Valuable aspects of any literary work are its themes, symbols, and motifs. Part of the Common Core ELA standards is to introduce and explain these complex concepts. However, abstract ideas are often difficult for students to grasp without assistance. Using a storyboard, students can visually demonstrate their understanding of these concepts, and master analysis of literary elements. For best practices, see our article with specific lesson plan steps on setting up your classroom and activities to teach themes, symbols, and motifs.
The theme of pride is related through the narrator's dialogue. Some important passages are: “There is within me (and with sadness I have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction…”; “All of us must have something to be proud of”; “Pride is a wonderful, terrible thing, a seed that bears two vines, life, and death.” These phrases shows the reader how pride is double edged. It teaches Doodle to walk for the narrator's selfish reasons, but it is also the indirect cause of Doodle's death.
A symbol stands in for something else. In this story, the scarlet ibis represents Doodle. Like the ibis, Doodle was born and maintained a reddish hue. The color red is a universal symbol that can mean anger, love, danger, or warning. In the story, the color represents a warning of the death that will come.
The death of the bird and the death of Doodle mirror each other: the bird’s legs and neck are positioned like Doodle's body; they are both found underneath a tree or bush that references red in its name; both are lost in a storm.
The ibis also symbolizes rarity; it had traveled a long way, it was out of its element, and it was not meant to survive, much like Doodle. When Doodle fervently buries the bird, the imagery suggested that Doodle has a deep connection with the bird. Its rarity, coupled with the color red, suggests that their fates were connected.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that identifies recurring themes in “The Scarlet Ibis”. Illustrate instances of each theme and write a short description below each cell.
Remind the students to stay consistent when writing a story. They should link themes and add details consistently so they connect with each other. Every detail should hold a meaning that the readers can use to understand the overall concept of the story.
Students can list down the themes that they want to add to the story and choose specific details accordingly. They can also use a map to connect the themes and details. The visual representation will them a better understanding of what they want to add.
Symbolism may be an interesting and engaging tool for expressing ideas. Ask the students to incorporate symbols or visual representations of the topics like items, colors, or recurrent motifs. For instance, bright colors can be used to represent youth and liveliness, yet dull and dark colors can be used to represent a monotonous and boring life.
The growth of a character during the course of the narrative might serve as an example of how the themes have changed. Encourage the students to demonstrate how characters develop, acquire knowledge, or confront the topics. Readers should see how the issues affect the characters' perceptions and way of life.
By utilizing descriptive language, students can conjure up a striking mental image. To engage the senses of your readers and fully immerse them in the tale, students can use sensory elements. The use of such language and rich vocabulary can also make the story more interesting for the readers.
The narrative focuses on the complicated bond between the narrator (Brother) and his younger, handicapped brother, Doodle. Doodle’s brother is torn by Doodle's situation and is ashamed because of his disabilities. Pride is also one of the main elements of the story as the brother's pride and efforts to make Doodle "normal" have disastrous results. The scarlet ibis in the story is a representation of beauty and fragility in a harsh environment, which symbolizes the beauty of the natural world. The severity of nature expressed by the author is also highlighted in the narrative, as is the harshness of the setting.
In the narrative, the coffin serves as a potent symbol. It symbolizes demise and mortality and foreshadows Doodle's awful end. When Brother coerces Doodle to touch the coffin, it changes the course of their relationship and sets up the shocking conclusion to the tale.