The Scarlet Ibis Essay

Submitted By garmar86
Words: 1378
Pages: 6
Open Document
Frida Kahlo's InfluenceFrida Kahlo's Influence Frida Kahlo's influence still lingers around the world. Even with Frida dead for almost two decades, she is still celebrated and thought of as an idol. Frida Kahlo was an artist in many different ways. Besides Frida's incredible talent to paint surrealist thoughts and emotions on canvas, she also was and artist in her mind and body. Frida's attire of traditional Mexican clothing, which consisted of long, colorful dresses and exotic jewelry, and her thick connection eyebrows, became her trademark. To the public, Frida Kahlo appeared to be full of spirit and joy. She walked through life happily, with a smile glued to her face. However, her feelings of anguish, anger, unhappiness of her painful miscarriages, and physical and mental sufferings were expressed through her artwork. Her paintings were full of personal content. They expressed her internal feelings. The world was unaware of the agony of the "real" Frida Kahlo. The world has been fascinated with Kahlo's artwork because of her emotional background. Her creative style was always breathtaking yet bewildering. Frida was probably the most idolized woman artist of her time and today, she is a figure of legendary power whose work inspires excitement and awe throughout the world. (Daniels 88) Many of Frida Kahlo's artwork was inspired by her own personal experiences; in "The Broken Spine", she paints of her sufferings caused by a tram crash, also in "Diego and I", Kahlo expresses her chaotic marriage with Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera and in "Self-Portrait with Monkeys", Kahlo paints the only children she could have (85). Kahlo's life began and ended in Mexico City. Although she was born on July 7, 1907, she gave her birth date as July 7, 1910, the year of the Mexican Revolution. (Gradinier103) At the age of 18, Frida Kahlo was on her way back home from school, when her bus collided with a tram; several people were killed on the spot. Alejandro Gomez, Frida's boyfriend at the time described the accident and said that among the iron rods of the train, the handrail broke and went through Frida from one side to the other at the level of the pelvis (104). Frida Kahlo was left with a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, several broken ribs, a broken pelvis, and eleven fractures in her right leg. In addition her right foot was dislocated and crushed, and her shoulder was out of joint. For a month, Frida was forced to stay flat on her back, encased in a plaster cast and enclosed in a boxlike structure. The steel handrail from the tram had literally gone through her body at the level of the abdomen; entering on the left side, it had gone out through the vagina. Due to this accident, Frida underwent thirty different operations and three miscarriages. It was during this time that Frida Kahlo discovered her talent for painting and drawing, also during this challenging time for her she produced "The Broken Spine". Having to depend on everyone but herself, Kahlo portrays herself as weak and helpless. She depicts her self-portrait with metal rods supporting her broken spine. Although Frida's recovery was miraculous, she did have relapses of tremendous pain and fatigue all throughout her life, which cause her to be hospitalized for long periods of time, bedridden at times (106). She underwent tremendous stress during this time, but she surprised everyone with her strong will and talent. Ever since her almost fatal accident, Frida would draw portraits of herself and other subjects. Not knowing whether or not her artwork was good enough to make a lifelong career out of them, she decided to take her artwork to the famous and respected Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera. From then on, Diego and Frida continued to see each other. While entangled with Rivera, Frida gave up her artwork because of her love for him. Frida wanted to seem important to Diego, despite the fact that Diego's murals were the most significant element in his life. She had begun
Show More

Related Documents: The Scarlet Ibis Essay

The Scarlet Ibis Symbolism

The Scarlet Ibis is a story about two brothers who have an unusual relationship. There is the Older Brother and Doodle who was expected not to live after his birth. Doodle has a heart condition and can’t do many physical activities. The older brother decided to take matter into his own hands and decided to teach him how to do physical activities. Near the end of the story a scarlet ibis was spotted by Doodle. However , when the reader is reading they realize that this bird isn’t just there to uplift…

