mother to son by langston hughes essay

Mother to Son Summary & Analysis by Langston Hughes

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

“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 obstacles and dangers that racism throws in their way—obstacles and dangers that white people don’t have to face. At the same time, the poem argues that Black people can overcome these difficulties through persistence, resilience, and mutual support.

• Read the full text of “Mother to Son”

The Full Text of “Mother to Son”

1 Well, son, I’ll tell you:

2 Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

3 It’s had tacks in it,

4 And splinters,

5 And boards torn up,

6 And places with no carpet on the floor—

8 But all the time

9 I’se been a-climbin’ on,

10 And reachin’ landin’s,

11 And turnin’ corners,

12 And sometimes goin’ in the dark

13 Where there ain’t been no light.

14 So boy, don’t you turn back.

15 Don’t you set down on the steps

16 ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

17 Don’t you fall now—

18 For I’se still goin’, honey,

19 I’se still climbin’,

20 And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

“Mother to Son” Summary

“mother to son” themes.

Racism and Perseverance

• See where this theme is active in the poem.

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Mother to Son”

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.

Lines 14-16

So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Lines 17-20

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.

“Mother to Son” Symbols

• Crystal Stair
• See where this symbol appears in the poem.

“Mother to Son” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

End-stopped line.

• See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

Alliteration

Extended metaphor, polysyndeton, “mother to son” vocabulary.

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• A-Climbin'
• Landin's
• See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Mother to Son”

Rhyme scheme, “mother to son” speaker, “mother to son” setting, literary and historical context of “mother to son”, more “mother to son” resources, external resources.

Into to the Harlem Renaissance — A detailed history of the Harlem Renaissance—with links to other Harlem Renaissance writers and texts—from the Poetry Foundation.

The Weary Blues — An article from the Academy of American Poets on The Weary Blues, Langston Hughes's first book of poems, which collected "Mother to Son."

Langston Hughes's Life Story — A detailed biography of the from the Poetry Foundation.

Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance — An article on Langston Hughes's influence on the Harlem Renaissance.

The Poem Read Aloud — The actress Viola Davis and the poet Langston Hughes both recite "Mother to Son."

LitCharts on Other Poems by Langston Hughes

As I Grew Older

Aunt Sue's Stories

Daybreak in Alabama

Dream Variations

I Look at the World

Let America Be America Again

Night Funeral in Harlem

The Ballad of the Landlord

Theme for English B

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

The Weary Blues

Everything you need for every book you read.

A Short Analysis of Langston Hughes’ ‘Mother to Son’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Langston Hughes (1901-67) was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance in New York in the 1920s. Over the course of a varied career he was a novelist, playwright, social activist, and journalist, but it is for his poetry that Hughes is now best-remembered.

‘Mother to Son’ is one of Hughes’ best-known poems, and sees a mother addressing her son, telling him about how hard and challenging her life has been, and offering him some parental advice. You can read ‘Mother to Son’ here (it takes no longer than a minute to read); below, we offer an analysis of the poem’s meaning and symbolism.

‘Mother to Son’: summary

The mother addresses her son directly, telling him that her life hasn’t been an easy or luxurious progression or climb. There have been plenty of stumbling-blocks and obstacles, which she likens to tacks, splinters of wood, or torn-up floorboards, and sometimes the wooden stairs she has trodden have been uncarpeted and bare.

She is using the image of a stair as a metaphor for her life, of course, so the image of the bare stairs suggests financial hardship where life has been stripped back to the bare necessities required for living.

Despite these setbacks, the mother tells her son that she has continued to climb, every now and then reaching a landing (where she can pause for breath) and turning a corner (much as we talk of ‘turning a corner’ in our life, when things get better), and sometimes having to walk on in the dark – something which increases the dangers, and involves making one’s way blind, not knowing what’s coming next.

At this point, the mother moves from describing her experiences to instructing her son, telling him not to turn back but to carry on and keep going, no matter how tough things might get. He shouldn’t just sit down on the steps and give up because to carry on climbing is hard-going. He shouldn’t let himself fall; after all, his mother is still walking on, still climbing the stairs of life, and things haven’t exactly been easy for her .

‘Mother to Son’: analysis

‘Mother to Son’ uses the extended metaphor of a stairwell to depict the struggles and hardships of life, and in particular, the struggles faced by an African-American mother in early twentieth-century America. The image of the stairs enables Hughes to convey not only the difficulty of persevering when things get tough, but also the idea of social climbing, or ascending the social ladder in terms of class, wealth, and cultural acceptance.

The mother begins by defining her life as a  negative : by what it is not. Her rejection of a crystal stair in the poem’s second and final lines neatly captures the lack of luxury: for many working-class African-American families, life was about making ends meet and ensuring there was enough food on the table, rather than opulence and expense. Instead, the stairs walked by the mother in Hughes’ poem are rough, dangerous (those splinters), and even, at times, bare, suggesting – as remarked above – that financial times have sometimes been hard in the mother’s past.

‘Mother to Son’ is written in free verse: unrhymed poetry without a regular rhythm or metre, and with irregular line lengths. Indeed, one line of Hughes’ poem is just one word: ‘Bare’ (appropriately enough). Hughes often wrote in free verse rather than established forms, and his looser and more free-flowing rhythms are more influenced by improvised jazz music than by iambic pentameter.

And in the case of ‘Mother to Son’, a poem spoken by a mother to her son in African-American Vernacular English (note the use of double negatives and contractions such as ‘I’se’), free verse is an appropriate vehicle for the mother’s advice to her son.

But as T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden, and others have pointed out, free verse worthy of the name of ‘poetry’ or ‘art’ isn’t ‘free’ altogether: it cannot be completely free from formal constraints if it is to be considered poetry at all. Robert Frost’s famous disparaging of free verse as ‘playing tennis with the net down’ reminds us that even free verse which doesn’t utilise a rhyme scheme or a regular metre needs to reveal the artful control of the poet.

And although there’s no rhyme scheme in ‘Mother to Son’, there is evidence of formal constraint: note how ‘stair’ is repeated at the ends of two lines, near the beginning of the poem and then again right at the end. In between these two lines which more or less bookend the poem, we find the rhyme ‘Bare’ (which, appropriately enough, relates to the uncarpeted stair ), ‘steps’ (which is a semantic rhyme for ‘stair’, because it shares the same meaning), ‘climbin’’ (more semantic rhyme, since stairs are climbed), and ‘floor’ (related to ‘stair’ in meaning, but also an example of pararhyme or consonance).

All of these semantic and phonetic features reveal the careful control behind the verse lines, but Hughes has concealed them well so as to preserve the natural, colloquial rhythms of the mother’s address to her son. ‘Mother to Son’ artfully conceals its art, we might say, and appears artless, offhand, and conversational, to convey the idea of a mother intimately talking to her son.

Of course, we should bear in mind the gender of the speaker as well as her ethnicity. Hughes’ mother has faced double the prejudice and discrimination than her son will face, because she is a woman. When she turns to her son (‘So boy …’), there is arguably a tacit recognition of the fact that she has faced even more obstacles, and if she can keep going, he will be able to.

All of this is a critique of the American Dream : that notion that anyone, regardless of their background, can achieve greatness and prosperity in the United States, the ‘land of the free’. We know that not everyone can achieve that dream, but we also know that it will be harder for some than for others.

If the mother’s image of the crystal stair suggests a shimmering and bright path of upward mobility, which the walker need only follow, her later reference to the ‘dark’ and ‘no light’ (another example of semantic rhyme) undercuts the shining brilliance of such a fantastical ideal.

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• Mother to Son

Read below our complete notes on the song “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes. Our notes cover Mother to Son summary, themes, and analysis.

Introduction

‘Mother to Son’ is a song composed by an African American poet and journalist Langston Hughes. It is a well-known dramatic monologue. It was printed in a magazine called The Crisis for the first time in the year 1922. It was later included in Hughes’ book titled The Weary Blues published in 1926.

Langston Hughes played a key role in the Harlem Renaissance. It was a 1920 artistic movement in Harlem, near Manhattan. The neighborhood of Harlem swamped with migrated African Americans who opted to settle there for work and jobs. Consequently, many writers, poets and intellectuals related to black culture evolved. They wanted to introduce a unique kind of literature that can highlight the ups and downs of African Americans. They also saw literature as a source of combat against racism.

The Harlem Renaissance is considered as the most significant art movement in black literature in the US.  Hughes poems “Mother to Son, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and “I, Too,” have been considered as crucial in the progress of literary tradition of the black.

‘Mother to Son’ is closely related to the hardships faced by the African Americans in the early twentieth century. During this era, racism and discrimination against the black community were rampant in the USA. Separate school, living areas and working places were allocated for the black people. They were not allowed near the white community members. NAACP was a civil rights organization that evolved for the defence of the black community basic rights.  Hughes was also a huge advocate of black rights.

His poem ‘Mother to Son’ indicates many hindrances and risks that African Americans face in their daily lives due to racism. The poem suggests that the black community can beat such difficult times through perseverance, spirit, and unity.

