The Sun Parlor

The Sun Parlor

Some text here about the topic of discussion

Literary Analysis: Reflective Essay

A reflective essay is a brief nonfiction work in which a writer presents the experiences that shaped or inspired his or her thoughts on a topic. In a reflective essay, a writer draws on an event, a time period, or an idea from his or her own life and experience. The writer weaves a

connection between personal experience and a point of general interest, such as a lesson about life. The writer’s reflections focus on a specific object, scene, occasion, place, or idea.

Literary Analysis: Reflective Essay

Dorothy West shares a personal experience and its meaning in her reflective essay “The Sun Parlor.” West’s unique perceptions and understanding of her own experience lead her to create a new experience for her readers. It is a writer’s individual perspective that makes reflective writing engaging and fresh, even when the topic is a familiar one.

Open Ended

What lesson about life does West wish to share with her readers in “The Sun Parlor”?

Open Ended

What event does West say she regrets? Why do you think this event stayed in her mind for so many years?

Open Ended

What is unique about the way West shares the events of “The Sun Parlor” with her readers?

Open Ended

At the end of the essay, West asks Sis if her mother ever let her play in the sun parlor when West was not there. However, she does not want to hear the answer and states that it is enough for her that Sis listened. Why do you think West feels this way? How would you feel in the same situation?

Reading: Ask Questions to Analyze Main

Ideas and Supporting Details

To fully understand an essay, you must analyze main ideas and supporting details. To do this, note each main point the writer makes. Then, identify the ideas or facts that explain or illustrate it. To help you analyze, ask questions as you read. Ask yourself what the topic of the passage is, what main point is being made, and which details support the point.

Open Ended

What is the topic of the essay?

Open Ended

What is the main point being made?

Open Ended

Which details support this point?

Multiple Choice

What is the focus of the reflective essay “The Sun Parlor”?

• the life of a little girl named Sis

• a special room in the author’s home

• the illness of the author’s favorite aunt

• the importance of having a beautiful home

Multiple Choice

At the beginning of “The Sun Parlor,” West states that this “is a tale with a moral.” What is the moral, or lesson, she teaches in this essay?

• It is important to know that people listen.

• People cannot stop the process of aging.

• One must have a beautifully decorated home to impress one’s neighbors.

• Respect for children is more important than pride in one’s home or belongings.

Multiple Choice

How do visitors react to West’s childhood home?

• They think it feels very sad.

• They think it is quite beautiful.

• They are horrified at the awful mess.

• They feel it must be a child’s paradise.

Multiple Choice

Each section of “The Sun Parlor” has a main idea. What is the main point of the section about West’s childhood home?

• The author recalls that there were many visitors to her childhood home.

• A house belongs to the children who live there, not the other way around.

• West and her siblings were terrified that their mother would throw them out.

• Children can destroy a home and its contents if they are allowed to run loose.

Multiple Choice

In “The Sun Parlor,” when does Sis visit the family’s cottage in the Highlands of Oak Bluffs?

• when she becomes very ill

• just once, at Christmastime

• during her summer breaks from school

• only after she becomes a mother herself

Multiple Choice

How does Sis react to the sun parlor when she first sees it?

• She runs in excitedly to bounce on the furniture.

• She runs right past it on her way to play outside.

• She says that it is the most beautiful room she has ever seen.

• She says that it looks like a stuffy and boring room for grown-ups.

Multiple Choice

Why does West tell Sis not to play in the sun parlor?

• because she had just painted it

• because it is a frightening place

• because Sis would rather play outside

• because a sick aunt is using the room

Multiple Choice

Why does West’s aunt dislike staying in the sun parlor?

• It depresses her because someone died there.

• She cannot sleep because the sun is so bright.

• She feels separated from the rest of the family.

• It is difficult to climb the stairs to get there.

Multiple Choice

How does West feel about the sun parlor after her aunt passes away?

• It makes her sad, so she closes it up.

• She becomes angry every time she sees it.

• It reminds her of happy memories of her aunt.

• She still does not want Sis to play in it.

Multiple Choice

What effect does West fear her actions will have on Sis?

• Sis will never want to return to the cottage.

• Sis might sneak into the room and destroy it.

• Sis will think that West is a stuffy, selfish, and cruel woman.

• Sis might think that rooms are more important than children.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following details most clearly supports the main idea of “The Sun Parlor”?

• Sis is one of West’s mother’s favorite children.

• West regrets not letting Sis play in the sun parlor.

• West’s generation becomes the oldest in the family.

• West’s aunt keeps a secret from the rest of the family.

Multiple Choice

What makes “The Sun Parlor” a reflective essay?

• It tries to persuade readers to take action.

• Its purpose is to inform readers about a topic.

• It focuses on the writer’s personal experiences.

• It is a fictional story meant to entertain readers.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of a person who is subordinate to others?

• a new military recruit

• the owner of a retail store

• the principal of a high school

• an emergency room doctor

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the best antonym for the word lavished?

• pampered

• mistreated

• cured

• withheld