To compare and contrast two poems, you must understand each individual poem. The first poem, Still I Rise, was written by Maya Angelou in 1978. The poem is positive and is about the perseverance despite what others say. The poem appears to be spoken to someone, presumably a critic of the author (or the author’s character in the poem) and contains many similes, such as “But still, like dust, I’ll rise. It also has a metaphor in the 8th verse, in which the poem says “I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide”. Since the ocean often represents power or freedom, we can safely assume that the speaker means that they have overcome a fear or challenge and is now free and unrestrained from restrictions and feels powerful. The second poem, Mother to Son, was written by Langston Hughes in 1922 during the Harlem Renaissance. The poem has many metaphors, referring to life as a staircase, and is also being spoken to someone. While the poem has a negative/neutral tone, the message is positive and is about staying determined even when life is hard. These poems are significantly different from each other in tone, voice, and mood. …show more content…
At glance, the only similarities you could find are that they both have a theme of determination, and that they are both written by African-American authors. However, they are also both spoken by females. This is more evident in Mother to Son, as the speaker is a mother, but in Still I Rise, the voice certainly sounds female, but this in part to the fact that a woman wrote the poem, (perhaps, if we did not know the identity of the author, we may have thought differently). Both poems use descriptive language as well. In Mother to Son, the poem describes an old, rickety staircase with dark spots and tacks and carpet less floors, while in Still I Rise, you can visualize a confident, headstrong person, and also visualize some of the metaphors as well, such as a vast, powerful, endless
He focuses on that in both poems. Strength is an important aspect in anyone’s life, because without strength one cannot succeed in life. Since the dawn of time African-Americans have been blazing through pain to survive. Strength is extremely noticeable in Mother to Son. The whole poem is based on her strength and courage to endure all her trials and tribulations with grace.
His poems established him as a well known poet in Harlem. In two of his poems one titled “Mother to Son” and the other “Harlem” both have some comparison and contrast between the two. The poem “Mother to Son” is more of a free lyric flowing poem. In this poem Langston Hughes gets the message across in a powerful attack. The poem is narrated from a mother’s viewpoint and the wisdom she gives her son as read in the following lines:
Both poems are set in the past, and both fathers are manual labourers, which the poets admired as a child. Both poems indicate intense change in their fathers lives, that affected the poet in a drastic way. Role reversal between father and son is evident, and a change of emotion is present. These are some of the re-occurring themes in both poems. Both poems in effect deal with the loss of a loved one; whether it be physically or mentally.
Another apparent theme in Still I Rise is persistence. For example in lines three and four it says, “You may trod me in the very dirt/ But still, like dust, I’ll rise” (Angelou, 3-4) Angelou like all of us has dealt with her fair share of struggles in life but what makes her so influential and inspiring to so many is her persistence. No matter what obstacles she had to overcome in her life, she sends a message to us all to never give up, and to always keep rising.
Imagine you were the rose trying to grow in concrete; would you have made it out or die trying or maybe you just gave up. So think about it, what would you have really done? The poem “The Rose that Grew from Concrete” is about a rose that grew in concrete a metaphor that shows that you have to get past your problems to succeed. And the poem “Mother to Son” is about a mother explaining how hard life is a metaphor. Both poems share the theme of You have to rise above the obstacles, but the way the authors developed the theme was similar and different.
An example of a similarity between the two poems is the optimism and liberal expression of rising against their oppressors. In Angelou’s poem, she says, “You may shoot me with your words… but still, like air, I’ll rise” (Angelou). In Hughes’s poem, he says, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me, ‘Eat in the kitchen,’ then”
The history of African American discrimination is a despicable part of the United States’ past. Inequality among Black Americans prompts these individuals to overcome the hardships. This endurance is valued by African Americans and people all around the world. However, the ability to strive and maintain positivity in a difficult or prejudiced situation proves to be tremendously challenging. When people give up in tough times, they deny their opportunity to succeed and grow stronger. This paper examines the techniques that manifest the struggles of racism and the importance of conquering obstacles in the following poems: Dream Deferred, I, Too and Mother to Son.
When considering the structure of the poems, they are similar in that they are both written loosely in iambic pentameter. Also, they both have a notable structured rhyme scheme.
..., they are somewhat similar in comparison because they both have an inevitable ending, death. Both of the poems also used rhythm to give the reader a better insight and experience. The use of rhythm helps to set the tone right away. The use of symbolism and tone helped to convey an overall theme with both of the poems.
The comparison between two poems are best analyzed through the form and meaning of the pieces. “Mother to Son” and “Harlem (A Dream Deferred)” both written by the profound poet Langston Hughes, depicts many similarities and differences between the poems. Between these two poems the reader can identify his flow of writing through analyzing the form and meaning of each line.
... different authors from two different ways of life could write poems in different styles about the same topics. Hughes with his blues infused poems and Cullen's with his "Negro spirit and Christian upbringing" (Ferguson), both of these men inspired hundreds of people and their work can still make an impact on those that read it. It sure did for me. I recommend these poems to anyone, and I hope that everyone can enjoy and appreciate them as much as I have.
In “Mother to Son,” Hughes uses a worn staircase as an extended metaphor to parallel its flaws to the struggles of African Americans. The poem begins with a mother speaking to her son about the pressures of reality and telling him not to succumb. She tells her son, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” (Mother to Son “MS” line 2) to portray that her life is far from perfect like the stair of a white person. She describes her life as having “tacks and splinters….with boards torn up” (Hughes lines 3-5). These defects symbolize the problems in her life whether they were caused by her race or gender.
Still I Rise, written by Maya Angelou, was an inspiring poem about overcoming hardships and always looking forward to the future. The poem was centralized
The poems written by Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman have numerous differences, For example, the Dickinson’s poems are simple and short while Whitman’s poems are complex and long. Though there are similarities between the writers: one of which is, that both Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman are considered today by many to be the founders of modern American poetry. There are other points that we can compare and contrast, so lets get started.
Death is important to both poems because it expresses each character’s reaction and the importance of accepting death. If you don’t you’ll be grieving and angry for a long time. Both poems tie in with each other due to this, but are different because the characters reacted differently.