Langston Hughes_x0092_s _x0093_Mother to Son_x0094_ Poem Analysis

Langston Hughes’ poetry Mother to Son

Langston Hughes’ poetry Mother to Son addresses a situation in which an individual is counseling a child on the journey of life. The poem describes the individual’s growing-up memories as well as the struggles they have faced in life. The line “And Places with No Carpet on the Floor” refers to the poet’s description of difficult circumstances that the speaker faced before finding success in life. The poem’s speaker is a mother speaking specifically to her son about life. The poet, in this case, is speaking in the role of the mother. The setting of the poem is essential in ensuring efficient delivery of the information. The poem is set on the stair. This setting is efficient because it is used to demonstrate the life journey of the speaker and the readers can relate to the place.

Theme

Just like any other form of literature, this poem has an overriding theme which the poet is addressing. According to the surface understanding, Hughes theme is the journey of life. “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair, It’s had tacks in it…” this line in the poem summarizes the theme of the being addressed by the poet. However, another theme can be identified in the poem through analysis of the inner meaning. The theme of determination can be observed from the Mother’s struggles that are summarized in the poem and her will to keep moving forward. The speaker is also trying to instill the children with will and determination to encounter any obstacles in life. “So Boy, Don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps, ’cause you finds it’s kinder hard” These lines by the speaker reflect the determination of the mother which she wants her son to have while embarking on the journey of life.

Emotion and Mood

The tone of the poem is optimistic and friendly. From the beginning of the poem, the poet maintains a friendly and optimistic tone until the end. Based on the tone of the poem, a reader can conclude that the poet has a positive attitude towards the subject being addressed. By speaking in the role of the mother who is talking to her son, Hughes adopted a friendly tone which mothers use when advising their children. The use of this tone shows that the speaker loves the subject hence the poet maintains a positive attitude in the poem. The dominant mood which is created in the poem is optimistic. The speaker addresses the challenges that were encounter in the journey of life and how she has continued to move forward. As a result, of these experiences being described by the speaker, the poet creates an optimistic mood that no matter the situation a person faces in life, they should continue moving forwards and they will overcome that challenge. In writing this poem, the poet wanted to evoke the feelings of self-consciousness and determination in the readers.

Technique

The structure used by the poet is unconventional which irregular stanza and sentence structures. Additionally, figurative language is used by the poet in writing this poem. The theme of the whole poem is life journey which is presented by the poet as stairs. The poet also uses imagery to construct a mental picture of the theme of the poem. For instance, the line “Life for me Ain’t Been No Crystal Stair…” shows the use of imagery to develop a mental picture of crystal stair which is then compared to life. The techniques which have been used by the poet have a significant impact on the reader’s understanding of the poem because they provide illustrations of the theme being discussed. Therefore, the technique that Hughes used in this poem was efficient to ensure that the poem had achieved its purpose successfully.

Structure

As earlier noted, the structure adopted by Hughes in writing this poem is unconventional. The whole poem is made up of 20 lines. However, the arrangement of these lines makes the poem to have some similarity with an ode structure of poems. There are no regular stanzas that can be identified in the poem. The lines make up a continuous narration which focuses on the ideas of life. The arrangement of the lines is also interesting since the number of words in each line vary. For instance, in line 7 the poem says “Bare,” that is the only word in the whole line while in line 12 the speaker says “And sometimes goin’ in the Dark.” These two lines have a different arrangement of words hence making the structure of the poem unique and interesting.

Language

The poet’s use of words in the poem can be described as vivid and effective. The language used by the other provides a vivid description of the topic that is being discussed which helps the reader to understand the poem further better. For instance, the lines “I’SE Been A-Climbin’ On. And Reachin’ Landin’s And Turnin’ Corner,” are written in short form but creates emphasis on the words hence creates a vivid description of what the speaker is talking about. Furthermore, some instance of repetition can be seen in the poem. For example, line 2 and line 20 says “LIFE FOR ME AIN’T BEEN NO CRYSTAL STAIR.” The repetition of these word in both sentences creates an emphasis on the theme of the poem. Hence, the language used is effective in helping the readers to understand the poem.

Imagery

The use of imagery in the poem is useful in helping the reader to develop a mental picture of what the poet is talking about. Imagery is created by the use of figurative language. The poet in this poem uses figurative language to address the theme of the poem. As a result, imagery can be identified in various lines of the poem. For instance, in line 2 “LIFE FOR ME AIN’T BEEN NO CRYSTAL STAIR.” The poet compares life to crystal stairs. The crystal stair is used to symbolize a life that had no challenges. The use of imagery and figurative language in the poem helps the poet to efficiently relate the theme of the poem to the normal surroundings which relate to the reader thus ensuring the poem is understood.

Movement/Rhythm and Sound

Movement and Rhythm is a poem are created as a result of recurring patterns. These patterns have to appear within a specific range of regularity so that the rhythm can be flowing. Rhythm helps the reader to understand the poem by heightening the emotional response evoked by the poet. However, in this poem, there is no specific rhythm or movement which the poet emphasizes. However, the poem can create sound through alliteration and assonance. An instance of alliteration can be identified in line 7 and 8 “Bara. But All the time...” while assonance can be identified in line 3 “It’s Had Tacks In It…” The use of these features of sound was not used to create rhyme but to develop an emphasis on the theme of the poem. These features were useful in ensuring that the overall effectiveness of the poem was achieved by creating a sound which ensured that the reader remained interested in reading the whole poem. The increase in reader’s concentration created by these sounds also resulted in better understanding of the poem’s theme and purpose.

Works Cited

DiYanni, Robert. “Langston Hughes in Context.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 989 - 993. Print