

beg

an t

o fl

utt

er,b

ut

the

win

gs

wer

e u

nco

ordi

nat

ed,a

nd

amid

mu

ch f

lapp

ing

and

a sp

ray

offl

y-

ing

feat

her

s,it

tu

mbl

ed d

own

,bu

mpi

ng

thro

ugh

th

e lim

bs o

f

the

blee

din

g tr

ee a

nd

lan

din

g at

ou

r fe

et w

ith

a t

hud.

Its

lon

g,

grac

efu

l nec

k je

rked

tw

ice

into

an

S,t

hen

str

aigh

ten

ed o

ut,

and

the

bird

was

sti

ll.A

wh

ite

veil

cam

e ov

er t

he

eyes

,an

d th

e lo

ng

wh

ite

beak

un

hin

ged.

Its

legs

wer

e cr

osse

d an

d it

s cl

awlik

e fe

et

wer

e de

licat

ely

curv

ed a

t re

st.E

ven

dea

th d

id n

ot m

arit

s gr

ace,

for

it la

y on

th

e ea

rth

like

a b

roke

n v

ase

ofre

d fl

ower

s,an

d w

e

stoo

d ar

oun

d it

,aw

ed b

y it

s ex

otic

bea

uty

.

“It’s

dea

d,”

Mam

a sa

id.

“Wh

at is

it?”

Doo

dle

repe

ated

.

“Go

brin

g m

e th

e bi

rd b

ook,

”sa

id D

addy

.

I ra

n in

to t

he

hou

se a

nd

brou

ght

back

th

e bi

rd b

ook.

As

we

wat

ched

,Dad

dy t

hum

bed

thro

ugh

its

page

s.“I

t’s a

sca

rlet

ibis

,”

he

said

,poi

nti

ng

to a

pic

ture

.“It

live

s in

th

e tr

opic

s—So

uth

Am

eric

a to

Flo

rida

.A s

torm

mu

st h

ave

brou

ght

it h

ere.

Sadl

y,w

e al

l loo

ked

back

at

the

bird

.A s

carl

et ib

is! H

ow

man

y m

iles

it h

ad t

rave

led

to d

ie li

ke t

his

,in

our

yard

,ben

eath

the

blee

din

g tr

ee.

“Let

’s f

inis

h lu

nch

,”M

ama

said

,nu

dgin

g u

s ba

ck t

owar

d

the

din

ing

room

.

“I’m

not

hu

ngr

y,”sa

id D

oodl

e,an

d h

e kn

elt

dow

n b

esid

e

the

ibis

.

“We’

ve g

ot p

each

cob

bler

for

des

sert

,”M

ama

tem

pted

fro

m

the

door

way

.

350

360

370

380

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

180

Co

llect

ion

6:

Sym

bo

lism

an

d A

lleg

ory

Part

1

Pau

se a

t lin

e 36

4. L

ike

Do

od

le, t

he

scar

let

ibis

isd

escr

ibed

as

bei

ng

un

coo

rdi-

nat

ed, d

elic

ate,

an

d u

niq

ue.

Ho

w m

igh

t th

e d

eath

of

the

ibis

fo

resh

ado

wth

e st

ory

’sen

din

g?

pre

cari

ou

sly

(pri

·ker

√≤·¥

s·l≤

)ad

v.:u

nst

ead

ily; i

nse

cure

ly.

mar

(mär

) v.

:dam

age;

sp

oil.

Re-

read

lin

es 3

46-

351.

Inw

hat

way

s d

oes

th

e b

ird

rem

ind

yo

u o

f D

oo

dle

?

Bo

th a

re t

ired

an

d s

ick.

The

dea

th o

f th

e

scar

let

ibis

may

fo

re-

shad

ow

th

e fa

ilure

of

the

nar

rato

r’s

pla

n,

and

per

hap

s an

eve

n

gre

ater

tra

ged

y, s

uch

as D

oo

dle

’s d

eath

.

Collection 6Student pages 180–181

Page 30: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

Student Pages with Answers 93

I h

adn’

t ru

n t

oo f

ar b

efor

e I

beca

me

tire

d,an

d th

e fl

ood

of

child

ish

spi

te e

van

esce

d18as

wel

l.I

stop

ped

and

wai

ted

for

Doo

dle.

