What is the attitude in the poem mother to son?

Category: books and literature poetry
4.1/5 (750 Views . 30 Votes)
Tone is defined as the author's attitude toward a subject that is explored in their writing. In the poem "Mother to Son," Langston Hughes's tone is plain, didactic, and colloquial toward the subjects of life and resiliency while growing up that he explores throughout.



Considering this, what is the mother's advice to her son in the poem mother to son?

The advice that she gives her son is to keep going. She tells him never to sit down on the steps, never to fall, and never to turn back. She tells him that the floor is too uncomfortable to sit down on.

Similarly, what literary devices are used in the poem mother to son? In the poem, Langston Hughes uses the poetic device of an extended metaphor to emphasize the life of the mother. The extended metaphor is a device in which the author uses one analogy and links it to another by using metaphors. The metaphor compares the life of the mother to a crystal staircase.

Similarly, it is asked, what is the theme of the poem mother to son?

Major Themes in “Mother to Son”: Hardships, hope, and courage are some of the major themes of the poem. The poem explores the dignity and determination of a person when facing problems. The speaker compares her life to a ragged staircase and conjures up an idea that one should not give up.

What does the staircase symbolize in mother to son?

"Mother to Son" uses the conceit, or extended metaphor, of a staircase to symbolize the hardship of the mother's life. Her metaphorical "staircase" has made for difficult climbing—it has exposed tacks, splinters, gaps, and places where the carpet is completely worn down.

26 Related Question Answers Found

What is the central idea of this poem?

The central idea of a poem is the poem's theme or 'what it's about' if you like. Although many shy away from poems being 'about' something, at the end of the day, the poet had something in mind when it was written, and that something is the central idea, whatever it is or might have been.

What does the mother want her son to do?

Her purpose is to tell her son both that life will be a hard climb for him as a black man as it has been for her but that he should never give The speaker in “Mother to Son” is, unsurprisingly, a mother addressing her son. She begins by telling him about her life, using the metaphor of a flight of stairs.

What is the moral lesson of the poem mother to son?

The mother is the narrator of the poem, and she was directing this piece to her son, the reader. The main point that she was trying to get across is that no matter how bad things get or how bad life gets it will get better and hopefully improve. She also wants her son to know to never give up, and to keep fighting.

What is the metaphor in mother to son?

In "Mother to Son" Hughes uses a metaphor to describe the life of the mother. In this case, it is an extended metaphor that compares the mother's life to a staircase. Each step symbolizes a part of her life that she had to endure. This metaphor is used throughout the poem to show the meaning of the poem.

What is extended metaphor?


Extended Metaphor Definition
The term “extended metaphor” refers to a comparison between two unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a paragraph, or lines in a poem. It is often comprised of more than one sentence, and sometimes consists of a full paragraph.

What is the persona's feeling in Mother to son?

The persona feels sad and worried in the poem because she wants to tell here son that there will always be challenges in life and that life ain't no crystal stair.

Which is the most interesting phrase in the poem mother to son why?

The poem is to inspire us to not give up no matter what happens and no matter how hard life can be. It encourages us to strive hard and be the best that we can be. The most interesting line is "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." This line of the mother tells the whole story of her life, of her motherhood.

Who is the speaker in the poem mother to son?

Answer: The poem Mother to Son by Langston Hughes was a mother's plea to his son. The speaker or persona in the poem was the mother. The mother explained that the path she has been through wasn't made of crystal stairs, in other words she had difficulties here and there.

What does splinters and tacks represent?


Explanation: In the poem, “Mother to Son”, the inference of the words splinters and tacks are trying to mean the hardships and rough spots in the life of the mother that she encountered always. Life is not easy to carry on, still she is trying to carry on with a strong hopeful.

What sensory images are created in the poem mother to son?

"Mother to Son"
506), imagery is found by expressing a mother's life with struggles and obstacles, and the determination to over come them. “Life for me ain't been no crystal stair”(Line 2), is clearly identified through the mother's experiences by “tacks”, “splinters”, “boards torn up”, and “bare floors” (Lines 3-6).

What does Kinder hard mean?

hard. characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion. 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. climb. go upward with gradual or continuous progress.

How do you identify imagery?

Imagery draws on the five senses, namely the details of taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound. Imagery can also pertain to details about movement or a sense of a body in motion (kinesthetic imagery) or the emotions or sensations of a person, such as fear or hunger (organic imagery or subjective imagery).

What is a crystal stair?

The word "Crystal Stair" from Langston Hughes' Mother to Son in the line " life for me ain't been a crystal stair" it means Life is not easy or Life has not been a staircase made of crystal rather it has been quite rough with thorns, tacks and splinters which refers to those obstacles and hardships we will be encounter

What is figurative language?


Figurative language is when you use a word or phrase that does not have its normal everyday, literal meaning. There are a few different ways to use figurative language, including metaphors, similes, personification and hyperbole. See the table below for some figurative language examples and definitions.

How is diction in poetry defined?

Diction refers to the author's choice of words and the order of the words within a poem. Words serve multiple purposes, given their presence and arrangement. Diction reflects the writer's vision and steers the reader's thought. It does not only communicate originality in writing, but it sustains the writers' purpose.

Which three pieces of advice does the speaker give the boy?

❏Major Themes in “Mother to Son”: Hardships, hope, and courage are some of the major themes of the poem. ❏The poem explores the dignity and determination of a person when facing problems. ❏The speaker compares her life to a ragged staircase and conjures up an idea that one should not give up .