Mother to Son

A detailed Summary of Mother to Son


Hughes's poem, "Mother to Son," depicts a black mother advising her son to remain hopeful despite all the hardships one encounters in life. The mother informs her son that life has not always been easy for her, yet she is still carrying on. The poem communicates the message of staying hopeful despite the obstacles one encounters throughout life. Hughes employs the use of metaphors, such as a "crystal stair," color imagery, such as a contrast between light and dark, and dialect to express this idea.

The mother in the poem compares her life to a stair and states that it "ain't been no crystal stair." In other words, she is telling her son that life has not always been easy and pleasant. Life is not the ideal fantasy that many conceive it to be. The mother continues to say that "[It has] had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor." These splinters and tacks are metaphors for the obst


Through the mother, Hughes passes on a message to all blacks. He tells them not to lose hope and to keep on going no matter how hard life may seem. He reminds them that life is not easy and that it contains many obstacles, but whatever they may encounter, they will always be able to overcome it. He tells them that they are not alone in their struggle; it is shared by all of them as a whole.

acles one 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.

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 him not to "turn back" and "set down on the steps 'cause you finds it's kinder hard." She encourages her son to continue on striving to overcome these obstacles.

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 = 630
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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