The 1920’s are primarily remembered as the age of jazz music, “new women”, prohibition, huge cars, and business development. However, many American’s remember the time as an age of dramatic social and political change. For many, this time brought more conflict than celebration as is referenced in a poem named “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes.
In this poem, Hughes writes through the voice of an older mother, making the comparison of her life as like a staircase. He writes with the same slang as one might hear in the Southern United States or possible from someone who might not have been through proper education. By dropping the g’s and using the word “aint”, Hughes does a good job of making the reader feel the realness of the mother’s voice.
It’s interesting that he begins and ends the poem talking about a crystal stair referencing the rich part of lifestyle from that era. I’ve never seen a crystal staircase, but would think that only someone who was very wealthy could afford such extravagance.
He uses the metaphor of an old staircase, with tacks and splinters to describe the woman’s life. This seems to point out that the mother’s life has not been without pain and hurt. Hughes references the hardness of life by his phrase, “Places with no carpet on the floor.” It is pointed out that she is still climbing and would infer that in our lives, we will always have stairs or obstacles to climb.
It’s interesting that he writes about landings and corners. Our lives have landings and corners in them as well. We sometimes reach places in our lives where we can rest which would be like a landing. Other times, we come to corners where we must veer in another direction and then move forward. Hughes points out that as on some staircases, there are dark places where the climber may not be able to see well. But that is no reason to stop. One must continue to climb and move forward.
The Essay on Spiral Staircase Mother Felt Day
A Whole New Perspective She walked toward the light. She felt a slight tug on the leash and realized that she had to stop. She guessed that the light was red and that was the reason the dog came to a halt. However she could feel the breeze of people passing by her and was curious as to why the dog stopped walking. Suddenly the dog pulled and they continued on their everyday route. Past the bakery, ...
After writing about the woman’s life, Hughes focuses the reader’s attention to the advice the mother is giving to the son. She tells him to not rest or sit down because this life might be harder than he expects. Her advice is clear as to the importance of continuing to keep climbing and she gives him encouragement that he can do so because she has done so.
It’s obvious that this mother has experienced hardship. She might not have had education or the finer things in life. She may not have had the conveniences that others might have been given, but she never gave up and is trying to pass this lesson on to her son. It makes me think about what kind of staircase I have been climbing and what will be ahead of me on the steps of life.
