Transcript The-Scarlet-Ibis

“THE SCARLET IBIS”
By James Hurst
. . .THE “CLOVE” OF SEASONS

Clove is a noun here – from the verb “to cleave”
or to split.
A cleaver is a knife used by butchers.
 Cloves are a spice.
 The clove of seasons is the split between two
seasons – not quite summer and not quite fall.

GRINDSTONE – A WHEEL THAT IS TURNED
AND USED TO SHARPEN TOOLS.
SYMBOLISM – SOMETHING THAT IS USED
TO MEAN SOMETHING ELSE.
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Words from the first section that hint at symbolism:
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. It's strange
hat all this is still so clear to me, now that that summer
has since fled and time has had its way. A grindstone
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.
MOOD: THE FEELING YOU GET FROM
READING THE STORY

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Based on the first paragraph, what do all those
highlighted words suggest to you?
How do they make you feel?
Do those words suggest something that is to come
later in the story? FORESHADOWING!
SETTING: LOCATION AND TIME


The narrator says that cotton grows and he lives
close to a swamp; when he climbs up a tree, he
can see the ocean. This would place the location
somewhere in the deep south. Either North or
South Carolina.
Time: The narrator says that his Miss Leedie
sends letters to President Wilson. President
Wilson (remember him from Iron-Jawed Angels)
was the 28th President and held office from 19131921). We will see other events that place the
time more specifically.
PLANTS LISTED IN THE FIRST SECTION
CAUL

A caul is the placenta, also called the “afterbirth”
– it is the sac that surrounds a baby while it is
still in the womb. Sometimes it covers the head
of a baby while it is born.
‫مشيمة‬
胎盘
SWAMP

A wetland area. Here it is an area near the sea
where wild plants and trees grow.
PALMETTO – A TREE THAT GROWS IN THE
SOUTH – STATE TREE OF NORTH CAROLINA
WITH FAN-LIKE LEAVES
HE SEEMED ALL HEAD, WITH A TINY BODY
WHICH WAS RED AND SHRIVELED LIKE AN OLD
MAN'S.
DOODLEBUG

Sometimes called a “pill bug” – it can roll itself
into a ball. It is usually found under logs or in
damp, wet places.
GO-CART – A TYPE OF WAGON
PIAZZA – MEANS A “SQUARE” IN ITALIAN,
HERE IT IS USED AS A LARGE PORCH
BARN HAY LOFT -
SCREECH OWL – A NIGHT BIRD THAT
OFTEN LIVES IN BARNS AND MAKES A
LOUD NOISE WHEN DISTURBED.
THE BIRDS OF “THE SCARLET IBIS”
Oriole
Cardinal
Rail
HONEYSUCKLE – A VINE WITH FLOWERS
WHICH ARE VERY FRAGRANT AND SWEETSMELLING.
BROGANS – HEAVY OLD-FASHIONED SHOES
PEACOCK: - THE FEATHERS ARE
“IRIDESCENT” – SEEM TO CHANGE COLORS.
DOG TONGUE PLANT – SO-CALLED BECAUSE IT
WAS THOUGHT THAT IF YOU WORE IT ON YOUR
SHOE, YOU WOULD KEEP DOGS AWAY.
UMBRELLA TREE (MAGNOLIA)
PAINTING OF A CAROLINA SWAMP –
(NOTICE THE ROPE VINES)
COTTON BOLLS – (BEFORE THEY OPEN UP
INTO THE WHITE COTTON)
CYPRESS TREES – FOUND IN SWAMPS IN
THE SOUTH.
SOUTHERN COTTON FIELD
TO WITHER MEANS TO DRY UP BECAUSE
OF A LACK OF RAIN
SCARLET IBIS
SKIFF - A SMALL BOAT
FIDDLER CRABS AND EGRETS
NETTLES – A WEED WITH TINY HAIRS
THAT STING THE SKIN WHEN TOUCHED.
MARSH RAIL
ROMAN CANDLE – A FIREWORK THAT
SHOOTS OFF FLAMES
“BROTHER, BROTHER! DON’T LEAVE ME!
RED NIGHTSHADE BUSH – DO THE
BERRIES REMIND YOU OF SOMETHING?
“THE HERESY OF RAIN”


Heresy is the act of going against established
tradition. For example, the Danish man who
published a cartoon showing the Prophet
Mohammed was accused of heresy by Muslims.
Rain is the bringer of life – we saw that the
cotton crops were dying because there was no
rain. At the end of the story, instead of bringing
life, when the rain came, it led to Doodle’s death,
thus “the heresy of rain” falling on the dead
Doodle held in his brother’s arms.
THE END
EXTRA CREDIT

“The Scarlet Ibis” ends with the quote “sheltering
my fallen scarlet ibis from the heresy of rain.”
Where did we see this idea first presented in the
story?