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes Summary

The poem is a conversation amid a mother and son. The mother initiates the conversation saying that her life has not been easy. She has faced various hurdles and difficulties in her life. She describes the various impediments in her life as tacks, splinters and torn boards. She says that the stair, which she is trying to climb, is not carpeted which implies that her life path had not been a luxurious journey.  Nevertheless, her perseverance enables her to keep on struggling in life. Even when she is unable to see in the dark, she is still resilient. At the end of the poem, the mother commands her son never to lose hope. She instructs him to keep on climbing the stairs and never think about going down in life. She reminds him that he must always think about the hardships faced by his mother and keep on fighting against his exhaustion.  

Themes in Mother to Son

Racism appears as a major theme in the poem. The dialect of the speaker indicates that she belongs to an illiterate African American community. The staircase is a realistic depiction of a black woman in a racist society. The screws, pieces, naked floorings, and shady passages indicate extreme poverty. Through such images, Hughes manages to highlight the injustice and discrimination towards the black race in American society.

The poverty of the mother does not indicate that she is indolent. The reader can see the determination and strong morals of the woman. However, her poor circumstances indicate that she is provided with very limited opportunities because of her race.   

Perseverance and courage

The poem is a piece of advice from a mother to her son. She advised him to endure and show persistence in order to survive in the American racist society. The comparison of the two staircases in the poem indicates the widely different circumstances of the two races. The pathways of the white people are like a crystal stair that indicates ease and comfort.  While the black people have to overcome dark elements and dangerous situations in order to survive. However, the mother says that with courage and determination, the less privileged class can achieve their goals.

The mother shows a very realistic picture of the African Americans. The speaker encourages her son to never lose hope and fall into depression. She says that their life will always be difficult as compared to other races. She does not give false hope to her son. She warns her son about various dangers and challenges. She shares her life story with her son in order to reassure him that he will be able to succeed with keen determination and courage.

Despair and hope

The theme of despair and hope is enforced in the poem through the symbols of “dark” and “light”. The mother in the poem admits that some stages of her life had pushed her into darkness. She had no hope in her life. Her difficult circumstances had managed to put her in depression and despair. However, she continued to struggle and eventually overcame that phase of her life.

Mother as a role model for the child

The poem shows the strong bond between a mother and a son. The mother uses her own life experiences in order to pave a better path for her child. She presents her life as a role model for her son so that he can grow up as a better human. She does not want to sugarcoat the harsh world and make her son weak. Therefore, she narrates the harsh situations and anecdotes from her own life, as she wants her son to reach his goals through strong determination and courage.

Mother to Son Poem Analysis

In line two of the poem, the poet says that the life of the mother ‘aint’t been a   “crystal stair”. “ain’t” is a colloquial form of language and its use by the mother indicates that she is uneducated.  The phrase “crystal stair” in line two of the poem implies the privilege and influence enjoyed by the white community. Crystals are charming, fashionable, and stunning. Thus, it suggests that the life journey of the white community is easy and without certain hurdles.  Due to their superior status in society, they have more prospects to achieve their respective dreams. However, people belonging to the black community are not provided with any chances to fulfill their dreams.

The life of black people is very hard and complicated and they have to struggle a lot in order to fight for their goals. The words “ Tacks”, “splinters”, “boards torn up” symbolize hardships in life. Tacks represent nails, while splinters are tiny pieces of planks that could physically harm the person who steps on them. Boards torn up might signify uneven grounds. The word “Bare” indicates limited gears. The mother says that her path had been uneven, hard and bare. She had to make her way in life with inadequate furnishings.

In spite of all the hardships mentioned above, the mother says that she did not lose motivation to move forward in life. She wants to instil the same inspiration and enthusiasm in her son. She says that “All the time” her life had been a constant struggle. However, she still had been “a-climbin’ on” the figurative staircases in her life.

She uses the word landings to describe the various stages of her life. The mother tended to turn corners without any fear of the unknown. She was not afraid to venture in the dark. She wants her son to be brave like her. She had always faced bad situations with a strong front. The run-down stairs illustrate the harsh living circumstances of the black community under the oppressive rule of the White Americans.

This poem depicts racism and its effect on the life of African Americans. Nevertheless, this poem suggests a universal message. The poem conveys a message of resilience and perseverance in the face of difficulties that can be applied to people of all ages and epochs.  

Lines 14-20

In the final line of the poem, the mother again speaks with her son directly. The word “boy” indicates that the mother wants the undivided attention of her son. She states that he should never lose hope and motivation to move forward in life. Even if circumstances turn ugly and he faces adverse conditions, he must never think about backing down. She advised him never to move a step back. His fear and hesitation can aggravate his problems. He must learn to endure and persist in uncertain circumstances.

The mother warns him that the steps are full of splinters and broken boards; therefore, he must learn to tread carefully so that he does not fall. ‘Fall’ here literally means plummeting down the steps. However, it can also be related to the Biblical “Fall”. In the context of the poem, it might imply subsiding criminal activities. The mother does not want her son to resort to unfair means in order to survive. The last three lines reiterate that his mother has always withstood her hard circumstances and she is “still climbin’”. This shows her indomitable strength.

Setting of the poem

The poem lacks a specific setting. The speaker is conversing with her son. The formal tone of the conversation indicates that the place where they are talking is comfortable and familiar to them. 

Point of view

The mother in the poem is anonymous; however, it seems that she represents the hardworking African American women of America. The poem is not just a piece of advice from a mother to her son. It embodies a story of determination and courage. It reflects the endless struggle of the black community in a racist white society. The poem contains a universal message of hope and resilience which can be applied to all the communities of the world.  The language, diction and the literary techniques employed by Hughes ensnare the attention of the reader.

The poem is a dramatic monologue written in dialect of the African American community. The language and diction of the poem is colloquial. The language choice of the poet depicts the linguistic habits of the African Americans. The poet uses figurative language to emphasize his ideas. 

  Structural Analysis of the poem

The style of the poem is free verse and lyrical. It is written in a single stanza of twenty lines. As the structure of the poem is in free verse, therefore, there is no regular rhyming scheme. However, there are certain illustrations of rhyme in the poem as the word “stair” in the second line corresponds to “bare” in the 7th line. The metrical pattern of the poem is irregular, yet the line “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” indicates trochaic meter.

The language used in the poem is idiomatic. The colloquial quality of the language used can be observed in the line “Cause you find it’s kinder hard.” The language style indicates that the speaker of the poem is not much educated and belongs to a rural area.

Literary Devices used in the Poem

Alliteration.

Alliteration can be defined as the reiteration of consonant sounds in closed placed words. The use of alliteration can be discerned in the line, “Don’t you set down on the steps.” The “d” and “s” sounds in the above-mentioned line show alliteration.   Langston Hughes does not heavily rely on rhyme or alliteration in his poem. It seems that the poet purposely evades such poetic devices which create a pleasant effect in order to reinforce the harsh circumstances of the speaker.

 Anaphora is the reiteration of a term or phrases mostly at the start of consecutive expressions, or clauses. For instance, the poet has used  “And” at the start of lines 4,5, 6 and lines 10,11,12. “And “is repeatedly used at the start of these lines in order to highlight the adversities and various challenges in the life of the mother. The repetition of “And” highlights the never-ending sufferings of the mothers. Each “and” in the poem introduces a new impediment in the mother’s life. Similarly the line, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” is twice repeated to accentuate the rough life journey of the mother.

Hughes utilizes anaphora in order to show the son what he should not do in life. For example in the lines, 14 and 15 “don’t” is twice used. This exemplifies that in case of adversities, we must never lose hope and fall back. The poet employs Anaphora in his poem to show the readers that although life is full of obstacles and challenges, however, we must always fight through and never think about giving up our dreams.

Enjambment can be defined as the continuity of an utterance minus any pause at the end of a line or stanza. Enjambment is used in the following lines in the poem,

“Don’t you set down on the steps

’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.”

Line 15 continues into the next line without any pauses. It expresses the emotions of the mother. It emphasizes the message of the mother, who wants her child to face all hard obstacles with undue determination. 

An allusion is a literary device used by poets. It indirectly refers to a person, place or thing outside the confines of the text. The phrase “crystal stair” alludes to Jacob’s step ladder as mentioned in the Holy Bible. The staircase can be considered as a spiritual allusion.  Jacob witnessed a staircase, which led to heaven in the Biblical story. Similarly, the crystal stair refers to the idea of abandoning worldly troubles. The allusion used in the poem can also refer to the notion that after overcoming hardships, people can reach heaven.

End-Stopped Line

End-stopped lines recur in the poem. Most of the lines are end-stopped. Enjambments are rarely used by the poet in the poem. End-stops play a major role. They help the poet in describing the seriousness of the hurdles encountered by the black woman. For example, each line from 3-6 defines a serious hurdle that the mother had witnessed in her life. The jagged nails and splinters and the missing steps are mentioned in a different end-stopped line. The reader pauses at each end-stop and contemplates about the nature of the difficulty faced by the narrator. All of these End-stops stress complexity and brutality of the speaker’s situation.

The end-stops in lines 17-19 indicates the principle, self-confidence, and spirit of the mother. The end-stops in these lines emphasize the determination of the speaker. These lines highlight the strength of the woman and leave no room for self-doubt. The meaning of end-stops changes in the poem. Initially, they were utilized to highlight the various dangers in the speaker’s life; however, the lines in the end of the poem indicate resilience in the face of adversities.

The recurrence of vowel sounds in the same sentence is termed as assonance. The sound of /o/ in the line “So boy, don’t you turn back” indicates assonance. It indicates the optimistic and courageous nature of the mother.

