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
Through the use of contextual figurative language the reader is capable of comprehending how it affects the tone of the poem. The reader is able to visualize the pain and conflict endured. According to line 7 the speaker describes moments of her life as being,
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
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
Two people going through tough and concerning times in their life. They do not know what to do or how to overcome it. They both describe how they are feeling and what their life looks like when they are going through it. They both describe their life is different ways. The idea that when things get hard never give up can be seen in both William Ernest Henley “Invictus” and Langston Hughes “Mother to Son”
Life can be filled with different lessons and ideas that we can learn from, have you ever felt like your life has been filled with hardship, well we as people are able to understand feelings through writing and poems such as Tupac and Langston Hughes did in their poems of “Mother to Son” and “The Rose that Grew From Concrete” which both talk about their life experiences. The poem “The Rose that Grew From Concrete” is about how a rose that had been planted in concrete was shaped and grew in the concrete and which used nothing to turn into something. The poem “Mother to Son” is about a mother talking to her son on her past experiences had affected her and turned her into what she is today and why her son should never give up and keep on going. Both texts of “The Rose that Grew from Concrete” and “Mother to Son” are both able to reveal the theme of always aim for greatness throughout different literary elements.
He explains, “I was only an American Negro—who had loved the surface of Africa—but I was not Africa. I was Chicago and Kansas City and Broadway and Harlem. I was not what she wanted me to be” (Hughes as quoted in Cobb 44). Hughes wants to make sure people are aware that the life and culture of African Americans differ drastically from the romantic view of the Negro in Africa. In his poem “Mother to Son,” Hughes provides the story of struggle, poverty overcame by hard work, and hope for a more dignified life for the entire African American people (Niemi 1). Hughes recognizes that despite being oppressed, the black community is strong enough to empower itself with determination to succeed. When discussing working-class life, Hughes consistently “asserts blacks as fully complex, fully human, and equals in the American democratic experiment” and does not play into the thought that blacks should be kept down (Sanders 107). Langston Hughes’ “concern for the lives and oppression of poor and working-class blacks” is apparent in most of his work (Sanders 107). Through his writing he makes the population aware of the deep-set oppression put upon the black community.
He shows this by using other forms of literary devices like using symbolism because it shows other ways the reader can understand they can not give up when going through a struggle. For example, “And splinters,/ And boards torn up,/ And places with no carpet on the floor-/ Bare” (Hughes 3-7). The author uses this to show the reader how rough the mother's life was growing up. The metaphor gives an image that the stairs the mother was climbing where her hardships. Even when things got hard she kept going on with her life and went up another step and got stronger for the next. In addition another figurative language peice is extended metaphor. Langston Hughes uses this because the reader can compare not giving up and getting stronger. One extended metaphor in “Mother to Son “ is “Don't you set down on the steps/ ‘Cause you finds it's kinder hard./ Don't you fall now” (Hughes 15-17). The author used this literary device to show the reader that they can not give up. The comparison between the hardships in someone's life and falling down stairs gives the reader a better perspective. For example when someone walks up stairs that are hard, broken, and splintered it will hurt. So this pain is represented as the hardship she is enduring and overcoming. This helps the reader understand the concept of giving up.
In these lines, Hughes connects the sad tone of the poem from the earlier lines, to the meaning of endurance that he creates in these lines. The mother is continuing to climb the staircase, even though it may be bare and have tacks in it and boards torn up, she refuses to let that stop her from climbing it. The author's word choice helps to develop this idea, by involving encouraging words that make the reader feel as though he or she is motivating the mother to keep climbing. It is through the author’s word choice that a meaning of endurance and encouragement is created in the
In “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes, a mother is giving advice to a son, who may also be seen to represent the younger generation. Since the mother has successfully conquered all the hardships life had to offer for her, she wants her son to be strong and fearless in the face of these challenges and to also thrive in life. The poem is based on the reminiscences and experiences of a mother. Hughes demonstrates that the determination to live through life without ever giving up even though there will be hardships and obstacles in your path.
Throughout life, one will be challenged with hardships as they grow. Whether it be something small or big; no matter what the situation is one must never give up. For one to strive in life they must persevere through adversity. To begin with, perseverance is described all throughout the poem by Langston Hughes. In, "Mother to Son", the mother guides her son to understand that life will not be an easy experience.
The speaker’s message to readers in “Mother to Son” is that life can be difficult, but you have to keep trying despite these difficulties. I believe this message is directed towards people who are experiencing hardships and poverty, because the speaker is directing her conversation to her “son,” who does not have a life that is like “crystal stairs” (line 2). The crystal stairs in the poem represents a wealthy and easy life, as wealthy people have not probably had the same difficulties in life. Her message of not giving up is evident throughout the poem as she demands her son to not give up. She says, “So boy, don't you turn back, don't you set down on the steps, cause you finds it’s kinder hard” (lines 14-16). As readers, we know the message for us is that you can’t give up, even though you will face challenges—just like you have to keep going on a “staircase” even though the staircase has many obstacles on it. She clearly believes that we need to be fighters in our lives, as life will often be difficult. More importantly, I believe this message was also meant towards African Americans in the early 1900’s (when Langston Hughes was writing poetry), to remind them to never give up on fighting for equal rights, even though it is
Every mother would like to see her child succeed in life. The following passage from the poem, "Mother to Son", by Langston Hughes demonstrates the love and concern a mother has for her son. She teaches him using her own life as an example; her life as a climb up a staircase. The imagery from the advice given in the stanza is explicit and poignant:
When the mother is talking to her son she tells him that life isn’t easy and she is still going on. For example, in line 18 the mother says “For I’se still goin’, honey,” (Hughes). This shows that the mother is trying to say that I am still going and I have survived this long then you can to. Furthermore, this relates to the theme because of how the mother says life is not so easy and you must continue. Additionally, another example is “Cause you finds it’s kinder hard” because
Perseverance can play a huge role in a person’s life. Through difficult times, having perseverance can help anybody overcome their obstacles. When dealing with incredibly low income, perseverance is a helpful tool to have in a person's toolbox of life. In Langston Hughes poem’ “Mother to Son” the mother is advising her son about the hardships in life with the usage of imagery, metaphors and encouragement.
On the road of life, many trials arise that one must overcome to make his or her life feel complete. In Langston Hughes’s poem, “Mother to Son,” these trials are a subject of concern for one mother. Hughes’ “ability to project himself” is seen in his use of dialect, metaphors, and tone (Barksdale 3).