Mother to Son
By Langston Hughes
Well, son, Ill tell you:
Life for me aint been no crystal stair.
Its had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
Ise been a-climbin on,
And reachin landins,
And turnin corners,
And sometimes goin in the dark
Where there aint been no light.
So, boy, dont you turn back.
Dont you set down on the steps
Cause you finds its kinder hard.
Dont you fall now—
For Ise still goin, honey,
Ise still climbin,
And life for me aint been no crystal stair.
Mother to Son (read by Viola Davis? -- some interpretive questions for discussion in the classroom:
1) Does the mother give words of wisdom, or is she stating the obvious? Doesnt everyone already know that life can be hard?
2) How old is this son? Dont give a range (thats too easy)--give a specific age.
3) The mother uses improper grammar and drops endings from words--why should anyone take the mother seriously if she cant speak properly? She seems to say dont give up to her son, but does the poem imply that the mother gave up on school?
4) The mother says, Dont you set down on the steps. Why cant the son rest? Why not sit down for five minutes before continuing to climb?
5) Why is the word Bare given its own line?
6) Is the mother implying that a crystal stair is desirable? (Staircases are never made of glass--foolish idea, right?)
7) Wise or bossy--which word is more accurate for this mother? Would her words be more effective if the tone were less bossy, or is her tone perfect for this moment?
Mother to Son -- some evaluative questions:
1) Could this poem be shaped into a sonnet and still work, or is free verse needed for the poem?
2) If your mother said the poems words to you at the dinner table tonight, would you roll your eyes at some point?
3) The poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley likewise has a message about not giving up. Which poem is better?
______________________
FOR MY STUDENTS--GET A PARTNER, RECITE THE POEM TO EACH OTHER, AND THEN READ ALOUD THIS DIALOGUE SO WE HAVE THOUGHTS FOR DISCUSSION
I studied this poem two years ago in English 9. Why revisit the poem during junior year?
G-Dawg says it is healthy to revisit famous poems. He says we are more mature now, so we’ll get more out of it.
But he says dental floss is edible, so I don’t listen. What else?
G-Dawg said Mother to Son is another product of the Harlem Renaissance.
I need reminding. What is this Harlem Renaissance thing?
That’s the name for an explosion among the arts--poems, paintings, music, novels--produced by African Americans. It started around World War I and ended in the 1930s, but the 1920s was its heyday.
I can’t decide if the poem’s mother gives words of wisdom or if she states the obvious. Everyone already knows that life can be hard!
It may depend on how old the son is. If he is young, then her words are perfect. But if he is our age, I want to know if he’s hot.
The mother uses improper grammar and drops endings from words--why should anyone take the mother seriously if she cant speak properly? She seems to say dont give up to her son, but did the mother give up on school?
I agree that this mother is not so great but for a different reason. She says, Dont you set down on the steps. Why cant the son rest? Why not sit down for five minutes before continuing to climb?
And why does the mother imply that a crystal stair is desirable? Staircases are never made of glass--foolish idea.
Maybe we are over-analyzing. Maybe we are missing the point.
If my mother said the poems words to me at the dinner table tonight, I would roll my eyes.
If we had time in class, we could discuss whether these poems we read are good or bad poems.
Anything else I need to know?
It’s free verse.
Of course it is free. You can find free poetry on the internet anytime.
No, I mean it does not have a sonnet structure. It does not rhyme. It has no regular rhythm like iambic.
Right. I knew that’s what you meant by free verse.
I like the way “bare” stands alone in one line. The word “bare” is bare.
Stop showing off. It’s annoying.
