essay on langston hughes mother to son

Mother to Son Summary & Analysis by Langston Hughes

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
Poetic Devices
Vocabulary & References
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
Line-by-Line Explanations

“Mother to Son” is a poem by Langston Hughes. It was first published in 1922 in The Crisis , a magazine dedicated to promoting civil rights in the United States, and was later collected in Hughes’s first book The Weary Blues (1926). The poem describes the difficulties that Black people face in a racist society, alluding to the many obstacles and dangers that racism throws in their way—obstacles and dangers that white people don’t have to face. At the same time, the poem argues that Black people can overcome these difficulties through persistence, resilience, and mutual support.

Read the full text of “Mother to Son”

The Full Text of “Mother to Son”

1 Well, son, I’ll tell you:

2 Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

3 It’s had tacks in it,

4 And splinters,

5 And boards torn up,

6 And places with no carpet on the floor—

8 But all the time

9 I’se been a-climbin’ on,

10 And reachin’ landin’s,

11 And turnin’ corners,

12 And sometimes goin’ in the dark

13 Where there ain’t been no light.

14 So boy, don’t you turn back.

15 Don’t you set down on the steps

16 ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

17 Don’t you fall now—

18 For I’se still goin’, honey,

19 I’se still climbin’,

20 And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

“Mother to Son” Summary

“mother to son” themes.

Racism and Perseverance

See where this theme is active in the poem.

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Mother to Son”

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.

But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light.

Lines 14-16

So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Lines 17-20

Don’t you fall now— For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

“Mother to Son” Symbols

Crystal Stair
See where this symbol appears in the poem.

“Mother to Son” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

End-stopped line.

See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

Alliteration

Extended metaphor, polysyndeton, “mother to son” vocabulary.

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

A-Climbin'
Landin's
See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Mother to Son”

Rhyme scheme, “mother to son” speaker, “mother to son” setting, literary and historical context of “mother to son”, more “mother to son” resources, external resources.

Into to the Harlem Renaissance — A detailed history of the Harlem Renaissance—with links to other Harlem Renaissance writers and texts—from the Poetry Foundation.

The Weary Blues — An article from the Academy of American Poets on The Weary Blues, Langston Hughes's first book of poems, which collected "Mother to Son."

Langston Hughes's Life Story — A detailed biography of the from the Poetry Foundation.

Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance — An article on Langston Hughes's influence on the Harlem Renaissance.

The Poem Read Aloud — The actress Viola Davis and the poet Langston Hughes both recite "Mother to Son."

LitCharts on Other Poems by Langston Hughes

As I Grew Older

Aunt Sue's Stories

Daybreak in Alabama

Dream Variations

I Look at the World

Let America Be America Again

Night Funeral in Harlem

The Ballad of the Landlord

Theme for English B

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

The Weary Blues

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

A Short Analysis of Langston Hughes’ ‘Mother to Son’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Langston Hughes (1901-67) was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance in New York in the 1920s. Over the course of a varied career he was a novelist, playwright, social activist, and journalist, but it is for his poetry that Hughes is now best-remembered.

‘Mother to Son’ is one of Hughes’ best-known poems, and sees a mother addressing her son, telling him about how hard and challenging her life has been, and offering him some parental advice. You can read ‘Mother to Son’ here (it takes no longer than a minute to read); below, we offer an analysis of the poem’s meaning and symbolism.

‘Mother to Son’: summary

The mother addresses her son directly, telling him that her life hasn’t been an easy or luxurious progression or climb. There have been plenty of stumbling-blocks and obstacles, which she likens to tacks, splinters of wood, or torn-up floorboards, and sometimes the wooden stairs she has trodden have been uncarpeted and bare.

She is using the image of a stair as a metaphor for her life, of course, so the image of the bare stairs suggests financial hardship where life has been stripped back to the bare necessities required for living.

Despite these setbacks, the mother tells her son that she has continued to climb, every now and then reaching a landing (where she can pause for breath) and turning a corner (much as we talk of ‘turning a corner’ in our life, when things get better), and sometimes having to walk on in the dark – something which increases the dangers, and involves making one’s way blind, not knowing what’s coming next.

At this point, the mother moves from describing her experiences to instructing her son, telling him not to turn back but to carry on and keep going, no matter how tough things might get. He shouldn’t just sit down on the steps and give up because to carry on climbing is hard-going. He shouldn’t let himself fall; after all, his mother is still walking on, still climbing the stairs of life, and things haven’t exactly been easy for her .

‘Mother to Son’: analysis

‘Mother to Son’ uses the extended metaphor of a stairwell to depict the struggles and hardships of life, and in particular, the struggles faced by an African-American mother in early twentieth-century America. The image of the stairs enables Hughes to convey not only the difficulty of persevering when things get tough, but also the idea of social climbing, or ascending the social ladder in terms of class, wealth, and cultural acceptance.

The mother begins by defining her life as a negative : by what it is not. Her rejection of a crystal stair in the poem’s second and final lines neatly captures the lack of luxury: for many working-class African-American families, life was about making ends meet and ensuring there was enough food on the table, rather than opulence and expense. Instead, the stairs walked by the mother in Hughes’ poem are rough, dangerous (those splinters), and even, at times, bare, suggesting – as remarked above – that financial times have sometimes been hard in the mother’s past.

‘Mother to Son’ is written in free verse: unrhymed poetry without a regular rhythm or metre, and with irregular line lengths. Indeed, one line of Hughes’ poem is just one word: ‘Bare’ (appropriately enough). Hughes often wrote in free verse rather than established forms, and his looser and more free-flowing rhythms are more influenced by improvised jazz music than by iambic pentameter.

And in the case of ‘Mother to Son’, a poem spoken by a mother to her son in African-American Vernacular English (note the use of double negatives and contractions such as ‘I’se’), free verse is an appropriate vehicle for the mother’s advice to her son.

But as T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden, and others have pointed out, free verse worthy of the name of ‘poetry’ or ‘art’ isn’t ‘free’ altogether: it cannot be completely free from formal constraints if it is to be considered poetry at all. Robert Frost’s famous disparaging of free verse as ‘playing tennis with the net down’ reminds us that even free verse which doesn’t utilise a rhyme scheme or a regular metre needs to reveal the artful control of the poet.

And although there’s no rhyme scheme in ‘Mother to Son’, there is evidence of formal constraint: note how ‘stair’ is repeated at the ends of two lines, near the beginning of the poem and then again right at the end. In between these two lines which more or less bookend the poem, we find the rhyme ‘Bare’ (which, appropriately enough, relates to the uncarpeted stair ), ‘steps’ (which is a semantic rhyme for ‘stair’, because it shares the same meaning), ‘climbin’’ (more semantic rhyme, since stairs are climbed), and ‘floor’ (related to ‘stair’ in meaning, but also an example of pararhyme or consonance).

All of these semantic and phonetic features reveal the careful control behind the verse lines, but Hughes has concealed them well so as to preserve the natural, colloquial rhythms of the mother’s address to her son. ‘Mother to Son’ artfully conceals its art, we might say, and appears artless, offhand, and conversational, to convey the idea of a mother intimately talking to her son.

Of course, we should bear in mind the gender of the speaker as well as her ethnicity. Hughes’ mother has faced double the prejudice and discrimination than her son will face, because she is a woman. When she turns to her son (‘So boy …’), there is arguably a tacit recognition of the fact that she has faced even more obstacles, and if she can keep going, he will be able to.

