preview

Analysis Of Advice To My Son By Langston Hughes

Decent Essays

In the second part of these poems, the parents, based on their experiences in life, is trying to teach their children another lesson on how to prepare and cope with hardships that their sons or daughters will encounter in his or her own future. First of all, in the poem, "Advice to My Son", the father teaches his son to be smart in his decision making. He wants his offspring to live life to its fullest "as if each one maybe [his] last" (2) but also plan for the future for there is always consequence to every choice. Therefore, in the next few lines, the father advises his son to distinguish the line between practical and idealistic needs, physical and spiritual desires as well as temporary and long-term plans. These are opposite aspects of life, but they are also complementing one another since the art of living is not just about surviving itself but rather adding a little bit more of fun and enjoyment. …show more content…

For this reason, the mother in Langston Hughes's poem teaches her son to keep moving forward since "[she is] still climbing" her crumbled stair (19-20). Knowing that life is not easy and being afraid that her child will slowly give up to his own difficulties, his mother insists on him keeping trying because though there will be many obstacles standing in his way, life never hands out things that is too much to handle. Moreover, the mother, after facing numerous struggles, has learned that through darkness comes light, through failure comes experience, and through experience comes wisdom and triumph. Therefore, she wants to imply that knowledge on her son to help him rise and shine in his own

Get Access