Th

e so

un

d of

rain

was

eve

ryw

her

e,bu

t th

e w

ind

had

died

an

d it

fel

l str

aigh

t do

wn

in p

aral

lel p

ath

s lik

e ro

pes

han

gin

g

from

th

e sk

y.A

s I

wai

ted,

I pe

ered

th

rou

gh t

he

dow

npo

ur,

but

no

one

cam

e.Fi

nal

ly I

wen

t ba

ck a

nd

fou

nd

him

hu

ddle

d

ben

eath

a r

ed n

igh

tsh

ade

bush

bes

ide

the

road

.He

was

sit

tin

g

on t

he

grou

nd,

his

fac

e bu

ried

in h

is a

rms,

wh

ich

wer

e re

stin

g

on h

is d

raw

n-u

p kn

ees.

“Let

’s g

o,D

oodl

e,”

I sa

id.

He

didn

’t a

nsw

er,s

o I

plac

ed m

y h

and

on h

is f

oreh

ead

and

lifte

d h

is h

ead.

Lim

ply,

he

fell

back

war

d on

to t

he

eart

h.H

e h

ad

been

ble

edin

g fr

om t

he

mou

th,a

nd

his

nec

k an

d th

e fr

ont

ofh

is

shir

t w

ere

stai

ned

a b

rilli

ant

red.

“Doo

dle!

Doo

dle!

”I

crie

d,sh

akin

g h

im,b

ut

ther

e w

as n

o

answ

er b

ut

the

ropy

rai

n.H

e la

y ve

ry a

wkw

ardl

y,w

ith

his

hea

d

thro

wn

far

bac

k,m

akin

g h

is v

erm

ilion

19n

eck

appe

ar u

nu

sual

ly

lon

g an

d sl

im.H

is li

ttle

legs

,ben

t sh

arpl

y at

th

e kn

ees,

had

nev

er

befo

re s

eem

ed s

o fr

agile

,so

thin

.

I be

gan

to

wee

p,an

d th

e te

ar-b

lurr

ed v

isio

n in

red

bef

ore

me

look

ed v

ery

fam

iliar

.“D

oodl

e!”

I sc

ream

ed a

bove

th

e po

un

d-

ing

stor

m,a

nd

thre

w m

y bo

dy t

o th

e ea

rth

abo

ve h

is.F

or a

lon

g,

lon

g ti

me,

it s

eem

ed f

orev

er,I

lay

ther

e cr

yin

g,sh

elte

rin

g m

y

falle

n s

carl

et ib

is f

rom

th

e h

eres

y20of

rain

.

450

460

470

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

The

Scar

let

Ibis

183

18.

evan

esce

d(e

v≈¥·

nes

t√)

v.:f

aded

aw

ay; d

isap

pea

red

.19

.ve

rmili

on

(v¥r

·mil√

y¥n

) ad

j.:b

rig

ht

red

.20

.h

eres

y(h

erô

·s≤)

n.:

her

e, m

ock

ery.

Her

esy

gen

eral

ly m

ean

s “d

enia

lo

f w

hat

is c

om

mo

nly

bel

ieve

d t

o b

e tr

ue”

or

“rej

ecti

on

of

a ch

urc

h’s

teac

hin

g.”

Co

rel.

Wh

at d

o t

he

det

ails

in t

he

des

crip

tio

n o

f D

oo

dle

in t

he

last

tw

o p

arag

rap

hs

rem

ind

you

of?

Wh

y d

o y

ou

th

ink

the

wri

ter

mak

es t

his

as

soci

atio

n?

In li

nes

468-

470,

wh

at d

oes

th

e n

arra

tor

call

his

dea

db

roth

er?

Mo

st s

tud

ents

will

see

the

sim

ilari

ty b

etw

een

the

scar

let

ibis

an

d

Do

od

le’s

dea

d b

od

y.

The

wri

ter

mak

es t

his

asso

ciat

ion

to

rei

n-

forc

e th

e sy

mb

olic

lin

k

bet

wee

n D

oo

dle

an

d

the

scar

let

ibis

.

