A pillar of guidance, a beacon of light, a figure eliciting strength and love who shapes their children into adults as they mature to one day venture into the real world - a mother. Every mother hopes to see their kid prevail throughout everyday life. This hope has prompted parents, especially mothers, to invest their life’s worth into their child’s future, all the while urging their kids to emulate their example. In Langston Hughes’ poem ‘Mother to Son’, the poet signifies the adoration and worry of a mother to her child. She accuses herself of the obligation to grant insight into her kid by alluding to her own triumphs and disappointments throughout everyday life. She portrays life as a stairway that should be moved totally. Langston consolidates metaphorical language, imagery, and diction in his expressive work. Through graphical portrayals, he states that life is a struggle with its hindrances and that these must be dealt with in order to stride forward without any end of failure until the goal has been accomplished.
Langston Hughes metaphorically illustrates a solid-willed mother conversing with her child in the sonnet and relates a perfect lady offering her child expressions of guidance in regard to life and its difficulties that need to be survived. Hughes opens up the poem by informing her son that “Life ain’t been no crystal stair”, implying the ‘stair-way’ life she has gone to live (lines 1-2). This rich utilization of metaphor calls attention to useful tidbits from a lady illuminating her kid on life’s unsystematic experiences. Be that as it may, life is rather hard and vague. Notwithstanding, we generally need to take off for more prominent statures throughout everyday life. The mother further teaches her child that there will be “places with no carpet on the floor” that will have an abundance of splinters lying everywhere as the treacherous path to happiness does not come without the pain and struggles faced within it (lines 3-6). Langston continues to apply features of difficulties that this mother had gone through. These are places and experiences the mother anticipates that her child should stop by to learn from his mistakes and know better for life choices ahead. Lastly, she ingrains the will to prevail when she states to her son “Don’t you fall now” as words of empowerment he must continue to carry within his life for future generations to come (lines 14-17).
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The poet uses casual language in conveying imagery to support the mother’s history of experience living in a society of discrimination and injustice for all citizens. The depiction of life having “tacks in it” resounds with the incisive, uneasiness of snags within society today (line 3). In addition, splinters delineate the provocative agony and challenges of getting rid of torment in one’s living. The trademark similitude of life that is under examination appears and symbolizes the hard undertaking in arriving at one’s top throughout everyday life. Then again, the precious stone gazes give clearness and flawlessness about existence, which the mother plainly shows that she has not been given. What’s more, the reverberation of the echoes of the mother’s words to her son paints an image of a loving parent guiding her child, knowing one day she won’t always be there for him. Hughes repeatedly portrays how the mother’s life “ain’t been no crystal stair” for the reason that he is applying assurance to a fatigued soul by basing his establishment of a stairway that requires a little more than just climbing (line 20). He serves the crowd with an exquisite scene of a given parent addressing her kid. Even though the lady is devastated by her knowledge and unfortunate circumstance of not finishing school, she opposes that as an impediment to bestowing great quality and commitment to her child.
Hughes conveys his message to the general society through his utilization of diction to demonstrate the mother’s useful tidbits. In addition, the mother emblematically depicts the hardships of life that she has survived as she clutched onto her dream through her words: “For I’se still goin’, honey/ I’se climbin’” (lines 18-19). Her statement gives life its unique characteristics, like that of a staircase. She relates existence with the moving of the stairs, which must be accomplished through difficult work. Moreover, the mood of the poem does carry little to no rhyme. Nonetheless, it is rich with a beat all through the lines that the lady portrays tenable signs of a parent as she continues to spend as much time as possible with her son so that he may grasp all that knowledge she has gained within her journey through life. One discovers an improved and striking alert for the child to proceed when he is ordered, “Don’t you set down on the steps” from his mother. She urges her son to not look back down and keep his head held high to where he will one day be at the top of those stairs. Such words ignite the flames of passion for the youth to challenge themselves and embark on new tasks and adventures as they blossom and mature into adults who will one day succeed their parents. The mother then clarifies that the reason her son must forge forward is “’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard” as life progresses. The premise of this announcement is to give real factors of challenges in life to a child and provide inspiration to do what their heart desires if they believe, and know, that they can do so. The mother utilizes her own understanding to give her child that despite the troubles and difficulties of life, the hardships sustained which felt like an eternity forged with mental fortitude and assurance will prompt achievement and meaning for the struggles faced along the way.
All in all, through his moving poem ‘Mother to Son’, Hughes engages the child with important useful knowledge of the world go round and what the mindset must be for those on the downside of society so that they are prepared to overcome what ‘the man’ has to throw at them. Lastly, through figurative language and devices, the poet endeavors to unite the image of a mother affectionately, admirably guiding her son into living the best life he can.
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