The recurrence of consonant sounds within the same sentence is named as consonance. The sound /t/ and /r/ in the line “Where there ain’t been no light” indicates consonance. Similarly, ‘And reachin’ landin’s’ also contains consonance.

Imagery is another poetic device that conjures images for the readers so that they can perceive them with their five senses. For instance in the line, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”, the image of a crystal stair has been created in the reader’s mind. So that the reader can feel the difference between the life of people belonging to the white community and that of the black community. “And places with no carpet on the floor” creates a picture of harsh circumstances faced by the narrator in the poem.

Stressed and unstressed syllables (Trochee)

A trochee is a metrical foot in the line of a poem that involves a stressed syllable closely trailed by an unstressed syllable. In the poem, this pattern of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable lingers continuously. For example in the line, “ Life for me ain’t been no cry stal”.

Refrain is a part or verse of a song or a poem which is repeated after some interval within the poem. Hughes uses refrain in his poem. For instance the line, “life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” reappears twice in the poem with exactly the same expressions. Therefore, it can be said that this line is a refrain. 

Symbolism is the use of specific symbols to denote concepts and perceptions. The literal meaning of the word is different from the figurative meaning. The symbols used in the poem are described below:

The staircase is an extended metaphor utilized by the poet to narrate the hurdles in the life of a black woman. It represents the destitution of the mother. The metaphorical staircase of the mother has nails, shards, holes, and bare steps. It denotes the various challenges in the mother’s life.

Crystal Stair

The poet uses the “crystal stair” which appears in lines 2 and 20 as a symbol. It signifies opportunity, authority, and the benefits relished by the white community. The poet compares the life of the black woman with a dark, rickety and battered staircase. While the “crystal stair” denotes the smooth pathway of the white people. It signifies that white people have their life adorned with glamor and ease while the black mother’s path has always been dangerous and dingy.  It can be stated that “crystal stair” refers to the hypocrisy and double standards of American society.

The poet employs darkness as a symbol of bleakness and desolation. The word darkness is used in the 12 th line of the poem. Here the narrator talks about the nature of her journey. She says that some paths of her life have been dark. It symbolizes the nature of the challenges faced by the mother in the poem. At times, such dangerous situations had demoralized the mother and she had almost lost hope. However, with strong determination, she pushed herself out of that depressive phase of life and continued fighting against all odds in her life.

Light symbolizes hope in the poem. In line 13, the narrator says that sometimes she had “ no light.” It means that she had lost the will and hope of survival. The symbol “light” coincides with “dark” to express the same meaning, which entails that at some point in her life, the mother had experienced despair and desperation. The mother is therefore aware of the emotional and psychological challenges in the life of the black community. However, she emphasizes that with perseverance, they can overcome such complications.

Langton Hughes has utilized literary devices such as metaphor, imagery, anaphora, and symbolism to emphasize his message. The use of such devices connects the poet with the readers. The various poetic devices used in the poem strongly showcase the struggle of the mother and her sacrifices in her life. The reader connects with the character of the mother and admires her perseverance, endurance and resilience in the face of all adversities.

More From Langston Hughes

• The Weary Blues

Analysis of Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

Background: Langston Hughes is an African American poet who is also well known for his work in fiction, plays, essays and biographies. This poem was written in the early 20th century when the African Americans faced some serious oppression and racism issues. The poem is a conversation between a mother and a son. It is a monologue by the mother where she tells her son that life has never been easy for her. She says she has faced a lot of troubles in the journey of her life but continues to move ahead. Despite all the challenges that came her way, she never turned away and chose not to give up. The mother tells her son that life will not always be a smooth ride but in spite of all the hardships and miseries, one must learn to move forward. She encourages her son to face life’s challenges head-on and tries to inculcate strength and courage in him.

Structure: The poem is a monologue by a mother. It has been written in free verse and has no rhymes or rhythmic pattern. The poet uses imagery as he refers to the journey of life as climbing a staircase and says that it has never been a beautiful crystal stair. It is indicative of the kind of poor and miserable lives the African Americans had in the early 20th century. The poet has also used metaphor. He uses symbols like tacks, splinters, no carpet on the floor and darkness to describe the difficulties that one faces in life. The staircase is also a metaphor for the struggles people face in their upward journey of life. The upward journey refers to the journey to heaven or to a better place where one is free of all the pain and suffering.

Analysis: " Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. " The poem opens with the mother speaking to her son or like she is answering a question that he might have asked. She explains to the son that life has never been easy for her. Here ‘crystal stair’ symbolizes smoothness or beauty. The mother says her life has not been a smooth ride.

" It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. " The words and phrases used in this stanza, like ‘tacks’, ‘splinters’, ‘boards torn up’ and ‘no carpet on the floor’ represent the difficulties and struggles that one has to face in life. Tacks are nails and splinters are small, sharp pieces that have broken off from wood or glass and can cause difficulty or hindrance for one’s movement. The mother says she has faced a lot of troubles in her life as one may face these troubles when climbing up a staircase. This stanza also indicates the kind of poor houses and miserable lives the African American had in the early 20th century. ‘Bare’ may also refer to the poor living conditions and lack of necessities.

" 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. " In this stanza the mother tells her son that despite all the difficulties, she has been climbing up the metaphorical staircase of life. Here ‘turnin’ corners’ and ‘going in the dark’ represents the fear and doubts that one has during times of uncertainty. There will be moments of indecisiveness and confusion but one must continue to move forward and not give up hope.

" So, boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps. ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. " The mother urges her son not to turn back and continue facing the challenges in life. She tells him not to be disappointed when he faces difficulties and not to settle down with it. He must rather face them and keep pushing forward. The mother tells him that the adversities that come his way should not dampen his spirit and he must continue to strive for a better life.

" 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. " The mother tells her son that despite all the difficulties he faces in life he should not feel disappointed or lose hope. Falling off the staircase may also indicate being misled. The mother advises her son to not be misled and choose the wrong path during difficulties. The mother sets her own example by saying that she is still walking on that path and climbing that metaphorical staircase of life. She has not given up and continues to strive for a better life, free of all suffering and miseries. Here, the second line of the poem has been repeated where the mother says that life has not been a smooth and easy journey for her.

Summary: The poem is a monologue by a mother where she is speaking to her son. The mother tells her son that life has never been easy or free of difficulties. It has never been a smooth ride. She compares the journey of life to the upward climb on a staircase and says it has not been smooth like crystal. She talks about the various difficulties that one has to face in life like the broken parts and uncarpeted floors that make climbing a staircase difficult. Despite all the challenges the mother kept moving forward and also faced times of confusion and uncertainty. She tells the boy to do the same and have the courage to move forward without ever turning back. The mother also tells her son to not be misled or lose hope. She inspires her son by saying that she has always strived for a better life and even he must continue to do so.

Theme: The poem has been written in the early 20th century when the African Americans were under oppression and racial injustice. In the poem, the mother teaches her son about strength and courage. She tells him that one must possess the courage to move forward in life in spite of all the difficulties that might come his way. So, the main theme of the poem is that of perseverance. The poet passes the message that one must persevere to make his life better and not be discouraged by the adversities that one may have to face.

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A Mother with her Son and a Pony

Agostino brunias, yale center for british art.

Langston Hughes

Mother to son.

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Democracy will not come Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear. I have as much right

Children, I come back today To tell you a story of the long da… That I had to climb, that I had t… In order that the race might live… Look at my face —dark as the night…

The census man, The day he came round, Wanted my name To put it down. I said, Johnson,

Let’s go see Old Abe Sitting in the marble and the moon… Sitting lonely in the marble and t… Quiet for ten thousand centuries,… Quiet for a million, million years…

I am God— Without one friend, Alone in my purity World without end. Below me young lovers

Love Is a ripe plum Growing on a purple tree. Taste it once And the spell of its enchantment

Now dreams Are not available To the dreamers, Nor songs To the singers.

The calm, Cool face of the river Asked me for a kiss.

Go home and write a page tonight. And let that page come out of you— Then, it will be true. I wonder if it’s that simple?

In an envelope marked: PERSONAL God addressed me a letter. In an envelope marked: PERSONAL

Big Boy came Carrying a mermaid On his shoulders And the mermaid Had her tail

My name is Johnson— Madam Alberta K. The Madam stands for business. I’m smart that way. I had a

When Susanna Jones wears red her face is like an ancient cameo Turned brown by the ages. Come with a blast of trumphets, J… When Susanna Jones wears red

Because my mouth Is wide with laughter And my throat Is deep with song, You do not think

I was so sick last night I Didn’t hardly know my mind. So sick last night I Didn’t know my mind. I drunk some bad licker that

An Analysis “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes Research Paper

The poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes was written and published in the year 1922 which was during the Harlem Renaissance period. Harlem Renaissance also referred to as the New Negro Movement led to the evolvement of a new identity of the black culture between the the1920s and the early years of the 1930s. It is during this period that the black people or community got a chance to express themselves (West, p. 162). With the rampant level of racism and scarce economic opportunities for the blacks, one way through which the Negroes could be able to air their voices was through creative expressions that included the use of poetry. Langston Hughes is one African American who used poetry as a way of expressing himself and the experiences that his community went through. He brings out Harlem as being a crossroads for the experiences of African Americans (Berry, p. 187).