“my

falle

n s

carl

et ib

is”

Aft

er w

e h

ad d

rift

ed a

lon

g w

ay,I

pu

t th

e oa

rs in

pla

ce a

nd

mad

e D

oodl

e ro

w b

ack

agai

nst

th

e ti

de.B

lack

clo

uds

beg

an t

o

gath

er in

th

e so

uth

wes

t,an

d h

e ke

pt w

atch

ing

them

,try

ing

to

pull

the

oars

a li

ttle

fas

ter.

Wh

en w

e re

ach

ed H

orse

hea

d

Lan

din

g,lig

htn

ing

was

pla

yin

g ac

ross

hal

fth

e sk

y an

d th

un

der

roar

ed o

ut,

hid

ing

even

th

e so

un

d of

the

sea.

Th

e su

n d

isap

-

pear

ed a

nd

dark

nes

s de

scen

ded,

alm

ost

like

nig

ht.

Floc

ks o

f

mar

sh c

row

s fl

ew b

y,h

eadi

ng

inla

nd

to t

hei

r ro

osti

ng

tree

s,an

d

two

egre

ts,s

quaw

kin

g,ar

ose

from

th

e oy

ster

-roc

k sh

allo

ws

and

care

ened

aw

ay.

Doo

dle

was

bot

h t

ired

an

d fr

igh

ten

ed,a

nd

wh

en h

e

step

ped

from

th

e sk

iff

he

colla

psed

on

to t

he

mu

d,se

ndi

ng

an

arm

ada16

offi

ddle

r cr

abs

rust

ling

off

into

th

e m

arsh

gra

ss.I

hel

ped

him

up,

and

as h

e w

iped

th

e m

ud

off

his

tro

use

rs,h

e

smile

d at

me

ash

amed

ly.H

e h

ad f

aile

d an

d w

e bo

th k

new

it,s

o

we

star

ted

back

hom

e,ra

cin

g th

e st

orm

.We

nev

er s

poke

(w

hat

are

the

wor

ds t

hat

can

sol

der17

crac

ked

prid

e?),

but

I kn

ew h

e

was

wat

chin

g m

e,w

atch

ing

for

a si

gn o

fm

ercy

.Th

e lig

htn

ing

was

nea

r n

ow,a

nd

from

fea

r h

e w

alke

d so

clo

se b

ehin

d m

e h

e

kept

ste

ppin

g on

my

hee

ls.T

he

fast

er I

wal

ked,

the

fast

er h

e

wal

ked,

so I

beg

an t

o ru

n.T

he

rain

was

com

ing,

roar

ing

thro

ugh

the

pin

es,a

nd

then

,lik

e a

burs

tin

g R

oman

can

dle,

a gu

m t

ree

ahea

d of

us

was

sh

atte

red

by a

bol

t of

ligh

tnin

g.W

hen

th

e de

af-

enin

g pe

al o

fth

un

der

had

die

d,an

d in

th

e m

omen

t be

fore

th

e

rain

arr

ived

,I h

eard

Doo

dle,

wh

o h

ad f

alle

n b

ehin

d,cr

y ou

t,

“Bro

ther

,Bro

ther

,don

’t le

ave

me!

Don

’t le

ave

me!

Th

e kn

owle

dge

that

Doo

dle’

s an

d m

y pl

ans

had

com

e to

nau

ght

was

bit

ter,

and

that

str

eak

ofcr

uel

ty w

ith

in m

e aw

ak-

ened

.I r

an a

s fa

st a

s I

cou

ld,l

eavi

ng

him

far

beh

ind

wit

h a

wal

l

ofra

in d

ivid

ing

us.

Th

e dr

ops

stu

ng

my

face

like

net

tles

,an

d th

e

win

d fl

ared

th

e w

et,g

liste

nin

g le

aves

of

the

bord

erin

g tr

ees.

Soon

I c

ould

hea

r h

is v

oice

no

mor

e.

420

430

440

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

182

Co

llect

ion

6:

Sym

bo

lism

an

d A

lleg

ory

Part

1

16.

arm

ada

(är·

mä√

d¥)

n.:

gro

up

. Arm

ada

is g

ener

ally

use

d t

o m

ean

“fle

et, o

r g

rou

p, o

f w

arsh

ips.

”17

.so

lder

(säd

ôr)

v.:

pat

ch o

r re

pai

r. So

lder

is a

mix

ture

of

met

als

mel

t-ed

an

d u

sed

to

rep

air

met

al p

arts

.

