Murray1

Sean Murray

English 1 - Block 1

Mrs. Knowles

16 May 2013

Stairs of Life In the poem, Mother to Son, Langston Hughes uses metaphors and imagery to explain that just because life gets rough, but just keep moving. In the poem the speaker explains how she hasnt had an easy life, but a hard one where there were times she wanted to give up. The speaker doesnt because if she had stopped life would only get harder, so instead she kept on moving. She stresses to her son how important it is to not expect an easy life, but not to give up either. The first poetic device used in Mother to Son is metaphor. Metaphors are used to show how hard life was for the mother. Langston Hughes wrote in line two, Life for me ain't no crystal stair." The speaker is comparing a perfect life to crystal stairs. The crystal stairs represent an easy life, but the speaker is explaining how she had a hard life. Giving up was not at an option in her life, although it seemed like the easiest solution. Line two relates back to the theme because it's saying never give up in life. Another example of metaphor on the poem is in line twelve and thirteen when it says, " And sometimes goin' in the dark where there ain't been no light." The speaker is saying even when there is little hope keep going. Stopping in life makes harder and harder to get back up. This says keep trying and never give up in life.

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The second poetic device used is imagery. Imagery is used when the speaker says, Dont you set down on the steps cause you finds it kinder hard" (15/16). The image the speaker is trying to put in the readers mind is that stopping only makes life harder. The theme is communicated form this line, because it explains why not to stop in life, which is because it only gets harder to move forward. Hughes wrote in lines three through seven, Its had tacks in it. And splinters. And boards torn up. And places with no carpet on the floor. Bare." The image made from these lines is her life and how hard it was to have the courage to keep going. The theme is communicated because she explains her hard life, but giving characteristics of an old staircase. The old staircase is portrayed as her life how it has nothing to over to the world and has no benefits. The theme used in the poem, Mother to Son, stopping in life only makes life harder, so dont stop. Langston Hughes illustrates the theme through the use of metaphor's and imagery. Life is going to have its obstacles that need to be overcome to move on. Dont let the complications of life be the reason for giving up. In Mother to Son, Hughes gives an experience of a mother, and is trying to get the point across to never give up in what your trying to do in life.