All of this is a critique of the American Dream : that notion that anyone, regardless of their background, can achieve greatness and prosperity in the United States, the ‘land of the free’. We know that not everyone can achieve that dream, but we also know that it will be harder for some than for others.

If the mother’s image of the crystal stair suggests a shimmering and bright path of upward mobility, which the walker need only follow, her later reference to the ‘dark’ and ‘no light’ (another example of semantic rhyme) undercuts the shining brilliance of such a fantastical ideal.

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Mother to Son

Read below our complete notes on the song “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes. Our notes cover Mother to Son summary, themes, and analysis.

Introduction

‘Mother to Son’ is a song composed by an African American poet and journalist Langston Hughes. It is a well-known dramatic monologue. It was printed in a magazine called The Crisis for the first time in the year 1922. It was later included in Hughes’ book titled The Weary Blues published in 1926.

Langston Hughes played a key role in the Harlem Renaissance. It was a 1920 artistic movement in Harlem, near Manhattan. The neighborhood of Harlem swamped with migrated African Americans who opted to settle there for work and jobs. Consequently, many writers, poets and intellectuals related to black culture evolved. They wanted to introduce a unique kind of literature that can highlight the ups and downs of African Americans. They also saw literature as a source of combat against racism.

The Harlem Renaissance is considered as the most significant art movement in black literature in the US. Hughes poems “Mother to Son, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “I, Too,” have been considered as crucial in the progress of literary tradition of the black.

‘Mother to Son’ is closely related to the hardships faced by the African Americans in the early twentieth century. During this era, racism and discrimination against the black community were rampant in the USA. Separate school, living areas and working places were allocated for the black people. They were not allowed near the white community members. NAACP was a civil rights organization that evolved for the defence of the black community basic rights. Hughes was also a huge advocate of black rights.

His poem ‘Mother to Son’ indicates many hindrances and risks that African Americans face in their daily lives due to racism. The poem suggests that the black community can beat such difficult times through perseverance, spirit, and unity.

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Summary

The poem is a conversation amid a mother and son. The mother initiates the conversation saying that her life has not been easy. She has faced various hurdles and difficulties in her life. She describes the various impediments in her life as tacks, splinters and torn boards. She says that the stair, which she is trying to climb, is not carpeted which implies that her life path had not been a luxurious journey. Nevertheless, her perseverance enables her to keep on struggling in life. Even when she is unable to see in the dark, she is still resilient. At the end of the poem, the mother commands her son never to lose hope. She instructs him to keep on climbing the stairs and never think about going down in life. She reminds him that he must always think about the hardships faced by his mother and keep on fighting against his exhaustion.

Themes in Mother to Son

Racism appears as a major theme in the poem. The dialect of the speaker indicates that she belongs to an illiterate African American community. The staircase is a realistic depiction of a black woman in a racist society. The screws, pieces, naked floorings, and shady passages indicate extreme poverty. Through such images, Hughes manages to highlight the injustice and discrimination towards the black race in American society.

The poverty of the mother does not indicate that she is indolent. The reader can see the determination and strong morals of the woman. However, her poor circumstances indicate that she is provided with very limited opportunities because of her race.

Perseverance and courage

The poem is a piece of advice from a mother to her son. She advised him to endure and show persistence in order to survive in the American racist society. The comparison of the two staircases in the poem indicates the widely different circumstances of the two races. The pathways of the white people are like a crystal stair that indicates ease and comfort. While the black people have to overcome dark elements and dangerous situations in order to survive. However, the mother says that with courage and determination, the less privileged class can achieve their goals.

The mother shows a very realistic picture of the African Americans. The speaker encourages her son to never lose hope and fall into depression. She says that their life will always be difficult as compared to other races. She does not give false hope to her son. She warns her son about various dangers and challenges. She shares her life story with her son in order to reassure him that he will be able to succeed with keen determination and courage.

Despair and hope

The theme of despair and hope is enforced in the poem through the symbols of “dark” and “light”. The mother in the poem admits that some stages of her life had pushed her into darkness. She had no hope in her life. Her difficult circumstances had managed to put her in depression and despair. However, she continued to struggle and eventually overcame that phase of her life.

Mother as a role model for the child

The poem shows the strong bond between a mother and a son. The mother uses her own life experiences in order to pave a better path for her child. She presents her life as a role model for her son so that he can grow up as a better human. She does not want to sugarcoat the harsh world and make her son weak. Therefore, she narrates the harsh situations and anecdotes from her own life, as she wants her son to reach his goals through strong determination and courage.

Mother to Son Poem Analysis

In line two of the poem, the poet says that the life of the mother ‘aint’t been a “crystal stair”. “ain’t” is a colloquial form of language and its use by the mother indicates that she is uneducated. The phrase “crystal stair” in line two of the poem implies the privilege and influence enjoyed by the white community. Crystals are charming, fashionable, and stunning. Thus, it suggests that the life journey of the white community is easy and without certain hurdles. Due to their superior status in society, they have more prospects to achieve their respective dreams. However, people belonging to the black community are not provided with any chances to fulfill their dreams.

The life of black people is very hard and complicated and they have to struggle a lot in order to fight for their goals. The words “ Tacks”, “splinters”, “boards torn up” symbolize hardships in life. Tacks represent nails, while splinters are tiny pieces of planks that could physically harm the person who steps on them. Boards torn up might signify uneven grounds. The word “Bare” indicates limited gears. The mother says that her path had been uneven, hard and bare. She had to make her way in life with inadequate furnishings.

In spite of all the hardships mentioned above, the mother says that she did not lose motivation to move forward in life. She wants to instil the same inspiration and enthusiasm in her son. She says that “All the time” her life had been a constant struggle. However, she still had been “a-climbin’ on” the figurative staircases in her life.

She uses the word landings to describe the various stages of her life. The mother tended to turn corners without any fear of the unknown. She was not afraid to venture in the dark. She wants her son to be brave like her. She had always faced bad situations with a strong front. The run-down stairs illustrate the harsh living circumstances of the black community under the oppressive rule of the White Americans.

This poem depicts racism and its effect on the life of African Americans. Nevertheless, this poem suggests a universal message. The poem conveys a message of resilience and perseverance in the face of difficulties that can be applied to people of all ages and epochs.

Lines 14-20

In the final line of the poem, the mother again speaks with her son directly. The word “boy” indicates that the mother wants the undivided attention of her son. She states that he should never lose hope and motivation to move forward in life. Even if circumstances turn ugly and he faces adverse conditions, he must never think about backing down. She advised him never to move a step back. His fear and hesitation can aggravate his problems. He must learn to endure and persist in uncertain circumstances.

The mother warns him that the steps are full of splinters and broken boards; therefore, he must learn to tread carefully so that he does not fall. ‘Fall’ here literally means plummeting down the steps. However, it can also be related to the Biblical “Fall”. In the context of the poem, it might imply subsiding criminal activities. The mother does not want her son to resort to unfair means in order to survive. The last three lines reiterate that his mother has always withstood her hard circumstances and she is “still climbin’”. This shows her indomitable strength.

Setting of the poem

The poem lacks a specific setting. The speaker is conversing with her son. The formal tone of the conversation indicates that the place where they are talking is comfortable and familiar to them.

Point of view

The mother in the poem is anonymous; however, it seems that she represents the hardworking African American women of America. The poem is not just a piece of advice from a mother to her son. It embodies a story of determination and courage. It reflects the endless struggle of the black community in a racist white society. The poem contains a universal message of hope and resilience which can be applied to all the communities of the world. The language, diction and the literary techniques employed by Hughes ensnare the attention of the reader.