Re-

read

lin

es 4

16-

425.

Cir

cle

the

det

ails

des

crib

ing

th

eap

pro

ach

ing

sto

rm. W

hat

do

you

th

ink

the

sto

rm f

ore

-sh

ado

ws?

Un

der

line

line

441.

Th

en,

un

der

line

the

par

ts o

f th

est

ory

wh

ere

you

hav

e h

eard

this

bef

ore_

Do

od

le’s

beg

-g

ing

his

bro

ther

no

t to

leav

eh

im o

r n

ot

to h

urt

him

. W

hat

co

uld

th

ese

wo

rds

fore

shad

ow

?

Pau

se a

t lin

e 44

7. W

hy

do

esth

e n

arra

tor

leav

e D

oo

dle

beh

ind

?

Mo

st s

tud

ents

will

say

the

sto

rm f

ore

shad

ow

s

dan

ger

.

See

pag

es 1

72 a

nd

173.

Th

e w

ord

s co

uld

fore

shad

ow

a t

ime

wh

en t

he

bro

ther

do

es

leav

e D

oo

dle

.

He

is a

ng

ry b

ecau

se h

e

feel

s D

oo

dle

has

fai

led

him

.

Collection 6Student pages 182–183

Page 31: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

94 The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

The

Scar

let

Ibis

185

Skill

s Re

view

Skill

s Re

view

Co

mp

lete

th

e sa

mp

le t

est

item

bel

ow

. Th

en, r

ead

th

e ex

pla

nat

ion

at

the

rig

ht.

The

Scar

let

Ibis

3.Th

e se

ttin

go

f th

e st

ory

as

pre

sen

ted

in t

he

op

enin

g p

arag

rap

h c

ou

ld b

est

be

des

crib

ed a

s_

Asa

d a

nd

su

gg

esti

ve o

f d

eath

Bch

eerf

ul a

nd

su

gg

esti

ve o

f lif

e

Cp

eace

ful a

nd

su

gg

esti

ve o

f h

eave

n

Dh

aun

ted

an

d s

ug

ges

tive

of

dan

ger

4.W

hic

h o

f th

ese

det

ails

is n

ot

an e

xam

-

ple

of

fore

shad

ow

ing

in t

he

sto

ry?

F“‘

Do

n’t

hu

rt m

e, B

roth

er,’

he

war

ned

.”

G“T

he

ori

ole

nes

t . .

. ro

cked

bac

k

and

fo

rth

like

an

em

pty

cra

dle

.”

H“O

ne

day

I to

ok

him

up

to

th

e

bar

n lo

ft a

nd

sh

ow

ed h

im h

is

cask

et. .

. .”

J“K

eep

ing

a n

ice

secr

et is

ver

y

har

d t

o d

o. .

. .”

1.Th

e d

escr

ipti

on

of

Do

od

le’s

last

su

m-

mer

as

“blig

hte

d”

fore

shad

ow

s_

AD

oo

dle

’s b

irth

BD

oo

dle

’s c

om

ing

dea

th

Cth

e sc

arle

t ib

is

Dlif

e in

th

e So

uth

2.Th

e sc

arle

t ib

is s

ymb

oliz

esD

oo

dle

in

that

bo

th t

he

child

an

d b

ird

are

_

Fab

le t

o m

ove

ver

y q

uic

kly

Gtr

yin

g t

o le

arn

to

fly

Hra

re, b

eau

tifu

l, an

d f

rag

ile

Jve

ry f

on

d o

f b

ein

g o

uts

ide

DIR

ECTI

ON

S:C

ircl

e th

e le

tter

of

each

co

rrec

t an

swer

.

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

Lit

era

ry S

kills

Ana

lyze

sym

bolis

m.

Ex

pla

na

tio

n o

f th

e C

orr

ect

An

swe

r

The

corr

ect

answ

er is

A;t

he

wri

ter

use

s

bir

ds

as s

ymb

ols

all

thro

ug

h t

he

sto

ry.

Ban

d D

are

no

t co

rrec

t b

ecau

se t

hey

are

use

d o

nly

on

ce. C

is n

ot

corr

ect

bec

ause

bee

s ar

en’t

men

tio

ned

in t

he

sto

ry.

