ne encounters throughout life. These splinters and tacks represent the harsh reality of life, as opposed to the ideal fantasy life. Through the use of the mother, Hughes uses a stair as a metaphor for life in order to communicate this message. In spite of these hindrances, the mother has managed to overcome them. She has "been a climbin' on, and reachin' landin's, and turnin' corners." She still struggles onward, despite what may have been the bleakest moments of her life, where there seemed to be no hope; "sometimes goin' in the dark where there ain't been no light." This contrasting color imagery of dark and light emphasizes the idea that it's always dark before the dawn and bad days precede better ones and just when it seems as if there is no relief in sight, something occurs to alleviate your burdens. The mother then advises her son not to give up and let life get him down just because there are a few struggles in life. She tells

Some common words found in the essay are:
Mother Son, color imagery, life easy, , son life, obstacles encounters throughout, mother hughes, son life easy, encounters throughout life, splinters tacks, throughout life, message blacks, encounters throughout, express idea, obstacles encounters,
Approximate Word count = 632
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)