the color has been connected to Doodle from the very start. When he is born,

He seemed all head, with a tiny body which was red and shriveled like an old man's.

Red is also apparent when he dies:

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 drawn-up knees. "Let's go, Doodle." He didn't answer so I gently lifted his head. He toppled 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.

The image of the scarlet ibis is also important, as it is a reflection of Doodle's appearance and personality.

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.

This paragraph is full of imagery, so that the readers can understand the connection between the ibis and Doodle; aside from the obvious parallels between the ibis and Doodle's appearance, as well as their uniqueness, the ibis is also a symbol of fragility, vulnerability, and death. In the end, Doodle's brother even directly compares Doodle to the scarlet ibis.

For a long time, it seemed forever, I lay there crying, sheltering my fallen scarlet ibis.

Near the end, when Doodle and his older brother attempt to outrun a thunderstorm and Doodle tragically loses his life due to his inability to keep up with his brother, Hurst uses imagery to essentially prepare the readers for Doodle's death.

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 disappeared 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.

The black clouds and the sudden disappearance of the sun help the reader imagine the thunderstorm and to understand its symbolic meaning. The suspenseful moment foreshadows death and darkness.

There are lots of examples of imagery in "The Scarlet Ibis." In the first paragraph, for example, the narrator talks about sitting in the "cool, green parlor." This image of the parlor provides both a visual and tactile (feeling) image since the reader immediately imagines the green of this room and experiences the feel of cool air.

Secondly, there is another image in the description of Doodle. When he is born, for instance, he is described as having a "red" and "shriveled" body, just like an old man. By using this image, the narrator reinforces the idea that Doodle was a "disappointment" from the moment of his birth because he was sick and, therefore, lacked the typical physique of a baby boy.

Thirdly, there is another visual image in the final paragraph of the story when the narrator uses the phrase "tear-blurred vision." This image not only tells us how much the narrator cried when his brother died but also enables us to experience this tragic event from his perspective.

The coffin Doodle's parents had built for him is a symbol/image that suggests the possibility of Doodle's death. When Doodle learns to walk, his cart is placed in the barn beside his coffin. This suggests the possibility that Doodle has progressed, but Brother pushes him too far. 

The color red (scarlet) is a significant image in the story because it connects blood, the ibis, and Doodle (his blood upon his death). When the scarlet ibis falls to the ground and dies, Daddy reads from the bird book that it is native to Florida and South America. Like Doodle, the ibis has trouble adapting to its environment. When the ibis dies, Aunt Nicey notes that dead birds are bad luck, "'specially red dead birds." The dead bird died because it was out of its element: like Doodle. The image of the ibis is a parallel for Doodle. 

Note the repetition of the color red (red, scarlet, and vermilion) which connects the images of the ibis, the "bleeding" tree, and death (the ibis's and Doodle's). Brother finds Doodle dead: 

He had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained a brilliant red. 

He sat very awkwardly, with his head thrown far back, making his vermilion 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. 

The vision of red looked familiar: similar to the scarlet ibis, the image of red. 

Imagery is a crucial literary device for authors to employ, using strongly descriptive language to draw the reader into the world of the story. Imagery is used to engage the reader's senses and encourage them to imagine what is happening. When used well, it provides a more vivid experience for the reader. It can also add symbols to the story for deeper meaning and analysis.

In my opinion, one of the most notable uses of imagery in this story occurs after the scarlet ibis falls from the tree and dies. Hurst writes:

Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers.

This is a simile (as evidenced by the author's use of the word "like" to compare the bird to a vase), but imagery is present as well, and the image depicted here is a strong one. True, the bird has died, but by comparing it to a broken vase—and especially by drawing attention to the flowers—Hurst emphasizes the beauty of the creature and suggests that death cannot take away how striking it is. He primarily engages the reader's sense of sight with this comparison, but there are many instances where he appeals to other senses. For example, he engages the reader's sense of touch by comparing the feeling of a heavy rain to that of a stinging nettle; and he engages their sense of hearing by describing the rustling of curtains in the wind. These details and Hurst's skillful use of imagery make certain aspects of the story stand out to the reader.

