Mother to Son : Analysis

Over the years many poems have been written. But the one poem that is an inspiration in the midst of adversity, expressed in simple words, by a mother to a son is what caught my attention. The author Langston Hughes titles the Poem “Mother to son” very appropriately. The main message that no matter how hard something is, you should never give up is so well expressed.

It is quite natural that a son listens to a mother when he has a tough time dealing with life. It is also undoubtedly true that experience can teach life lessons. A mother, who has gone through very rough times in her life, is hoping to see her son move forward in life. Her message to her son is to be strong and move forward no matter how hard the challenges he faces in his life. When she says “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” and “It’s had tacks in it, and splinters” she is telling her son that her life had been very hard and relates to what she had gone through in her life by being very strong and not giving up. When she says, “I’se been a-climbin’ on, and reaching landin’s, and turnin’ corners” She let’s her son know that her life had been hard as she grew up with very tough times, but she has stayed focused and overcome all the hardship she has faced all her life and never given up. When she says “so boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ‘cause you find it kinder hard”. She is telling him that he should never give up. She motivates her son to not sulk at the smallest challenge but to keep trying and keep marching forward without giving up in his life.

So Langston Hughes has left us an effective message in the form of a mother’s advice to her son to not give up just because the path in life is challenging and rough.