The poem is a dramatic monologue written in dialect of the African American community. The language and diction of the poem is colloquial. The language choice of the poet depicts the linguistic habits of the African Americans. The poet uses figurative language to emphasize his ideas.

Structural Analysis of the poem

The style of the poem is free verse and lyrical. It is written in a single stanza of twenty lines. As the structure of the poem is in free verse, therefore, there is no regular rhyming scheme. However, there are certain illustrations of rhyme in the poem as the word “stair” in the second line corresponds to “bare” in the 7th line. The metrical pattern of the poem is irregular, yet the line “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” indicates trochaic meter.

The language used in the poem is idiomatic. The colloquial quality of the language used can be observed in the line “Cause you find it’s kinder hard.” The language style indicates that the speaker of the poem is not much educated and belongs to a rural area.

Literary Devices used in the Poem

Alliteration.

Alliteration can be defined as the reiteration of consonant sounds in closed placed words. The use of alliteration can be discerned in the line, “Don’t you set down on the steps.” The “d” and “s” sounds in the above-mentioned line show alliteration. Langston Hughes does not heavily rely on rhyme or alliteration in his poem. It seems that the poet purposely evades such poetic devices which create a pleasant effect in order to reinforce the harsh circumstances of the speaker.

Anaphora is the reiteration of a term or phrases mostly at the start of consecutive expressions, or clauses. For instance, the poet has used “And” at the start of lines 4,5, 6 and lines 10,11,12. “And “is repeatedly used at the start of these lines in order to highlight the adversities and various challenges in the life of the mother. The repetition of “And” highlights the never-ending sufferings of the mothers. Each “and” in the poem introduces a new impediment in the mother’s life. Similarly the line, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” is twice repeated to accentuate the rough life journey of the mother.

Hughes utilizes anaphora in order to show the son what he should not do in life. For example in the lines, 14 and 15 “don’t” is twice used. This exemplifies that in case of adversities, we must never lose hope and fall back. The poet employs Anaphora in his poem to show the readers that although life is full of obstacles and challenges, however, we must always fight through and never think about giving up our dreams.

Enjambment can be defined as the continuity of an utterance minus any pause at the end of a line or stanza. Enjambment is used in the following lines in the poem,

“Don’t you set down on the steps

’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.”

Line 15 continues into the next line without any pauses. It expresses the emotions of the mother. It emphasizes the message of the mother, who wants her child to face all hard obstacles with undue determination.

An allusion is a literary device used by poets. It indirectly refers to a person, place or thing outside the confines of the text. The phrase “crystal stair” alludes to Jacob’s step ladder as mentioned in the Holy Bible. The staircase can be considered as a spiritual allusion. Jacob witnessed a staircase, which led to heaven in the Biblical story. Similarly, the crystal stair refers to the idea of abandoning worldly troubles. The allusion used in the poem can also refer to the notion that after overcoming hardships, people can reach heaven.

End-Stopped Line

End-stopped lines recur in the poem. Most of the lines are end-stopped. Enjambments are rarely used by the poet in the poem. End-stops play a major role. They help the poet in describing the seriousness of the hurdles encountered by the black woman. For example, each line from 3-6 defines a serious hurdle that the mother had witnessed in her life. The jagged nails and splinters and the missing steps are mentioned in a different end-stopped line. The reader pauses at each end-stop and contemplates about the nature of the difficulty faced by the narrator. All of these End-stops stress complexity and brutality of the speaker’s situation.

The end-stops in lines 17-19 indicates the principle, self-confidence, and spirit of the mother. The end-stops in these lines emphasize the determination of the speaker. These lines highlight the strength of the woman and leave no room for self-doubt. The meaning of end-stops changes in the poem. Initially, they were utilized to highlight the various dangers in the speaker’s life; however, the lines in the end of the poem indicate resilience in the face of adversities.

The recurrence of vowel sounds in the same sentence is termed as assonance. The sound of /o/ in the line “So boy, don’t you turn back” indicates assonance. It indicates the optimistic and courageous nature of the mother.

The recurrence of consonant sounds within the same sentence is named as consonance. The sound /t/ and /r/ in the line “Where there ain’t been no light” indicates consonance. Similarly, ‘And reachin’ landin’s’ also contains consonance.

Imagery is another poetic device that conjures images for the readers so that they can perceive them with their five senses. For instance in the line, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”, the image of a crystal stair has been created in the reader’s mind. So that the reader can feel the difference between the life of people belonging to the white community and that of the black community. “And places with no carpet on the floor” creates a picture of harsh circumstances faced by the narrator in the poem.

Stressed and unstressed syllables (Trochee)

A trochee is a metrical foot in the line of a poem that involves a stressed syllable closely trailed by an unstressed syllable. In the poem, this pattern of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable lingers continuously. For example in the line, “ Life for me ain’t been no cry stal”.

Refrain is a part or verse of a song or a poem which is repeated after some interval within the poem. Hughes uses refrain in his poem. For instance the line, “life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” reappears twice in the poem with exactly the same expressions. Therefore, it can be said that this line is a refrain.

Symbolism is the use of specific symbols to denote concepts and perceptions. The literal meaning of the word is different from the figurative meaning. The symbols used in the poem are described below:

The staircase is an extended metaphor utilized by the poet to narrate the hurdles in the life of a black woman. It represents the destitution of the mother. The metaphorical staircase of the mother has nails, shards, holes, and bare steps. It denotes the various challenges in the mother’s life.

Crystal Stair

The poet uses the “crystal stair” which appears in lines 2 and 20 as a symbol. It signifies opportunity, authority, and the benefits relished by the white community. The poet compares the life of the black woman with a dark, rickety and battered staircase. While the “crystal stair” denotes the smooth pathway of the white people. It signifies that white people have their life adorned with glamor and ease while the black mother’s path has always been dangerous and dingy. It can be stated that “crystal stair” refers to the hypocrisy and double standards of American society.

The poet employs darkness as a symbol of bleakness and desolation. The word darkness is used in the 12 th line of the poem. Here the narrator talks about the nature of her journey. She says that some paths of her life have been dark. It symbolizes the nature of the challenges faced by the mother in the poem. At times, such dangerous situations had demoralized the mother and she had almost lost hope. However, with strong determination, she pushed herself out of that depressive phase of life and continued fighting against all odds in her life.

Light symbolizes hope in the poem. In line 13, the narrator says that sometimes she had “ no light.” It means that she had lost the will and hope of survival. The symbol “light” coincides with “dark” to express the same meaning, which entails that at some point in her life, the mother had experienced despair and desperation. The mother is therefore aware of the emotional and psychological challenges in the life of the black community. However, she emphasizes that with perseverance, they can overcome such complications.

Langton Hughes has utilized literary devices such as metaphor, imagery, anaphora, and symbolism to emphasize his message. The use of such devices connects the poet with the readers. The various poetic devices used in the poem strongly showcase the struggle of the mother and her sacrifices in her life. The reader connects with the character of the mother and admires her perseverance, endurance and resilience in the face of all adversities.

“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes Analysis – A Closer Look

Poems, when powerfully composed, can become an integral part of wider culture, and there are many instances of poems that have managed to succeed in becoming well-known outside of standard literary circles. This is the case with Mother to Son by Langston Hughes, which will be the focus of this article today. We will perform a Mother to Son by Langston Hughes analysis for those who are interested in the Mother to Son poem’s meanings and themes, alongside a brief analysis of the man who wrote the poem in the first place. So, if you have gained an interest in learning a little more about Mother to Son by Langston Hughes, then you are in the right place and can keep reading below!

