Scarlet Ibis Essay
This essay was based off of a debate my team held in honor of a story titled "The Scarlet Ibis." This essay is in favor of Prosecution. Now that I see it with new eyes, it reminds me of Model UN! Enjoy!
The Scarlet Ibis and it’s Unclear Ending
How would you feel about yourself if your crippled sibling was dead because of wrong choices you made? As a class, we read a story titled The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst. The main plot of the story is about a boy who has a brother that he nicknamed “Doodle” (Doodle’s real name was William Armstrong). He was born with a walking handicap. Doodle ends up living longer than anyone expected, and Doodle is unwillingly taught how to walk by his brother. Once Doodle’s brother accomplishes this, he teaches Doodle to run, climb, swim and a lot of other things. One day, Doodle spotted a scarlet ibis (a red bird similar to a stork) in a tree. It falls to the ground, and dies at Doodle’s feet. After this depressing encounter, the brothers go to a swimming lesson. By the time they are there, a storm has brewed. As they go back, Doodle’s brother decides to run from his crippled sibling, leaving him alone in the woods in a thunderstorm. Doodle’s brother goes back to Doodle after a short period of time, to only find that Doodle has died of unknown causes. Some possible causes of Doodle’s death may have been physical exertion, or Nightshade poison. No matter which, it is clear Doodle died because of “Brother’s” actions.
First of all, one cause was physical exertion. Doodle was born with a birth defect and possibly a heart condition as well. The Brother pushed his physical limits. Running too much on that rainy night, may have caused physical exertion, so he probably collapsed to the ground. Something sharp, like a hard rock, may have caused the bleeding of the mouth, stomach, and neck. I have a quote from the story to prove my theory as well. As it states on page 4 of the reading, “The knowledge that our plans had come to nothing was bitter, and that streak of cruelty awakened. I ran as fast as I could, leaving him far behind with a wall of rain dividing us. Soon I could hear his voice no more.” At this point in time, Brother is running from Doodle because he is mad. At first it seems entirely intentional, but some misfortune is hidden in the situation. I noticed that Brother was saying at the time that the, “streak of cruelty awakened.” That seems like another way of saying, “Brother got uncontrollably angry.” Insanity? Anger issues? An average fight between two siblings? I have experience with sibling fights, and this, doesn’t look like one. Whichever it is, we know that Brother was temporarily angry enough to run from a person in need, even as they cry, “Brother, Brother, don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!” It was obvious enough Doodle needed help and wouldn’t be able to handle the pain, yet the brother seems clueless when he says, “Come on Doodle, lets go.” after he finds Doodle dead.
On the other hand, Doodle also may have eaten the Nightshade berries from the bush that “Brother” found him under. He may have done this because he was hungry after Brother left and Doodle wasn’t thinking clearly. Another quote to prove my point is here on page 4. “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. ‘Lets 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.” This quote is about Doodle and Doodle’s Brother. Doodle is sitting under the said Nightshade bush, with blood coming from his mouth, possibly from convulsions. His shirt is stained a brilliant red, coming from possible berry juice. The Berry juice was red, and Doodle was weakened by his handicap, as well as a possible immune system problem. People don’t fall in the position Doodle was in, “...sitting on the ground, his face buried in his arms, which were resting on drawn up knees”. People often crash down on the ground and get hurt. He most likely sat on the ground, started eating, got a stomach ache and switched his position to hold his hurting stomach. This is happening around a forest, with thunder and lightning. Doodle is running so hard, and he possibly just can’t stand his hunger. Doodle possibly ate these berries, thanks to Brother. He decided to eat the berries, which is why most people say not to eat berries if you're not absolutely sure they aren’t toxic. However, what if he didn’t eat the ripened berries? Most people say the not ripened ones aren’t toxic, while in reality they are more poisonous than other berries. In contrast, it is highly unlikely as the berries don’t have that strong of poison, most just received dilated pupils, hallucinations, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, headaches and convulsions, but still possible. We can rule out Blurred vision as, if he did have it, he wouldn’t have been sitting normally, as things would have been distorted and he would have sat weirdly if he did have it to see clearer. In conclusion, we ask a question. Did those berries kill Doodle? The facts may point toward yes. But even that could lead back to Brother. Doodle wouldn’t have eaten those if Brother hadn’t pushed him to be hungry enough to even consider eating wild berries.
The evidence points toward brother, and with this information, Kat and Lydia believe that brother killed him and thereof, should not be considered a hero. Now a lot of people disagree. I’d like to know why. I know I may not be being fair, but these facts all point toward his killing of Doodle. Sure, he may not have meant it but in real life he could have been charged with manslaughter, the unmeaning to but still killing of people. All in all, Doodle’s brother is guilty as charged for this crime. People may say he didn’t, but these facts point utterly to Brother!