In the poem “Mother to Son” Hughes speaks of the lives of the black Americans who constantly fought against discrimination and poverty faced during the Harlem era. He very well explores the issues of social injustices, race, black American art, and culture. The social, artistic, and political climates of the Renaissance have also been vividly brought about (Rampersad, p. 5).

The poem is from the viewpoint of a black, African/American mother, telling her son of the hardships she has faced in her life (Hughes, p. 8). According to the black renaissance, African Americans tried all their best to go against the white oppression which is what is being dictated by the mother to the son. Hughes, being one of the people who fought most against the oppression as a leader of the Negroes, tries to express what the older generation felt about the young generation who could not possibly understand what was going on at that time (Rampersad, p. 1).

From the first line ‘well, son, I’ll tell you:’ it is clear that the son has either raised a question or a complaint to his mother. In her answer, she begins by telling him of her own difficulties. At one point she says, ‘Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair:’. The author has used the crystal stair to symbolize an imaginary path that is smooth and full of ease. She bases her response on her own life meaning that her advice to him is based on her own hard-life experience (Miller, p. 14).

The poet uses dialect to clarify that the mother is uneducated. This is evident from the lines: “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” and “For I’ve still got, honey, I’ve still climbing”, which she says to mean that in reality, she is still going on and trying hard to get stronger or make it through the hardships. This style has been effectively used as it makes the mother seem real and less fictional (Wasley, p. 16).

The poem takes the dramatic monologue style meaning that it is spoken in the voice of an imaginary speaker rather than that of the poet himself. In this case, the imaginary speaker is a somnolent mother speaking to her son (Howe, p. 103).

Using this style the poet places the reader in the place of the son listening to his mother who bases her advice in relation to her own life. This advice is therefore directed at the reader. The use of this style is effective as it draws the reader into the poem by placing him in the son’s position and by making the son’s frustrations become his own and the mother’s advice directed to him (Wasley, p. 24).

The poet also uses other prevalent poetic styles such as metaphors. This is seen when the mother says “And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” meaning that her life has not been one of ease and luxury. It is also evident in the words; “And splinters”, “ And boards were torn up”, and “And places with no carpet on the floor” all of which are symbols of poverty and hardships. Other metaphors used effectively by the poet are “reachin’ landin’s, / turnin’ corners, / goin’ in the dark”.These words are meant to express the trials, hardships, and tribulations the mother has faced in her life (Barksdale, p. 3).

The tone of the speaker is compassionate; a feeling which is evident when she tells her son that she is aware of what he is going through as she has been through it herself and that he should not lose hope. This is shown in the lines, “So boy, don’t you turn back” and “Don’t you set down on the steps” meaning that he should not give up, “For I’ve still got, honey, I’ve still climbing” (Hughes, p. 232).

The theme of this poem is perseverance. This is depicted by the mother’s constant advice to his son telling him not to give up at any one moment. According to the mother, she has been through harder times before but has always tried to get through all the situations and to always be strong an act that she wants her son to emulate. She does not give up at all and is instead still climbing and moving on in this life which has not been full of luxury and happiness. The mother further emphasizes this theme by repeating three times how she has not given up to the struggles in life when she says “I’ve been a-climbin’ on,”, “For I’ve still goin’, honey,” and “I’ve still climbin’. Perseverance hence becomes the poem’s main hypothesis as it is what the mother wants the son to have in spite of the pressures in his life (Barksdale, p. 7).

The speaker is seen to put side by side the history of African-Americans with a never-ending flight of broken-down stairs, evident in the overcrowded and crumbling dwelling places in which loads of poor blacks found them enforced to live in the ghetto neighborhoods of northern cities (Miller, p. 54). Nevertheless, she says that in spite of how tiring or frustrating the climb is and in spite of the number of setbacks she has suffered “I’ve been a-climbin’ on” meaning that she is still holding. This suggests to both the son and the reader that the future of the black people in America depends on their willingness to not turn back and to keep climbing, to not “set down on the steps / Cause you finds it’s kinder hard”.The author leaves some questions unanswered. One such question is what the mother did in order to be strong and keep climbing on (Barksdale, p. 8).

• Barksdale, Richard. The poet and His Critics , Canada: Vintage publishers, 1977.
• Berry, Faith. “Langston Hughes: Before and Beyond Harlem.” On the Cross of the South 150.1(1983): 185-186.
• Howe, Elisabeth. The Dramatic Monologue , Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1996.
• Hughes, Langston.”Fight for Freedom and Other Writings on Civil Rights”. Works of Langston Hughes 10.2(2001):8.
• Miller, Baxter. The Art and Imagination of Langston Hughes , Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, 2006.
• Rampersad, Arnold.”Mother to son”. The Life of Langston Hughes 1. (1986): 1-5.
• Wasley, Aidan. Poetry for Students , Michigan: Gale publishers, 1998.
• West, Sandra. Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes , 4.5(2003):162.
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Bibliography

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Mother to Son by Langston Hughes – Summary, Analysis, Theme and Solved Questions

Table of Contents

Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

In this study guide, you will closely read Langston Hughes’ simple poem, Mother to Son .  You will take notes and have various opportunities to debate the subject with your classmates. You will demonstrate your comprehension in an informational essay in which you will explore Hugh’s use of metaphors and how it relates to your understanding of the poem’s theme.

Introduction

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“ Mother to Son ” by Langston Hughes is a poem about a mother’s struggle. The poem also contains the mother’s advice to her son on how to survive in this world, even if it is unkind to him. The struggle is described in each line of “Mother to Son.”The poem  is one of three poems of The Weary Blues – Hughes’ first poetry collection. He penned it when he was only 21 years old. Hughes employs the vernacular of the uneducated African-American, but as Baxter Miller observes, he “ shows how dialect can be used with dignity.”

As implied by the title, a mother is speaking and her son. Critics such as Baxter Miller and Aidan Wasley, on the other hand, regard it as a dramatic monologue . As with the previous two poems, the speaker of this poem is a representative character , an Afro-American woman/mother who has overcome significant obstacles in life. The poem demonstrates the woman’s (and Hughes’, as well) optimism and acceptance of the truth that life is a struggle and that one should not give up on life despite its hardships. Hughes conveys this point with a remarkable metaphor that recurs throughout the poem.

Summary of Mother to Son

Langston Hughes was a well-known poet and activist of the twentieth century. One of the most prominent themes in his work was advocating for the strength of black people. In the poem “ Mother to Son ,” the narrator uses the power of a mother’s voice to express her strength, struggle, and impact as a black woman.

The poem begins with a message from a mother to her son. The son is a fictitious listener rather than an actual one. The poem becomes a theatrical monologue as a result of this imagined listener/audience. She explains to her son that life was not simple for her (as an African-American lady); it was not a crystal stair with firm, smooth steps. Throughout her life, she had to step over sharp nails, broken and pointed objects that were scattered on the stairwell. She is referring to the fact that she had to endure situations that pierced her heart and caused her pain in the same way that sharp objects do. Similarly, her walk was occasionally risky due to the damaged steps on the stairs. She was forced to pause and consider her options, and her barefooted stroll on the rocky steps (“with no carpet”) just added to her misery and suffering.

After recounting these traumatic occurrences, the mother discusses how she dealt with them. She claims they were powerless to prevent her from ascending the steps (“I’se been a-climbin’ on”) , that is, from progressing in life. There were landings for her, but there were also corners that appeared to obstruct her progress; there were times when she was completely without light ( “And sometimes goin’ in the dark “), implying that she had lost all hope and the future lay black in front of her. However, she continued walking and had come thus far despite the obstacles in her path. After enduring a difficult life, she is capable of advising her son: So, boy, don’t you turn back Don’t you set down on the steps ‘Cause you find it’s kinder hard

She is urging her son not to give up on life or to stop moving forward simply because it looks to be difficult. She inspires the son by setting an example: even after suffering so much over the years, her battle has not ended: she is still arduously ascending the last steps of her life: “ And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair .”

Summary and Theme of “Mother to Son”

The poem portrays the woman as courageous and capable of conquering life’s hardships. The poet’s purpose is unmistakable to demonstrate that black women possess an unfathomable strength that enables them to achieve in life or, at the very least, to remain resilient. The poem’s narrator demonstrates the perseverance that has enabled her to reconstruct her life whenever she has encountered a setback: “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” (8-13) . She recounts her toughness and resiliency. This demonstrates that the poet views black women as strong and robust. The poet employs analogies to convey the woman’s power and perseverance throughout the poem. For example, he utilises the metaphor of a staircase devoid of tacks to represent the narrator’s happy and terrible moments.

Moreover, the poem is mostly about struggle. The poem’s narrator contemplates her life’s struggles: “Well, son, I’ll tell you/ life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (1-2) . These lines, which express the poem’s theme, reveal the mother’s daily struggles to inspire her son: “ It had tacks in in/ and splinters/ and boards torn u/ and places with no carpet on the floor-bare”   (3-6). Despite these obstacles, the mother never gives up.