Table of Contents

1 Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Analysis
2 Summary of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes
3 Biography of Langston Hughes
4 A Note on Language in Mother to Son by Langston Hughes
5.1 Section One
5.2 Section Two
5.3 Section Three
6 Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Themes
7 The Influence of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes
8.1 What Is Mother to Son by Langston Hughes?
8.2 Who Was Langston Hughes?
8.3 What Was the Harlem Renaissance?
8.4 What Are the Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Themes?
8.5 What Was the Influence of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes?

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Analysis

Mother to Son is one of the most famous poems by Langston Hughes. The poem is an important one in the development of Harlem Renaissance poetry. The poem was published in the pre-Civil Rights Movement period in the United States, but it would go on to have an influence on that period of social change. In the sections below, we are going to perform a Mother to Son by Langston Hughes analysis to see why this is the case

Summary of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

While we are going to perform an in-depth Mother to Son by Langston Hughes analysis in the sections below this summary, it is good to examine a brief summarized section before moving on to the bulk of this work. So, here is a brief list of the few points worth keeping in mind when having a look at the Mother to Son poem’s meanings and themes.

The poem is about a mother. The general focus of the poem is on the story that the speaker’s mother says to him. The entire poem is presented from her perspective as she gives him advice about how he needs to do his best to rise above the difficulties and horrors of the world.
The poem focuses on racism. While the poem does not explicitly use words like “racism” or “oppression” or anything similar, the background knowledge aids us in showing that this poem focuses on racism. The mother, as she recounts her story, has only suffered as she has because of who she was born as, and, by extension, who the speaker was born as.
The poem uses a free verse style . The use of a more freeform structure allows the poem to use a highly informal poetic style that mimics African-American Vernacular English. It presents the message as if it were spoken rather than following standard poetry conventions of meter and rhyme.

This has been a brief overview of some of the major aspects that should be noted when examining any kind of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes analysis. However, if you want to learn a lot more, rather than a short and sweet summary, you can continue reading.

Next, we will have a look at a brief biography of the man who wrote the poem in question.

Biography of Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was an African American writer and activist from Missouri in the United States, who became one of the major figures in the artistic period known as the Harlem Renaissance. He wrote in many different mediums, such as poetry, prose, dramatic pieces, and non-fiction writings. He is often best remembered for his poetry today, and many of his poems have become important pieces in early to mid-20th-century African-American literature. In terms of poetry, he was also integral to the development of a form known as jazz poetry.

He started writing early in his life, and his work would go on to become well-known in local and then wider national circles, he became an active member of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the 1940s onwards. He is often remembered best alongside his contributions to the Harlem Renaissance, which was a period of cultural revival for various forms of African-American artistry and intellectual work, such as music, literature, theater, philosophy, and politics.

This period started in the 1920s and would have an influence on the later Civil Rights Movement in the country.

A Note on Language in Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

Something that poems are often deftly adept at doing is adopting a specific type of vernacular, and that is the case with Mother to Son by Langston Hughes. This poem makes use of early-20th century African American Vernacular English, or AAVE. This is a type of English that arose out of African-American communities and has links to slave communities, Southern American dialects, and certain linguistic characteristics that were carried over from African countries.

This type of English is immensely influential in the present day and is often at the forefront of developments in the language but is often deemed to be a kind of slang by those who, generally, don’t know any better (or those who don’t want to know any better). There is also an association with this type of English and racist ideas about African American people being unable to speak Standard American English, but this is untrue. It is a variety of English and, therefore, no more correct or incorrect than any other English dialect.

This variety of English should be kept in mind for the below Mother to Son by Langston Hughes analysis as the poem makes use of it.

In-Depth Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Analysis

Before we truly kick off with our Mother to Son by Langston Hughes analysis in this section, something about this poem should first be noted. This thing is that the poem, for the purposes of this analysis, has been artificially broken up into sections. These can be seen as logical breakpoints, but in the actual poem, there are no stanzas. Instead, the text is one whole, unbroken wall of text. This means that when the poem is read, it should be read as a singular whole. We have only broken it up in this sense to aid in the readability of the analysis of the poem in question. No one wants to read a lengthy analysis with no sub-headings, after all.

With that out of the way, we also state that Mother to Son by Langston Hughes is a poem that is deeply personal and reflects an understanding of the usual role that a mother may play in our lives. The mother character makes use of metaphors to explain her point, and these kinds of metaphors need to be understood if you wish to examine the Mother to Son poem’s meanings.

A final very important piece of information to note before we dive into our more in-depth Mother to Son by Langston Hughes analysis is that this poem, as has been expressed above, is focused on the experience of African American people. This poem was written before the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and that needs to be taken into account. The poem deals with themes of racism and the difficulties of life for minorities. So, as we get started with our analysis, keep these things in mind.

Now that that is out of the way, we can have a proper look at Mother to Son by Langston Hughes and give it the attention it deserves!

Section One

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—

The poem opens with its disjointed and free verse style with an indication of dialogue. The first line is from the perspective of the mother character as she addresses her son. She speaks in simple language that should be easy for anyone to understand. The first line does not give way to quotation marks, but quotation marks are essentially implied. The use of the colon at the end of the first line implies that the remainder of this poem will be focused on her direct words to her son.

The second line starts with what she actually has to say to her son. Once again, the form is simple and easily understood. She starts with a metaphor about her life not being like a “crystal chair”. The image of a “crystal chair” is a rather unusual one, but it implies opulence and wealth. Crystal, while not one of the more valuable minerals, is still far more expensive to craft into something than wood or steel, and so the particular use of this term is meant to call our attention to the difficulties in life. If one’s life is not like something wealthy and opulent, then life is likely something difficult and harsh, something that has led to turmoil.

The next few lines reinforce this image of a lack of wealth. Instead of the mother’s life is like a “crystal chair”, it is implied to be a cheap chair with tacks, splinters, torn boards, and no carpeting around it. This is a very stark image that is meant to juxtapose against the feelings evoked by a “crystal chair”. She has not had an easy life. It has been hard and painful. The use of words like “tacks” and “splinters” especially reinforces this. It would be painful to sit on a chair with spikes and shards jutting out of it. Yet that is what she had to deal with.

The final word in this section is just the word “bare”. This follows from the previous line which states that her metaphorical chair was one with no carpet around it. Instead of being surrounded by wealth and ease, it had nothing around it. She had nothing in her life. She had no privileges and no assistance. The poem has given us a powerful and damning image of the difficulties faced by various people in our society.

This persists into the next section in which the more depressing images are replaced by a sense of hope.

Section Two

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

The section of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes has transitioned from a focus on the metaphor of the chairs to a more positive affirmation. The mother tells him that despite those difficulties she has been “a-climbin’ on”. This tells us something powerful about the difficulties that she has faced in her life. While they were terrible, and she did not receive the assistance that many have received, she never gave up because of it. She continued to try and rise above it all.

Discover Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Themes

The poem continues with this general idea by using various terms to reinforce the climbing motif. She reached “landin’s” and turned “corners”. All of these terms, used in succession as they have been used here, have been used for the express purpose of serving as a continuation of this idea of persistence and perseverance in the face of the struggles and difficulties of life. She may not be that crystal chair, but she does not care. She will do her best with the life she has been given. We all have our lot in life, and it’s our choice when it comes to what we do with it.

