Mother To Son Essay

Figurative Language In Mother To Son
Langston Hughes is infamous for his poetic style and his commitment to black themes and heritage;
using jazz rhythms and dialect to depict the life of urban blacks in his work. In Hughes' poem,
"Mother to Son," the narrator is a black mother speaking to her son, telling him to never give up, no
matter what situation one is faced. The theme of this poem is evident through the the author's use of
diction, imagery, and figurative language.
A poem's style of writing is determined by diction, the author's choice of words. In this poem, the
author writes slang and improper grammar, such as double negatives and shorting words. For
example, the mother uses the phrase, "ain't been no," and "I'se," often, rather than proper grammar.
This diction...show more content...
The staircase is described as having, "tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and places with
no carpet on the floor – bare." The mother uses the old staircase as a symbol of her life, and
contrasts it to a "crystal stair," representing those who are auspicious in their lives. However, the
mother still ascends the staircase, overcoming the struggles in her life, and encourages her son to do
the same.
Throughout the poem, "Mother to Son," the author further defends the theme by using figurative
language. The poem is made up of metaphors such as, "life for me ain't been no crystal stair." The
mother compares to life as a staircase, where those more fortunate have an easy, safe path in life.
Whereas those less fortunate, like herself, have a rather difficult path, with many drawbacks and
barriers. Hughes also uses repetition of many phrases to emphasize the importance of the overall
message. In the poem, "Mother to Son," there is an overall theme that is evident through diction,
imagery, metaphors, and repetition. By using these concepts, Langston Hughes is able to convey the
importance of never giving up, no matter what situation one is faced. The poem affects the reader by
radiating inspiration and determination to persuade one to be
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Mother To Son Literary Devices
On the road of life, many trials arise that one must overcome to make his or her life feel complete.
In Langston Hughes's poem, "Mother to Son," these trials are a subject of concern for one mother.
Hughes' "ability to project himself" is seen in his use of dialect, metaphors, and tone (Barksdale 3).
Although the dialect by itself does not seem to be an important quality, however, "when it is
presented with all dramatic skill", it is important (Barksdale 3). In "Mother to Son", Hughes uses
dialect to show that the mother is not as well educated as many people. When she says phrases such
as "For I'se still goin', honey," it is understood that she means that she is still going,...show more
content...
Although these are "homely" things someone may face on a staircase, they actually mean things that
she has encountered in her life (Emanuel 148). She says that she reaches landings, which means that
she has come up on place where she could rest. When she says she turns corners, it is when her life
changes and she has to turn away from her original path. Her final comparison is when she goes in
the dark, which are times in her life when she does not know what she can do to help herself. The
metaphors in this poem show a conflict in the mother's life and makes the poem seem complete.
The third quality that Langston Hughes uses in his poem is the tone of the speaker. When she
explains to him not to "set you down on the steps / 'Cause your find it's kinder hard. / Don't you
fall down now," the tone in her words in compassionate (Hughes 232). The mother is simply
trying to tell her son that she knows what he is going through because she has been in rough times
herself. Those rough times were troublesome but she had the strength to go on and get past them.
All she wants for her son is for him to keep climbing, and never give up. Winslow believes that
this "enduring exuberance" shows her youthful spirit towards life (262). She wants this all because
"[she is] still goin', honey, / [she is] still climbin', / and life for [her] ain't

Mother to Son
McClendon, Jeremy
Eng 104
Professor miller
October 16, 2012
The poem "Mother to Son", by Langston Hughes, is an inspiring poem. It is the epitome of what
every parent should instill within their child and that is the success of our children. Langston
Hughes was born in 1902 and was a well–known poet during the Harlem Renaissance. His poems
were not personalized but spoke for all African Americans alike. In this poem there is significant
meaning from a loving mother to her son through language, metaphors, imagery repetition and
symbolism. The advice given in this poem is that life is like climbing stairs, it is not easy and
sometimes you will stumble but you get back up and keep climbing those stairs.
The poem is about a mother's...show more content...
"Bare" being on a line of its own may also signify being alone. Reaching a goal with perseverance
and consistency is discussed in "But all the time/I'se been a climbin' on/And reachin' landins'
(Hughes 8–10). "Going in the dark" (12), can represent courage, bravery and faith while "No light"
(12) symbolizes an unexplored strange or unfamiliar area. Mother becomes stern when telling her
son to never "set down on the steps" don't give up, and "don't turn your back" (13) or turn away
from life or run from your problems. Many African American women were faced with many
obstacles throughout their lives such as;
Mother is setting a great example with the lines For I'se still goin', honey, / I'se still climbin'(
Hughes 18–19) even though life wasn't easy for her , she never gave up ad she wants the same for
her son. In the 1920's, some women were subjected to prostitution to make a living because there
were no jobs available making it not only painful but a dark journey not knowing where
prostitution will lead you. So just being African American for most it is much easier to just give up
and not reach for our goals and climb the stairs. We need to take one step at a time through life. The
language in which Langston writes the poem in is actually the way in which mother spoke to her
son. This informal language creates imagery I support of the theme. This image created by this
language is a southern dialect from an African American mother, with no formal education

