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"Mother to Son" (Poetry Explication) Langston Hughes (1902-1967) became the leader of the Harlem writers who created the Black Literacy Renaissance of the 1920’s. He had a profound effect on many other black authors including Lorraine Hansberry who found the title for her award winning play, Raisin in the Sun, in his poem, “A Dream Deferred.” In his poem “Mother to Son,” Hughes again speaks to the problems and concerns of the black community. In this free verse, Hughes seems to ask a question. Even if life hasn’t been easy, would people continue on with life and deal with the problems, taking the bumps along the way, or would one end it there, and not do nothing at all to pull through? Would one let the “splinters” and the “boards torn up” on the stairway of life get in his or her way? This is the theme Hughes attempts to convey in “Mother to Son.” In this poem, and extended metaphor is used. “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” In this metaphor, Langston Hughes creates a visual sense of life as a crystal stair. A stair of crystals, glass, clear and translucent is the most perfect vision of a way to take stairs. Most likely one would strive to follow those stairs. If the reader’s life was like that, he would probably be a happy person. In this poem’s speaker’s mind, the mother hasn’t been traveling the crystal stair. She has been taking a different route, maybe a stone stair? But her life has not been like a crystal stair. The apostrophes in this poem demonstrate a reality of the speaker actually sitting in front of you saying this to her child. “I’se been a-climbin’ on,” is an example of the apostrophe use in this poem. She calls him “boy”, “son” and honey to express the feelings of the mother. I picked this poem because I can relate to it. I wish I could climb this crystal stair that is spoken of. Lately I feel like I have been climbing the same stair as Mother. Life has been confusing, terrifying, dispirited. Sometimes, when I reach the top of the stairs, I feel the same accomplishments and achievements that Mother has. Have I still climbed on, “even in the dark, even turnin’ corners, and even reachin’ landin’s.” |