By Hasna sherin
Author:
Langston Hughes, a famous American poet and columnist, wrote the poem “Mother to son”. He is a famous dramatic monologue. The poem was published in the magazine Crisis in 1922.
About the poem:
The poem is about a mother giving advice to her son about the challenges of life. It also illustrates how sometimes life becomes too heavy, but a person should never give up.
Summary :
The poem is in the form of a conversation between a mother and her son. As the poem begins, the mother tells her son that life has not been a crystal stair. She adds that the life has had tacks and splinters and torn boards on it. She says that there have been places without carpet in the life. She says that although the stair is bare, she still climbs on. She reaches landings, turns corners, and perseveres in the dark. When there is no light. She orders her son not to turn back. She tells him that he should not go back down the stairs even if he finds the climb very hard.
The speaker says that the son should try not to fall because his mother is still climbing although her life has not been crystal stair.
Critical Analysis :
Mother to son is a free verse poem that is written in vernacular.The poem mimics the patterns of speech and diction of conversation.The mother begins to speak by telling her son how difficult her life has been. She says that her life has not been a crystal stair.
The language of the poem is Afro American Dialect. The poet uses several symbols such as tacks, splinters, floor without carpet, and dark, until corners, to describe her troubles. For all that, the mother exhorts her son not to turn back, because the mother is still on the movie.
The mother keeps on telling her son to keep his faith and keep moving through the struggles…
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