Dear Mountain Room Parents - Maria Semple

“Dear Mountain Room Parents” is a satirical article which depicts an email exchange between Emily, the teacher of the Mountain Room, and the parents of the children she teachers

  • As the emails are light-hearted, yet cast no moral judgements, this piece is a Horatian piece of satire
  • As the email chain progresses, Emily becomes less and less familiar and warm and becomes colder and more formal, demonstrating her sadness and disappointment with the ignorance and conduct of the parents whom she once viewed positively
  • As the parents continue to express their concerns in regard to the “Day of the Dead,” it becomes evident that the emails begin to pill up and more emails are sent, creating stress for Emily
  • Satirical articles expose foolishness and follies within people or society, in this case, the article criticizes the foolishness and ignorance of parents, who are unwelcoming to new and diverse cultures

Progression

  1. Emily sends an email detailing the Day of the Dead

  2. Emily then sends another email clarifying no opposition to Halloween and simply the intrinsic desire to share another culture while also clarifying different aspects of the Day of the Dead

  3. Emily then sends an email dismissing any concerns with the word “dead” being in the name

    1. As this concern is so miniscule and is easily dismissed, the parents’ beliefs become more apparent

  4. Emily then clarifies that the Day of the Dead is pagan and has nothing to do with God or religion

  5. Emily then apologizes for using the word pagan, which has a negative connotation, especially to ignorant parents

SOAPSTone

  • Speaker - Emily
  • Occasion - Day of the Dead goes horribly wrong
  • Audience - Parents of Moutain Room Children
  • Purpose - Calm them down and clarify issues; Demonstrate the close-mindedness of parents
  • Subject - Cultural diversity
  • Tone - Polite; Defensive; Sardonic