Read the excerpt from “The Scarlet Ibis.”
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 his drawn-up knees. “Let’s go, Doodle,” I said.
He didn’t answer, so I placed my hand on his forehead and lifted his head. Limply, he fell backwards onto the earth. He had been bleeding from the mouth, and his neck and the front of his shirt were stained in brilliant red.
“Doodle! Doodle!” I cried, shaking him, but there was no answer but the ropy rain. He lay very awkwardly, with his head thrown far back, making his vermillion neck appear unusually long and slim. His little legs, bent sharply at the knees, had never before seemed so fragile, so thin.
In this excerpt, the imagery appeals primarily to which sense to help place the reader in the scene?
The imagery in this excerpt primarily appeals to the sense of sight to help place the reader in the scene.
The imagery in this excerpt primarily appeals to the sense of sight to help place the reader in the scene.
To determine which sense the imagery appeals to in the excerpt from "The Scarlet Ibis," we need to analyze the language used to describe the scene.
The following lines provide important visual details:
- "huddled beneath a red nightshade bush beside the road"
- "resting on his drawn-up knees"
- "his face buried in his arms"
- "his neck and the front of his shirt were stained in brilliant red"
- "His little legs, bent sharply at the knees, had never before seemed so fragile, so thin"
Based on these descriptions, the imagery primarily appeals to the sense of sight. The reader can visualize Doodle sitting on the ground, covered in blood, his face hidden in his arms, and his legs appearing fragile and thin. These vivid visual descriptions help to place the reader in the scene.