The final two lines resume the darker image that is then juxtaposed against a positive one created earlier in this section by using the binaries of dark and light one after the other.

She refers to her life as sometimes being “in the dark” and there has been “no light”. This shows us that the poem while focusing on the idea of persevering despite the immense challenges of life, still acknowledges the inherent unfairness and horrendous nature of some having to face such difficulties. She knew her life was often in the darkness, but she could not allow herself to succumb to it. The final section of the poem continues with this idea.

Section Three

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—

For I’se still goin’, honey,

I’se still climbin’,

And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

The very first line of this section is a powerful affirmation and statement to her son to never “turn back”. One must always go forward. The metaphor of the chair has since been abandoned in favor of a new metaphor, and this one is focused on stairs. The second line entails the mother telling her son that he must never go down “the steps”, and these steps are representative of life. We can go up or we can go down. This is presented to us as a binary. Do we want to try and improve our lives or slip back into an even worse life?

The third line tells us why someone might slip backward, and that’s because it’s “hard” to keep going up the stairs, but she tells her son that he must not “fall now”. He must keep rising, and here we see a return to an image from the previous section. She reiterates, once more, that “I’se still climbin’”. She is still scaling those stairs to a better life. She may be older, and she has her child and all that, but none of it matters. She still has her own life. She still needs to be one who continues to climb up those stairs. She needs to climb those stairs for herself, and she has reiterated that she never plans to go down those stairs again.

She has resolved herself to continue her way up regardless of how long such a thing may take her.

The final line of the poem returns us to the metaphor of the crystal chair. She tells us one last time that, for her, life has not been a crystal chair. By saying this, she is also telling her son that his life may be similar, but that he must do what she did, he must also do his best to rise above it. He must not succumb to the terrible realities of a fatalistic attitude. He must want to climb, even if it’s an incredibly hard thing to do.

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Themes

When it comes to understanding the overarching Mother to Son by Langston Hughes themes, they are not particularly difficult to find. The ones that are purely textual focus on overcoming the hardships of society. The poem encourages the reader to be hopeful, courageous, and perseverant in the face of those kinds of challenges. Someone with absolutely no understanding or knowledge of the historical context of the poem would find these particular themes hard to miss.

However, the poem was also written by an African American and the character who talks about her life in the poem makes use of African American Vernacular English, and these aspects of the poem more specifically point towards those hardships being racial in nature. The poem wants us to acknowledge the racial injustices and oppression that this mother and, by extension, her son have been forced to face. This poem cannot be read as anything other than a condemnation of the difficult lives faced by African American people. This has led to the poem being one of the most important texts from the Harlem Renaissance movement in the early 20th century.

These themes are powerful ones that can evoke painful, but important conversations about the realities of the effects of racism on the lives of the people who suffer under it.

The Influence of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

When it comes to the poems by Langston Hughes, Mother to Son is not necessarily at the top of the list of most famous examples of his poetry, but it certainly has become one of the most famous pieces of poetry to come out of the Harlem Renaissance period. So, the literary and historical influence of this poem is something worth considering, especially as the poem relates to the aforementioned Harlem Renaissance.

In addition to this, the Mother to Son by Langston Hughes themes and ideas would go on to be an inspiration to many. One of those many happened to be one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. This major figure in the movement would actually reference Mother to Son multiple times in many of his speeches while he was campaigning for African-American rights. This poem has become an important piece of literature in the history of 20th-century African-American literature, and an integral text in the Harlem Renaissance. This is one of the many reasons that a Mother to Son by Langston Hughes analysis is worthy of our time and attention. However, it is far from the only Langston Hughes poem that we should consider.

The stories between mothers and sons are ones that can appeal to many in this world. While this particular poem is focused on an African American mother and her son, the poem can have further appeal beyond that, but understanding the poem within this context is important for an understanding of the poem as a whole. We have performed an in-depth Mother to Son by Langston Hughes analysis in this article and, hopefully, this has led to a greater understanding of the poem for those who have found an interest in it. If the Mother and Song poem’s meanings and themes have appealed to you, it is worth examining a number of other Langston Hughes poems because many are fantastic pieces of literature that deserve your attention.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is mother to son by langston hughes.

This is a poem that was published in 1922 and features a dramatic monologue . The poem explores the ideas surrounding what a mother must say to her child. The mother in this poem is one who has struggled her entire life because of the racism in the United States and is trying to advise her son on the best ways for him to succeed. The poem is intrinsically tied to the issues that faced African American people in the pre-Civil Rights Movement era, but as social progress is slow, the poem can still resonate very strongly with many in the country.

Who Was Langston Hughes?

This figure was an African American writer who is best remembered as an integral member of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. The work of Langston Hughes spanned multiple genres and mediums. He was a poet, novelist, playwright, and columnist, as well as being an activist for African American civil rights. One of his notable contributions to the development of African American literature was his pioneering work in a new form known as jazz poetry.

What Was the Harlem Renaissance?

This was a period of cultural revival in African American arts and intellectualism in the 1920s and 1930s. The period led to a resurgence in arts in African American communities and led to the proliferation of numerous instances of the arts, such as literature, music, fashion, and so on. In addition, this period also led to a larger development of African American intellectual writings, politics, and activism. The Harlem Renaissance would go on to have a strong influence on the later Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

What Are the Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Themes?

This poem is concerned with a dramatic monologue that a mother gives to her son. When it comes to the Mother to Son by Langston Hughes themes, it is important to keep African American life and culture in mind. The poem deals with issues of racism, hardship, perseverance, and courage. It is a poem that does not shy away from the difficulties that are faced by African American people, especially in the pre-Civil Rights Movement era. The ideas are still resonant to this day despite having been published in 1922.

What Was the Influence of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes?

This poem would go on to have a large influence on the Harlem Renaissance, alongside many other works by Langston Hughes. However, one of the most notable aspects of this poem was that it was referenced numerous times in the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. This poem has become an important piece of literature in understanding and highlighting the Harlem Renaissance period and the kind of work that was produced during said period.

Justin van Huyssteen is a freelance writer, novelist, and academic originally from Cape Town, South Africa. At present, he has a bachelor’s degree in English and literary theory and an honor’s degree in literary theory. He is currently working towards his master’s degree in literary theory with a focus on animal studies, critical theory, and semiotics within literature. As a novelist and freelancer, he often writes under the pen name L.C. Lupus.

Justin’s preferred literary movements include modern and postmodern literature with literary fiction and genre fiction like sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, and horror being of particular interest. His academia extends to his interest in prose and narratology. He enjoys analyzing a variety of mediums through a literary lens, such as graphic novels, film, and video games.

Justin is working for artincontext.org as an author and content writer since 2022. He is responsible for all blog posts about architecture, literature and poetry.

Learn more about Justin van Huyssteen and the Art in Context Team .

Cite this Article

Justin, van Huyssteen, ““Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes Analysis – A Closer Look.” Art in Context. November 22, 2023. URL: https://artincontext.org/mother-to-son-by-langston-hughes-analysis/

van Huyssteen, J. (2023, 22 November). “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes Analysis – A Closer Look. Art in Context. https://artincontext.org/mother-to-son-by-langston-hughes-analysis/

van Huyssteen, Justin. ““Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes Analysis – A Closer Look.” Art in Context , November 22, 2023. https://artincontext.org/mother-to-son-by-langston-hughes-analysis/ .

