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Mother To Son
Langston Hughes
About Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was an American novelist, playwright, journalist and short-story writer. Hughes is perhaps best known for his poetry−jazz poetry, which is all about rhythm and improvisation, and which employs the use of repetitive phrases, just like jazz music. Through his uplifting poems, Hughes wished to show that his people (African Americans) were valuable and had much to offer their country.
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor−
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now−
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
−Langston Hughes
Available Answers
- 1.Who is speaking in the poem and to whom are the words addressed?
- 2.What does the speaker compare her life with?
- 3.What does the speaker encounter on the stairs?
- 4.Even though there have been obstacles in the way, what has the speaker done to continue her journey?
- 5.Which three pieces of advice does the speaker give the boy?
- 6.Which sentences are repeated in the poem?
8 more answer(s) available.