The scarlet ibis (classic short

This description may be from another edition of this product. Ashamed of his younger brother”s physical handicaps, an older brother teaches him how to walk and pushes him to attempt more strenuous activities.

I too am one of the many that this story impressed many many years ago. It has always stuck with me and I’d promised myself that someday I’d find the book and re-read it. Well, I found it a few years ago and read it from time to time. What it taught me as an 8th grader and continues to teach me today is how my expectations of a person can hinder my understanding of who they really are as an individual and what they have to offer. If a young reader of this story finds it too sad or predictable to enjoy, its understandable and okay. Let them move forward with experiencing the highs, lows and humbling circumstances that life brings with age, and maybe someday down the road they’ll find themselves thinking of the lessons this little gem of a book teaches. Love thy brother as you’d want God to love you with all your imperfections.
I remember reading this story the first time in my eighth grade class, I’m surprised that many nineth graders that reviewed here couldn’t get this, but an eighth grader like myself could. This story had, and still do, has a hold on me. Here I was, just talking to a few friends over the internet, and out of no where I remember this story. Haunting me and pulling at my heart yet again. In my english class, when we were beginning to read this story, I didn’t expect much from it. It was a short story, and I wasn’t really interested into short stories. The more we got close to the ending, I wanted to find out more. I had been engrossed within this story, it had then sparked more of my interest than in the start. And when it was time to go, I didn’t want to get up from seat and stop reading. I then found myself reading ahead of my class. I wanted to know, was Doodle ever going to have a normal and sucessful lifestyle with the help of the narrator, his brother? I thought all stories had happy endings, but once I finished read the ending to The Scarlet Ibis, I now know how truely wrong I was. I cried in my english class once we finished this story, and I coudn’t stop crying. Everyone was telling me, “Come on, it’s just a book!” But they didn’t know how /real/ this story was. This story gave me a new perspective in life, and it gave a new meaning to the saying, “You don’t know what you have untill it’s gone.” I knew back then, how this story will stay with me as I continue to grow. And I don’t ever want to forget this story, I don’t want to let go. Therefor, I’m buying this book one day and recommending it to everyone I know. James Hurst weaved a beautiful, bitterweet, and memorable story, he did.

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Stories like The Scarlet Ibis have a remarkable affect on people. I also read it in high school and it has stayed with me through the years. When we were children, my younger brother was infuriating and vulnerable, and I remember how instinctively cruel I could be–protective as well, but that never seems to kick in when you need it. I could relate to Doodle’s brother and his desire to push and punish his younger sibling. When I read The Scarlet Ibis, I bawled, I had to hide my face so my classmates wouldn’t see. It was traumatizing. But I think it was the type of trauma that helps you grow. A heartrending lesson. It’s one of the most beautiful and profound short stories ever written. I’ve never known a story to touch so many people. In addition to having a memorable plot and characters, the setting is worth noticing. North Carolinan swamp, something that NC native James Hurst would be very familiar with. And the ibis itself is a shy and rare bird. If you are looking for more thought-provoking reading, I would recommend (if you haven’t read these already) The Red Pony and To Kill a Mockingbird. These also teach about love, loss, and what it is to be human. Books like these seem to make us more empathetic. Maybe these should be required reading for our elected politicians…
I, like many of my fellow reviewers, read this book in high school literature class. Unlike them; however, I do have a partially handicapped brother whom I treated just like Doodle was treated in this story. For this reason the story touched me so deeply as I included a poem about it and my brother in my poetry book. Growing up I constantly pushed my brother to try harder, run faster, and so on in hope that her would better himself. As I came to figure out upon looking back…I was embarrassed by him. I too, thought I could “cure” him and make him somewhat “normal” in appearance and function. Somehow though my brother inspired me to help those who need it and now I am going to do just that for a living. The Scarlet Ibis made me realize that I wasn’t alone in my thinking as a little girl, and that I am so very thankful to have my brother, whom I dearly love.

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I have read many wonderful books since 1976, but The Scarlet Ibis stands out in my memory like no other. As a tenth grader at Iroquois Central High School, my main focus was on fun. Reading this story in my English class caused me to see how fragile life is, and to realize that the worst weaknesses of humanity are not the physical ones which can be seen, but rather the pride and selfishness that destroy others. A personal note: Like one of your reviewers, I am the mother of a handicapped child.I marvel daily at her incredible spirit, as well as those of her disabled friends. The character “Doodle” is a great representation of that spirit and the truth that often the least among us are the greatest! I’ve searched for years to find this story again, and was amazed to see similar comments. The mere fact that so many have remembered this story for so long is reason enough for everyone to read it!

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