by Langston Hughes Langston Hughes Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now— For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.Consonance is used in the second stanza with the "in" endings on the words (climbin', landin's, reachin' turnin' goin').A metaphor is used to compare the mother's life to a stairway in the first stanza (Life for me ain't been no crystal stair).Repetition is used with the words "life for me ain't been no crystal stair" to stress the hardships in the mother's life.A pause is used in the first stanza (And places with no carpet on the floor-- Bare) to add emphasis to the word "bare".There is alliteration in the last stanza with the words "set" and "steps" (s sound).I think this poem is about not giving up. Everybody goes through hard times in their life, but you just have to keep trying and have hope that you'll get somewhere better.
Mother to Son by Langston Hughes
by Langston HughesLangston Hughes
Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now— For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.Consonance is used in the second stanza with the "in" endings on the words (climbin', landin's, reachin' turnin' goin').A metaphor is used to compare the mother's life to a stairway in the first stanza (Life for me ain't been no crystal stair).Repetition is used with the words "life for me ain't been no crystal stair" to stress the hardships in the mother's life.A pause is used in the first stanza (And places with no carpet on the floor-- Bare) to add emphasis to the word "bare".There is alliteration in the last stanza with the words "set" and "steps" (s sound).I think this poem is about not giving up. Everybody goes through hard times in their life, but you just have to keep trying and have hope that you'll get somewhere better.