https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4 disappointment number 1 By: Sarah Leal en-us 2019-12-17 20:36:14 UTC 2025-11-09 23:08:48 UTC hello@padlet.com sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/425232955 Doodle is the narrator's brother and is five years old throughout most of the story. He displays no insecurities although he has a crippling medical condition. His efforts to learn to walk is fueled by his admiration and trust in his older brother. This is proven when he says "does that make any difference?" (Hurst 3) when his older brother asks him if he wants to be different from everybody else. He is very compassionate and has a strong love for beautiful places. ]]> 2019-12-17 21:04:23 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/425232955 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/425236416 Since this character narrated the story in first person point of view, their personal thoughts and feelings are revealed and readers are able to understand this character the most. 
There is little to be known about the physical traits of this character. The age of this character is stated in "when I turned 13"( Hurst 1). Their appearance is not described in the story, so it is left for the reader to decide.
The emotional traits of this character are displayed throughout the story. The phrase "a knot of cruelty borne by the streams of love"( Hurst 1) explains that this character displays cruel actions towards his younger brother, despite this character's love for his brother. This character is revealed to be remorseful later on in the story. The narrator admits" they didn't know that I did it just for myself, that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother" (Hurst 2). Guilt is obvious in this statement, but none of the words indicate the narrator regrets what he did. It can be concluded that the narrator was aware of his selfishness and felt guilty because of it, but had no intentions of improving his behavior. 
Despite this selfishness evident in the narrator, there is also some kindness in his personality. In the story, Doodle cries because of the beauty of  the beauty of Old Woman Swamp. In response to this, the narrator states "after that, Doodle and I went down to Old Woman Swamp"(Hurst 1). His reaction shows that he has consideration for the things his brother likes. He is kind enough to bring his brother to this swamp solely because  the narrator knows his brother loves the beauty of it.
In Conclusion, the narrator is a 13 year old boy that demonstrates both cruelty and kindness to his brother that he loves. He has selfish desires but accomplishes many good things. The narrator reveals that his is ashamed of his selfish motivations but makes no efforts to change them.]]> 2019-12-17 21:13:17 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/425236416 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/425329691 In this story, Doodle fights a losing battle against the many medical challenges that plagued him through his life. Doodle faced medical challenges since when he was born and "everybody thought he was going to die" (Hurst 1).  These challenges hindered his ability to walk and move normally as described in paragraph 4, " when he crawled on the rug, he crawled backwards"(Hurst 1). 
Doodle eventually gains the ability to walk and slowly run through hard work with his brother. Despite this, the narrator states that Doodle "would never be like the other boys at school" (Hurst 3). In the end, it was these medical challenges that caused Doodle's death for his crippled body could not outrun the storm. ]]> 2019-12-18 04:35:51 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/425329691 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/425694223 Another example of conflict in this story is the narrator's battle with his younger brother, Doodle. Multiple times throughout the story, the narrator acknowledges his mixed emotions and thoughts towards Doodle. One instance of this is when the narrator explains that "they didn't know that I did it just for myself, that Doodle only walked because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother"( Hurst 2). His silent confession reveals the embarrassment he feels at  Doodle's lack of mobility and why he is motivated to teach Doodle how to walk and move normally.
