Langston Hughes' Mother to Son?

Question

Langston Hughes'
Mother to Son

In this poem, Hughes writes about a mother speaking to her son about life's experiences. He uses the metaphor of a crystal stair.
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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 torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
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What is the poem about?
What is the theme?
What poetic devises does Hughes use

And i will have to memorize this and recite it with - emotions. so how should it sound?

Answer 1

It is about YOU...

Answer 2

Langston Hughes Crystal Stair

Answer 3

Crystal Stair Poem

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Langston Hughes' Mother to Son?
Langston Hughes'
Mother to Son

In this poem, Hughes writes about a mother speaking to her son about life's experiences. He uses the metaphor of a crystal stair.
_______________________________________________
____

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no...

Answer 5

The poem is about the truth that life contains struggles, but that one can choose to keep struggling.

The theme is perseverence, of course.

The main poetic device is metaphor; the crystal stair as a symbol of ease and luxury contrasts with the images of hardship and poverty (bare floors, splinters, missing boards, etc.). Hughes also "breaks the fourth wall" by using the 2nd person (addressing the reader directly in the person of the speaker's son).

Answer 6

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. 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. 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, even though it is not clearly said. The dialect may also show what area she may live in. When she talks about “boards torn up” it shows that she was from the poor part of the town. It does not seem relevant that she has torn up boards, but these are not found in a wealthy person’s mansion. Although the grammar of this dialect is wrong, it makes the woman seem more like a real person and less like someone who is fictional. Another quality that is prevalent in this poem is its metaphors. The extended metaphor, which is a metaphor that is stated and then developed throughout the poem, is that the mother believes that “Life for [her] ain’t been no crystal stair”. By explaining this to her son, she says that her life has not been fancy or easy, but she is getting by. While climbing her stairs she is “reachin’ landin’s, / and turnin’ corners, / and sometimes goin’ in the dark”. Although these are “homely” things someone may face on a staircase, they actually mean things that she has encountered in her life. 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 make 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. 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. She wants this all because “[she is] still goin’, honey, / [she is] still climbin’, / and life for [her] ain’t been no crystal stair”. This poem, “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes teaches a valuable life lesson about never giving up. Even when life is getting more difficult and one thinks they cannot go on, they need to keep climbing.