1. Comprehension Questions
1.
Who is the speaker in the poem? (Mother)
2.
Whom does she address? (Son)
3.
What is life compared to? (Stair case)
4.
What is the figure of speech used in the line " life for me ain't been no
crystal stair? (Metaphor)
5.
What does crystal stair suggest? (Smooth and easy life)
6.
What do "tacks,splinters, and boards torn up" suggest? (Difficulties
in life)
7.
What does" places with no carpet" refer to?
Life
without luxuries.
8.
What does “bare” suggest? (Poverty in life)
9.
What does "reaching landing" suggest? (Achievements in life)
10.
What does "turning corners" suggest?
Unexpected
turning points in life.
11.
What does "going in the dark" suggest ?
Hopeless
and dark times in life.
13.
What is the message given to the son?
Don't
set down on the steps.
14.
What is the message of the poem? What does " Don't set down on the
step" imply?
Don't
give up climbing up the stair case of life.
15.
Phrase which means "has not" (Ain't)
16.
Why Afro American dialect is used in the poem ?
To
show the illiteracy of the mother
17.
What does the mother tell her son?
Don't
stop the journey of life though it is full of difficulties.
18.
What example does the mother give to her son to persuade him?
Mother
shows her own life as an example.
19.
Pick out the lines that show the mother could continue her journey overcoming
the hurdles in life?
For
I, still going
I still climbing.
2. ANALYSIS OF THE POEM‘MOTHER TO SON’ BY LANGSTON HUGHES
Background:
Langston Hughes is an African American
poet who is also well known for his work in fiction, plays, essays and
biographies. This poem was written in the early 20th century when the African
Americans faced some serious oppression and racism issues. The poem is a
conversation between a mother and a son. It is a monologue by the mother where
she tells her son that life has never been easy for her. She says she has faced
a lot of troubles in the journey of her life but continues to move ahead.
Despite all the challenges that came her way, she never turned away and chose
not to give up. The mother tells her son that life will not always be a smooth
ride but in spite of all the hardships and miseries, one must learn to move
forward. She encourages her son to face life’s challenges head-on and tries to
inculcate strength and courage in him.
Structure:
The poem is a monologue by a mother. It
has been written in free verse and has no rhymes or rhythmic pattern. The poet
uses imagery as he refers to the journey of life as climbing a staircase and
says that it has never been a beautiful crystal stair. It is indicative of the
kind of poor and miserable lives the African Americans had in the early 20th
century.The poet has also used metaphor. He uses symbols like tacks, splinters,
no carpet on the floor and darkness to describe the difficulties that one faces
in life. The staircase is also a metaphor for the struggles people face in their
upward journey of life. The upward journey refers to the journey to heaven or
to a better place where one is free of all the pain and suffering.
Analysis:
“Well, son, I’ll tell
you:
Life for me ain’t been
no crystal stair.”
The poem opens with the mother speaking
to her son or like she is answering a question that he might have asked. She
explains to the son that life has never been easy for her. Here ‘crystal stair’
symbolizes smoothness or beauty. The mother says her life has not been a smooth
ride.
“It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no
carpet on the floor—
Bare.”
The words and phrases used in this
stanza, like ‘tacks’, ‘splinters’, ‘boards torn up’ and ‘no carpet on the
floor’ represent the difficulties and struggles that one has to face in life.
Tacks are nails and splinters are small, sharp pieces that have broken off from
wood or glass and can cause difficulty or hindrance for one’s movement. The
mother says she has faced a lot of troubles in her life as one may face these
troubles when climbing up a staircase. This stanza also indicates the kind of
poor houses and miserable lives the African American had in the early 20th
century. ‘Bare’ may also refer to the poor living conditions and lack of
necessities.
“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.”
In this stanza the mother tells her son that despite all the
difficulties, she has been climbing up the metaphorical staircase of life. Here
‘turnin’ corners’ and ‘going in the dark’ represents the fear and doubts that
one has during times of uncertainty. There will be moments of indecisiveness
and confusion but one must continue to move forward and not give up hope.
“So, boy, don’t you
turn back.
Don’t you set down on
the steps.
‘Cause you finds it’s
kinder hard.”
The mother urges her son not to turn back and continue facing the
challenges in life. She tells him not to be disappointed when he faces difficulties
and not to settle down with it. He must rather face them and keep pushing
forward. The mother tells him that the adversities that come his way should not
dampen his spirit and he must continue to strive for a better life.
“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 mother tells her son that despite all the difficulties he
faces in life he should not feel disappointed or lose hope. Falling off the
staircase may also indicate being misled. The mother advises her son to not be
misled and choose the wrong path during difficulties. The mother sets her own
example by saying that she is still walking on that path and climbing that
metaphorical staircase of life. She has not given up and continues to strive
for a better life, free of all suffering and miseries. Here, the second line of
the poem has been repeated where the mother says that life has not been a
smooth and easy journey for her.
Summary:
The poem is a monologue by a mother where she is speaking to her
son. The mother tells her son that life has never been easy or free of
difficulties. It has never been a smooth ride. She compares the journey of life
to the upward climb on a staircase and says it has not been smooth like
crystal. She talks about the various difficulties that one has to face in life
like the broken parts and uncarpeted floors that make climbing a staircase
difficult. Despite all the challenges the mother kept moving forward and also
faced times of confusion and uncertainty. She tells the boy to do the same and
have the courage to move forward without ever turning back. The mother also
tells her son to not be misled or lose hope. She inspires her son by saying
that she has always strived for a better life and even he must continue to do
so.
Theme:
The poem has been written in the early 20th century when the
African Americans were under oppression and racial injustice. In the poem, the
mother teaches her son about strength and courage. She tells him that one must
possess the courage to move forward in life in spite of all the difficulties
that might come his way. So, the main theme of the poem is that of
perseverance. The poet passes the message that one must persevere to make his
life better and not be discouraged by the adversities that one may have to
face.