The poem "Mother to Son" was written by Langston Hughes. Hughes uses key words to express
the hardships of the mother's life, and in her words of encouragement to her son. A few key words
used are; crystal stairs, tacks, splinters, boards with no carpet, "Bare." The key words used for
encouragement are; Climbing' on, reaching' landings', Turin' corners, don't turn back, don't sit down
on the steps, and finds it's kinder hard! (261) These words leave such a heart–felt message to all
mothers who come across this sweet little poem. I can compare my life experiences with the essay "
Mother to Son" because, I have a son, my life has not been easy, and I have also suffered great
losses. To start with, I would like to begin with the introduction...show more content...
To get back to the point, I can completely find comparisons between the essay and myself, when it
comes to the mother pouring her heart out to her son with her words of wisdom. In the second
place, I can also compare myself to the poem "Mother to Son," when "Hughes" writes how the
mother's life hasn't been easy by the quote written, "Life for me has not been no crystal stair,"
(261) I, myself have had hardships in my life, indeed my life has not had crystal stairs either. I
started out on a happy path in life, but when I was six years old my parents divorced. I remember
mommy telling me "baby girl, mommy has to tell you something that will make you sad and cry,
but, however hard this is going to be, Daddy has been bad and as a result, he must leave us." I
must say, that was my first curve ball in life, my second curve ball would be when mommy
remarried! I can remember it so clearly even after all these years, there he stood, a very tall man with
long side–burns, and pants too short, nevertheless, he was nice in the beginning. To resume, the
arrival of my new step–dad was hard, but, he was nice to me in the beginning, but he would not
remain this way for very long. His name was Dale and he was a mean man that would hit me all
the time, for the purpose, of his own amusement. I was very lonely in my youth, because Dale
wouldn't allow me to have friends over, not to mention, he wouldn't even allow me to go

Mother And Son
I can relate to the poem "Mother and Son" by Langston Hughes because I have also undergone
difficult challenges in my life. English is not my first language and I struggled with it a lot when
I was younger. In first grade, I was placed in ESL for extra help so that I could improve my English
skills. Admittedly, I always dreaded going to class for fear that my teacher was going to call on me
and ask me to read passages outloud. Anything that involved reading and writing made me feel
anxious. Despite my struggle I kept, "climbing on ;"(Hughes 8) I continued working hard and
finally, at the end of the year I improved and felt a lot more confident about my English skills. This
line of the poem represents someone that stays motivated and keeps trying

"Mother to Son" Analysis Essay
"Mother to Son"
The speaker of the poem "Mother to Son," by Langston Hughes is a mother who is giving advice to
her son. Her life has been difficult and hard at times. As readers, we know this because the speaker
talks about how life is a staircase and her staircase has had "tacks and splinters in it" (line 3–4). This
means that her life has not been perfect and she had many challenges to deal with. Perhaps she was
born into poverty, because the images in her poem reveal a ragged, old staircase, like you might
find in a decrepit, old building. Further, the speaker's accent reveals that the speaker was not
well–educated when she was younger, such as when she says "I'se been a–climbin' on" (line 9)
which is not proper English. Since...show more content...
The speaker's message to readers in "Mother to Son" is that life can be difficult, but you have to
keep trying despite these difficulties. I believe this message is directed towards people who are
experiencing hardships and poverty, because the speaker is directing her conversation to her
"son," who does not have a life that is like "crystal stairs" (line 2). The crystal stairs in the poem
represents a wealthy and easy life, as wealthy people have not probably had the same difficulties
in life. Her message of not giving up is evident throughout the poem as she demands her son to not
give up. She says, "So boy, don't you turn back, don't you set down on the steps, cause you finds it's
kinder hard" (lines 14–16). As readers, we know the message for us is that you can't give up, even
though you will face challenges–just like you have to keep going on a "staircase" even though the
staircase has many obstacles on it. She clearly believes that we need to be fighters in our lives, as
life will often be difficult. More importantly, I believe this message was also meant towards African
Americans in the early 1900's (when Langston Hughes was writing poetry), to remind them to never
give up on fighting for equal rights, even though it is

