The Black Experience Exposed In Mother To Son By Langston Hughes

“Mother to Son,” written by Langston Hughes, is a short poem about a mother who is teaching her son about perseverance and determination by using the image of a staircase. She explains that even though life has given her many hardships, she continues forward and she urges her son to do the same. In “Mother to Son,” Langston Hughes uses an extended metaphor, imagery, dialect, and structure to paint a picture of a weary mother who wants her son to persevere through the hardships of life.

Oppression is at the root of many of the most serious, enduring conflicts in the world. Times were tough in America during the turn of the century. Lots of changes were occurring, and many folks had a difficult time coming to terms with them. Black Americans in particular found themselves caught in a culture that appeared somewhat better than it had been before and during the Civil War. But the fact of the matter was: things just weren't so peachy. This poem is a reaction to the racial climate of the late nineteenth century. The son of former slaves, Paul Laurence Dunbar, was born on June 27, 1872 in Dayton, Ohio to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American Civil War. At age 33, he died of tuberculosis on February 9, 1906. He was the first African-American poet to reach a wide audience, publishing verse poems and short stories before his early death. His use of both negro dialect and standard English helped to portray his cultural lifestyle, joys, and tribulations distinguishing him from other writers of the late 1800s, early 1900s. In his poem, the speaker opens the poem with the declaration that we wear masks that hide our true feelings. He goes on to emphasize the severity of the pain and suffering that these masks try to cover up. By the end we understand that all of the politeness and subdued emotions are just phony disguises of the painful truths that hide behind them. With that knowledge, he try’s to get his audience to understand his purpose in

In today’s society we face a lot of issues, but there is one issue that stands out to me most. Which these two poems address, that is injustice towards other race in America. In Langston Hughes “I Too” and “The Weary Blues” the trouble of unjust towards African Americans, weigh on the speaker’s mind. Each poem reflecting on the same issue just a little bit differently.

During the time frame that this poem was written, America was facing racial tensions and division. Two notable riots occurred in the aftermath of police brutality. The first occurred in 1989 following the death of African

This poem is a tribute to the well-known abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and gives a cause and effect analysis of the allowance of freedom to African Americans. For this reason, this poem can be interpreted very specifically to the African American struggle for civil rights and search for the true understanding of attaining freedom. The sense of exclusivity in this poem can come from lines such as, “…this man, this Douglass, this former slave, this Negro….” (1067) The words presented in this line such as “Negro” immediately strike the reader as specific to the African American race, and, therefore, transforming the entire poem into a poem directed toward a specific audience. The struggle for freedom post-emancipation was uniquely highlighted in this poem. African Americans still felt extremely subservient in relation to the white population, and Hayden clearly noted that feeling in this strong piece. The piece can solely be seen as a tribute that offers relatability for those African Americans of the time period. It can also be interpreted as a relatable piece for African Americans of any time as related to the historical essence of their lives. This piece may seem exclusive, but it can also offer much

Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” further examines the racial impediments facing African Americans by displaying a conversation between a mother and her son. She begins, “Well, son, I’ll tell you: / Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (1-2). Hughes compares the mother’s life to a wooden staircase, one that is physically rough, “It’s had splinters, / And boards torn up, / And places with no carpet on the floor－” (3-5). The narrator continues her story by noting that no matter the case, “I’se been a-climbin’ on” (9). Thus being a message to her son that no matter what happens in his life, he cannot turn back and he must look ahead for what's ahead. In “I, Too” Hughes refers to this as what's coming “tomorrow” and that things for African Americans will change over time. The message described by the mother was once again Hughes’ attempt to inspire African Americans to not give up hope because this was their time to inspire and their time to create change, even if their path is not perfect, “And sometimes goin’ in the dark / Where there ain’t been no

Even today, we deal still with the black people facing challenges of being more likely prejudged than white people are. It’s not as bad as it was then but we definitely had it easier according to this poem. Although the woman in the poem lived in an era where slavery was abolished, she still face struggles that appeared here and then all due to her racial class at the time. Being black wasn’t something that was accept in society especially because she lived in an era right after slavery. The white people had the vote in society so what they say goes because they were the ones with power. If a black person try to speak up for a change in the community, they would quickly be rejected because at the time they never had a statement to begin with. It’s like they were living as in a hole where their opinions never mattered. Their hopes and dreams for the future would always get turned down because of the racial class they stood in and this wasn’t really a way to live. It was harsh, cruel, and everything not nice. This wasn’t a way a person deserved to be treated in

In the first verse, I convey to the readers that when hegemonic ideals, what people consider common sense on how to act or think towards a certain idea, become negative and violent, such as white supremacy, towards a race, it becomes extremely threatening and disturbing. Throughout United States’ history, the violence and struggles the African Americans experience are universally known. In the first verse of the poem, I put the point of view as an African American child. In the United States, there have been many forms of racial violence and hatred, especially with the United States being a strongly white

In his poem, the Negro, Langston Hughes discuss what it’s like to be a negro from the very beginning of slavery to his current situation now. This poem is written during 1922 were the African American is fighting the injustice of prejudice and discrimination and fighting towards civil rights and equality something still going on presently in America. Langston Hughes was an African American poet, social activist, novelist and one of the earliest innovators of the then new literary art form called Jazz poet. “Langston Hughes” n.d. During the time this poem was written Langton Hughes was staying in Harlem and was at the center of the African American community and was one of the voices that community looked to for hope during civil oppression. In the poem, the negro the theme takes us from how the negro is treated in the world to how the Negro is treated in America. In his poem, The Negro Langston Hughes states:

Langston Hughes’ poem “Mother to Son,” written in 1922, tells the story of a young mother giving important life lessons to her son. It conveys the struggles and hardships that the mother was forced to endure throughout her life, while portraying her as a woman who never gave up hope and got through the hard times. The strength and resilience she shows is a testament to the power of a mother’s love and willingness to do anything for their family. Hughes is able to portray this love and emotion with the use of various literary elements, such as rhymes and metaphors.

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.

Both poems show the way in which African Americans were treated at the time and presents an expectation to the outlooks of the future of American humanity considering the African American

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.

“Mother to son” is a poem that the speaker is a mother who describes her hardships to her son by comparing her life to stairs. Hughes poem “Mother to son” has many poetry poetic elements. The two strongest poetry elements within Langston Hughes poem is symbol and imagery. The strongest symbol in the poem is the stairs. “ The stairs symbolize the mother’s life. The mother uses the stairs to illustrate to her son how difficult her life has been, how she must climb up the stairs everyday to improve her life and how she still continues to struggle. The stairs could also be a representation of the different phases of life the mother goes through. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, and boards torn up, “(4,4 and 5). The mothers is describing the

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.