How Did Langston Hughes Write Mother To Son

Throughout the poem there is many uses of imagery mostly in the details of the staircase, “It had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor, Bare.” These lines bring to mind an image of houses where poor African Americans lived. The tacks symbolize painful events, the splinters symbolize wounds, and the torn boards symbolize changes in the mother’s life. In (lines 18-19) ” For I’se still goin’, honey/I’se climbin,” she relates life with climbing stairs to show that it must be accomplished through hard work and dedication. This shows that she remained strong and is encouraging her son to do the

James Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was very small, and his father (who found American racism made his desires to be a lawyer impossible) left the family and emigrated to Mexico. Hughes' mother moved with her child to Lawrence, Kansas, so she and he could live with his grandmother, Mary Langston.

In the poem “Mother to Son”, Langston Hughes uses the deep connection between a mother and her son and descriptive rhetoric to bring hope and inspire the African American people to fight for their rights.The author most likely wrote the poem for the African American audience because it is written in an African American slang during the Harlem Renaissance. However, any minority group can relate to this creation because it is about people who are going through a difficult time. Hughes describes the arduous reality of life; one in which people have to overcome challenges and face their worst fears in order to reach the top of the ladder. He is telling the African American people that they cannot give up during the hard times. Moreover, the author utilized the deep connection between a mother and her son to make the poem more dramatic. Since mothers are known to have a soft and caring voice towards their children. They traditionally will do anything for their kids. This drama appeals to the readers and gives them hope for the future. The future consists of fulfilling their American dream. The American cream stands for the idea that every person should have an equal opportunity to achieve prosperity and success through hard work and determination. Next, Langston Hughes hoped to encourage the African American people to fight for their rights. To drive his point home, the author described his journey through time in painstaking detail, which helps the readers connect to the

The entire poem encompasses the idea that the woman’s life is never ending and has its rough patches. Although it “had tacks in it” that may have tripped her up, she did not let those stand in the way of where she wanted to go in life (3). The relationship between the staircase and a person’s life can be incredibly similar to one another. A staircase may have many different twists and turns, broken boards, and run down patches that relate to a various events that happen throughout life. Just because there is a hole in the stairs, or a death in a person’s life, does not mean that one should quit living or give up on everything that they have accomplished. There may be setbacks that require time and love to heal, but there will always be hope to move on to a better life. The mother insists that her son does not turn back and give up just because his life has hit a hard spot. She never gave up hope, and she insists that he does the same. The metaphor of the staircase to one’s life, can easily relate to anyone in the world. There will always be rough patches and hard times, but everyone gets through them, and they are usually stronger in the end because of it. Life may not be an easy task, but we must learn how to survive and thrive whatever may be thrown our

Above all, she wants to show him that although life may be challenging, giving up is not worth it. Instead of giving up, she wants him to try harder, and endure past his struggles to achieve success. The purpose of this metaphor is to inform, since it informs the public about what life was like for an African American during the Harlem Renaissance. The theme of the poem is endurance. The extended metaphor explains the theme since it reveals that the mother’s life has been rough, but it also shows that the mother has not given up.

While crystal represents luxury and simplicity, which the mother’s life is not, the stair portrays her lifetime. The phrase has a positive connotation since it represents comfort and high living. When the both words come together they are used as a metaphor to illustrate the mother’s grueling and troubled life. In the 3rd and 4th line of the poem , the narrator describes her uneasy life by stating “It's had tacks in it… And splinters”. The tacks and the splinters connect to the conflict, because both terms display the struggles the mother has faced.

The overall tone of the poem is the mother giving advice to her son from her perspective. The author also uses dialect of the mother to establish the setting and time period. The entire poem is a metaphor for how hard life has been for the mother and advice she has for her son to persevere through life’s climb as an African American. After anyone reads this poem, they can feel the mother’s plea to the son to keep pushing through hardships, dangers, or challenges in life. A reader may even fell as if the mother is talking to them. All poems will somehow relate differently to everyone’s lives, one way or

Langston Hughes, author of the short story "On the Road" and the poem "Mother to Son," often illustrated in his writing the hardships experienced by the characters--products of African American life in the United States. While Hughes and other young African-American authors wanted to define and celebrate black art and culture, they were also responsible for changing the preconceived notions of most Americans' erroneous ideas of black life (Mabunda