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To fling my arms wide In some place of the sun, To whirl and to dance Till the white day is done. Then rest at cool evening

The ivory gods, And the ebony gods, And the gods of diamond and jade, Sit silently on their temple shelv… While the people

It was a long time ago. I have almost forgotten my dream. But it was there then, In front of me, Bright like a sun—

2 and 2 are 4. 4 and 4 are 8. But what would happen If the last 4 was late? And how would it be

When I was home de Sunshine seemed like gold. When I was home de Sunshine seemed like gold. Since I come up North de

Remember The days of bondage— And remembering— Do not stand still. Go to the highest hill

How quiet It is in this sick room Where on the bed A silent woman lies between two lo… Life and Death,

Clean the spittoons, boy. Detroit, Chicago, Atlantic City, Palm Beach.

Listen! Dear dream of utter aliveness— Touching my body of utter death— Tell me, O quickly! dream of aliv… The flaming source of your bright…

I live on a park bench. You, Park Avenue. Hell of a distance Between us two. I beg a dime for dinner—

I am your son, white man! Georgia dusk And the turpentine woods. One of the pillars of the temple f… You are my son!

Children, I come back today To tell you a story of the long da… That I had to climb, that I had t… In order that the race might live… Look at my face —dark as the night…

You and your whole race. Look down upon the town in which y… And be ashamed. Look down upon white folks And upon yourselves

I am God— Without one friend, Alone in my purity World without end. Below me young lovers

We passed their graves: The dead men there, Winners or losers, Did not care. In the dark

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Mother to Son Literary Devices

Categories: Literary Devices Motherhood

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Words: 610 |

Published: Mar 13, 2024

Words: 610 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Opening lines, metaphor and imagery, conversational tone.

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Best Poetry Essay Examples

Poetry explication langston hughes’ “mother to son”.

1040 words | 4 page(s)

Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” is a seminal piece of African American poetry. It takes the form a deceptively complex direct address in which a mother addresses her son and explains the details of the poverty that she has endured throughout her life, at the same time as offering encouragement. While this simple encouragement and motivation may appear to be the basic framework of the poem, the work also distils much of African American experience and represents how this experience may be passed on between generations of individuals. It is this combination of address, history and transmission which makes up the three elements of the poem; each one of them being mediated by the delicate use of imagery and short and clear line breaks present throughout.

The first line of Hughes’ poem clearly introduces the everyday nature of its language and also the theme of hardship and the overcoming of tradition that it will come to embody. The speaker begins with the words: “Well, son, I’ll tell you: / Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (Hughes, 2015). This opening both generates an informal atmosphere in the poem, and establishes a relationship between the speaker and the reader. This relationship is one based on experience and communication. The speaker is established as an individual who will impart a degree of knowledge and who will have earned this knowledge through their direct experience. The reader is therefore placed in the position of listener. As such, the tone of the poem is one which contains both an openness and a strong sense of authority. The clarity of this tone it itself emphasized via the clarity of the image the ends the first sentence; the image of the crystal stair. The second line of the sentence appears to be completely self-contained and to function as a continuation of the initial address, and also as an anticipation of the refrain like nature of the line, to which Hughes will return at the end of the poem.

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The second sentence continues the mode of address and functions via a contrast to the image presented in the second line. Hughes writes: “It’s had tacks in it, / And splinters, / And boards torn up, / And paces with no carpet on the floor – / Bare” (ibid). A contrast is established here with the clarity and simplicity of the previous image. Hughes describes a fragmented and uncomfortable life, and this discomfort is emphasized by the abruptness of the lines and by their lack of specificity. The metaphor of an old and ricketty staircase with splinters and nails describes a life of discomfort, but it also describes something that is essentially fragmented. The images used in this sentence are all general, and no definite article is used throughout. As such, the impression is created that as the speaker looks back over their life, the dominant impression that is created is one of a continuous state of difficulty and struggle. There is seemingly little within the speaker’s life which can be fully grassed or fixed onto in a way which would enable the speaker to fully describe their experience. This fundamentally fragmentary experience is something which is further emphasized by the use of line breaks and the poem, which create an ever tightening sense of impressions and memories, but few definite memories.

During the next sentence, Hughes switches the emphasis of the poem from the speaker’s experience of the external world to their own internal motivation. It is this motivation and inner strength which is the focus of the next sentence: “But all the time / I’se ben a-climbin’ on, / And reachin’ lanndin’s, / An turnin corners, / And sometimes going’ in the dark / Where there ain’t been no light” (ibid). Again, the poem uses breaks in lines in order to generate a sense of cumulative experience. There is no particular event which is referenced, rather the general impression given is one of twisting and turning, and difficulty. Despite this difficulty, however, the voice of the speaker is clearly strong and is represented as being in subjective control of her own situation. The speaker moves from being passively acted upon by the troubles of life, to being the actively in charge of the twits and turns which she takes. In this way, the voice of the poem represents a life which actively involves the overcoming of adversity manifested by the capacity for a particular individual or subject to move within the boundaries set for them.

It is this strength which the speaker of the poem wishes to pass on to her son. The final sentences makes this clear. Hughes writes: “So boy, don’t you turn back. / Don’t you set down on the steps / ‘Cause you find it’s kind a hard. / Don’t you fall now – / For I’se still goin’, honey, / I’se still climbin, / And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (ibid). In these lines, the speaker passes on her strength to her son, but also does little to say that his life will be any easier than hers. Rather it is assumed that the objective nature of the world will be the same, and that he will face many challenges and difficulties throughout his life. The poem therefore encapsulates a collective history of struggle and difficulty, at the same time that it transits the subjective strength necessary to live within this history. Indeed, this is something emphasized by a switch from the past to the future tense. The metaphor of rising serves to show that this subjective struggle should be seen as a continuous process, both for those who have come before the speaker, and for those who will come after her. Passing on the strength necessary to live such struggle is the poem’s primary concern.

In conclusion, this paper has argued that Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” is a poem that encapsulates a history of struggle, but also one of subjective strength. It is focused on the recollection of this struggle, together with the transmission of the subjective strength necessary to live in harsh and difficult objective conditions. It is this simultaneous representation of difficulty and the transmission of the strength necessary to live with it, that is the key aspect of the work.

Hughes, Langston. Mother to Son. N.D. Web. Accessed 10/18/2015. .

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Analysis Essay: Mother to Son By Langston Hughes

Every mother wants to see their child succeed in life. Through the good times and challenging times, each generation will experience both at some point. The person you mature to be will determine if you kept pushing through those hard times so you can enjoy the good times. In the poem “ Mother to Son”, by Langston Hughes, the speaker of the poem is a mother who is giving her son advice on life. The mother has lived difficult life, but she expresses to her son “Don’t you set down on the steps/Cause you finds it’s kinder hard” (Lines 14-15), her advice is to carry on. As she uses her own life and its obstacles as a staircase of events the poet uses literary devices like imagery, figurative language, and consonance to convey the tone of the mother’s advice to her son.

The image of a staircase begins when the poet, Langston Hughes uses an extended metaphor, a staircase, to explain the life the mother had endured. The mother describes her life as a “crystal stair” by saying “ Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (line 2). Hughes is painting an image that life for the mother hasn’t been easy as it has been for others who climb a “ Crystal stair,” she has had to work very hard to get where she is. To highlight the hardship the mother had to go through, the poet uses imagery to put into words the staircase she had to climb; “Its had tacks in it/ And Splinters/ And boards torn up/ And places with no carpet on the floor-Bare” (Lines 3-7). The use of words “tacks” and “splinters” indicate the mother’s pain and suffering she has encountered over the years. When she says “ Boards tore up” and “ places with no carpet on the floor” she is telling her son how she has lived very poorly and warning him of the harmful situations that can occur in life. The mother had to go through great lengths to get where she is, every step wasn’t easy but the mother continues climbing.

