“The Sun Parlor” Reflective essay (nonfiction narrative)
How does West make it feel like she’s having a conversation with her readers? • She addresses us directly. • She uses the second person (you). • She announces to us at the opening that this is “a story with a moral. ”
What does West focus on as her topic? • It is about a special room in the author’s home. • More specifically, it’s about the author’s changing attitude toward a specific room in her home. • The author reveals directly that the emotion she connects most with the sun parlor is _________. • REGRET
West tells us this is a “tale with a moral. ” What is this moral? • Don’t make people feel subordinate to possessions.
Why does West tell Sis not to play in the sun parlor? • West has just painted it, and she’s worked really hard on it. • She feels protective, and Sis is, after all, a small child. • She says it’s a place for adults, not children.
What event changes the way West feels about the sun parlor? Why and How? • They change the sun parlor into a sick room because the aunt cannot climb stairs. • The aunt eventually dies. • West ends up closing the sun parlor for a time because it reminds her of her grief.
What’s the overall lesson the aunt’s stay in the sun parlor teaches? • A room’s mood depends not on its décor and lighting, but on the events that occur there.