describe the life of the mother. The mother compares her life to a “crystal stair” saying that, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (2). This gives the readers an impression that she has not been as fortunate as the people who climb the “crystal stair” and that she has had to work for it. When you picture a “crystal stair,” you think of something that is valuable, expensive and luxurious; therefore, someone who climbs a “crystal stair” would be someone who has great wealth, and has lived a luxurious
The mother in the poem represents the many generations of African Americans for whom opportunity was scarce for, have endured pain, who's had a troubled past and was given every reason to give up. Life for Africans “ain’t been no crystal stair” since the beginning of time. Since Slavery to present time they have just been pushing through in hope of upward mobility. Langston Hughes successfully acknowledges the mindset of those who have been through hardships and have found it easier
advice given in the stanza is explicit and poignant: Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards all torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor - Bare (line 1-7). The metaphor in this poem conjoins life, and a staircase, "Well, son, I'll tell you:/ life for me ain't been no crystal stair." The mother says to her son, that life is not an easy journey that can be stroll through.. Instead, in this passage
life will not be what he is going to expect. Mother states thus, “Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” The symbol of a crystal stair corresponds with an illusion that life is an easy journey. The regular description of a crystal stair would be seen as smooth, flawless, and attracting. The author use of a crystal stair is almost a foil to the mother’s stair. Further into the composition, the mother bare explains this: “It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn
mother who reminds her son of her failures and how her failures have not stopped her- but instead helped her to continue striving. The mother continues by telling him about how her life has been difficult, telling him “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” however she explains that those obstacles are not only bearable, but are also worth struggling against. Langston Hughes uses elements such as; dramatic monologue, diction, and imagery to portray the life of a woman who overcame adversity. The
lover that she or he is as beautiful as a flower and use your actions with passion such a the poem Flower of Love showed. The poem Mother to Son is about a mother trying to teach her son perseverance to life, this is demonstrated by her comparing stairs to life
In the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes The main extended metaphor is “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”. The metaphor creates an analogy between life and a crystal stair. The crystal part of the stair represents a person living a lavish life with absolutely no worries, hard work and conflict. The mother is saying her life wasn’t this and it will never be this. The following lines to this poem are: “It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up,”. The imperfections in the
Scary Story “Hey, what do you guys want to do. I’m so bored,” exclaimed Crystal. Crystal, Robbie, and Angela thought for a moment. “Movie?” asked Angela. “ No money,” Robbie said. They all thought, wondering what they could do. “ I know it, let’s go to that abandon house in the woods,” suggested Angela. Angela is a very bad influence. She sneaks out everyday and is in and out of jail. She has long blond hair, it looks almost white. She has brown eyes that glow. “I’m ok with that
the tough difficulties and challenges. The mother compares her life to a set of old stairs using the metaphor,” Life for me ain’t been no crystal
uses powerful symbolism, diction, and form to show how someone coming from nothing can still come out on top. Throughout the poem the author references a beat up staircase which represents life and and its hardships. “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” symbolizes how she wasn’t
that, despite the successes of the Civil War, the African-American community must overcome more struggles to achieve full racial equality through perseverance, not through waiting for a divine act to create freedom. In the poem, imagery of a “crystal stair” contradicts the biblical story of Jacob’s ladder (“Langston Hughes” 3). In Genesis, Jacob sees a ladder that connects heaven and Earth. From the ladder, God tells Jacob that “the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants… and
Starting off, the author uses many different analogies to express the challenges/ problems one has to deal with, which adds a different way of reading this, giving the reader a visual picture. For example, the author says, “Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, and splinters”(Hughes lines 2-4). The
In one of his earliest poems, Mother to Son, Langston Hughes tells his readers that one must have courage and determination to overcome the hurdles of life. This poem is most well known for its dramatic usage of monologue and symbolism of “crystal stairs.” However, the poem also uses other literary devices such as metaphors, repetition, and dialect to create a certain characteristic, impression, and image. Of all the different techniques and literary devices manipulated by Langston Hughes, I would
order to emotionally draw in the reader. Hughes uses figurative language like a metaphor in order to compare the two stairs. The author compares the two sets of stairs to the two types of lives people live: the easy and the difficult life. Hughes describes the easy life as a “crystal stair”, because the reader can imagine this stair being shiny, smooth, and clear. By the stairs being translucent, the author wants to show that the easy life has been planned and their life has a direction towards
For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’.” What Hughes expresses in these lines is that just because the stairs become hard to climb at times do not quit. One of Hughes’ most important elements is symbols in his poem “Mother to Son.” She still struggles forward, no matter what may have been the bleakest moments of her life, where there seemed to be no hope. When climbing the stairs she is “reachin’ landin’s, / and turnin’ corners, / and sometimes goin’ in the dark”. Even though these are “home
should walk back down the stairs or stay on the same step, “so boy, don’t you turn back. / don’t you set down on the steps” (Hughes). The mother explains how it is so much harder to give up on a dream than it is to fight for a dream, “don’t you set down on the steps/ cause you find it’s kinder hard” (Hughes). The mother is still fighting even though it has not been easy for her, “for I’se still goin’, honey, / I’se still climin,’/ and life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (Hughes). The mother in
understand how hard it is to overcome adversity facing one’s life without giving up in search of greatness. Success can push one to great heights and to climb to the top. In the poem “Mother to Son,” the mother faces adversity to climb up the crystal stairs, “And splinters, All my life I was picked on for how I looked and I could not make any friends. I tried and tried to make friends, but it was pointless nobody wanted to be friends with me. One day I just wanted to give up I told myself why am
more importance, in “Mother to Son” Hughes writes: “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” (2) By the speaker saying her life has been nothing like a crystal stair, the reader can infer that life was not all fun and games. Life has been a long hard walk for her and she wants her son to understand that he will not have it easy and he must keep a high head. Hughes relating the stair the mother went along to a crystal stair, is relating the struggles of African Americans to a White Americans life, the
continuing to climb higher and higher. With perseverance comes the reward of having overcome the obstacles in one’s life. This aspect of the poem is displayed when the symbol of the stairs is presented. Towards the beginning of the poem, the mother states, “Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.”(2). Crystal stairs, in this poem, symbolizes a smooth, easy going life. The mother’s life reflects just the opposite. The tacks, splinters, torn up boards, and bare floors mentioned prior have taken their
triumph over the struggles and continue to press forward. She relates life’s rigorous journey to climbing a staircase. The mother explains how her life has not been easy, or in other words, “a staircase made of crystal” The life of the mother has been an endless struggle described as stairs with protuberant nails and fragments of wood sticking out, boards ripped up and spaces where carpet was omitted. Though she described her life as an almost unclimbable staircase, she kept moving onward. She wants