Throughout the poem, Hughes explores the life and resilience of the mother’s tone as persistent and tough. He continues to use figurative language as a metaphor, as the mother continues telling her son about the challenges she faced in life, she experienced more hardship on the way than she had good, “And sometimes going in the dark/Where there ain't been no light" (line 11-12) The darkness represents hopelessness. When the speaker says there "ain't been no light", she suggests that there is no happy, bright spot in her life to bring her joy during that time in her life. Yet the through it all the mother keeps living, keep going and not giving up; “ I’ve been a climbin on/ And reachin landins’/And turnin corners.” (Lines 8-10.) This is where Hughes uses the literary device consonance, “ climbin, reachin, landin, and turnin,” in the mother’s life. As Hughes employs these literary devices to show the courage and optimism of the mother, the mother is letting her son know to keep going and not turn back; “So boy, don’t your turn back/Don’t you set down on the steps.” (Lines 13-14).

The message Langston Hughes wanted his readers to take from the poem “ Mother to Son” is to never give up, but to keep going forward and not look back, expect nothing in life to be handed to you. The mother explains nothing in her life was easy, she had to work through countless obstacles and challenges. “ Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” this tells her son and the readers that her life hasn’t been easy but despite all her obstacles the mother pushed through. Hughes tells the story of the mother’s life using the metaphor of a staircase and each obstacle is expressed using different literacy devices. Each one identifies the struggle the mother faces during her life and gives an image for the readers to understand the pain and suffering she endured. Though it teaches us that no matter how hard life gets, you should always strive for a better one.

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Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” and “Cross” Essay

Contrast paper.

Langston Hughes wrote many pomes on a wide range of topics. This paper contrasts two of the prominent poems by Hughes, Mother to Son and Cross. Both poems are written about the relationships between children and parents; however, Mother to Son poem is written from mother’s perspective while Cross is written in form of a monologue of a son. In addition to similar theme, the poems are rather different in their meaning. In Mother to Son poem Hughes explores the difficulties of being a mother, most likely a single one, who devoted to her life to taking care of her son. In Cross Hughes focused his attention on lack of understanding between parents and their children. The poems are comparable in their themes but the raised issued are addressed from opposing perspective. This paper presents contrast analysis on Mother to Son and Cross with the focus on three aspects: son-mother relationships, difficulties of life, and mutual understanding. While both poems address these issues, Hughes adapts absolutely different approaches for each poem.

The first theme to explore is presentation of son-mother relationships in poems Mother to Son and Cross. The title Mother to Son suggests that the poem is written from mother’s perspective. In the opening lines, Hughes writes,

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.

In these lines, the reader gets a clear picture of a woman, a mother whose life has been a real challenge. Evidently, the son of this woman is frustrated or dissatisfied with something while his mother is trying to explain him that life is not always easy and that she had to go through many challenges. She gives her son a recommendation not to turn back and not to give up. Mother to Son poem is an encouragement given by mother to her son who has encountered some difficulties in his life. Cross , on the other side, explores another facet of son-mother relationships. The Cross covers wider theme of parent-children relationships. For example, Hughes writes,

My old man’s a white old man And my old mother’s black

Evidently, the speaker (the son) struggles with his own racial identity because his parents belonged to different races: his father was white while his mother was black. The symbolic title of the poem, Cross , is probably the resemblance of Jesus Christ and the cross he had to carry. Similar to Jesus Christ, the speaker of the poem had to carry his own cross – quest for his own identity. Unlike Mother to Son, Cross is more philosophical and there is no frustration. Even though both poems deal with the theme of son-mother relationships, Cross has a deeper meaning because it explores the theme of identity within the family relationships.

The second theme is difficulties or challenges of life. As it was noted in the previous paragraph, Mother to Son poem covers the difficult life of a single mother who tried hard to provide her son with all necessities. It is important to add that the son is emotionally weaker than his mother due to his young age and lack of life experience. Hughes writes,

I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light.

Thus, despite of all difficulties, the woman did not give up; she remained optimistic and worked toward her goal. It was not easy as she had to climb on ‘reachin’ landin’s and turnin’ corners’. Woman’s persistence and hardworking gave her a chance to survive with her child. The child, however, is not willing to work equally hard and he is frustrated with his life. The poem Cross , on the contrary, explores absolutely different aspect of difficulties. The speaker did not encounter financial challenges, at least poor life is not the focus of the poem, but rather had to overcome the social stigma, the attitude of society as well as his own self-image of being a son of a black woman and a white man. Ironically, the speaker realizes being wrong only after the death of his parents. He cursed them because of his mixed race but he forgave them:

If ever I cursed my black old mother And wished she were in hell, I’m sorry for that evil wish

Even though by the end of the poem the speaker has not decided on his identity yet and his challenges are still present in his life, there is no anger in his soul anymore. Therefore, Cross presents the inner challenge of a young person who struggles to find his own identity but he cannot accept being neither black nor white. Mother to Son , on the other side, is devoted to everyday life of a single mother whose concerns are mostly related to providing for the needs of her child.

The third theme for contrast is mutual understanding. Mother to Son poem reveals that there is lack of understanding between the mother and her son. The son does not want to accept all hardships his mother had to overcome as a single parent. Probably, the son is a teenager because his mother asks his not to turn away from her. While there is lack of understanding from the son’s side, the mother appears to be loving and respecting. She tells her son that life is not easy and there are many challenges. She gives him an advice to work hard and look into the future rather than be obsessed with challenging. She notes that there are many challenges and yet hard work is the only way to overcome them. The Cross poem shows that there was lack of mutual understanding between the speaker and his parents in the past, when he was a teenager or a young adult, while the misunderstanding disappeared when the parents died and he realized that it was nobody’s fault. Unfortunately, understanding comes only after the death of the parents. Hughes suggests that the parents of the speaker separated because the old man died in a “fine big house” while the mother died “in a shack”. However, the speaker refers to both parents with equal respect and forgiveness. He understands that their lives were not easy as well because of racial prejudices. Nevertheless, the newly appeared understanding does not solve the inner dilemma of the speaker nor it gives him a chance to express his respect to his parents as both of them have died.

In conclusion, Hughes explored three related themes in the poems Cross and Mother to Son ; however, he has skillfully approached these themes from absolutely different perspectives. The theme of son-mother relationships is explored through the eyes of the mother in the poem Mother to Son but through the eyes of son in the poem Cross . The issue of life difficulties is more fully covered in the poem Mother to Son while the speaker in the poem Cross did not feel the support of his parents in his struggle with identity. Finally, the son does not appear to understand the challenging his mother had to overcome in the poem Mother to Son ; however, the speaker in the poem Cross has forgiven his parents even though the understanding came too late to change anything in his life.

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Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

Updated 18 October 2023

Subject Books , Writers

Downloads 48

Category Literature

Topic Langston Hughes

The Persona's Message of Hope and Determination

The speaker offers valuable advice to her son using carefully chosen words in which she admits that life has not been easy for her yet despite the numerous stumbling blocks along her path, she keeps moving on, always hoping for a better tomorrow. From the poet’s autobiography, it is possible that the events described in the poem reflect the poet’s actual life. The persona in Langston Hughes “Mother to Son” uses some poetic elements such as metaphors, negation, diction, repetition, direct address, colloquial language, symbolism, and dash to emphasize the theme of hope, determination and never giving up.

