Use context clues to determine the meaning of the figure of speech crystal stair as it is used in “Mother to Son”. Write your definition of “crystal” stair here and tell how you got it.

[he] let his gaze wander to the swirling water of the stream racing madly beneath his feet. a piece of dancing driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed it down the current. how slowly it appeared to move! what a sluggish stream! what contrasting words are used to describe the stream in this passage?

Me which theme is developed by the changing relationship between the narrator and his daughter in this excerpt ? as she grew older, she spent more of her time with girls. so much time indeed did she spend with them that she came no more, as she used to do, to her father’s room. i was scarcely on speaking terms with her. when mini and her father stop communicating, it develops the theme that children should not speak unless spoken to. as mini becomes more independent, it develops the theme that parents must learn to let go as their children grow up. as mini spends more time with friends, it develops the theme that young people are more influenced by peers than by parents. when mini and her father see each other far less often, it develops the theme that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Based on this excerpt the authors are most likely to attempt to answer which question