Transcript Intro. to The Scarlet Ibis

“THE SCARLET IBIS”
Reading Check Quiz
Needed: 1 sheet of paper
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS –
DUE BY THE END OF CLASS
1. Why does the narrator teach Doodle to walk, and why does he cry
when his family congratulates him for his efforts?
2. How does Doodle respond to the scarlet ibis and to its death?
3. Explain your opinion of the narrator’s behavior at the end of the story.
Is he some way responsible for Doodle’s death? Is his emotion at the very
end sorrow, guilt, or something else?
4. By the end, who do you pity more – Doodle or the narrator? Why?
5. Do you think the narrator makes any kind of discovery at the story’s
end, as he cradles his brother’s little body? Why?
6. State the theme of this story? Find a passage from the story to
support the theme.
7. In the last sentence, the narrator calls his brother his “fallen scarlet
ibis.” In what ways could the ibis be a symbol for Doodle? What details
from the story support this belief? (Consider the resemblance, Doodle’s
identification with the bird, struggle to survive, and similarities of their
deaths.)
8. The story and its symbolism should appeal to your emotions. Explain
why.