Words 180 - Pages 1

The Scarlet Ibis Climax

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is a short story about a boy and his crippled brother, Doodle. Doodle had always been different. He didn’t begin to crawl until he was three, but his brother started to teach him things like walking and running, so they could surprise their parents. Doodle’s brother was helping him to improve his Doodle’s life but also improve his own. “The Scarlet Ibis” contains symbols, climax, and situational irony to help express the theme of the story, doing good isn’t always…

Words 879 - Pages 4

Scarlet Ibis Challenges

between the article, “11-year-old Takes Steps to Help Other Children in Need” and the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” is an obstacle or challenge can be overcome, and even celebrated when shared with friends. Obtaining assistance from a friend when faced with a challenge lightens the load and the resolution of problems can also offer a time of celebration and triumph. In the story, “The Scarlet Ibis,” Doodle and his brother work together for several weeks trying to get Doodle to learn to walk despite…

Words 232 - Pages 1

'Irony In The Scarlet Ibis'

variety of emotion, you must be imperfect, you must make mistakes and be unique. In “egg horror poem,” the eggs in the carton are afraid of being chosen to be eaten, in “The Scarlet Ibis,” the narrator's brother, Doodle has a weak heart, and the narrator had a plan to help him, and when his plan failed, he got angry. In “The Scarlet Ibis,” Doodle has a weak heart and is unable to walk until he was five. Anger, fear, and embarrassment at how others view…

Words 209 - Pages 1

The Scarlet Ibis Theme

The theme statement of “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst would be that if someone isn’t grateful enough for something,they just might be the one to take it away from themselves. “The Scarlet Ibis” is a story about a boy and his little brother, Doodle, who is disabled, and not exactly like everybody else. The older brother established a strong disliking toward Doodle. He feared that he would be the one ridiculed for having a sibling who was “different”. Having this in mind, he taught Doodle basic…

Words 365 - Pages 2

Scarlet Ibis Symbolism

The short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst uses symbolism to show parallels between Doodle and the Ibis in a few different ways which include: how listless the ibis and Doodle are, their struggles throughout their lives, and their similarities in death. The first indication of symbolism in the ibis is how listless they are both described to be. When Doodle and Brother look outside, they notice the ibis on the tree. Then “the bird began to flutter, but the wings were uncoordinated” (Hurst 9)…

Words 502 - Pages 3

Scarlet Ibis Death

In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis”, the author James Hurst uses the symbol of death as he shows how the main character is guilty of a major loss. The first time the author shows how Brother feels guilty is when Doodle is talking to Brother about who told him that he can’t walk. “‘I can’t walk, Brother, says Mama, the doctor- everybody.’” pg. 2-3. How to use a sandbox? Brother made Doodle walk, even though the doctor told Doodle that he couldn’t. It makes Brother feel guilty because once Doodle…

Words 208 - Pages 1

Symbolism In The Scarlet Ibis

this story which makes it more likable and enjoyable to the readers. The Scarlet Ibis is a bird that plays a very important role in the story. The bird foreshadows Doodle’s death and the color of the bird represents Doodle’s blood when he died. Even though Doodle was an underprivileged child he still showed courage to live through his complications. Doodle is more vulnerable to the world around him just like the Scarlet Ibis was. The color red is a powerful message throughout this text…

Words 357 - Pages 2

Doodle In The Scarlet Ibis

Throughout “The Scarlet Ibis,” the reader gets to know Doodle and how he is determined to hang out with Brother. But by the end of the story, that becomes harder and harder to do. Even though, Doodle is almost seven years old, he is still not like his brother or other children. In “The Scarlet Ibis” Doodle is characterized as frail, kind, and very easily frightened. First, Doodle is very frail. Everybody thought he was going to die because he was born in a caul. “He seemed all head, with a…

Words 416 - Pages 2

Scarlet Ibis Limits

Limits are The Color Red In James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis” the author uses anything red to symbolize the need to recognize people's limits. The first time the author shows this is when Brother is pushing Doodle to his limits knowing Doodle can’t go anymore. “Trembling he’d push himself back up first turning a shade of red then a shade of light purple.” This explains how scared Doodle is of failing his brother at the moment, pushing himself so hard that he gets physically exhausted.…

Words 206 - Pages 1