Langston Hughes’ “Mother To Son” Essay

An Explication of Langston Hughes suffer to Son Langston Hughes once declared in his own forges that his unit purpose for writing was, to explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America. In the poetry Mother to Son, he denotes his belief on racism in America. In Mother to Son, a spawn is giving advice to her watchword about heart from her perspective and experiences. She wants her male child to have got striving on what he believes and to have a more comfy life than what she had.Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri in 1902. He lived with his grandma for most of her life that often stayed with his father in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in poverty and was exposed to racism in his juvenility. However, he believed that things would change and his culture must press on. By 1929, he was a well know poet during the Harlem Renaissance, the growth of African-American art and literature in Harlem, New York. He promoted the African-American culture and supported the Ci vil Rights Movement. Hughes apply poetry to express himself and has scripted over sixty poesys. One of them be Mother to Son, which expresses how the blacks must stand tall and believe in a better future.Starting with the title, Mother to Son, allows the lector to leave that the poem is discharge to be about a capture and a son. Just by interpret the title, the reader may wonder what fiber of poem this is going to be. It shows a feel of leadership because a son sees his incur as an authoritative word form, somebody who he can trust, someone who he has a bond with. Mothers are usually a figure who nurtures and molds their children into the right path. This gives the reader a hint that the poem is a poem were, the pay back, in some way or another is molding or guiding the son into the right path.In the very initiative line, Well, son, Ill tell you gives the reader a good idea in which centering the poem is taking. At this point, the reader can trust that the mother is g oing to give some kind of advice as mothers frequently do. As the reader moves on to the second line, Life for me aint been no quartz glass stair, Langston creates imagery for the reader by using a quartz stair as a metaphor to symbolize the mothers life in contrast to the vitreous silica stair. Crystal has connotations of beauty and visual smoothness.It is also a valuable piece of stone that only the wealthy could obtain in high volume such as that of a crystal stair.The crystal stair is very important to the body of the poem. Without this metaphor, the poem in all likelihood would not have the same effect on how the reader interprets it. piteous on to the third sentence, Its had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor-Bare. The tacks and splinters could represent pain or scars left from the mothers past. The boards that were torn up could represent imperfection a struggle or permanent loses and voids in her life. No carpet on the floor-Bare could mean that the mother has nothing left to show for her life. Her life as a youth could have been stripped from her through thraldom. So she wants her son to make something of himself patronage the criticism and racism he is challenged with.The poem doesnt state specifically to the reader where the aspect takes place but there are both hints Hughes gives that leads the reader into the assumption that the South is a primary focus. First, the poem was indite in 1922, which was a fourth dimension of the Harlem Renaissance. Second, the mother is speaking the words of the poem in a Negro dialect, which forces the reader to assume shes black. With these dickens facts, the reader can reasonably come to the conclusion that the mother has in all likelihood dealt with the racism and prejudges from the white culture.The 1920s were a time of struggle for some blacks and Negro rights since slavery was abolished in 1865 by the 13th Amendment. By reading the history of t he poet, Langston Hughes, the reader has a general idea that his own mother could have been a slave or had grown up during the time that slavery was being abolished and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments came into effect. This was also during a time when carnal knowledge had passed several laws to protect Negroes civil rights. In contrast, umpteen whites disregarded the new won rights of Negroes. (World Book Encyclopedia. Civil Rights. Field Enterprises Educational Corporation. Chicago. 1977. P.468)Like many other Lyrics, Mother to Son, is expressing the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker and is written in starting line person point of view. In the very firstly line, Well, son, Ill tell you, Hughes demonstrates to the reader that this is going to be a first person point of view. Readers can see that themother is the central typeface in this poem because the reader is focused on her next word as she describes her view of life. The mother speaks her thoughts and feelings for the entirety of the poem but the son doesnt speak at all. This is called a dramatic soliloquy.Langstons pose toward life in Mother to Son is roughly unpleasant but solemn and trustworthy. The reader gains a sense of sympathy for the mother as she tells her son about her misfortunes from the past.In Mother to Son, a mother is urging her son to keep striving with assurance to have a more prosperous life than she had.Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri in 1902. He was a well-known poet during the Harlem Renaissance. He believed strongly in his culture and he had faith that things would change for the better.The title itself gives the reader a sense of insight on what the poem is going to be about as it clearly uses Mother, an authoritative figure in which a son would trust and look up to for guidance. On the other hand, a mothers own instinct is to her child into the right path. Langston clearly demonstrates this in this piece of poetry. Langston also uses imagery for t he reader by using the crystal stair as a metaphor.The setting is not specifically stated but Langston has granted a couple of clues for which the reader can rely. The particular date the poem was written and the word choices he uses lets the reader know that the setting is probably in the South.Langstons background gives the reader the idea that he may have reflected on his mothers past and the events that follows slavery abolishment in 1865 when he began writing, Mother to Son. This poem was written as a Lyric. Like many other lyrics, it was written in first person point of view and the poet used a dramatic monologue when the mother speaks of her thoughts and feelings, whereas, the boy doesnt speak at all.Although, Langston shows a slightly unpleasant attitude in his tone, he is solemn and trustworthy. The reader gains a sense of sympathy for the character of the mother