James Hurst's 1960 short story, "The Scarlet Ibis," is rich with imagery. Imagery is a literary device in which the author uses figurative language and word choice to create word pictures that appeal to the five senses. 

1. In the first paragraph, there are many examples of imagery. The narrator describes the "clove of seasons, summer was dead and autumn had not yet been born." This opening line contains imagery. A clove is a dried flower bud which has a strong aroma. Clove is also the past tense of cleave, which means a split in something. This one sentence contains word pictures that appeal to the sense of sight and smell. The narrator goes on to describe the flowers in the garden: "The flower garden was strained with rotting brown magnolia petals and ironweeds grew rank amid the purple phlox." This sentence contains imagery that appeals to both sight and smell. The words "rotting" and "rank" appeal to the sense of smell. The phrases "purple phlox" and "magnolia petals" appeal to the sense of sight, as they name the color and type of flowers.

2. In the fourth paragraph, the words "rustling like palmetto fronds" appeals to the sense of sound or hearing. 

3. In the fifth paragraph, examples of imagery are found in the following sentence: "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." The narrator's description of Doodle's color appeals to the sense of sight. The image of the worn-out doll is sight imagery, as well.

4. Paragraph nine contains several examples of imagery, as well. Consider the following sentences:

I pulled the go-cart through the saw-tooth fern, down into the green dimness where the palmetto fronds whispered by the stream. I lifted him out and set him down in the soft rubber grass beside a tall pine.

Even if one has never seen a saw-tooth fern, the description given appeals to a reader's sense of sight. Most can imagine what a fern with saw tooth-type foliage would look like. The palmetto fronds in this sentence "whisper," which appeals to the sense of sound.

5. The eleventh full paragraph contains more examples of sight imagery. In this paragraph, the narrator introduces Doodle to his coffin, made because he was not expected to live. 

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 green 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." 

Paris green is a green powder used for killing rodents. The sight imagery of it being "sprinkled" over the coffin, along with the screech owls making a nest in it, and the description of the box being made of mahogany, all create word pictures in the reader's mind by appealing to the sense of sight. 

6. On the third page of the story, the author uses a simile to express the imagery of how Doodle looks when his brother tries to stand him up to walk. The image of a half-empty flour sack gives readers an image of Doodle's weakness and inability to walk. 

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."

7. An example of sound/ hearing imagery is found on page three. "When he fell, I grabbed him in my arms and hugged him, our laughter pealing through the swamp like a ringing bell." The author uses a simile to compare the sound of their laughter to a bell. 

8. One example of imagery comes as a part of one of Doodle's stories, which the narrator refers to as "lies."  

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 closing go-to-sleep flower, burying him in the glorious iridescent, rustling vortex.

This quote contains sight imagery due to the words "golden," "glittered," "iridescent," and "vortex." It also contains sound imagery in "rustling," and touch imagery in the description of the tail "enfolding the boy gently like a closing go-to-sleep flower."

9. The summer before Doodle's death is described as "blighted." The sight imagery is crops that withered and died under the thirsty sun. 

10. In the description of the storm in which Doodle dies, there are several examples of sight and sound imagery. Black clouds gather, lightning plays, flocks of birds fly inland, and the sun disappears. These images all appeal to the sense of sight. The sound/ hearing imagery is thunder roaring, egrets squawking, and the sound of the sea being drowned out. 

There are many more examples of imagery in this story. James Hurst draws the reader into this period of time and the events with rich word pictures created through figurative language and words that appeal to the five senses.

There are several examples of death imagery in James Hurst's short story "The Scarlet Ibis" about two brothers growing up in North Carolina in the first part of the 20th century. The very first paragraph is full of words which suggest death, including "dead," "rotting," "untenanted," "empty," and "graveyard." The narrator is telling this story from many years after the events and so he knows how the story will turn out. He knows that his brother Doodle will die at a very young age. 

Throughout the story there are references and images of death. From the beginning the family thought Doodle would die and the narrator says,

Daddy had Mr. Heath, the carpenter, build a little mahogany coffin for him. 

