Name______________________________________________________________Period _________
A Closer Look: The Scarlet Ibis
Today you will read the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” and look closely at the author’s clever use of
symbolism, theme, diction and tone.
1. Who is the protagonist of this story? Do you like him? Why/why not?
2. Describe the external conflict in this story.
3. Describe the internal conflict in this story.
4. Identify two (or more) things that happened in the story that foreshadowed Doodle’s death.
5. What does the coffin symbolize?
6. Which character is linked (symbolically) to the scarlet ibis? How do you know?
7. What did the storm symbolize at the end?
8. How did Doodle die (speculate – we don’t know for sure)?
9. Describe the image of Doodle’s death.
10. The image of Doodle’s death is more significant than the cause of his death. Why?
Extra Challenge: BIRD IMAGERY…
11. Approximately how many times are birds mentioned in this story?
12. What kinds of birds are mentioned?
13. Why do you think the author chose to include so many birds in his story? What could possibly be the
purpose/effect?
Now you will look closely at ‘The Scarlet Ibis’ and analyze four rather advanced literary concepts:
Symbolism, Theme, Diction and Tone. Answer each section thoroughly.
Symbolism
Symbolism is a literary technique in which concrete things like colors, numbers, objects, or names represent
something other than what they actually are. Symbols found in literature usually represent abstract
concepts such as “forgiveness” or “honor.” For example, the American flag is a concrete object that
represents our country’s freedom. You can’t touch freedom, but when you look at a flag, you are reminded
that you have it!
Consider the following SYMBOLS from the story. Complete the chart by recording specific examples of each
symbol and then determine what you believe each represents:
Symbols:
Examples from the Story:
What abstract concept it represents
(What do you associate with this symbol?)
Birds
Color
(RED/SCARLET)
Theme
The theme of a story is more than just the story’s subject or topic. The theme of any piece of literature is the
central idea or message. A theme may be stated directly by the author, but usually it is an implied meaning.
That means that you, the reader, will need to look for clues in the story to draw your own meaning about the
theme.
Examples of Philosophical Statements pointing to the THEME (complete each passage):
p. 346 “There is within me (and with sadness I have…”
p. 347 “I did not know then that pride is a…”
p. 347 “They did not know that I did it for myself; that…”
Writing a Theme Statement
When determining the theme of a story, you should write out an entire theme statement. Write a
complete sentence that tells us not only the topic of the story, but also what you LEARNED about that topic.
Try to avoid clichés and overused “morals of the story,” like: There’s more than one fish in the sea. Theme
statements will often be a universal truth that could apply to all us!
EXAMPLE:
Story Title:
Topic:
Theme Statement:
The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant
choices
Don’t sacrifice things that are important to you in order to impress others.
Let’s Practice!
What can we learn from reading The Scarlet Ibis? First, determine what you believe is the
main topic of the story. Is it about pride, disabilities, brotherhood, regret, overcoming odds, working toward
a goal?
Now, write out a THEME STATEMENT for The Scarlet Ibis. It should be an entire sentence that states the main
idea or life lesson you learned from reading the story. (Hint: Consider what the protagonist learns!!!)
Do NOT use any character names in your theme statement. It is a general statement about life or humanity.
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Diction
Diction simply means “word choice.” Skillful writers don’t just pick any old word
to convey meaning, they craft their sentences carefully, to convey the precise
meaning in their writing.
Think about the differences between the words “woman,” “lady,” and “girl.” All
the words basically mean a female, but each precisely indicate different things.
It’s because the DENOTATION (dictionary definition) of the word is different from
its CONNOTATION (implied meaning.)
Let’s Practice!
Word
home (rather than house)
puppy (rather than canine)
feast (rather than meal)
yacht (rather than boat)
Denotation—dictionary definition
A place where you live
Connotation—implied meaning
Family, safety, roots, comfort
Do you see how word choice can really affect the meaning of a story? The author’s
DICTION will also have a direct impact on the TONE of the story, and ultimately, your
interpretation of it.
Tone
Tone refers to an author’s attitude toward the subject. It’s similar to a person’s “tone of voice.” You can tell if
someone is happy, sad, sarcastic, angry, or excited, depending on how their voice sounds. When reading printed text on
a page, however, the reader has to determine the tone of a passage by evaluating the words the author chose to use. In
other words, one must evaluate the author’s diction.
Common words used to identify TONE in literature are:
melancholy
reminiscent
negative
somber
respectful
joyful
hopeful
upbeat
sarcastic
informative
happy
angry
amusing
moralizing
silly
nostalgic
whimsical
panicked
depressing
outraged
sad
persuasive
effusive
appreciative
Which of these words best describes the tone of The Scarlet Ibis?__________________________
Let’s Practice: Combining the concepts of Diction and Tone…
As mentioned earlier, by closely examining the precise diction or word choice the author uses, one can
determine the tone of the passage. Read the following passage from “The Scarlet Ibis.” Circle any words that
indicate that the tone of this story will be somber and that foreshadows death in the story.
“It was in the clove of seasons, summer was dead but autumn had not yet been born, that the ibis lit in
the bleeding tree. The flower garden was stained with rotting brown magnolia petals, and ironweeds grew rank
amid the purple phlox. The five o’clocks by the chimney still marked time, but the oriole nest in the elm was
untenanted and rocked back and forth like an empty cradle. The last graveyard flowers were blooming, and their
smell drifted across the cotton field and through every room of our house, speaking softly the names of our
dead.”
Practice with Diction and Tone
Try to consciously think about your word choice in order to convey a certain tone. Rewrite the passage from “The Scarlet Ibis,” but
this time, pretend that the story has an upbeat, happy tone. Pretend that this is just about two brothers enjoying childhood and
that Doodle does NOT die in the end. You may use the same basic structure (fall season, flower gardens, birds, WWI setting.)
However, your tone and word choice should be very different.
In the space below, rewrite the boxed passage (above) with an upbeat, happy tone. You will have to
change some of the words in the passage to accomplish this!