Furthermore, the poem substantiates the mother’s interpretation. Mother speaks, son listens. The poet makes it quite apparent that she believes that a black woman’s voice should be heard. The narrator speaks with passion, attempting to persuade her son to be as strong and resilient as she was in the face of life’s trials. Her voice is enticing and persuasive. She makes her message succinctly through the use of short sentences. After recounting her own life, she tries to persuade her son to take a similar path: “ So boy, don’t you turn back/don’t you set down on the steps/cause you find it’s kinder hard/don’t you fall now; for I’se still goin’ honey/ I’se still climbin’” (14-19). Langston Hughes’ poem “Mother to Son” expresses his feelings about black women. He regarded them as strong, resilient, and powerful women. The woman in the poem utilises her voice to recount her own hardships and to encourage her son to overcome them. The poem demonstrates the strength and influence of black women’s voices.

Analysis of Mother to Son

“ Mother to Son ” is a dramatic monologue that takes its audience on a journey through multiple levels of significance. Its form and content appear straightforward, yet it has a message for everyone and likely sheds light on Hughes’ concerns about his future career as a young Afro-American.

We have no idea why the African-American woman is telling her son about her difficulties. Perhaps the son requested that she describe them to him, or he must have expressed frustration with life at the time. Thus, the mother begins, “ Well, son, I will tell you ,” and begins her account of her trials and tribulations. For her, life was not a crystal stair, she repeats.

Hughes was only beginning his career as a poet when he penned this poem, and he was also an educated guy. As a result, he may not speak English in the manner in which the mother does in the poem. Then why does he choose an elderly (AfricanAmerican) woman to be his narrator? According to Aidan Wasley, “ we can see the speaker of ‘Mother to Son’ as a kind of collective voice, the voice of generations of African – Americans whose troubled history… ‘‘ain’t been no crystal stair.’ ” That is, by describing her personal experience of hardship, the speaker-mother is narrating the storey of her people, beginning in their homelands and continuing in America (“And life for me am not been no crystal stair”). African-Americans were forced to walk over tacks, splinters, and broken planks, among other hazards. They were forced to live in filthy tenement buildings and struggle against poverty in the United States. Nevertheless, the mother and thousands of others ascended their treacherous stairwells. Their future, she tells her son and, by extension, countless other young African-Americans, is contingent upon their resolve to strive; they should not “set down on the steps” and accept defeat. Since they must still climb, they require inspiration from their traditional spiritual, “We shall overcome someday.” It is entirely appropriate for the poem’s readers to follow the mother’s advice in this instance.

Hughes has done an excellent job of embedding the woman’s storey within a defining image—the crystal stair. Wasley compares this step to the stairway/ladder envisioned in a dream by Jacob, the Old Testament patriarch. Jacob was forced to flee his home to his uncle’s to avoid the wrath of his tricked brother, Esau. Jacob arrived at a location in the evening and slept there, using a stone as a cushion. He had a dream while sleeping in which he saw a stairway/ladder with its foot on the ground and its apex touching heaven. Additionally, he noticed God’s angels ascending and descending the stairwell. “ I am the Lord, the God… I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying,” God said from the top. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, spread out” in all four directions (This episode in Jacob’s life is related in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, chapter 28 and verses 10–15).

How is this episode in Jacob’s life connected to the poetry we are currently studying? The Israelites are Jacob’s descendants (Jews). They were forced to become captives in Egypt, where the Pharaohs enslaved them for generations. While they endured hardship in Egypt, they were constantly yearning for the country that God had promised Jacob. When African-Americans toiled on Southern plantations before the Civil War, this narrative of Jacob was extremely popular. They, like the Israelites, desired liberty and peaceful existence in the promised land of America. As Wasley notes, “ The heavenly stairway became a powerful image of liberation and salvation, attainable only through suffering and faith in God. ” Hughes, Wasley speculates, may “have been very familiar with the associations of Jacob’s ladder with the struggle for freedom and equality of blacks in America..” Notably, one of their most well-known traditional spiritual songs is “ We are climbing Jacob’s ladder. ” The hymn “speaks of climbing ‘higher and higher’ in order to become ‘soldiers of the Lord,’ and it also encourages the singers to “ Keep on climbing, we will make it. ” It concludes with the statement, “ Children, do you want your liberty? ” In light of these elements, the poem’s mother gains greater significance. She is a wise woman who advises her people, who are spread over Northern America, to continue climbing and avoid sitting on the steps. Thus, the picture of the crystal stair invokes “ simultaneously the painful history of blacks in America while pointing to the tradition of faith and hope that has sustained them through it all.”

As indicated above, we can match the poet’s son with the son in the poem. Hughes wrote this poem while he was a very young poet attempting to establish the foundations of his craft. He might have been debating whether to write about his own people in America, their difficulties and yearning for total freedom or to disregard his African ancestors. These were not easy problems to solve, and when we read “Mother to Son” with these issues in mind, we discover that “ the poem suggests that the son’s frustration and despair is that of the poet, [who is]faced with the impossible task of writing poetry that truly speaks to and for the African-American experience.” The poem’s mother’s urging subsequently takes on a new degree of significance. Hughes is instructed as an African-American poet to embrace his identity and sing about his race’s history, leaning heavily on their creative forms—spirituals, blues, jazz, and so on. Additionally, see how the mother’s suggestion is appropriate for resolving the poet’s dilemma: “ So, boy, don’t you turn back/ Don’t you set down on the steps/’Cause you find it’s kinder hard.”  She is well aware that his mission is difficult, and that his poetry cannot be about a gleaming crystal stair.

Again, in a broad sense, we might define the son as someone weary of life’s difficulties. The mother’s advice to him/her is not to accept defeat but to persevere in the face of adversity.

As with “Young Gal’s Blues,” this poem has elements of African American dialect. This truth is illustrated by words and idioms such as ain’t a-climbin’, reachin’, set down, kinder, I’se, etc . Additionally, they emphasise the mother’s lack of education and her son’s educational disparity. The blues’ influence is clearly obvious. As a result, the poem features heavy rhythmic beats, repeated phrases, and narration of African-Americans’ tragic struggles. Hughes notes that “ Unlike the Spirituals, the Blues are not group songs . . . they are usually sung by one man or one woman alone.” He continues, “ the Blues are songs about being in the midst of trouble, friendless, hungry, disappointed in love, right here on earth.” This poem is likewise sung by a female performer and discusses adversity and unfavourable conditions.

Questions and Answers

Q.1) What features of the dramatic monologue do you find in the poem? Answers to the questions on “Mother to Son” Answer: A dramatic monologue appears as though there is a speaker and a listener or listeners, but there is no real listener. The speaker’s words in the poem generally reveal his/her character and temperament. In Hughes’ poem, the son is only supposedly there and hence does not respond to his mother. So he is an imaginary presence. Also, the woman’s words clearly reveal the resilience of her character . Q.2) Comment on the significance of the crystal stair as a metaphor in the poem. Answer: The entire poem revolves around the metaphor of the crystal stair; we find its presence throughout the poem. It signifies life’s progress, the hardships life brings and the need to climb up, rather than climb down, in the face of adversities. Q.3) Is this a poem of hope? Answer: Surely, this is a poem of hope. It enables one to keep hope about the future even as one meets with adverse experiences in life.

Note : More questions will be added soon.

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Poetry And/As Translation

“mother to son” by langston hughes, translations by dylan shayne:.

Draft #1: The Bridge

Well son, I’ll tell you My life hasn’t been an easy bridge But one weakly strewn from rope and wood No iron foundations to be found Held together precariously Constantly buckling and writhing Making me lose my grip As I walk, Planks fall off the bridge The ropes stretch under my weight Moving across takes time But I keep faith in the bridge Pray to it every day and believe in it The rope will either break or it will not All I can do it to keep walking I tread carefully Doing whatever I must, To stay on the bridge This ain’t no golden gate bridge But only one I got

  Draft #2: The Game

My son, I’ll tell you Life is like a sport Like Basketball, You don’t start with anything No points, No rebounds, No assists No wins But you need to earn them No one will score for you Or run for you Or alleviate your burning lungs I’ve missed shots I’ve slipped I’ve fallen I’ve lost But you got to keep trying Keep running Keeping taking those shots No else will take them for you

Draft #3: The Winding Road

Success, my son Isn’t a paved highway With a clear path It’s more of a winding dirt path Along the way There will be a fallen oak Rocks that bust your toes Dirt in your socks With my thighs burning I braved through the terrain Kept my head on straight Learned to jump over the fallen tree Learned to ignore the sting of the rocks I made my own road Converted the dirt To a paved highway I took the obstacles of my road And learned how to make success Your journey will never start as the highway You got to run the through the dirt first

TRANSLATION RATIONALE:

For my Final Project I decided to build upon the drafting as translation assignment we did earlier in the year. In that assignment, we had to write an essay regarding different drafts of the same poem. It was all about looking at the changes between the drafts and deciphering why the author made those changes. For the final project, I wanted to do my own translation of drafts. Instead of changing the medium, I wanted to work within poetry. I decided to take a poem that I had selected for analysis earlier in the semester, and make my own new drafts of the poem. My selected poem was “Mother to Son”, which was written in 1922 by the prominent African American Poet, Langston Hughes. This poem is from the perspective of a mother who uses the metaphor of stairs to describe her life to her son. I decided to make this poem my perpetual first draft and develop the poem through a set of three more drafts. The goal was to see how I could make the new drafts fit different molds but still implement many of the aspects from the original. This brought the question, “To what extent is it translation?” What I mean is that to what extent is a change too much? Can a draft still be considered translation if it retains absolutely nothing from the previous one? These are the questions I explored regarding translation as I did my drafts.