There are a few types of irony, but the general meaning is when something different from what is expected happens. For example, in Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis," it is ironic to call a small child who is not projected to live for very long "William Armstrong." Brother compares his little brother's name to "tying a big tail on a small kite," which would also be ironic. 

Another example of irony from the story is that a coffin is built for Doodle soon after he is born. Although children do sometimes die as babies, a mother doesn't usually plan on burying a child right after giving birth. Usually, the mother expects to love and rear that child to adulthood. However, another ironic situation occurs when everyone does expect the baby to die, but then he doesn't; consequently, the coffin is stored high in the rafters of the barn until or in case the boy dies.

One major irony, though, if one were to pinpoint one big one, would be what happens after Brother teaches Doodle to walk. No adult or doctor thought Doodle would ever walk, but he does. During the summer before Doodle enters elementary school, though, Brother expects to teach his little brother to run and play like other kids at school so he won't be embarrassed.

"School was only a few weeks away, and Doodle was far behind schedule. He could barely clear the ground when climbing up a rope of 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."

At this point, Brother fully expects Doodle to learn how to run since he also knows how to walk. Brother also thinks that he is helping his little brother. But in the process of all their hard work and physical training, Brother winds up pushing Doodle too hard, and Doodle dies while trying to please his big brother.

Thus, throughout the story, Doodle exceeds everyone's expectations by doing such things as living longer than anticipated and learning to walk; however, in the end, Brother expects Doodle to become stronger and like other little boys, but he doesn't. Not only that, but it is because of Brother that Doodle dies. This is ironic because there is a time when Brother wants Doodle to die, but when he gets to the point that he wants his little brother to live, it is then that Doodle dies. Doodle probably would have lived longer had he not been pushed too hard physically.

Therefore, there are many smaller moments of irony throughout the story such as Doodle accomplishing the unexpected over and over again. But when Brother expects too much more, the result is tragic--and that's ironic, too.

There is an obvious comparison between the scarlet ibis and Doodle. The scarlet ibis is an exotic bird. The father concludes that a storm must have brought the ibis from the south to their area. The bird looks, and is, clearly out of place. Perhaps because of its journey or its strange surroundings, the bird dies. Likewise, Doodle does not fit in with his surroundings. His family loves him and they do not exclude him in any way but he is different and this makes it more difficult for him to function in this environment. His brother makes it his mission, more out of feelings of embarrassment and selfishness, to make his brother "more normal." 

The scarlet ibis failed to adjust to its strange environment. The bird's death is a moment of foreshadowing; one of which none of the characters are aware. Whenever the characters or the narrator are unaware of something but the spectator or reader is aware of it, this is called dramatic irony. The reader recognizes the connection between the ibis and Doodle; Brother does not. The death of both may not be immediately recognized but upon reflection, the connection is clear. The dramatic irony is that Brother doesn't recognize the lesson he might learn from the ibis (what we see as a foreshadowing lesson) and Brother continues to push Doodle to fit in. 

We don't know exactly how Doodle dies (maybe the nightshade, maybe the exertion of training). But both Doodle and the bird were forced to adapt. And it is this forced assimilation, (one from a storm, one out of maliciousness), that leads to their deaths. 

In literature, imagery consists of descriptive language that appeals to the reader's five senses and allows them to create mental pictures that vividly describe the setting, action, and characters in the story. James Hurst utilizes imagery towards the end of his short story "The Scarlet Ibis" when the narrator and Doodle attempt to outrun a violent thunderstorm. Hurst writes,

"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 disappeared 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" (6).

The visual imagery in the above quote creates a foreboding atmosphere, which foreshadows Doodle's death and captures the essence of an impending thunderstorm. The reader can imagine the "black clouds" gathering as the sun descends and the random flashes of lightning in the sky while flocks of birds fly inland. Hurst also incorporates auditory imagery by describing the loud sound of thunder and the "squawking" sound of panicking birds in the sky. The ominous atmosphere increases the suspense of the story as the narrator and his brother desperately race from Horsehead Landing.

