Mother to Son
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"Mother to Son"
By Langston Hughes
The flourish of African American culture in the 1920's became known as the Harlem Renaissance, during which many prominent African American artists emerged. Langston Hughes was one such artist who's influence also inspired many to keep the African American customs alive. "Mother to Son" also depicts inspiration in a form to break down barriers and live one's life to the very top. Through meticulously chosen figures of speech, Hughes was able to create poetry that made the urban dialect a respected form of art, as well as way to instill strength and inspiration in his readers to overcome whatever barriers that stand in their lives.
A distinctive feature of Hughes's poetry is his unique use of figures of speech, which subtly embellish the message he may have intended to convey to his audience. In this particular poem, an extended metaphor is used. As the poem develops, the mother compares her life to that of a crystal staircase. One can grasp at the end of this poem, that her life, certainly did not resemble that of a crystal staircase, however, based on the description of her "staircase", it is quiet similar to a description of a tenement stairway. During the Harlem Renaissance, the status of African Americans was not highly esteemed and their living conditions were distasteful, suggesting that her life, too, was not very agreeable. Crystal is the perfect substance to serve as an antonym to the mother's life...