Racism is shown in the poem in the form of the mother’s early years of life and how she had to dwell in race wars. The struggle of not having any rights in her life was hard to handle, but she kept her head up. There are many themes in this poem but racism was the main topic. Main examples of this is her harsh life, her early fight, and her will to keep going.
First, the speaker of the poem says to her son, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (ln 2). Many things in those times were segregated such as bathrooms, schools, even water fountains. It was hard been treated so poorly as if she was less of a person than the whites. When she’s talking about a “crystal stair”, the speaker could be talking about her dreams that were no longer expected because of her skin. She describes an old beat down stair case with tacks, splinters, and no carpet. (Walsey 178) …show more content…
In this she states that she continued to fight, through her harsh times. She stayed motivated and kept reaching new goals and achievements; she never put her head down or showed sorrow. She is trying to tell her son that even though she is going through a rough time, her little victories, and accomplishments keep her going. (“Crystal Stair” 189)
Finally, she tells her son “Don’t you set down on the steps ‘cause you finds it’s kinder hard” (ln 15). She’s trying to teach her son a lesson in saying that if you give up after a hard obstacle life is going to be harder on him. Keep fighting and some fights you will lose, but the victories will keep you going. (Emaneul 192)
In conclusion, Langston Hughes’ “Mother to son” show how the mother fought through the tough times of Racism. She overcame these obstacles to teach her son not to give up and always keep fighting. Langston Hughes provides a great explanation of the African American struggle in the early
First, the speaker of the poem says to her son, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (ln 2). Many things in those times were segregated such as bathrooms, schools, even water fountains. It was hard been treated so poorly as if she was less of a person than the whites. When she’s talking about a “crystal stair”, the speaker could be talking about her dreams that were no longer expected because of her skin. She describes an old beat down stair case with tacks, splinters, and no carpet. (Walsey 178) …show more content…
In this she states that she continued to fight, through her harsh times. She stayed motivated and kept reaching new goals and achievements; she never put her head down or showed sorrow. She is trying to tell her son that even though she is going through a rough time, her little victories, and accomplishments keep her going. (“Crystal Stair” 189)
Finally, she tells her son “Don’t you set down on the steps ‘cause you finds it’s kinder hard” (ln 15). She’s trying to teach her son a lesson in saying that if you give up after a hard obstacle life is going to be harder on him. Keep fighting and some fights you will lose, but the victories will keep you going. (Emaneul 192)
In conclusion, Langston Hughes’ “Mother to son” show how the mother fought through the tough times of Racism. She overcame these obstacles to teach her son not to give up and always keep fighting. Langston Hughes provides a great explanation of the African American struggle in the early