Unfortunately, the narrator outruns Doodle, who is not strong or healthy enough to keep up and tragically dies. Hurst once again utilizes visual imagery to describe the appearance of Doodle's lifeless body by writing,

"He [Doodle] lay very awkwardly, with his head thrown far back, making his vermilion neck appear unusually long and slim. His little legs, bent sharply at the knees, had never before seemed so fragile, so thin" (6).

Doodle's lifeless body resembles the dead scarlet ibis, which symbolically relates to Doodle's unique appearance, personality, and vulnerable nature.

The first line of the story is a powerful image.

The author establishes the story’s setting and mood with the first sentence, which uses figurative language.

Summer was dead, but autumn had not yet been born when the ibis came to the bleeding tree. 

Summer and autumn are personified in order to both tell us the season and the mood of the story.  The use of summer this way foreshadows death in the story.

Another interesting image in the story is that of the “bleeding tree.”  Trees bleed when they have been cut somewhere, almost like people do.  The use of blood as an image, even from a tree, continues to develop a mood that is somber and foreboding. 

The reader can be pretty sure that this story is going to involve death, loss, and sadness.  The mood is well-established, and the use of death metaphors in the beginning foreshadows death in the story.

I would actually stick to specifically using the color red because that one color is such a strong image throughout the story. I would show the parallels between the scarlet (red) ibis and Doodle in life and death. Bear in mind that a scarlet ibis was a very unusual and beautiful bird to see in their region of the world. This is similar to Doodle in that he was unusual and beautiful in his own way as well. He is like the ibis because he is always so out of place in comparison to what his brother deems normal. Doodle is upset by the bird's death because he can relate to the bird and he is almost fearful that the different things in his world will die, so he is doomed to die. Doodle gave us a sense that even he knew his own time was limited and that he had already been granted much more than anyone had expected. The ibis also resembled Doodle in death because his brother gets a vivid image of the way the dead bird looked when he sees his brother. Red comes into play here as well because Doodle has blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Red can symbolize several things in this story. It can symbolize differences, death, and love. White is not prevalent enough in this story to use it in an essay successfully.

THEME

Clearly, there is a theme of pride that conflicts with love in this short story as the narrator himself admits that his pride drives him to demand of Doodle that of which he is incapable.  Early in the story, the narrator admits to his deadly pride,

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.

Because of his embarrassment at having such a pathetic little brother,the narrator pushes Doodle to learn to walk, run, and swim.

PARADOX

There is a paradox in this narrative, too. This apparent contradiction is evidenced in this observation of the narrator:

...a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction

PERSONIFICATION

The attribution of the qualities and characteristics of a human or animal to inanimate things, personification is found in the brother's description of the abstract quality of hope that he feels after Doodle becomes strong enough to stand on his own:

Hope no longer hid in the dark palmetto thicket but perched like a cardinal in the lacy toothbrush tree, brilliantly visible,

These bold-faced words are all directly from the text, the words behind them are an analysis of how or why they can be associated with death.

summer was dead - So summer was over, it had stopped or ceased.

bleeding tree (x2)- Often before death, people bleed. Watch throughout the story for references to RED!

rotting brown magnolia petals - When something is rotting it is in a state of decay. This is after death has occured.

five o'clocks by the chimney still marked time - Many references to time will occur in this story, but to associate time with death, I think you could take this from the perspective that every living thing will die and has a set TIME that they will endure life before that moment of death occurs.

graveyard flowers - Graveyards are places where dead people are buried, and flowers are used to celebrate their lives. In these lines, the flowers are still blooming and celebrating life.

names of our dead - We remember lives of those who have gone on before us.

dieup in the leaves - Die is in this phrase.

grindstone (x2) - This is another allusion to time.

When examining the first sentence, you can see that death is mentioned right away: "Summer was dead..." However, in this case Hurst isn't referring to a person, but is instead personifying a season. Next, Hurst mentions how the ibis came to the "bleeding tree" which also indicates death.

In the next paragraph, the speaker is describing Doodle's infant body as "red and shriveled like an old man's," which also conveys death. Finally, the last sentence itself, "Everybody thought he was going to die," is the final example of how Hurst emphasizes death in the first two paragraphs.

