Cite the Evidence
Q: What line shows the teenagers becoming distant?
A: “Doors and lips shut”
Q: What does “doors and lips shut” MOST likely mean?
A: The teenagers are not communicating
Q: What is one main topic of the poem?
A: Growing up
A: Growing up
Q: Who is the speaker most likely?
A: A parent
Q: What happens at the beginning?
A: Teenagers isolate themselves
Q: Which line shows the speaker feeling confused?
A: “a code I knew but can't remember”
Q: What does “we become strangers in our own home” suggest?
A: The relationship has changed
Q: What theme is best supported?
A: Relationships change over time
Q: How do the teenagers change?
A: From open children to distant individuals
Q: What is the main conflict?
A: Lack of communication
Q: What line shows the speaker once taught the children to speak?
A: “mouthed by mouths I taught to speak”
Q: What does “a code I knew but can't remember” mean?
A: The speaker no longer understands the teenagers
Q: What message does the poem send about parenting?
A: Children grow and become independent
Q: How does the speaker feel at first?
A: Confused and disconnected
Q: What major shift occurs in the poem?
A: Time passes and the teens grow older
Q: Which line shows the teenagers growing older?
A: “familiar skin now stretched on long bodies”
Q: What does “glowing almost like pearls” suggest?
A: The teenagers are maturing and becoming beautiful/valuable
Q: Which detail supports the theme of change?
A: “Years later the door opens”
A: “Years later the door opens”
Q: How does the speaker feel at the end?
A: Reflective and amazed
Q: What happens at the end?
A: The speaker sees the grown teenagers again
Q: What line shows how the speaker once saw the children as open and innocent?
A: “open as sunflowers in my hands”
Q: What does “faces I once held” reveal?
A: The speaker remembers them as young children
Q: What is the BEST theme statement?
A: Growing up can create distance but also shows development
Q: What causes the change in the relationship?
A: The teenagers growing up
Q: How does time impact the story?
A: It shows growth and change in relationships