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How Does Langston Hughes Use Of Extended Metaphor In Mother To Son

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Analysis of Extended Metaphor in ‘Mother To Son”

The Harlem Renaissance was a movement that took place in Harlem, New York in the 1920’s that identified new cultural identity and expressed talent. Langston Hughes, born in 1902, is one of the most influential figures during this time period. He is the author of many poems that continue to inspire people to this day. One of them, published first in the magazine, Crisis, and then also in his first collection, The Weary Blues, is titled “Mother To Son”. The poem is a heart-touching conversation between a mother and her son, however the son never speaks as the mother shares her knowledge of life with him. Throughout the poem, Hughes uses an extended metaphor to convey the mother’s advice. The …show more content…

The metaphor means that the mother’s life was not easy. However, although her life may not have been easy, she did not give up. She shares this with her son, in hopes of him learning to do the same. Life is not perfect. She knows he will run into obstacles along the way, but she wants him to understand that those obstacles should not interfere with his success in the future. 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. Rather, she has kept on trying, and has endured past her struggles. A hopeful emotion is expressed by the metaphor. The metaphor explains this emotion because the mother is hopeful that her son will learn to apply her advice in his life. The poem repeats the metaphor near the beginning and at the end to emphasize the mother’s wise advice to her

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