Mother to Son Essay examples
Every mother would like to see her child succeed in life. The following passage from the poem,
"Mother to Son", by Langston Hughes demonstrates the love and concern a mother has for her
son. She teaches him using her own life as an example; her life as a climb up a staircase. The
imagery from the advice given in the stanza is explicit and poignant: Well, son, I'll tell you: Life
for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards all torn up, And
places with no carpet on the floor – Bare (line 1–7). The metaphor in this poem conjoins life, and a
staircase, "Well, son, I'll tell you:/ life for me ain't been no crystal stair." The mother says to her son,
that...show more content...
Her life, as a stair, had splinters in it. When a person steps on a splinter, he or she might scream
because it hurts. It is an irritating fragment of wood that anyone would want to remove from his
of her skin. Since her life is full of splinters, it is full of frustrating tribulations. As splinters,
tribulations are inevitable obstacles in her life that she has had to stumble upon but desperately
wants to have resolved. Contrast to a crystal stair, the mother climbs the stairs with boards that
are torn up. In life, not only is it hazardous for a person to climb a staircase with boards that are
torn up but also very deadly. There are usually yellow cautions signs to warn people to avoid such
stairways. But the mother has no such pleasure because she has to climb such stairs in order to
endure in her already troubled life. For example, although it was dark, and dangerous to be out,
the mother does not have a choice of not going to work because she must work to pay her bills.
The tacks, the splinters, the torn up boards, all are used to relate the hardships of the mother's life
to the hard times of climbing up tattered stairs. Contrast to someone's home that has had a crystal
stair, her home is impoverished with uncarpeted floors. With tattered stairs, the mother also
illustrates her floor as being bare. Finally, "Bare," one word sentence is used to describe her life.

Analysis Of Mother To Son By Langston Hughes
Processing Fear "F–E–A–R has two meanings: 'Forget Everything And Run' or 'Face Everything And
Rise.' The choice is yours." –Zig Ziglar. How do we as humans face the emotion we call fear? Do
we let it's terrifying surface consume us and hold us back from partaking in something we wish to
do, or do we let it fuel us, empower us, into doing something that we never thought we could? Do
you hold yourself back and hide from that fear and hope it goes away just like the monsters under
your bed, or do you take control, and fight? Maya Angelou talks about locking yourself up in a cage
full of your fears and doubts and trying to escape and become free of your struggles. In Langston
Hughes poem, "Mother to Son," Hughes talks about how a son is struggling to go through life
and he wants to give up because of his fears and doubts, but his mother is trying to persuade him
into sticking with it and continue living life. Finally, Robert Frost discusses how your fears
shouldn't hold you back from continuing life and choosing a path to go on. Everyone has to face
their fears at some point, it just depends on the person if they choose to fight it or not. Whether
you're grabbing the bull by the horns, or you're closing the gate. You're looking your fear right in the
face.
Imagine you're in the cage, suffocating in your own doubts. You want to break down those barriers,
but you can't. Seeing the free people makes you want to escape even more, but again, you can't. You
let your fears tie you

Mother To Son Tone
"Mother to Son" is by Langston Hughes and was published December 1922, in Crisis Magazine.
"Mother to Son" also reappeared in Hughes's first collection of poems called The Weary Blue in
1926. This monologue is delivering a message of hope through imagery. A mother was explaining
to her son that she has faced many challenges in life but she was still set on never giving up and
succeeding in life. The mom wanted to give her son the same advice that although things may get
hard and he may face many challenges and setbacks in life, she proclaimed that he should never give
up.
This poem is based on the idea of hope and reassurance to move on in life, regardless of all the
challenges that may come your way, or no matter how tough life may become. The mother displays
her love for her. The force behind her love is best stated through the idea of never giving up in life
period. The mother is constantly giving guidance and encouragement to her beloved son. The
mother has been faced with many challenges of life, and she wants her son to be brave and
confident in the face of these challenges that may occur and to also succeed in life. The poem gives
insight to the mother past experiences. The poems tone can be one that is best described as
moralizing, heartening, and hopeful. The message is relayed in this poem to the reader through the
conversation between the mother and her son. The mother states, "Life for me ain't been no crystal
stair" (Hughes, 1922), just letting her son know