I found the Mother’s use of a metaphor to be very successful in conveying her hardships to her son. This use of a metaphor throughout the whole pome is what drew me to select it. The mother says that she has many obstacles that stand in her way but she always continues to climb. She goes from describing how tough her climb is and then transitions into how you got to keep climbing. What I wanted to do was create a new version of the poem that also used a metaphor in the same way however I wanted a different metaphor. According to Octavio Paz in his book, Translation: Literature and Letters, the process of translation, “…consists of producing analogous effects with different implements.” (Paz, 160) What he’s saying is that translation has several variances but maintains key components. Subsequently, I decided to write my first draft using the metaphor of a bridge. Like stairs, the bridge is a way to get from one place to another. I maintained many aspects from the original such as I kept it to the same number of lines (20), it was parent to son, and it used a metaphor. My first draft was a parent describing their journey in life through the metaphor of a weak, rope bridge. The main idea is that life isn’t an easy bridge but rather a difficult one to cross. The meager rope bridge is a common image usually seen in movies. It’s always over a treacherous fall and the characters usually have difficulties crossing, if they even are so lucky not to fall off. The rope bridge metaphor allowed me give a very similar message as the original poem. The bridge, like life, is precariously positioned and writhes with uncertainty. After writing the draft, I do believe that the metaphor fit well but there was an issue. That issue was that the rope bridge, in my opinion, didn’t provide enough concrete obstacles for my liking.  In the original, the stairs provided many obstacles such as no carpet, tacks, splinters, and boards torn up. These were all powerful and I felt as if the rope bridge didn’t have those powerful obstacles. I found myself writing about how it was unstable and planks would fall from under you. To me, this wasn’t successful translation because I wasn’t maintaining the idea of opposition. With the stairs, there was a heavy vertical and obstacle-based opposition to the mother’s success and I didn’t feel that with the rope bridge.

Going into my next draft, I was content with how I had progressed so far. I had been able to maintain the general idea of the original poem in my first draft and successfully implemented a different metaphor. This was a good start but I wanted to find a new metaphor that could fit better. I changed the metaphor from the bridge to a basketball game, a complete switch. I’ve participated in athletics throughout my whole life so I chose the basketball metaphor because I felt like I could relate to it. I’ve played basketball for a while and I remember that nothing was ever gifted to me. I never had a guaranteed spot on the team and every game I had to work hard to get points, rebounds, and assists. I felt like the idea of a basketball game was a very different metaphor than stairs but delivered a similar message. Since the bridge metaphor didn’t pan out exactly how I wanted, I decided to try something completely different. The draft also was from a parent’s perspective to a son and the basketball game allowed me to write about how everything has to be earned. I wrote that the other team is constantly trying to block your progress but you must keep playing. My favorite part about this metaphor is that it gave me good lines to use. In the original poem, Hughes is able to use phrases such as  “keep climbing” which fit well with the idea of stairs. Similarly, basketball allowed me to use lines such as “no one will take the shots for you.” This showed me that selection metaphors can sometimes effect what literary strategies you can use. Metaphors such as sports allow much more literary wit than that of bridge. However, as much as I liked the new metaphor, it didn’t have the effect I desired. The perpetual opposition in this new draft was the other team, meaning other players trying to limit your progress. For me, this made the opposition human when in fact, Hughes’ poem focused more around life being the difficulty. With my first draft, I was able to make the situation the opposition instead of other people. I felt like I wanted to revert back to my first draft where it was the person versus their environment.

For my final draft, I decide to use the metaphor of a dirt path. Stairs are a means of transport and getting from one point to another. A path is similar and I felt that it paralleled the initial metaphor well. The basis of this draft was that life isn’t a paved highway but rather a dirt path full of obstacles and pains. But through those obstacles, you learn how to maneuver them and create a “paved highway” for yourself. I felt that this maintained the integrity of the initial poem as I kept it at twenty lines, I used the total metaphor, and I was able to give a positive message at the end. I used a completely different metaphor and I changed the focus of the poem slightly. In the initial poem, the moral at the end was more implied than directly said. The mother says that she always keeps climbing but that’s about it. In my first two drafts I had maybe one line or so with a message. In this last draft, I dedicated several lines to explain how the lesson is learned. Instead of saying that I kept walking along the path, I described how I learned to jump over the fallen trees and ignore the pain of the rocks. I tried to make the draft a fifty-fifty split between the hardships and the learning process. I feel like an important part of literature in general is being able to have a positive impact on the reader or at least try to teach lessons.  I believe that Langston Hughes, when writing this poem, was more focused on the struggle itself. I wanted to take his idea of the metaphor, which describes the struggle, but also make a more powerful message. Going back to the Paz quote, I was able to produce “analogous effects” by maintaining the description of struggle through a metaphor of a non-living thing. I was also able to use “different implements” through changing what metaphor I used, which had a subsequent effect on how struggle was described. I found that the life struggle found in the original poem wasn’t reflected as much as I wanted in my first two drafts. I don’t think my final draft was perfect but I believe that I captured the idea of everything being against you and I feel like I switched the meaning of the poem.

Works Cited

Paz, Octavio. Translation: Literature and Letters. Digital. 1971

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Symbolism in Langston Hughes' "Mother to Son"

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Analysis Essay: Mother to Son By Langston Hughes

Every mother wants to see their child succeed in life. Through the good times and challenging times, each generation will experience both at some point. The person you mature to be will determine if you kept pushing through those hard times so you can enjoy the good times. In the poem “ Mother to Son”, by Langston Hughes, the speaker of the poem is a mother who is giving her son advice on life. The mother has lived difficult life, but she expresses to her son “Don’t you set down on the steps/Cause you finds it’s kinder hard” (Lines 14-15), her advice is to carry on. As she uses her own life and its obstacles as a staircase of events the poet uses literary devices like imagery, figurative language, and consonance to convey the tone of the mother’s advice to her son. 

The image of a staircase begins when the poet, Langston Hughes uses an extended metaphor, a staircase, to explain the life the mother had endured. The mother describes her life as a “crystal stair” by saying “ Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (line 2). Hughes is painting an image that life for the mother hasn’t been easy as it has been for others who climb a “ Crystal stair,” she has had to work very hard to get where she is. To highlight the hardship the mother had to go through, the poet uses imagery to put into words the staircase she had to climb; “Its had tacks in it/ And Splinters/ And boards torn up/ And places with no carpet on the floor-Bare” (Lines 3-7). The use of words “tacks” and “splinters” indicate the mother’s pain and suffering she has encountered over the years. When she says “ Boards tore up” and “ places with no carpet on the floor” she is telling her son how she has lived very poorly and warning him of the harmful situations that can occur in life. The mother had to go through great lengths to get where she is, every step wasn’t easy but the mother continues climbing. 

Throughout the poem, Hughes explores the life and resilience of the mother’s tone as persistent and tough. He continues to use figurative language as a metaphor, as the mother continues telling her son about the challenges she faced in life, she experienced more hardship on the way than she had good, “And sometimes going in the dark/Where there ain't been no light" (line 11-12) The darkness represents hopelessness. When the speaker says there "ain't been no light", she suggests that there is no happy, bright spot in her life to bring her joy during that time in her life. Yet the through it all the mother keeps living, keep going and not giving up; “ I’ve been a climbin on/ And reachin landins’/And turnin corners.” (Lines 8-10.) This is where Hughes uses the literary device consonance, “ climbin, reachin, landin, and turnin,” in the mother’s life. As Hughes employs these literary devices to show the courage and optimism of the mother, the mother is letting her son know to keep going and not turn back; “So boy, don’t your turn back/Don’t you set down on the steps.” (Lines 13-14). 

The message Langston Hughes wanted his readers to take from the poem “ Mother to Son” is to never give up, but to keep going forward and not look back, expect nothing in life to be handed to you. The mother explains nothing in her life was easy, she had to work through countless obstacles and challenges. “ Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” this tells her son and the readers that her life hasn’t been easy but despite all her obstacles the mother pushed through. Hughes tells the story of the mother’s life using the metaphor of a staircase and each obstacle is expressed using different literacy devices. Each one identifies the struggle the mother faces during her life and gives an image for the readers to understand the pain and suffering she endured. Though it teaches us that no matter how hard life gets, you should always strive for a better one.

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Literature Analysis of “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes

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“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes , is a short poem about a mother who is teaching her son about urgency and determination by using the image of a staircase to instill something in his brain. She explains that even though life has given her many adversities, she continues to keep on pushing and she urges her son to do the same. In the poem “Mother to Son,” Langston Hughes uses an extended metaphor, imagery, dialect, and structure to painting a picture of a weary mother who wants her son to succeed even though life has many hardships.

The poem is a monologue that conveys the idea of encouragement and hope. The theme of this poem “Mother to Son,” is about willpower and the value of life lessons. The mother is telling her son that no matter what happens, he should never give up or quit. Even though this poem’s tone is rather serious and sad, there is an indication of optimism because she never gave up on herself. The mother never let the “stairs” of life bring her down and that gives the readers a feeling of faith that everything will be ok.

