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, even though it is not clearly said (Hughes 232).
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 (Hughes 232).
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” (Hughes 232).
The Essay on Langston Hughes’ “Mother To Son”
... of the Harlem Renaissance. Second, the mother is speaking the words of the poem in a Negro dialect, which forces the reader to ... reader by using a crystal stair as a metaphor to symbolize the mother’s life in contrast to the crystal stair. Crystal has ... In the very first line, “Well, son, I’ll tell you”, Hughes demonstrates to the reader that this is going to be ...
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” (Hughes 232).
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 been no crystal stair” (Hughes 232).
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. Works Cited Barksdale, Richard, “A Writer for all seasons.” Langston Hughes: The Poet and his critics. Chicago. American Library Association, 1977. 3. Emanuel, James A.
“Love, life, and Negro Soul.” Langston Hughes. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1967. 148-149. Hughes, Langston. “Mother to Son.” Elements of Literature. Ed. Robert Anderson.
The Term Paper on Poetry Of Langston Hughes A True Afro American Writer
Poetry of Langston Hughes, a True Afro American Writer No African American poet, writer, and novelist has ever been appreciated by every ethnic society as much as Langston Hughes was. The poetry of this writer tried to evoke the spirit of life in the hearts of his black fellows. Critics argue that Hughes reached that level of prominence, because all his works reflected on his life's experience, ...
1st ed. Austin: Holt, Rinehert and Winston, Inc., 1989. 232 Winslow, Henry F. “Enduring Exuberance.” The Crisis. Vol. 66, No.
8, October, 1959. Rpt. in Poetry Criticism. Vol. 1. Robyn V.
Young. Detroit: Gade, 1975. 249.
