Langston Hughes'
Mother to Son
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.
- What is the poem about?
This poem is about a mom who is telling her son about life. She is telling him that even though life can get hard or have obstacles, you still need to keep on going no matter what. I think she is also saying that you shouldn't look back at the past or stop because you'll fall and it will be harder to get back up. She says her life hasn't been perfect-its had many hardships and tough times- but she's still kept on going, too.
- What is the theme?
In my opinion, the theme of this poem could be that even when life gets hard, you should keep on going. Another could also be that you should never give up no matter how tough things are.
- What poetic devises does
Hughes use in this poem?
In this poem, he uses an extended metaphor do describe that his life "...ain't been no crystal stair." Then he uses various metaphors throughout the whole poem, such as "And sometimes going in the dark where there ain't been no light".Repetition is used when he says "and splinters and boards torn up and places with no carpet on the floor"and enjambment is used too emphasize important words,too.
- Which are most effective?
The most important poetic device for me would probably be the extended metaphor the author used to describe life as stairs. It provides a clear explanation of what he wants to say and I think that it was very clever/original that he thought of comparing life to stairs.
- What does the mother want the
son to do?
The mother wants the son to learn that life is hard, and when it gets tough, he still needs to keep going and keep moving forward. She is telling him to never give up, also.
