Context Clues
What does the word “disappear” suggest about the teenagers?
➡️ They isolate themselves
Find a line that shows the teenagers are distant.
➡️ “Doors and lips shut”
What happens at the beginning of the poem?
➡️ Teenagers isolate themselves
What is the central idea of the poem?
➡️ Growing up creates distance between parents and children
What is a theme of the poem?
➡️ Growing up changes relationships
What does “Doors and lips shut” most nearly mean?
➡️ They stop talking and communicating
What evidence shows the parent feels confused?
➡️ “a code I knew but can't remember”
What is happening in the middle?
➡️ The parent reflects on the past
How does the parent feel about the teenagers?
➡️ Confused and distant
What lesson does the parent learn?
➡️ Children become independent
What does “a code I knew but can't remember” suggest?
➡️ The parent no longer understands the teens
Find evidence that the parent remembers the past.
➡️ “faces I once held”
What shift happens near the end?
➡️ The teenagers return / reappear
What does the poem show about change?
➡️ Children grow and become independent
What theme is shown by the teenagers returning?
➡️ Change is temporary
What does “open as sunflowers” suggest about the children before?
➡️ They were happy and open
What line shows the teens are now older?
➡️ “long bodies”
What is the climax or turning point?
➡️ “Years later the door opens”
How does the author develop the central idea?
➡️ Through imagery and reflection
What does the poem suggest about parenting?
➡️ Letting go is part of growing up
What does “glowing almost like pearls” suggest?
➡️ They have grown and changed beautifully
Find evidence that the parent once taught them.
➡️ “mouths I taught to speak”
What is the resolution?
➡️ The parent sees how the teens have grown
Why is the phrase “strangers in our own home” important?
➡️ It shows emotional distance
What is the BEST theme statement?
➡️ As children grow, relationships with parents evolve but remain meaningful