"Mother to Son," written by Langston Hughes, is a short poem about a mother who is teaching her
son about perseverance and determination by using the image of a staircase. She explains that even
though life has given her many hardships, she continues forward and she urges her son to do the
same. In "Mother to Son," Langston Hughes uses an extended metaphor, imagery, dialect, and
structure to paint a picture of a weary mother who wants her son to persevere through the hardships
of life. The theme of this poem is determination and the value of experience. The mother is telling
her son that no matter what happens, he should never give up. Even though this is a rather sad
poem, there is a glimpse of hope because she never gave up. She never...show more content...
A staircase that is broken would not be in a wealthy person's home, so this also shows us that she is
poor. In the 1920's, which was when this poem was written, many African Americans were
moving from the South into the cities for a chance at making a living. Most of them were very
poor and lived in poverty, which is why the staircases would be broken down, bare, and no carpet.
The title, "Mother to Son," tells us that this is a mother giving her son advice. Langston Hughes
opens the poem by saying, "Well, son, I'll tell you:" (1), which could mean that the son had asked
her about her life or that maybe he was complaining about his current struggles. The mother then
begins to tell her son that her life has not been easy, but she never gives up and she urges her son
to do the same: So boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the step 'Cause you finds it's
kinder hard. Don't you fall now––
The mother is telling her son that he should never turn around or sit down just because it gets tough,
and she uses herself as an example. You can see the determination that this mother has. She keeps
trying and persevering through her troubles, even when it seems like there is no hope, "And
sometimes goin' in the dark / Where there ain't been no light." (12–13). "And sometimes goin' in the
dark" (12) could mean two things: she felt hopeless at some points in her life, or that it was hard to
see the way. If a place is completely dark with no trace light, it is

From Mother To Son By Langston Hughes
The poem I decided to do this week was "From Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes. I chose this
poem because the title instantly drew me to read it. My thoughts were that the poem was probably
about a conversation or maybe a letter between a mother and a son. There were a few things that
stuck out to me, such as, the beginning line, "Well, son, I'll tell you:" Themother was possibly asked
a question beforehand by the son. Another thing that stuck out to me was the word "ain't" in line
two. The mother may have very little education and was possibly poor.
As I started reading more, I realized that the whole poem is really just one big metaphor. To help
further this point, there are symbols and imagery like, "...crystal stair," "...tacks in it," "...splinters,"

Mother To Son By Langston Hughes Analysis
Langston Hughes' poem, "Mother to Son," talks about the struggles of a mother trying to achieve
a better life. This story fits the theme of decision in several ways. Firstly, the mother tells the son
how her life hasn't been simple for her not only because of the social inequality of being a woman
during the time but also the racial discrimination of being a black person. She uses stairs to
symbolize the journey to a better life. How life for her "ain't been no crystal stair." She didn't
choose to live a difficult life... Secondly, she talks about the challenges she goes through trying to
achieve a better life. The dark times she has gone through. She describes her path as stairs with
tacks and splinters instead of a "crystal stair." She chose

An Explication of Langston Hughes ' "Mother to Son" Langston Hughes once stated in his own
words that his whole purpose for writing was, "to explain and illuminate the Negro condition in
America." In the poem "Mother to Son", he denotes his belief on racism in America. In "Mother to
Son", a mother is giving advice to her son about life from her perspective and experiences. She
wants her son to keep striving on what he believes and to have a more prosperous life than what she
had.
Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri in 1902. He lived with his grandmother for most of
her life but often stayed with his mother in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in poverty and was
exposed to racism in his youth. However, he believed that things would...show more content...
This was also during a time when Congress had passed several laws to protect Negroes ' civil
rights. In contrast, many whites disregarded the newly won rights of Negroes. (World Book
Encyclopedia. Civil Rights. Field Enterprises Educational Corporation. Chicago. 1977. P.468)
Like many other Lyrics, "Mother to Son", is expressing the thoughts and feelings of a single
speaker and is written in first person point of view. In the very first line, "Well, son, I 'll tell you",
Hughes demonstrates to the reader that this is going to be a first person point of view. Readers
can see that the mother is the central character in this poem because the reader is focused on her
next word as she describes her view of life. The mother speaks her thoughts and feelings for the
entirety of the poem but the boy doesn 't speak at all. This is called a dramatic monologue.
Langston 's attitude toward life in "Mother to Son" is slightly unpleasant but solemn and trustworthy.
The reader gains a sense of sympathy for the mother as she tells her son about her misfortunes from
the past.
In "Mother to Son", a mother is urging her son to keep striving with assurance to have a more
prosperous life than she had.
Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri in 1902. He was a well–known poet during the
Harlem Renaissance. He believed strongly in his culture and he had faith that things would change
for the better.
The title itself gives the reader a sense of

