Pls explain the poem mother to son.
Answers
The poem is addressed from a mother to a son warning him about life’s obstacles.
SUMMARY OF POEM
In Hughes’ poem “Mother to Son”, a mother advises her son that he will face many adversities in life, and yet he must overcome them and keep going. The mother compares the journey through life to ascending a staircase. She says that for her life has not been a staircase made of crystal. Rather it has been quite rough with protruding nails and pieces of wood jutting out, boards torn up and places where the carpet was missing. However, she has kept climbing, through landings, corners and darkness in spite of such discomforts. She then asks the boy to walk in her footsteps and keep moving forward without turning back or giving up because he finds the journey arduous. She wants him to take inspiration from the fact that she is still going steady despite life’s hardships.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The anonymous mother in the poem may be suggestive of the African American women of predepression America encouraging their sons to strive for success. The poem is written in the form of a dramatic monolgue in black dialect. The idiomatic style of the speech is invoked in the context of the courage, endurance and sense of duty of the African American race. The language also imparts a charged colloquial element to the poem. The theme of the poem is perseverence.
As the poem opens with “Well, son, I’ll tell you”, it is possible that the son has asked or said something before to which she is responding. In the next line, she says that her life “ain’t” been a “crystal stair”. The use of the word “ain’t” indicates that the mother is not a learned person and “crystal stair” is symbolic of smoothness, beauty and luster.
“Tacks”, “splinters”, “boards torn up” suggests hurdles of life. Tacks are nails and splinters are small fragments of wood which make it hard for the person to step. Boards torn up may symbolise unsteady or rough grounds leading to uncertainty in the person’s mind. “Bare” suggests scant furnishings.
“I’se been a-climbin’ on” , “reachin’ landin’s”, “turnin’ corners” suggests movement and therefore signifies an ascent that is inspiring. “And sometimes goin’ in the dark / Where there ain’t been no light” makes this poem a story of dark times. The dilapidated staircase is also representative of the poor living conditions of the Black Americans under the tyranny of the Whites.
The poem is suggestive of the effect of racism and oppression on the lives and experiences of the black Americans. However, this piece of advice from mother to son has an universal quality as it can be read as an advice from any mother to any son, anywhere in the world, without keeping the historical background in mind.
In the next five lines the mother urges her son not to “turn back” or “set down on the steps” of “fall” when he recognises life for the never-ending drudgery that it truly is. She does not want him to lose courage and start descending, or get tired, sit down to rest and not resume climbing. She also does not want him to “fall” which may mean literally tumbling down the steps unable to take the pressure, or it may be associated with the Biblical “Fall”, which in this context may mean resorting to criminal activities and unfair means to accomplish his ends.
In the last three lines, she reveals her own strength and perseverence as she says “I’se still goin’, honey,/ I’se still climbing/ And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”. She tries to pose as a role model for the boy and instil strength and courage into his mind that will help him undertake life’s tedious journey in the best possible way.
POETIC DEVICES
The poem is written in free verse and has a lyrical quality due the idiomatic language used by the poet.
The poetic devices involved in the poem is the extended metaphor of life being a staircase. The central image of the poem is the “crystal stair”. It echoes the Biblical story of Jacob’s Ladder. The stairway may be seen as a path to freedom and liberation which was the goal of the African Americans.
To represent the struggle of the mother Hughes’ uses images of “tack”, “splinter”, “boards” and “carpet”.
The mother’s drive and persistence is expressed through the images “a-climbin’ on”, “reachin’ landin’s”, “turnin’ corners”, and “And sometimes goin’ in the dark / Where there ain’t been no light”. The mother teaches the that he should never collapse under the pressures that life puts him through. Hughes’ uses repitition in “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” to emphasize the mother’s anxious expectation of her son. She wants him to be tenacious like herself.
He uses repitition in “I’se still goin’”, “I’se still climbing”, once again putting stress on the mother’s struggles and weariness.
The image of the “crystal stair” is repeated in the last line to accentuate again the perpetual toil to achieve goals and fulfillment.
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The poem “Mother to Son”, by Langston Hughes, is an uplifting, hopeful poem about never giving up. The main symbolism in the poem is when Mother compares her life to a staircase. ... By this, she means that life has not been easy, and her journey through life has been like climbing a staircase.
Major Themes in “Mother to Son”: Hardships, hope, and courage are some of the major themes of the poem. The poem explores the dignity and determination of a person when facing problems. The speaker compares her life to a ragged staircase and conjures up an idea that one should not give up.
The primary message of the poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes is from a mother to her son, telling him to keep going no matter how hard life gets. She says she has been through her share of hardships, but she continues to persevere.
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