In this poem, Langston Hughes uses an extended metaphor, which was the staircase, to portray the life of the mother. The mother compares her life to a “crystal stair” at the beginning of the poem by saying, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (2). The mother says to her son, that life is not as easy as it seems and you really cannot just stroll through. Instead, in this stanza of the poem, she tells her son that the reality is that life is hard, full of brick walls that are trying to stop you, but one must keep on going, one cannot turn their back or sit down, because one will catch a break eventually. This gives the readers a sense that she has not been as blessed as the people who climb the “crystal stair”, for this reason, she has had to work for it. When you think of a “crystal stair,” the first thing that comes to your mind is something prized, high-priced, and extravagant; therefore, someone who climbs a “crystal stair” would be someone who has a great fortune, and has lived a glamorous, perhaps easy, life. The mother in this poem has had no such life; in fact, the description of hers seems more tough and unpleasant.

To draw a bigger picture of the hardships that the mother has faced, the author uses imagery to express the staircase that she had to climb to get to where she is now. In lines 3-7 this is the example she uses how the hardships were, “It’s had tacks in it, and splinters and boards were torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor–Bare. The use of “tacks” and “splinters” demonstrate the agony and uneasiness that the mother has gone through and torn up boards could symbolize possibly a risky situation. If you step on a stair that is broken, there is a risk that you may fall through. Along with the uneasiness, the mother may have had to escape threatening situations. The image of the broken-down staircase also gives the readers a notion of the insufficiency of funds. Also, a staircase that is broken wouldn’t be in a rich persons’ home, so this also makes us see that she is poor or lacks the finer things. In the 1920s, which was when this poem was written, many African Americans were moving from the South into cities for a possibility of a better living situation. Most of them were penniless and lived in poverty-stricken ways, which is why the staircase is displayed as broken down, bare, and with no carpet.

The title, “Mother to Son,” tells us that this is a mother giving her son advice Langston Hughes opens the poem by saying, “Well, son, I’ll tell you:”(1), which could mean that her son had asked her about her life when she was young or that maybe he was nagging about his current problems. The mother then begins to go into detail to tell him that her life has not been easy, but she gave up on herself and she is instilling him to do the same. In lines 14-17 it shows what I am meaning “So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the step ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now-” instructs that she wants him to counter it onward and upward. The mother is telling her son that he should never put himself down or stop because it is becoming tough, and she uses herself as an example for it all. She is just encouraging him to climb those stairs that life throws at him by telling him that she herself went through the same struggles as he will because she never gave up in lines 18-19, “For I’ve still goin’, honey. I’se still climbin’.” Through these lines, she shows that’s no matter how tough it may have been for her that hasn’t destroyed her spirits because she keeps on climbing. She demonstrates life as rising up a staircase: it’s a tough climb, but one that must be attempted and reached.

You can see the willpower that this mother has. She keeps trying to continue through her disruptions that are pulling her back, even when it seems like there is no faith for her, “And sometimes goin’ in the dark/ Where there ain’t been no light.”(12-13).”And sometimes goin’ in the dark” (12) could mean that she felt worthless at certain times in her life or that is was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If a town is completely abandoned with no trace of human life, it is extremely difficult to find help. There may have been instances in a women’s life where she did not know the way out of a situation, but she never thought of quitting. We also see that she is climbing the stairs and it is a never-ending cycle, “For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se climbin’,”(18-19). This gives the readers an interpretation that no matter what age you are, you will eventually begin climbing your staircase of life. It leads me to think that this staircase only stops if you die.

Langston Hughes uses dialect to reveal to the readers that the mother may not have been well educated. In this line “But all the time I’se been a-climbing’ on, and reachin’ landin’s, and turnin’ corners, and sometimes goin’ in the dark, where there ain’t been no light” (8-13) it indicates why I have reason to believe so. By leaving out the “g” at the end of each word and using the words “ain’t,” we get the notion that this is an older, Southern woman who has not been educated incorrect English. She uses words like ain’t, I’se, and climbin’ which is a general language in the black culture. The language she uses gives the interpretation that though she may not be “well-educated” but is street smart and intelligent because of all the problematic experiences that she has overcome in her life. The rhythm of the poem has no rhyme but it has no beat that flows in a jaded but it does builds like a stairway, one step at a time.

Although there is not much structure to this poem, it does mimic a blues song. Blues was a very popular genre in the 1920s, especially down there many Southern African Americans popularized it as well. In most blues songs, they will sing about progressing on and never giving up on yourself, which is what this poem really tries to instill into the child. Additionally, a blues song will have the reappearance of words. For instance, this poem repeats the phrase “crystal stair.” It begins and ends the poem by saying that, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,”(2,20).

In conclusion, Langston Hughes uses extended metaphor, imagery, dialect, and structure to reveal a weary mother who gives her son guidance about the strength of character. We realize that although her life has given her many hardships, she never gave up her willpower to keep on and she pushes on. With the use of the extended metaphor of the staircase and the crystal-clear imagery, the readers take on a clear picture of struggle, perseverance, and hope that the mother had to go through.

• https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47559/mother-to-son

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Literature Analysis of “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes. (2020, Oct 31). Retrieved from https://samploon.com/literature-analysis-of-mother-to-son-by-langston-hughes/

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Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

Updated 18 October 2023

Subject Books ,  Writers

Downloads 48

Category Literature

Topic Langston Hughes

The Persona's Message of Hope and Determination

The speaker offers valuable advice to her son using carefully chosen words in which she admits that life has not been easy for her yet despite the numerous stumbling blocks along her path, she keeps moving on, always hoping for a better tomorrow. From the poet’s autobiography, it is possible that the events described in the poem reflect the poet’s actual life. The persona in Langston Hughes “Mother to Son” uses some poetic elements such as metaphors, negation, diction, repetition, direct address, colloquial language, symbolism, and dash to emphasize the theme of hope, determination and never giving up.

Effective Use of Metaphors

The speaker uses effective metaphors to drive home her point. McMillan Dictionary defines ‘crystal’ as ‘clear glass of very good quality.’ When the speaker uses the first metaphor to compare her life’s journey to the look of a crystal staircase, the rest follow in quick succession to give the poem its meaning as early as in the second line of “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes: “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (2).

Negation and Use of Painful Metaphors

A stair denotes a climbing motion. We usually climb up the stair though we may as well descend on it. A typical successful life usually involves climbing. Thus, the speaker is telling her son that his journey up will not be easy either. It will not be as clear and as transparent as crystal. In this particular line, the speaker uses negation to say what her life has not been. It has certainly not been a bed of roses. Soon after the negation, she reveals what her life has been: tacks, splinters, torn up boards. According to Cambridge Dictionary, a tack is ‘a short, sharp nail with a wide flat end’ while a splinter is ‘a small, sharp, piece of wood, glass, or similar material that has broken off a larger piece.’ A board is ‘a flat piece of hard material such as wood or plastic (Cambridge Dictionary, 2018). The speaker’s choice of words or metaphors is deliberate because all the three words speak of objects capable of inflicting sharp pain or being hazardous should they come into contact with the human body. A tack sticking into someone’s toe nail, for instance, can elicit a cry of pain from the affected person. Thus, these metaphors emphasize the hard life the speaker has led but has not given up yet.

Importance of Diction

Besides some of the words defined above, the speaker’s diction also has an essential bearing on the overall meaning of the poem. First is the word ‘bare' (7) that appears alone in Langston Hughes’ poem, "Mother to Son." And it comes soon after an em dash, indicative of a pause. Why would the speaker pause before continuing a conversation with one word? It is because the word ‘bare' completes the meaning of a troubled life. It comes after the skillful usage of anaphora and continues to emphasize the fact that life is not easy. Another word is ‘Well,' which is the first word of the poem. The usage of ‘well' here is to draw the son into a conversation which he needs to critically attend to because she has something fundamental to say. Finally, the words ‘son' and ‘honey' reveal how deep the mother's love is towards her son that she finds it very important to offer him crucial advice.

Repetition and Musicality

The persona makes good use of repetition to emphasize her determination to succeed against all odds. The line by Langstone Hughes in “Mother to Son,” “And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” (20) has been repeated for the son’s benefit to get the message that there will always be difficult situations in life so he should approach life with a sober mind. Her repetition also reveals her honesty because she tells her son the plain truth. Also, the word "And" has been repeated three times to introduce the three metaphors. This use of anaphora gives the poem not only its musicality but adds to the meaning of the poem in that sorrow upon sorrow seem to have been added on the mother’s predicament.

Importance of Direct Address

The use of direct address is necessary because it makes the poem sound natural- that a mother is speaking to her son. She uses the second person to address him in "Mother to Son" by Langstone Hughes, “Well, son, I’ll tell you… So boy, don’t you turn back” (1,14). The direct address is significant because it draws her son into a mother-to-son conversation, giving the advice intimacy. Thus, the advice of climbing on is likely to be taken more seriously since using the second person helps to draw in the concerned person. Also, “Don’t you set down on the steps” in Langston’s “Mother to Son” tells the son there is no room for turning back.

Use of Colloquial Language and Symbolism

The use of colloquial language such as ‘ain’t’ ‘reachin’ and ‘climbin’ aids in the overall understanding of the poem because they place the poem in its context. It is the language of the uneducated or people who live in the countrysides. The speaker is alluding to poverty when she mentions the lack of a carpet on the floor. It is possible she is advising her son to scale the heights where poverty is concerned. Symbolism has been used in the words ‘dark’ and ‘light.’ Darkness symbolizes misery, an obscure life. She is like a blind person groping in the dark. The speaker is unable to see where her life is headed. There has been no light in her life because there are no good memories, nothing significant in her life that has caused her to smile. Despite these dark moments, she has to keep walking.