An assertion is more or less a statement of opinion/belief.  So, you will be stating your views or ideas on foreshadowing, symbolism, and imagery in "The Scarlet Ibis". 

If you have discussed the story, you know that Doodle's death is foreshadowed at several points.  So, your assertion about symbolism would be, "Doodle's death is foreshadowed by...."

There are lots of assertions you could make about imagery in the story.  Find places where imagery is used in the text (hint:  there's a lot of imagery connected to Doodle,s appearance/movement and a lot of imagery connected to nature).  Then decide why the author chooses to use it.  Your assertion for imagery could be something like, "The purpose of imagery in 'The Scarlet Ibis' is..."

Your symbolism assertion will revolve around the Ibis itself.  A symbol is something that represents something other than itself.  What does the ibis seem to represent to the reader based on its physical appearance, its unusual location, and its death?  Your assertion could be as simple as, "The ibis symbolizes..."

Good luck!

Image is the most important element of style in "The Scarlet Ibis."  For example, to depict the summer of drought and misfortune Hurst portrays the withered crops shriveling under the blistering gaze of the thirsty sun.  The hurricane is likened to a bloodthirsty "hawk at the entrails of a chicken," which creates a picture of ruin and destruction in the mind of the reader.  Also, Old woman Swamp and the happy times the boys spent there are described in vivid, glowing terms.  The honeysuckle and water lilies are woven into wreaths and crowns, which transform the boys into youthful kings of this glorious, luxurious paradise "beyond the reach of the everyday world."  "The slanted rays of the sun burn orange in the pines" produces in the reader's mind a brilliant image of peace, beauty, and happiness.

"The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst revolves around the character of Doodle, the brother of the narrator of the story.  The color of red symbolizes and wraps itself around this sad little fellow and his struggles to keep up with his older brother.  Symbolically, the story might have been called "Painting Doodle Red."

The entire story is told in flashback.  The narrator describes the time between summer and fall when it is still hot in the day but cool at night. In the first paragraph of the story, the brother foreshadows the death of Doodle with his reference to the the death of the summer season, the bleeding tree,  and the ibis landing in the tree. 

The ibis is a beautiful endangered bird that is native to South American. For it to have been in the states meant that something had to have happened to it.  The bleeding tree is a pine tree that has sap the color of blood.

The author uses many similies and comparisons to describe a character or illustrate a point. When Doodle is born, he is described as being red like an old man.  The colorful description implies that this child may not have a long life.  As Doodle begins his attempts at movement, he struggles by turning red and then collapsing.  The reader knows that the doctor's words ring true: "...this puts a strain on his heart."  As the narrator works with Doodle, Hurst describes the hope that he will walk as "like a cardinal in the lacy toothbrush tree." 

The bleeding tree in the backyard is an important part of the setting.  When the bird lands in the tree and then falls to its death, this symbolically prepares the reader for Doodle's death. 

The bird lay on the ground like a broken vase of red flowers...

Doodle's and the ibis' symbolically maintain a closeness. Doodle wants to bury the ibis.  Despite Doodle's disability, his spirit exudes elegance just as the bird in its death loses none of its beauty.  The ibis and Doodle are the same: graceful things that are out of place.

When the brother finds Doodle in the rain storm, he is lying under a nightshade bush.  Ironically, the nightshade bush has poisonous red berries. This was the perfect place for Doodle to be found in his untimely death.  Doodle's chest is stained a brilliant red probably from an artery bursting as he tried to keep up with his brother.  The doctor had warned that Doodle should always be treated gently.

Doodle would have done anything to please his brother.  When the narrator forces Doodle to touch his own coffin, Doodle cries out to his brother:

He clung to me, crying, 'Don't leave me, Brother! Don't leave me!'

That is exactly what Brother did in the storm with Doodle begging him to wait for him.  No one deserves a brother like this.  To mistreat such a special and sensitive little soul like Doodle cannot be a memory tha anyhone woulld want.  The brother's regret came too late to save Doodle.