Question

50 points

Prompt: In the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes, literary elements and word choice are used to
create the TONE. What is the overriding TONE of the poem, and what words are used to create this
tone? Use at LEAST two specific examples from the poem that convey tone. Then, explain the
PURPOSE of that tone. In other words, WHY is that tone fitting for the PURPOSE the speaker had in
mind? Be sure to write a FULL paragraph by following the R.A.C.E. method of organization (see below
and the lessons in the OHS).

this is the poemWell, 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 floor—
Bare.
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 now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Answer 1

The poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes is about the hardships that come in life and how we need to overcome those difficulties. These values of life are articulated by the mother to her son. The use of metaphors, imagery, and dialect add to the theme of the poem. The mother asks her son to be persistent and a hard worker even when life gives troubles to him. In the first line of the poem, the mother calls her life to be a 'crystal stair.' here metaphor is used to compare the journey of the mother's life with that of a stair which is full of barriers and hurdles. She has attained success after passing through such stairs. The poet has used the words which are commonly used by the native speakers to enhance a clear understanding to the readers. Since the mother is from a working class, her sentences are made up of the dialect of the region. The poet has used many imagery in the poem. The image of a 'crystal stair,' tacks and splinters, etc make the poem visual to the readers. The use of these figurative language enables the readers to visualize the hardships that the mother has gone through in her life. The use of repetition in the poem lays a continuous stress on the mother's struggle in her life which she wants to convey to her son.