Mother Vs. Son Case Study
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Mother vs. Son
When thinking of conflict, many think of violence or hate. Although, according to Wilmot and
Hocker, conflict is simply a "struggle over values and claims to scarce status, power, and resources in
which the aims...show more content...
In our Mother–son relationship, when Mom is upset with me, she will suggest disapproving
comments of my habits. She might criticize me about leaving the house and not washing dirty
dishes, or
mention "if you see the trash needs to be taking out, do it!" While these are justified remarks,
subconsciously, my response is "why can't you do it yourself". This action followed by a reaction of
aggression and then avoidance. Escalatory spirals involves communication where there seems to be
an
endless cycle of arguing, leading nowhere, but causing damage to the relationship (Hocker & Wilmot,
Despite the fact that what my Mother saids is true, how she voices these statements affects our
relationship. While there are not many things said that will hurt my ego, comments in this regard
causes
me to question my performance as a son. Even if this is only an attempt at "hitting below the belt",
her
criticism creates not only interpersonal conflict between us, but also, produces intrapersonal conflict

inside me. An initiation of intrapersonal conflict bringing me to lose sight of how to resolve our
disagreement, leaving confusion on how did I allow myself to reach this point (Hocker & Wilmot,
pp.12).
As our conflict begins escalatory

Reporter: Hi Mr Hughes, so I've learnt that recently one of your poems , "Mother To Son is
published". Congratulations, but besides from the blissful joy of happiness, can you share with us
your feelings right now? Are we happy? Proud?
Langston Hughes: Thank you , Well for me personally I am honoured in many ways and happy as
well, but not for gaining popularity or the recognition I received , but the joy of finally being able to
share my Point of Views or our (Black People) Point Of Views to the world. My poems are a part of
me and my beliefs and I am very ecstatic that I am finally able to share it with the audiences.
two poems are not as widely anthologized, but are thematically similar in the way Hughes expresses
the disparity between...show more content...
But I kept on climbing , and never doubted myself. That was the best piece of advice my mother
gave me. It was also one of the key inspiration to my poem "Mother To Son".
Reporter: And would you say that there was a correlation between your experiences and choice of
Language in your works?
Hughes: Yes , absolutely. Or at least I feel that there was a huge impact on my writing style and
tone used in my poems. The world's most brilliant and brightest Poet of all times are those with
stories. Without life experiences , and twist and turns , Traumatic Experiences, It is difficult for me
to imagine how someone could write a literary piece of written work without any significant life
experiences.
A poem is like a dish , you need to have a bit of everything to make it complete. For me , of course. I
had a rough childhood , and till today. You can get a sense of that from my poems.
Let me provide you with some examples: In Mother To Son , you can see the hardships that the
mother explains to her son , which symbolises the struggle african–american people face in their
daily

Mother To Son
How do the personal experiences from Mother to son, and Home shape their values, and others?
These are two great examples of how personal experiences shape values.
In "Home" a man is teaching his son about why smoking is bad and why he had wished someone
had told him that. As he explains this, he thinks back to personal experiences with this type of
thing. "He pictured his Seryozha with a huge cigar, a yard long, in the midst of clouds of tobacco
smoke, and this caricature made him smile; at the same time, the grave, troubled face of the
governess called up Memories of the long past, half–forgotten time when smoking aroused in his
teachers."
In "Mother to Son", a mother that has been through rough times and is telling her son about how

Poetry Explication Of Mother To Son
Poetry Explication of "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes wrote the poem Mother to Son in the form of a monologue. It likely dramatizes
the intergenerational conflict, as mother's passionate words could be an answer to son's position that
contradicted with her own attitude. It is impossible to say where or when characters are during this
monologue; Hughes's background suggest it was an African–American family. The mother feels
compelled to speak as she believes her child is at the parting of the ways and description of her own
example would help him to make right decision.
The poem consists of only twenty lines, but author used plenty of poetic devices in it. The line 15
shows examples of the alliteration or repetition of consonant...show more content...
It is hard to believe the narrator physically presented in conditions totally without light sources.
The phrase is also a metaphor or comparison of two essentially dissimilar things with common
characteristics. It means the narrator had very hard times. The whole poem is a metaphor as it
compares the life with the going up the ladder. As the poem does not has words "like" or "as" it
does not have direct comparison or simile at the first sight. But it likely appears in the line "life for
me ain't been no crystal stair" (Hughes l. 2) as the narrator compares life with stares and states they
are not the same. Hughes used words to represent both narrators external and internal conditions
(imagery). Lines about a poor room without a carpet (l. 6–7) created an image of her living
conditions, and comments about splinters, tacks and torn boards highlights the woman's feelings.
Last images are also an example of the onomatopoeia or usage of words that mean like they

