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I think that everyone should read The Scarlet Ibis because the theme of this story really can teach us a great life lesson.  The theme of The Scarlet Ibis is brotherhood, the respect for nature and cruelty.  Not only do these topics teach us about important things in life, it also gives us a basis on how you should treat others and what happens if you don’t treat others well.

One of my reasons on why everyone should read this book is that it teaches us an important life lesson.  Respecting nature is a key part in this book and I think that we can all learn from it.  When the narrator’s brother Doodle is first taken to the Old Woman Swamp, he is put on the grass where he starts to cry.  When asked what is wrong, Doodle replies that it is so beautiful.(170) At this point you can really tell that Doodle respects nature.  This is very important for us to know as well because if we respect nature, we can all live better lives in a healthier, cleaner environment.

Another valuable lesson in this book is treating other people well and that is another reason that everyone should read this book.  In this book, the narrator does not always treat his brother well and it ends up badly in the end for Doodle.  It is the beginning of a large thunderstorm, the narrator and Doodle are running to get home.  Doodle’s worst fear was being left behind, so in the storm when Doodle falls behind, he cries out “Brother, Brother don’t leave me!” (176)  The narrator runs on until he can no longer hear Doodle.  He goes back to find Doodle only to find that Doodle has died.  If the narrator had treated his brother better and not ran off when Doodle fell behind, he probably could have saved his brother’s life.  This is very important for us to know because if we treat people with respect, we can make new friends and help to create better relationships with people. 

This book really made me think about what we should do in our lives to make the world better.  The author taught us two very important lessons that we should know; respecting nature and treating others well.  These were my two reasons on why everyone should read this book because of the important lessons it teaches.

Barba Nikos is a story about a boy, Petrakis, who learns about his culture from old grocer Barba Nikos.  A major symbol in this story is the yellow figs.  These figs were given to Petrakis from Barba Nikos as a reward for his hard work. 

 One of the main reasons that the yellow figs are a major symbol in this story is that even though Petrakis buys figs throughout his life, he finds figs that are delicious and sweet, but they are never the same as the figs that Barba Nikos gave him.  Petrakis says that there is something missing from those figs that were in the ones Barba Nikos gave him.  Petrakis isn’t sure whether it was the figs or the passion and the vision of the old grocer that coated the fruit as sweetly as it was. (73)

 Another reason that the yellow figs are a major symbol is because when Petrakis receives the figs, that is the day he learns all about his culture.  During lunch that day Barba Nikos tells Petrakis “You don’t understand that a whole nation and [it’s] people are in this store.”(70)  Petrakis learns about all the foods in the store as well as their importance in Greek culture.  When it is time for Petrakis to leave, Barba Nikos says this to him as he hands him the figs “When you taste them, maybe you will understand what I have been talking about.”(72) 

After reading this story, I knew that the figs must be the symbol.  There was so much significance with them.  Petrakis learned all about his culture that day and he never found figs that tasted as good as the one’s Barba Nikos gave him.  This is why I believe the yellow figs are a major symbol in this book.