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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.
Summary. ‘Mother to Son’ by Langston Hughes uses the metaphor of a staircase to depict the difficulties and dangers one will face in life. The poem contains a mother’s warning to her son about the stairs one is forced to climb throughout life. He must watch out for broken boards, splinters, and tacks.
“Mother to Son” is a poem by Langston Hughes. It was first published in 1922 in The Crisis, a magazine dedicated to promoting civil rights in the United States, and was later collected in Hughes’s first book The Weary Blues (1926). The poem describes the difficulties that Black people face in a racist society, alluding to the many ...
Mother to Son by Langston Hughes - Poems | Academy of American Poets. Langston Hughes. 1901 –. 1967. 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,
Publication date. 1922. Lines. 20. " Mother to Son " is a 1922 poem written by Langston Hughes. The poem follows a mother speaking to her son about her life, which she says "ain't been no crystal stair". She first describes the struggles she has faced and then urges him to continue moving forward.
Summary & Analysis. Langston Hughes first published his poem “Mother to Son” in a 1922 issue of The Crisis, which was—and remains—a publication dedicated to promoting Civil Rights. The poem later appeared in Hughes’s first poetry collection, The Weary Blues (1926), which helped solidify his reputation as a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance .
“Mother to Son” is a dramatic monologue written by Langston Hughes and first published in 1922. The poem features a working-class Black woman who addresses her son. She reflects on the difficult circumstances of Black life in racist America, but she is resolute in her commitment to persevere.
