Poem #2

Mother to Son
by Langston Hughes'

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.

*Reflection

First, I picked this poem mainly because of the title inspired me.

When I first saw the title, I thought this poem is going to about what

mother wants to tell to her son. The poem is about Mother telling

her son about her life experiences. She tells him about the
hardships that she went through and how she reacted toward those.
She never stopped trying and trying even though it wasn't a easy time for her.
She warns her son not to follow the path that she went in the past.
Mother's life was not wonderful at all. She uses a clear metaphor

"crystal stair" to her "life" and shows how the stairs are related to her life.

The author's attitude and tone is very loving and caring. The part

after "Bare" is where the shift is. After telling her son about the difficulties

she had to go through in her life, she tells her son that she never

stopped trying and gave up even in that bad situation. This poem really touched

my heart because I felt like my mom was talking to me and I could understand
how Mothers not wanting to let their child go through difficulties.
Also, the part where the author writes "So,boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps" shows that the Mother advices her son
not stop trying or give up but to challenge himself through the struggles.

The title was not just about what Mother wanted to tell her son, but there

was more into it. It was about Mother's love towards her son that is

not measurable. She wanted to give advice to her son and wanted her son

to live a better life by not relinquish but to get through those hardships that

he will have to experience during his life like her mother.
I really enjoyed reading this poem; I think this will become one of my favorite poems.