Mother To Son

A detailed Summary of Mother To Son

On the road of life, many trials arise that one must overcome to make his or her life feel complete. In Langston Hughes's poem, "Mother to Son," these trials are a subject of concern for one mother. Hughes' "ability to project himself" is seen in his use of dialect, metaphors, and tone (Barksdale 3).

Although the dialect by itself does not seem to be an important quality, however, "when it is presented with all dramatic skill", it is important (Barksdale 3). In "Mother to Son", Hughes uses dialect to show that the mother is not as well educated as many people. When she says phrases such as "For I'se still goin', honey," it is understood that she means that she is still going, even though it is not clearly said (Hughes 232). The dialect may also show what area she may live in. When she talks about "boards torn up" it shows that she was from the poor part of the town. It does not seem relevant that she has torn up boards, but these are not found in a wealthy person's mansion (Hughes 23

Winslow, Henry F. "Enduring Exuberance." The Crisis. Vol. 66, No. 8, October, 1959.

Hughes, Langston. "Mother to Son." Elements of Literature. Ed. Robert Anderson. 1st

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2). Although the grammar of this dialect is wrong, it makes the woman seem more like a real person and less like someone who is fictional.

Barksdale, Richard, "A Writer for all seasons." Langston Hughes: The Poet and his

Emanuel, James A. "Love, life, and Negro Soul." Langston Hughes. Boston:

This poem, "Mother to Son," by Langston Hughes teaches a valuable life lesson about never giving up. Even when life is getting more difficult and one thinks they cannot go on, they need to keep climbing.

The third quality that Langston Hughes uses in his poem is the tone of the speaker. When she explains to him not to "set you down on the steps / 'Cause your find it's kinder hard. / Don't you fall down now," the tone in her words in

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Approximate Word count = 671
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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Mother To Son

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