Effective Use of Metaphors

The speaker uses effective metaphors to drive home her point. McMillan Dictionary defines ‘crystal’ as ‘clear glass of very good quality.’ When the speaker uses the first metaphor to compare her life’s journey to the look of a crystal staircase, the rest follow in quick succession to give the poem its meaning as early as in the second line of “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes: “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (2).

Negation and Use of Painful Metaphors

A stair denotes a climbing motion. We usually climb up the stair though we may as well descend on it. A typical successful life usually involves climbing. Thus, the speaker is telling her son that his journey up will not be easy either. It will not be as clear and as transparent as crystal. In this particular line, the speaker uses negation to say what her life has not been. It has certainly not been a bed of roses. Soon after the negation, she reveals what her life has been: tacks, splinters, torn up boards. According to Cambridge Dictionary, a tack is ‘a short, sharp nail with a wide flat end’ while a splinter is ‘a small, sharp, piece of wood, glass, or similar material that has broken off a larger piece.’ A board is ‘a flat piece of hard material such as wood or plastic (Cambridge Dictionary, 2018). The speaker’s choice of words or metaphors is deliberate because all the three words speak of objects capable of inflicting sharp pain or being hazardous should they come into contact with the human body. A tack sticking into someone’s toe nail, for instance, can elicit a cry of pain from the affected person. Thus, these metaphors emphasize the hard life the speaker has led but has not given up yet.

Importance of Diction

Besides some of the words defined above, the speaker’s diction also has an essential bearing on the overall meaning of the poem. First is the word ‘bare' (7) that appears alone in Langston Hughes’ poem, "Mother to Son." And it comes soon after an em dash, indicative of a pause. Why would the speaker pause before continuing a conversation with one word? It is because the word ‘bare' completes the meaning of a troubled life. It comes after the skillful usage of anaphora and continues to emphasize the fact that life is not easy. Another word is ‘Well,' which is the first word of the poem. The usage of ‘well' here is to draw the son into a conversation which he needs to critically attend to because she has something fundamental to say. Finally, the words ‘son' and ‘honey' reveal how deep the mother's love is towards her son that she finds it very important to offer him crucial advice.

Repetition and Musicality

The persona makes good use of repetition to emphasize her determination to succeed against all odds. The line by Langstone Hughes in “Mother to Son,” “And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” (20) has been repeated for the son’s benefit to get the message that there will always be difficult situations in life so he should approach life with a sober mind. Her repetition also reveals her honesty because she tells her son the plain truth. Also, the word "And" has been repeated three times to introduce the three metaphors. This use of anaphora gives the poem not only its musicality but adds to the meaning of the poem in that sorrow upon sorrow seem to have been added on the mother’s predicament.

Importance of Direct Address

The use of direct address is necessary because it makes the poem sound natural- that a mother is speaking to her son. She uses the second person to address him in "Mother to Son" by Langstone Hughes, “Well, son, I’ll tell you… So boy, don’t you turn back” (1,14). The direct address is significant because it draws her son into a mother-to-son conversation, giving the advice intimacy. Thus, the advice of climbing on is likely to be taken more seriously since using the second person helps to draw in the concerned person. Also, “Don’t you set down on the steps” in Langston’s “Mother to Son” tells the son there is no room for turning back.

Use of Colloquial Language and Symbolism

The use of colloquial language such as ‘ain’t’ ‘reachin’ and ‘climbin’ aids in the overall understanding of the poem because they place the poem in its context. It is the language of the uneducated or people who live in the countrysides. The speaker is alluding to poverty when she mentions the lack of a carpet on the floor. It is possible she is advising her son to scale the heights where poverty is concerned. Symbolism has been used in the words ‘dark’ and ‘light.’ Darkness symbolizes misery, an obscure life. She is like a blind person groping in the dark. The speaker is unable to see where her life is headed. There has been no light in her life because there are no good memories, nothing significant in her life that has caused her to smile. Despite these dark moments, she has to keep walking.

Personal Reflection from Author's Biography

From Hughes autobiography, it is possible the events described in this poem reflect on his own life at some point. Hughes did not grow up in an ideal home because his mother and father separated shortly after he was born. His dad wanted to explore the world and get rich so moved to Mexico (Hughes 15). When Hughes, his mother, and grandmother joined him in Mexico, an earthquake occurred where the emergence of tarantulas scared his mother into returning to the States (Hughes 16). Sometime he would live with his mother who struggled to look for jobs (Hughes 14). Then there are times he lived with his proud grandmother of Indian descent who would rather die than be caught begging (Hughes 17). Hughes, therefore, lived a life of deprivation where sometimes all they had to eat were wild dandelions and salted pork (Hughes 17). His grandmother sometimes had to rent out her house to pay her mortgage which she never cleared at the point of death such that the home was repossessed (Hughes 16). It is possible the person giving Hughes this advice is his grandmother, “Something about my grandmother’s stories… taught me the uselessness of crying about anything” (Hughes, pp. 17). His grandmother may not have had much, but she left him with countless stories that imparted wisdom in him and which had an element of hope, determination, striving, and fighting for something. All of his grandmother's stories always moved towards a heroic end (Hughes 17).

The speaker in Hughes’ poem offers profound advice that not only applies to her son but to all in the world who would care to listen. She is a mother who has experienced a lot of trouble in her life but has never given up so who is her son to give up? Through the use of poetic devices such as metaphors, negation, repetition, direct address, colloquial language, symbolism, dash, and tone, the speaker succeeds in sharing the message in the poem which is hope, determination and the spirit to keep on fighting. What the reader carries home is a hopeful, determined tone.

Works Cited

Cambridge Dictionary. “Board.” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/board. Accessed 13 December 2018.

Cambridge Dictionary. “Splinter.” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/splinter. Accessed 13 December 2018.

Cambridge Dictionary. “Tack.” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/tack. Accessed 13 December 2018.

Hughes Langston. “Mother to Son." Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47559/mother-to-son. Accessed 13 December 2018.

Hughes, Langston. The Big Sea: An Autobiography. New York, Hill and Wang, 1940.

McMillan Dictionary. “Crystal.” https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/crystal. Accessed 13 December 2018.

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Mother to Son Summary & Analysis by Langston Hughes

The Full Text of “Mother to Son”

“Mother to Son” Summary

Racism and Perseverance

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Mother to Son”

Lines 14-16

Lines 17-20

“Mother to Son” Symbols

“Mother to Son” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

Alliteration

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Mother to Son”

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A Short Analysis of Langston Hughes’ ‘Mother to Son’

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Introduction

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Summary

Themes in Mother to Son

Perseverance and courage

Despair and hope

Mother as a role model for the child

Mother to Son Poem Analysis

Lines 14-20

Setting of the poem

Point of view

Structural Analysis of the poem

Literary Devices used in the Poem

End-Stopped Line

Stressed and unstressed syllables (Trochee)

Crystal Stair

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“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes Analysis – A Closer Look

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Analysis

Summary of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

Biography of Langston Hughes

A Note on Language in Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

In-Depth Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Analysis

Section One

Section Two

Section Three

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Themes

The Influence of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

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What Was the Harlem Renaissance?

What Are the Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Themes?

What Was the Influence of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes?

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