The Scarlet Ibis and it’s Unclear Ending
How would you feel about yourself if your crippled sibling was dead because of wrong choices you made? As a class, we read a story titled The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst. The main plot of the story is about a boy who has a brother that he nicknamed “Doodle” (Doodle’s real name was William Armstrong). He was born with a walking handicap. Doodle ends up living longer than anyone expected, and Doodle is unwillingly taught how to walk by his brother. Once Doodle’s brother accomplishes this, he teaches Doodle to run, climb, swim and a lot of other things. One day, Doodle spotted a scarlet ibis (a red bird similar to a stork) in a tree. It falls to the ground, and dies at Doodle’s feet. After this depressing encounter, the brothers go to a swimming lesson. By the time they are there, a storm has brewed. As they go back, Doodle’s brother decides to run from his crippled sibling, leaving him alone in the woods in a thunderstorm. Doodle’s brother goes back to Doodle after a short period of time, to only find that Doodle has died of unknown causes. Some possible causes of Doodle’s death may have been physical exertion, or Nightshade poison. No matter which, it is clear Doodle died because of “Brother’s” actions.
First of all, one cause was physical exertion. Doodle was born with a birth defect and possibly a heart condition as well. The Brother pushed his physical limits. Running too much on that rainy night, may have caused physical exertion, so he probably collapsed to the ground. Something sharp, like a hard rock, may have caused the bleeding of the mouth, stomach, and neck. I have a quote from the story to prove my theory as well. As it states on page 4 of the reading, “The knowledge that our plans had come to nothing was bitter, and that streak of cruelty awakened. I ran as fast as I could, leaving him far behind with a wall of rain dividing us. Soon I could hear his voice no more.” At this point in time, Brother is running from Doodle because he is mad. At first it seems entirely intentional, but some misfortune is hidden in the situation. I noticed that Brother was saying at the time that the, “streak of cruelty awakened.” That seems like another way of saying, “Brother got uncontrollably angry.” Insanity? Anger issues? An average fight between two siblings? I have experience with sibling fights, and this, doesn’t look like one. Whichever it is, we know that Brother was temporarily angry enough to run from a person in need, even as they cry, “Brother, Brother, don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!” It was obvious enough Doodle needed help and wouldn’t be able to handle the pain, yet the brother seems clueless when he says, “Come on Doodle, lets go.” after he finds Doodle dead.
On the other hand, Doodle also may have eaten the Nightshade berries from the bush that “Brother” found him under. He may have done this because he was hungry after Brother left and Doodle wasn’t thinking clearly. Another quote to prove my point is here on page 4. “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. ‘Lets 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.” This quote is about Doodle and Doodle’s Brother. Doodle is sitting under the said Nightshade bush, with blood coming from his mouth, possibly from convulsions. His shirt is stained a brilliant red, coming from possible berry juice. The Berry juice was red, and Doodle was weakened by his handicap, as well as a possible immune system problem. People don’t fall in the position Doodle was in, “...sitting on the ground, his face buried in his arms, which were resting on drawn up knees”. People often crash down on the ground and get hurt. He most likely sat on the ground, started eating, got a stomach ache and switched his position to hold his hurting stomach. This is happening around a forest, with thunder and lightning. Doodle is running so hard, and he possibly just can’t stand his hunger. Doodle possibly ate these berries, thanks to Brother. He decided to eat the berries, which is why most people say not to eat berries if you're not absolutely sure they aren’t toxic. However, what if he didn’t eat the ripened berries? Most people say the not ripened ones aren’t toxic, while in reality they are more poisonous than other berries. In contrast, it is highly unlikely as the berries don’t have that strong of poison, most just received dilated pupils, hallucinations, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, headaches and convulsions, but still possible. We can rule out Blurred vision as, if he did have it, he wouldn’t have been sitting normally, as things would have been distorted and he would have sat weirdly if he did have it to see clearer. In conclusion, we ask a question. Did those berries kill Doodle? The facts may point toward yes. But even that could lead back to Brother. Doodle wouldn’t have eaten those if Brother hadn’t pushed him to be hungry enough to even consider eating wild berries.
The evidence points toward brother, and with this information, Kat and Lydia believe that brother killed him and thereof, should not be considered a hero. Now a lot of people disagree. I’d like to know why. I know I may not be being fair, but these facts all point toward his killing of Doodle. Sure, he may not have meant it but in real life he could have been charged with manslaughter, the unmeaning to but still killing of people. All in all, Doodle’s brother is guilty as charged for this crime. People may say he didn’t, but these facts point utterly to Brother!