illustration of a scarlet ibis cradling a boy's body

The Scarlet Ibis

by James Hurst

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Student Question

What's an example of a topic sentence discussing emotions or physical aspects in "The Scarlet Ibis"?

Quick answer:

An example of a topic sentence discussing emotions or physical aspects in "The Scarlet Ibis" is: "When he was two, if you laid him on his stomach, he began to move himself, straining terribly." This sentence introduces the reader to the physical struggles of the narrator's brother, setting the stage for a detailed description of his efforts and challenges.

Expert Answers

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A topic sentence should give the reader a pretty good idea of what the rest of the paragraph is going to be about.  It is normally the very first sentence in a paragraph.

 One example from The Scarlet Ibis is, "When he was two, if you laid him on his stomach, he began to move himself, straining terribly."  This sentence gives the reader a basic idea about what will follow in the rest of the paragraph -- a description of what happens when the narrator's brother is laid on his stomach

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