Essay On Mother To Son By Langston Hughes
Who ever said life was going to be easy ? This poem, titled "Mother to Son" was written by
Langston Hughes in the twentieth century. The poem depicts a mother telling her son that he
cannot give up no matter how hard life gets that needs to keep trying. She describes how hard the
path to success is and will be and she tells her son not to give up hope, to keep trying to be
successful. She believes he should never give up when he is faced with a challenge.
"So boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down those steps 'Cause you find it's kinder hard"
(14–16). The mother is trying to keep her son from stopping and to keep him pushing and climbing
those stairs and progressing in life. That quote is significant because she does not want him to settle

Cocar Poems just seem to be stanzas with a bunch of words but in reality, it is beyond just a bunch
of words, more like an intense significance. Many authors tend to send out an impacting message
throughout poems. Usually authors write poems about occurrences that they've experienced to
express how they've dealt with certain situations or people. Making it easy for the readers to also
catch on to their vibe and main idea of the whole poem. In Langston Hughes' poem, "Mother to Son"
Hughes' writing exemplifies the intricate trial and tribulations that a black person, specifically black
men have in this country. Hughes' demonstrates through his writing about the staircase he's able to
explain the racial conflicts that many black people had faced. With Hughes' use of metaphors,
symbolism & imagery he's able to perfect both a mother's concern for her child along with the
general concern many had with race relations at the time. Throughout the poem "Mother to Son",
Langston Hughes' uses an informative tone to express how much the mother wants to guide her
son in what she has already been through. The metaphor that was seen in the poem was that the
staircase represented the mother's life. In "Mother's to Son", Hughes' writes, "It's had tacks in it
and splinters". This is basically referring to the mother's suffering she had to live with in and out
of her life. Of course, tacks and splitters do not freeze your life and make everything impossible,
but with those two things you do endure pain. The next two lines, "And boards torn up, and places
with no carpet on the floor" (lines 5–6.) Hughes' shows that no matter what hardships she had to
face, she continued with her life. The mother makes sure to explain clearly to her son that no matter
what life hit her with she battled through it all even when it was almost made impossible. The Cocar
metaphor used proves that she never gave in to her problems, she continued with all the scars she got
along the way reaching for the best. "Chidi Ikonne, writing in the collection Langston Hughes,
suggests that this and other poems by Hughes present a stance of "stability which, ironically, has
developed from the

Mother To Son Literary Devices
Langston Hughes, born in 1902, was an African American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright,
and columnist. He is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance (1920s). In other words,
Hughes established himself as unofficial poet laureate of Harlem. For his many works of Harlem, he
described the African American experience. Hughes wrote the poem called "Mother to Son," when
he was 21 years old. This poem was first published in the magazine Crisis in December of 1922. In
most of Hughes' work, he explores the lives of African Americans who struggle against poverty,
discrimination and social injustice. He structures this poem as a conversation between a mother and
her son. This is a free verse poem consists of twenty lines. There is no regular rhythm or recognized
rhyme in this poem. Hughes used literary devices such as informal language, symbolism, metaphors,
repetition, as well as clever use of format, and more interestingly the conversation between a mother
and her son with poetic words. In the poem, mother used the stairway as a metaphor to...show more
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She then explains all the different struggles that she had suffered through her life span. At the
beginning of the poem, she tells her son not to give up no matter how hard it is to keep going on.
In the poem, she says that "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it" (2–3). The use
of the word "ain't" indicates that the mother is not a scholarly person. In addition to that "crystal
stair" represents the smoothness and beauty of an individual's life which was absent in this
mother's life life. It seems, that the mother has been born in poverty, as the images reveal "And
boards torn up, / And places with no carpet on the floor" (5–6). This indicates that she experienced
hazardous circumstances, which somehow she needed to step over to arrive where she stands

Mother To Son Essay

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Mother To Son Essay