Hughes mention, “Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor Bare” (559). The mother of this boy is telling how her life experiences have been so far. Moreover, in the poem, the mother keep mention that she have come to situations where she does not have a solution, will in the others, she have “And reachin’ landin’s” (559). On the contrary, from having the mother talking about adult experiences, there is an innocent message in the poem. The innocent experience is not mentioned by the author, however, the reader can infer that the son of this hard worker mother is experiencing a moment of struggle. The line in the poem that gave an insight of innocence is written as follow, “So, boy, 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” (559). Indeed, the son of the mother can be seen to be innocent by asking for help and guidance on how to deal with the problematic situations or problems that he encounter at that particular moment in life. In the poem there is more adult experience and talking than innocent ones. It is true that the speaker is the mother of the boy, but nonetheless, we do not know what exactly is happening with the boy that the mother is giving a speech on how hard is life, as

In the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes, the overall theme is about how the mother is telling her son to never give up, even when you face great challenges. She is telling him that life will throw things at you, but you just have to keep on going. In one verse she says, “And splinters. And boards torn up”, as a reference to stuff that may cause you troubles in life.

Langston Hughes wrote the poem “Mother to Son” in December of 1922. This poem is not only an excellent piece of work; it is a life lesson for all of us to learn about.

Langston Hughes was an African American poet who was born on 01 February 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents separated and later divorced during his childhood. Subsequently he was raised predominantly by his maternal grandmother. His grandparents were politically active and supporters of the abolition of slavery. They were activists in the movement for voting rights for African Americans. Through their active involvement in his upbringing, they shaped his world views and instilled a sense of what is now called black pride. He moved to Ohio during his adolescent years and later earned his BA degree at Lincoln University. Langston Hughes’ world views were also shaped through his intensive travels that included countries such as Japan, China, and the Soviet Union.

Throughout the poem, many different forms of imagery were used such as tactile imagery, kinesthetic imagery, and visual imagery. Langston used tactile imagery to support his mother’s message about the hardships in life when he said, “It’s had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor—Bare.” By using tactile imagery, Langston could use written expression of how his mother was feeling and to depict his mother’s message as well as capture the attention of the readers. The mother was telling her son that her life has not been a pretty picture. She tells her son that there were “tacks” and “splinters” in her way. Which she is telling her son that her journey through her life as she has moved forward has not been easy and she has had objects that got in her way. She has been places that were not all smooth or nice when she told her son “And places with on carpet on the floor Bare”. (Hughes Langston) 1994. The mother is explaining to her son through all of the trials and tribulations that she has faced in her life that you must keep climbing the stairs or keep moving forward in your life. The mother wanted her son to understand that he may experience some of the same things that she encountered in her life in his life also. “I’se been a-climbin’ on, and reachin’ landin’s, and turnin’ corners,” in which Langston wrote to describe the movement or progression that his mother spoke of. The road was not easy for Langston’s mother, but she was determined to get ahead in life regardless of what go in her way. The final form of imagery that Langston used in his poem Mother to Son was visual imagery. “And sometimes goin’ in the dark where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn

The beginning of the story starts off with the speaker’s somber words of life’s difficulties, thus, setting the mood to a glum start. Addressing her son, the speaker says, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it. And splinters…” Her blunt tone makes the story seem much more personal; there is not any sugar coating in her tone which is exactly what would be expected of a mother. By trying not to set false expectations on the easiness of life, Hughes uses a blunt tone from the speaker to let her son know how life really is. By setting off the mood of the story as drab, the later transition of tone will be more effective.

 The allegorical use by the author is knowledgeable in (lines 1-2). In these lines Hughes says "Well, child, I'll let you know: life ain't been no gem stair." This rich utilization of similitude calls attention to useful tidbits from a lady illuminating her child on the unsystematic experiences in living. However, life rather is hard and indistinct. Nonetheless, we generally need to take off up for more prominent statures in life. This examination bears the purpose and topic of this poem. The woman additionally educates her child that it has a few tacks in it which have chips and sheets that are worn out everywhere on the floor. These words are found in lines (3-6). Langston