Langston Hughes’ Mother to son
TASK 1: Read the following poem, Mother to Son by Langston Hughes, first published in 1922. Mother to Son
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 torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floorBare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light.
So, boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps. ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall nowFor I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
SYNOPSIS
a. The poem is about an African American mother advising her
son about the challenges of life through a monologue. b. She informs that life has never been easy for her as she faced a lot of obstacles in her life. Nevertheless, she continues to move ahead. c. She further says that life will not always be a smooth ride but in spite of all the difficulties and sufferings, one must learn to move forward through strength and courage.
SETTING
a. The poem was written in the early 20th century when African
Americans were under oppression and racial injustice. b. The poem has no specific setting but the tone of the poem
suggests a casual place.
THEMES
a. Hardships, hope, and courage are a few of the major themes
of the poem. b. The theme of struggle which seems to be passed down from
one generation to another is evident in the poem. c. In addition, the poem also deals with the theme of overcoming
obstacles and having determination to persevere.
MORAL VALUES
a. One should face tests and challenges by overcoming them with
courage and determination. b. One should never just settle, but always move forward.
LANGUAGE AND STYLE
a. The narrator is a mother who advises her son in a first person
narrative which carries a personal tone. b. The poem is free verse as it does not contain any specific
patterns of rhyme or metre. c. It is written in a vernacular style (mimics everyday language in writing and speaking). Hughes probably used this style to make a strong connection with his readers. d. This poem is rich in imagery, figurative language, and sound
devices to express the narrator’s experiences. e. Hughes has used an extended metaphor (which continues through the lines of the poem) to compare the mother’s life to a staircase throughout the poem. The metaphor in the line “life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” shows the stairs represent life. They also denote that the mother has endured many hardships.
f. Tactile imagery is used to describe the stairs with words like ‘tacks’ and ‘splinters’. This suggests that the mother does not have status, respect and money. The use of ‘board’ on the other hand implies the emptiness and loneliness she feels. g. The poem also contains symbolism where the challenges of life are represented with symbols like tacks, splinters, uncarpeted floor, and the dark, unlit corners. TASK 2: Answer the following questions based on your understanding of the poem.
1. What __________________________________________________ do you think the mother is doing to her son? 2. What does the metaphor “crystal stair” in line 2 refer to? __________________________________________________ 3. What mean? do you think lines “Life for me … to … boards torn up” __________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 4. The word splinters means _____________________________. 5. What is the symbolism in the phrase “turnin corners”? __________________________________________________ 6. What kind of feeling does the poem invoke in lines “And sometimes goin’ … to … been no light”? ___________________________________________________ 7. What words does Hughes use to convey a sense of hope? __________________________________________________ 8. What is the message of the poem? __________________________________________________
TASK 3: Match the phrases in Column A to the correct descriptions in Column B. TASK 4: Read and understand the following passage.
James Langston Hughes [1902-1967] was born in Joplin, Missouri, USA. He was the great-great-grandson of Charles Henry Langston (brother of John Mercer Langston, the first Black American to be elected to public office). He was a well-known powerful African American writer of the Harlem Renaissance. This artistic movement brought about an explosion of African American art, music, and literature in the 1920s and 30s.
Like most art produced as part of the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes’s poems speak about the experience of black people. He sought to honestly portray the joys and hardships of workingclass black lives in America. Through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and children’s books, he promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice. It must be noted that Hughes was never a racist as he always sought to speak to all Americans, especially on the larger issues of social, economic, and political justice. His works also celebrated African American culture, humour, and spirituality.
Hughes’s creative genius was influenced by his life in New York City’s Harlem, a primarily African American neighbourhood. His literary works helped shape American literature and politics. To a larger extent, his poem “Mother to Son” depicts the financial struggles facing many black families in the early 1900s. The poem’s message still resonates today though it was written nearly 100 years ago.
TASK 5: Answer the following question based on the information given.
1. Who was John Mercer Langston? ___________________________________________________ 2. What was the Harlem Renaissance? ___________________________________________________ 3. Besides poems, Hughes also wrote _______________, _____________, ________________ and ________________. 4. Why wasn’t Hughes considered a rascist? ___________________________________________________ 5. What was the main influence of Hughes’ creative genius? ___________________________________________________
TASK 6: Complete the graphic organiser with information from the text.