Comparative Analysis: Poem and Song for Sons

Although the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes and the song “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas are different in some ways, such as, the narrator's gender, but they’re similar in many ways. They’re similar in theme, their intended audience (son), and the way the creator use imagery to paint a picture.

Kansas’ “Carry on Wayward Son” is told by a male. In the song he says, “ … I was a blind man… I was a madman.” This shows the narrator is a male. This is important because it shows the difference in gender compared to the narrator in “Mother to Son.” This proves the narrator of “Carry on Wayward Son” is a male.

The theme of “Carry on Wayward Son” is keep going never give up, you can rest when it’s over. This is shown in the chorus of

In one it’s you can reach your dreams if you try and in the other it’s keep going never give up, but both mean the same thing. In “Mother to Son” it shown by the repetition of line nine in different variations. In “Carry on Wayward Son” it is shown through the chorus of the song. This demonstrates that the theme in “Carry on Wayward Son” and “Mother to Son” plays a vital role in both pieces overall performance.

“Carry on Wayward Son” and “Mother to Son” are written like the parent is speaking directly to their son. This is established in the chorus as well as the title of the song in “Carry on Wayward Son,” and through the title and and first line of “Mother to Son.” This is meaningful because both pieces share this information in the same way. This shows that both the poem and the song are about a parental figure talking to their son.

In “Mother to Son” Langston Hughes used imagery to show the mother’s hardships in life and how she went through the obstacles and in “Carry on Wayward Son” Kansas used imagery to show father’s hardships and how he kept moving forward through them. This is shown in the lines two through five of “Mother to Son” and the sixth ‘stanza’ of “Carry on Wayward Son.” This is essential because it gives the readers an images of what’s happening to the narrators in both pieces. This establishes what the mother and father are trying to pass on to their