Mother To Son By Langston Hughes

Cultural movements seem to have a lasting impact on a society by existing through individuals and being celebrated. The Harlem Renaissance is one of the most notable cultural movements in United States history. The pioneers of the New Negro Movement, like Langston Hughes, are what made it such a monumental success. Although the 1920s was plagued with racism, African Americans found beauty in their heritage, creating a more cohesive community. In Langston Hughes's poem, "Mother to Son", the mother informs her son of the cruelty of life for the African American but stresses the importance for persistence when desiring change. Furthermore, Hughes's poem "I, Too" criticizes segregation and offers a more hopeful outlook on the future. In both poems, …show more content…
Written in 1922, Hughes vividly paints the picture of life for the typical African American through the perspective of a poor black mother. For the mother, life "ain't been no crystal stair", but rather full of hardships and uphill battles (Hughes, "Mother to Son", 2). Although America undergoes dramatic economic growth along with social and political changes during the Roaring Twenties, not all Americans share the same experience. Through the use of his metaphor of the staircase, Hughes reveals the fight against poverty and discrimination that persists in the United States despite the growth of the economy. Additionally, the "crystal stair" represents the beauty of the American dream that "all Americans shall have equal opportunities" (Wasley 177). In this poem, Hughes makes it evident that America is everything but equal at the time. Hughes uses the metaphors of tacks, splinters, bare boards, and "places with no carpet on the floor" to express the poverty associated with life for blacks (Hughes, "Mother to Son", 6). However, with struggle comes progress. The mother has "been a climbin' on, and reachin' landin's, and turnin' corners" (Hughes, "Mother to Son", 9-11). Despite the numerous disadvantages, the mother makes personal growth, which parallels to the progress of the black race as a whole. Furthermore, Hughes's word choice complements the idea of poverty. Hughes depicts "a lifetime of reduced opportunity" by implementing "uneducated diction" in the poem (Wasley 182). Additionally, the mother has a "collective voice" that represents "the generations of African-Americans" whose lives have been a challenge (Wasley 185). The mother shows pride in her black heritage. Hughes delivers an important message regarding the fight for equality that is consistent in his works.