The Narrator also acknowledges his cruelty towards Doodle, but claims it to come from love. Several times in the story, he acts cruelly towards Doodle, but doesn't show any regret until the end of the story when he is holding Doodle's dead body. While Doodle is never described to harbor any negative feelings towards the narrator, it is obvious that the narrator and Doodle have a complicated relationship that is troubled due to Doodle's condition. ]]> 2019-12-18 21:17:25 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/425694223 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/425776832 Based on the narrator's strong dislike for Doodle's crippling medical condition and his emphasis on Doodle needing to fit in, it can be inferred that the narrator is insecure about himself. Whenever the narrator is referring to Doodle's crippled state, he says "I was ashamed of having a crippled brother"( Hurst 2). The narrator's choice of words indicates that he cares greatly about the opinions of others and seeks acceptance. He believes that others will judge him because of Doodle's crippled state, so he tries to make Doodle move normally.]]> 2019-12-19 04:55:13 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/425776832 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426061709 The descriptive language used to describe this swamp allows the reader to visualize its serenity and beauty. In the story the narrator describes "I dragged him across the cotton field to share the beauty of Old Woman Swamp... and sat him down in the soft grass" (Hurst 1). The diction in these sentences creates a feeling of peace and effectively conveys the beauty of this location. ]]> 2019-12-19 19:54:26 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426061709 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426065898 The scarlet ibis is described in vivid detail. The figurative language used in "it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and even death could not mar its beauty" (Hurst 3) creates a clear image in the reader's head of the birds beauty. The sentence also depicts the bird as a fragile creature that's beauty lasts beyond death. This imagery creates a somber and reverent tone in the story that adds emotion to the story.]]> 2019-12-19 20:04:21 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426065898 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426078768 The description of the storm captures its fierceness and power. The rainfall was described in "the rain came, roaring through the pines" (Hurst 3). The word "roaring" shows how heavy and fast the rain was falling through the trees and on to the characters. The thunder was said to be "deafening" (Hurst 3). The narrator also stated that "a gum tree ahead of us was shattered by a bolt of lightning" (Hurst 3) which showed how violent and truly dangerous the storm was. This imagery makes the reader understand the fear Doodle and his brother experienced in the story.]]> 2019-12-19 20:42:49 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426078768 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426087030 The figurative language used to describe the Scarlet Ibis is "it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and even death could not mar its beauty" (Hurst 3). This simile acknowledges how fragile the life of this bird is while also expressing how beautiful it is, even when in a gruesome situation. Te sentence displays the admiration the narrator has for the bird's beauty, and it shows that their is always some beauty present, even in death,]]> 2019-12-19 21:08:39 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426087030 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426164154 The author uses a simile at the end of the story to describe the tremendous amount of rainfall coming down at one time. The sentence says "the sound of rain was everywhere...and it fell straight down like ropes from the sky." The comparison of the rain to ropes shows how the rain fell so heavily that it seemed to be one unbroken stream of water. By allowing the reader to understand the severity of the storm, the author has ensured that readers will understand the conditions Doodle and his brother had to try to survive in.]]> 2019-12-20 04:48:26 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426164154 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426164509 In the beginning of the story, Doodle calls out to his brother "Don't leave me, Brother! Don't leave me!"(Hurst 1). These sentences are repeated later on in the story when Doodle's brother is actually leaving him behind. While its meaning was hard to understand the first time it was said, the sentences carried a much deeper meaning when Doodle called them out the second because Doodle's life depended on his brother waiting for him. The first time these sentences were said, they foreshadowed that Doodle's brother would leave him when Doodle needed him.]]> 2019-12-20 04:53:50 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426164509 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426165032 When the scarlet ibis died, its life ended under the bleeding tree. 
The scarlet ibis's death under the bleeding tree foreshadows Doodle's death under the red nightshade bush. The scarlet ibis died covered in blood like Doodle. Both of them also died under a plant. This similarities prove that the bleeding tree helped foreshadow Doodle's death.  ]]> 2019-12-20 05:01:30 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426165032 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426345998 The author emphasizes at the end of the story that decisions made out of anger can have unintended consequences. Doodle's brother left him at the end of the story with the explanation that "the knowledge that our plans had come to nothing was bitter, and that streak of cruelty within me had awakened" (Hurst 3). The narrator's decision to leave Doodle behind was made out of anger and fueled by his bitterness. He regrets it at the end of he story when he realizes that Doodle died as a result of his decision. The narrator stated that "I began to weep...'Doodle' I screamed above the pounding storm and threw my body to the earth above his" (Hurst 4). His reaction to seeing Doodle's body shows how much he regrets leaving Doodle to die alone in the storm.]]> 2019-12-20 20:39:58 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426345998 sarah_leal1 https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426353041 The story begins with the narrator explaining that his younger brother was born crippled and everyone thought he was going to die. The narrator's younger brother ends up surviving and gets nicknamed "Doodle." The narrator of the story encourages and helps Doodle learn to walk so he can be like other young boys. It is revealed in the story that Doodle's older brother is only helping Doodle so that he doesn't have to be ashamed of having a crippled brother. Doodle does end up learning how to walk and is able to do other common things that involve moving with the help of his brother. When the narrator, Doodle and their parents are relaxing, a scarlet ibis falls to its death near them and Doodle decides to bury it. After burying the bird, Doodle and his brother realize Doodle has failed and will never be like the other young boys. During this time, a storm comes and, in a bitter rage, the narrator leaves Doodle to fend for himself. When the older brother returns to find Doodle, he finds Doodle lying dead, and weeps for his dead brother.]]> 2019-12-20 21:17:00 UTC https://padlet.com/sarah_leal1/g0tcxxnc46z4/wish/426353041