Mother to Son

by Langston Hughes

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Mother to Son Questions and Answers

What is the symbolism in the poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes?

In "Mother to Son," how does the poem's use of language and free verse contribute to the author's purpose?

What is the tone of the poem "Mother to Son"?

In "Mother to Son" what is the extended metaphor?

What advice did the mother give to the son in the poem "Mother To Son" by Langston Hughes?

What do the words "landing" and "corners" stand for in this poem?

Explain the significance of the "crystal stair" in "Mother to Son."

What are the rising action, resolution, and major conflict of the poem "Mother to Son"?

Discuss the Hughes's themes in "Mother to Son" and explain how he gets these themes across.

I need a list of the metaphors and similes in the poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes.

What are the sound devices and the figures of speech in the poem "Mother to Son"?

What lesson is the mother trying to teach her son, based upon what she tells him toward the end of the poem?

What is the setting in Langston Hughes's "Mother to Son"?

What do you think is Langston Hughes' purpose in writing the poem "Mother To Son"?

What techniques does Hughes use to characterize the mother in Mother to Son?

What is some figurative language that is used in Langston Hughes's "Mother to Son"?

How do diction and imagery reinforce the theme in "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes?

What is the rhyme, rhythm and alliteration used in "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes?

In the poem "Mother to Son," where does Hughes use onomatopoeia and assonance?

What does the speaker compare her life with?

In the poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes, how old is the son? Does he seem to be at some sort of crossroads?

What are the structure and form of "Mother to Son"?

Is there any rhyme or alliteration in the poem "Mother to Son?"

In the poem, whom is the speaker addressing and what about?

What literary elements does Langston Hughes use to demonstrate the message in "Mother to Son"? 

What is the speaker's purpose in "Mother to Son"?

Why is she telling her son about her life in this way in "Mother to Son"?

What event does the speaker refer to at the start of "Mother to Son"?

When life becomes challenging, does the speaker give up? How do you know?

Compare and contrast "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes with "Advice to My Son" by Peter Meinke.

What are some modernist characteristics of Langston Hughes's poem "Mother to Son"?

In "Mother to Son," what has kept the stairway from being easy to climb?

What is poetic voice in "Mother to Son"?

What is the extended metaphor described in lines 2-7?

Why does Langston Hughes use unconventional grammar and drop the ending of words in "Mother to Son"?

Literally analysis or explication of the poems. Mother to Son by Langston Hughes'   I wrote the explication of the poem "mother to son" by Langston Hughes , but I need more standard to expand every line of the poem. You can go through my one, if you need I can send you.

Where, if any, are the following poetic techniques in "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes?   Satire, sound techniques, personification, simile, hyperbole, irony.

How has the speaker in “Mother to Son” responded to her life experiences?

What was going on in America for Black Americans during this time?

Which of the following best explains the significance of the staircase in the poem? A. The narrator describes a tiring climb up a beat-up staircase, which represents her persistence through difficulties and challenges in life. B. The narrator describes a crystal staircase, which symbolizes her goals and the hard work she has done to accomplish her dreams. C. The narrator describes her climb up a dirty staircase that transforms into a crystal stair, which represents her ability to rise above difficulties. D. The narrator describes herself going down a staircase that is falling apart, which represents her fleeing a difficult life.

How does Hughes transfer women's experience into emblems of African American experience in "Mother to Son"?

Why are the stairs in "Mother to Son" bare?

Write an essay commenting on elements of poetry like imagery, metaphor, meter, and rhyme in "Mother to Son."

What is the tone of Hughes's poems "Mother to Son" and "The Negro Mother"?

How might the life events of Langston Hughes help one understand the poem "Mother to Son"?

What are the similarities in the advices that the parents offer their sons in “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes and “Advice to My Son” by J. Peter Meinke? What are their circumstances?

Literally analysis or explication of the poems. 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 Where there ain't been no light. So boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down on the steps 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. Don't you fall now -- For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Which lines in "Mother to Son" express the difficulties the speaker has faced?

In the poem "Mother to Son" what is NOT being said as well as what is being said?