Personal Reflection from Author's Biography

From Hughes autobiography, it is possible the events described in this poem reflect on his own life at some point. Hughes did not grow up in an ideal home because his mother and father separated shortly after he was born. His dad wanted to explore the world and get rich so moved to Mexico (Hughes 15). When Hughes, his mother, and grandmother joined him in Mexico, an earthquake occurred where the emergence of tarantulas scared his mother into returning to the States (Hughes 16). Sometime he would live with his mother who struggled to look for jobs (Hughes 14). Then there are times he lived with his proud grandmother of Indian descent who would rather die than be caught begging (Hughes 17). Hughes, therefore, lived a life of deprivation where sometimes all they had to eat were wild dandelions and salted pork (Hughes 17). His grandmother sometimes had to rent out her house to pay her mortgage which she never cleared at the point of death such that the home was repossessed (Hughes 16). It is possible the person giving Hughes this advice is his grandmother, “Something about my grandmother’s stories… taught me the uselessness of crying about anything” (Hughes, pp. 17). His grandmother may not have had much, but she left him with countless stories that imparted wisdom in him and which had an element of hope, determination, striving, and fighting for something. All of his grandmother's stories always moved towards a heroic end (Hughes 17).

The speaker in Hughes’ poem offers profound advice that not only applies to her son but to all in the world who would care to listen. She is a mother who has experienced a lot of trouble in her life but has never given up so who is her son to give up? Through the use of poetic devices such as metaphors, negation, repetition, direct address, colloquial language, symbolism, dash, and tone, the speaker succeeds in sharing the message in the poem which is hope, determination and the spirit to keep on fighting. What the reader carries home is a hopeful, determined tone.

Works Cited

Cambridge Dictionary. “Board.” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/board. Accessed 13 December 2018.

Cambridge Dictionary. “Splinter.” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/splinter. Accessed 13 December 2018.

Cambridge Dictionary. “Tack.” https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/tack. Accessed 13 December 2018.

Hughes Langston. “Mother to Son." Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47559/mother-to-son. Accessed 13 December 2018.

Hughes, Langston. The Big Sea: An Autobiography. New York, Hill and Wang, 1940.

McMillan Dictionary. “Crystal.” https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/crystal. Accessed 13 December 2018.

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Detroit abounds in the work of a local poet who became world famous

Free press flashback explores the work of robert hayden, the celebrated poet who grew up in detroit's paradise valley..

When Langston Hughes visited Detroit in April 1937, he was already at 36 a celebrated American writer, leader of the Harlem Renaissance.

He came to the city to see friend Elsie Roxborough’s production of his play “Drums of Haiti” at the YWCA, where Comerica Park stands today.

Probably no one in the cast wanted to meet Hughes more than 23-year-old Robert Hayden, an aspiring poet who had grown up nearby in Paradise Valley.

Hughes could not have known that Hayden would someday become poet laureate, read at the White House, win international recognition and be commemorated on a U.S. postage stamp.

Detroit informed Hayden’s art. St. Antoine, Beaubien, Belle Isle, Paul Robeson at Cadillac Square, Joe Louis, the librarian who saved books for him, double features at the Dunbar — Detroit references abound. Until the end, Hayden remained inspired by his childhood. When he died, he was at work on “Elegies for Paradise Valley.”

But back to 1937.

A tough childhood

Young Robert Hayden had been savoring Langston Hughes’ poems and unconsciously mimicking his voice while seeking his own. Backstage, Hayden was costumed as a voodoo priest in cape and feathers, his face coated in dazzling colors.

“This is Bob Hayden,” said Elsie Roxborough.

Langston Hughes undoubtedly noticed Hayden’s thick eyeglasses. Everyone did. His eyesight had been terrible since childhood, and his prescription lenses created a swirling 3D effect when you faced him. It was Hayden’s poor vision that led him to literature. Unable to play sports and wanting to avoid name-calling bullies, he took refuge among books. By age 5, he could read.

Roxborough arranged for Hughes and Hayden to have lunch. Hayden brought his poems. A few had been published locally in The Detroit Tribune and the journal Phenix. While not overly enthusiastic, Hughes encouraged Hayden. Afterward, he probably thought their goodbye was final. It wouldn’t be.

Born Asa Sheffey in 1913, Hayden had a tumultuous early life. His parents divorced, and his father departed. Months after, his mother moved to Buffalo, leaving her toddler with the Haydens, neighbors in the Beacon-Beaubien area. They changed his name — not legally, he discovered later — and raised him as their son. The Haydens’ strict-Baptist household simmered with anger and jealousy. Mr. Hayden found Robert peculiar and unmanly.

“Worse than the poverty were the conflicts, the quarreling, the tensions that kept us most of the time on the edge of some shrill domestic calamity,” Hayden recalled in 1975. “We had a terrible love-hate relationship with one another, and dreadful things happened I can never forget.”    

Writing eased his pain.

The 1930s saw Hayden graduate high school; study at City College (later renamed Wayne State); write poems, plays and newspaper columns; direct and act in amateur productions; and interview formerly enslaved people for the Federal Writers Project.

In 1938, he became a graduate student at the University of Michigan, where he met rising playwright Arthur Miller and won his first Hopwood Award. The second came in 1942. By then, he had married pianist Erma Morris, debuted his first book (“Heart-shape in the Dust”) and been published in an anthology and The Atlantic magazine.

A bit of serendipitous fortune put Hayden at Michigan as W.H. Auden, one of Britain’s foremost poets, arrived to teach for one school year. Auden, at 34, rumpled and eccentric, awed Hayden by reciting poems from memory in German and Latin. “We all had read his books.” Hayden recalled. “We knew that he was brilliant.” When Hayden’s daughter Maia was born, Auden dropped by to welcome her into the world.

A friendship with Langston Hughes

Hayden’s life looked charmed. He accepted a teaching position at Fisk University in Nashville, where he would remain for 20 years. But soon he felt stuck. His successes stalled. Doubts and depression plagued him.

He shared his troubles with Langston Hughes, who had become a friend. Their letters are archived at Yale University.

“The few things I have done are utterly discouraging,” he wrote in 1949 of recent work.

In 1955: “I seem doomed to be a pamphlet poet, a periphery poet.”

In 1958: “I have really been discouraged.”

A letter to another friend revealed his greatest fear. I discovered it among Hayden’s papers at the National Bahai Archives in Wilmette, Illinois. “Maybe I have been a great fool all these years to imagine that I could accomplish anything in literature,” he confided.

His fortunes changed again in 1962, when his second book, “A Ballad of Remembrance,” was published — 22 years after the first (a couple “pamphlets” appearing between). “Ballad” included two of what would become his most lauded poems, “Those Winter Sundays” about his foster father and “Middle Passage” about the slave trade. The book brought wide recognition, winning grand prize at the World Festival of Negro Arts in Africa.

More books and honors followed — poet-in-residence, National Book Award finalist, University of Michigan professorship, Academy of American Poets fellowship — culminating in his 1976 Bicentennial appointment as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, known now as poet laureate.

“I wish I had met Robert Hayden, but I never did,” Robert Pinsky, poet laureate 1997-2000, told me in an email. “He is a poet I honor for his masterful, profound work and for his greatness of spirit, demonstrated in poems such as ‘Middle Passage’ and in all accounts of him as a person.”

In January 1980, Hayden read at the Carter White House with other prominent American poets. A month later, the University of Michigan paid tribute. Poets came from across the country. Stricken by a virus and battling cancer, Hayden could not attend. Afterward, friends stopped at his Ann Arbor home. He exuded a joyful spirit. But the next day, Hayden died at 66.

Friends described him as kind, complex and quick to tears and laughter — “sensitive, almost fragile,” according to a biographer, John Hatcher.

Hayden’s work is precise and vigorous. He mastered various styles and structures. His subjects touched on the historic, personal and more.

Dr. Melba Joyce Boyd, a poet and distinguished professor of African American Studies at Wayne State, grew up in Detroit. Hayden was one of her heroes.

“Robert Hayden was a literary genius,” she said in an email. “Poverty and racism could have sabotaged his life and corrupted his thematic purposes. But Hayden subverted these systemic forces with poetic grace and aesthetic courage that has nurtured generations of poets.”

Hayden is still appreciated. He is still in the conversation, still read, published and quoted 44 years after his death, even surfacing in popular culture, as when Stephen Colbert recited one of his poems on television. Ann Arbor recently designated his home a historic site, and an effort is underway to name the local post office in his honor.

At nearby Fairview Cemetery, Robert Hayden’s grave marker is easy to miss: a simple slab snug in the ground. But other poets find it.

Keith Taylor, a retired Michigan professor, visits occasionally. Sometimes he brings fellow writers. “We will often read a poem out there,” he said. “I’ll admit that in my own old age, I get a little teary over Hayden’s grave.” Though he never met the man.

“Hayden's poems cut across all the lines of race and class,” said Taylor. “And even of time.”

Tom Stanton is author of several nonfiction books, including “Terror in the City of Champions” and “Ty and The Babe.”