Response to “Snowfall” by Deesha Philyaw (from the collection The Secret Lives of Church Ladies):

Choose one of the below questions and write a response of 250-300 words. In your post, include at least one quotation from the story to support your ideas.

1) What is the narrator really missing when she says she misses home?

2) How do the narrator and Rhonda define home differently? Which definition is closer to your own?

3) How is weather used as a symbol or metaphor in this short story?

4) Why do you think the narrator wants to call her mother when she falls? Why does she ultimately decide not to call her mother?

5) The narrator’s identity as a daughter is at odds with her identities as a woman and as a lover/partner. Why and how is she forced to choose from among these different parts of herself? Are there aspects of your identity that are in conflict in this way? (Address this final question only if you want to share; otherwise, feel free to skip it.)

Literature