FREE ESSAY ON MOTHER TO SON

MOTHER TO SON

Hughes's poem, "Mother to Son," depicts a black mother advising her son to remain hopeful
despite all the hardships one encounters in life. The mother informs her son that life
has not always been easy for her, yet she is still carrying on. The poem communicates the
message of staying hopeful despite the obstacles one encounters throughout life. Hughes
employs the use of metaphors, such as a "crystal stair," color imagery, such as a
contrast between light and dark, and dialect to express this idea.
The mother in the poem compares her life to a stair and states that it "ain't been no
crystal stair." In other words, she is telling her son that life has not always been easy
and pleasant. Life is not the ideal fantasy that many conceive it to be. The mother
continues to say that "[It has] had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and
places with no carpet on the floor." These splinters and tacks are metaphors for the
obstacles one encounters throughout life. These splinters and tacks represent the harsh
reality of life, as opposed to the ideal fantasy life. Through the use of the mother,
Hughes uses a stair as a metaphor for life in order to communicate this message.
In spite of these hindrances, the mother has managed to overcome them. She has "been a
climbin' on, and reachin' landin's, and turnin' corners." She still struggles onward,
despite what may have been the bleakest moments of her life, where there seemed to be no
hope; "sometimes goin' in the dark where there ain't been no light." This contrasting
color imagery of dark and light emphasizes the idea that it's always dark before the dawn
and bad days precede better ones and just when it seems as if there is no relief in
sight, something occurs to alleviate your burdens.
The mother then advises her son not to give up and let life get him down just because
there are a few struggles in life. She tells him not to "turn back" and "set down on the
steps 'cause you finds it's kinder hard." She encourages her son to continue on striving
to overcome these obstacles. She provides him with hope by stating that "[she's] still
going', honey, [she's] still climbin'." If she can manage to make it this far in life
regardless of all the difficulties, then it is possible for her son to make it through
also.
The mother in "Mother to Son" is most likely black. She "speaks" in a dialect that is
usually associated with the stereotypical way in which black individuals speak.
Therefore, it is possible that the hardships she has experienced in life deal with
racism, discrimination, and slavery. Her hardships are not unique; they are the hardships
of her entire race. The message that she is attempting to pass along to her son is also a
message to all blacks. 
Through the mother, Hughes passes on a message to all blacks. He tells them not to lose
hope and to keep on going no matter how hard life may seem. He reminds them that life is
not easy and that it contains many obstacles, but whatever they may encounter, they will
always be able to overcome it. He tells them that they are not alone in their struggle;
it is shared by all of them as a whole.
Hughes voices this message through the mother in his poem to pass this message along to
the rest of the black community. He provides them with words of encouragement and hope in
light of their struggles. Hughes use of metaphors, color imagery, and dialect effectively
express the idea that life contains many hardships, yet one must not be disheartened by
them and instead, triumph over them.