How Does Langston Hughes Use Literary Devices In Mother To Son

In the poem “Mother to Son” written by Langston Hughes, a mother who has faced many hardships urges her son to continue to strive and overcome obstacles. The mother uses a stairway as a metaphor for the life she, as well as many others, must climb. The poem utilizes various literary devices to convey that although life can be painful and inconvenient, it is possible to get through life as long as one continues to put forth effort in the face of adversity. First, the mother shares her experiences with her son to reveal that she has had a difficult life. She begins by saying, “Well, son, I’ll tell you” (1). She uses an intimate register when referring to her son, establishing how her intentions are kind and motherly, and that her words should

After telling her son how hard her life has been and how she is still okay despite her hardships, she encourages him to continue with his life just as she has. She uses an imperative syntax when using the repetition of “[d]on’t you” (14,15,17) to convey how she is not only encouraging him to strive, but she is also commanding him to. Her tone of voice is not of someone who has become jaded in her years, but of someone who is an extremely strong leader because of her obstacles. By saying “you,” she conveys a feeling of empowerment as if her command is directed to the reader. Furthermore, the use of her diction when she says don’t “turn back” (14), “set down on the steps” (15), or “fall” (17) reveals different types of failures. When a people decide to “turn back” it shows hesitation and reveals how they were wrong, while to “set down” means to remain stagnant and to not improve, finally, to “fall” is to simply give up completely. The mother contrasts all these negatives with a more positive note by setting herself up as a role model when she says “Don’t you fall now—/For I’se still goin’” (17-18) showing her son, as well as the readers, that it is possible to make it through a hard life just like