Sa

mp

le T

est

Qu

est

ion

Wh

ich

of

the

follo

win

g a

re r

ecu

rrin

g

sym

bo

lsin

“Th

e Sc

arle

t Ib

is”?

Ab

ird

s

Bfl

ow

ers

Cb

ees

Dto

mb

sto

nes

184

Co

llect

ion

6:

Sym

bo

lism

an

d A

lleg

ory

Part

1

The

Scar

let

Ibis

Copyright © by Holt,Rinehart and Winston.All rights reserved.

Sym

bol C

hart

In “

The

Sca

rlet

Ibi

s,”so

me

ofth

e pe

ople

,pla

ces,

thin

gs,a

nd

even

ts

stan

d bo

th fo

r th

emse

lves

an

d fo

r so

met

hin

g be

yon

d th

emse

lves

.Fill

out

the

sym

bol c

hart

bel

ow t

o se

e ho

w s

ymbo

ls c

onve

y m

ean

ing

in t

he s

tory

.In

the

firs

t

colu

mn

are

pas

sage

s fr

om t

he s

tory

.Loc

ate

a sy

mbo

l fro

m e

ach

pass

age,

and

wri

te

it in

the

sec

ond

colu

mn

.The

n,w

rite

the

mea

nin

g of

the

sym

bol i

n t

he t

hird

colu

mn

.The

firs

t ro

w is

don

e fo

r yo

u.Fi

ll in

the

bot

tom

row

wit

h a

sym

bolic

stor

y pa

ssag

e th

at y

ou fi

nd

on y

our

own

.

That

win

ter

we

did

n’t

mak

e

mu

ch p

rog

ress

, fo

r I w

as in

sch

oo

l an

d D

oo

dle

su

ffer

ed

fro

m o

ne

bad

co

ld a

fter

an

oth

-

er. B

ut

wh

en s

pri

ng

cam

e, r

ich

and

war

m, w

e ra

ised

ou

r si

gh

ts

agai

n (

lines

258-

260)

.

Wh

en P

eter

was

rea

dy

to g

o t

o

slee

p, t

he

pea

cock

sp

read

his

mag

nif

icen

t ta

il, e

nfo

ldin

g t

he

bo

y g

entl

y lik

e a

clo

sin

g g

o-t

o-

slee

p f

low

er, b

ury

ing

him

in t

he

glo

rio

usl

y ir

ides

cen

t, r

ust

ling

vort

ex (

lines

233-

236)

.

Sad

ly, w

e al

l lo

oke

d b

ack

at t

he

bir

d. A

sca

rlet

ibis

! H

ow

man

y

mile

s it

had

tra

vele

d t

o d

ie li

ke

this

, in

ou

rya

rd, b

enea

th t

he

ble

edin

g t

ree

(lin

es 3

72-

374)

.

spri

ng

n

ew s

tart

; reb

irth

Sto

ry P

ass

ag

eS

ym

bo

lM

ea

nin

g

pea

cock

love

an

d p

rote

ctio

n; a

hap

pie

r, ki

nd

er w

orl

d

Do

od

le, w

ho

is a

lso

frai

l an

d r

are

and

livi

ng

in a

ho

stile

wo

rld

he

do

es n

ot

bel

on

g in

An

y at

tem

pt

the

stu

den

t

mak

es t

o id

enti

fy a

pas

sag

e

wit

h a

sym

bo

l an

d t

o m

ake

a

gu

ess

at it

s m

ean

ing

, sh

ou

ld

be

giv

en c

red

it.

scar

let

ibis

Collection 6Student pages 184–185

Page 32: The Scarlet Ibis - Weeblyinvent symbols to deepen the meaning of their stories. As you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” you’ll notice that the writer keeps drawing similarities and con-nections

214 Graphic Organizers

Name Date

Selection Title

Co

pyr

igh

t ©

by

Ho

lt, R

ineh

art

and

Win

sto

n. A

ll ri

gh

ts r

eser

ved

.

Symbol

Symbol Chart

A symbol is an object, person, or event that stands for something more than itself. Think

about a symbol in the story you just read. Write the symbol at the center of the chart below.

In the surrounding lines, describe the different possible meanings of the symbol. (The

number of meanings will vary with the selection.)


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