Can someone read over this and see if i made any mistakes, or if anything should be corrected. it's supposed to be a literary analysis of the poem "mother to son" !



“mother to son”

the speaker of the poem in “mother to son” by langston hughes is a mother giving advice to her son. it is a poem about hardship, struggle, and hope. the writing begins with “well, son, i’ll tell you: life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” this sets the tone, or mood, of this poem, in that you know that life hasn’t been a walk in the park for the mother and she lets her son know that. hughes then goes on to develop the metaphor of a staircase further with “it’s had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor— bare.” her metaphorical "staircase" has made for difficult climbing, which means life is hard for her.

the poem can be seen as a demonstration of a mother’s love for her children, or in this case her son, as she is having this conversation about how tough life is. the poem continues with “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.” and with this, we can see that based on the language used, it is assumed that the mother hasn’t had very much education and is most likely poor. she tells her son that no matter what, even with her staircase having splinters and boards torn up or missing carpet, she still continues on. the mother mentions that she’s reached landings and corners, even walking the staircase in the dark, this very much represents how life is tough and you don’t know what to expect, but you keep walking and trudging up those steps.

the mother gives her son a piece of advice in this last tidbit, “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.” this is perhaps the most crucial point in the poem. the mother is telling her son that no matter what life throws at you, you must not stop for anything, you must continue walking. she conveys hope and determination with “so boy, don’t you turn back. don’t you set down on the steps ’cause you finds it’s kinder hard.” a simpler way of saying this would just be don’t give up. she motivates him to never feel dejected due to any failures in life. she encourages him to move on just like she did, despite all difficulties.

as i conclude with the poem, i can find that all throughout the poem it is a message to never give up, always have hope, and be determined because life won’t come easy. it is very good advice that anyone could follow and should follow.