How Does Langston Hughes Use The Extended Metaphor In 'Mother To Son'

In "Mother to Son," Langston Hughes uses an extended metaphor and throws in other metaphors as well. He first starts to compare life to a staircase. However, this is not a luxury staircase that is made of glass. It is a cheap, worn down, and broken staircase. He uses this metaphor through the entire poem to describe the mother's life as extremely hard and agonizing.

The quote I think is strong is 'Life for me isn't no crystal stair. So boy don't you turn back now.' This quote is strong to me by the mother telling the son to not turn back and keep moving forward. It's personal to me. I know that the mother was the author by the actual title 'Mother to Son.'

The poem I read was Mother to Son by Langston Hughes. It was about a mother Talking to her son about her life. She talked about how her life wasn't easy but she still succeeded. She tells her son to not turn back and go through the challenge. If he ever gets stuck in a problem his mother is telling him to strive through and succeeded.

As a kid have you ever hoped that one day you would finally be tall enough to push the shopping cart while going shopping with your mom? Or that one day where you parents finally allow you to see a horror movie you have begged and begged to watch. Well to be able to do these things you have to grow up. If you don’t grow up, these things would never be possible. Growing up means that when things get hard, you don’t give up or quit, but you will always have your past memories at heart, and you will have to independently teach yourself when there’s no one around to be your teacher.

Analysis of “Theme For English B” A defining aspect of “Theme For English B” is that it does not follow a set meter or rhyme, that is to say it is written in a free verse. The poet who wrote this poem Langston Hughes was an early pioneer of jazz poetry a style which sought to give a rhythm akin to jazz or the feel of an improvised poem. “the speakers lyric response transcends the iambic beat that would contain it” (Morris, Daniel 26). As suggested by this quote Hughes writes in a stream of consciousness following no set pattern and instead opts to write in a style similar to an internal monologue or a hypothetical conversation with his tutor.

Money and the pursuit thereof has often proven itself to be disastrous to the balance of society and the interworking of the human mind. In The Rocking-Horse Winner, by author D.H. Lawrence, readers begin to see the psychological effects of the never ending pursuit of riches. The main character, Paul, learns the devastating consequences of greed at a young age, when he discovers that he has special talent for picking the winning race horses. Having grown up in a family that craves a lavish lifestyle that they can not afford, the boy sees this as an opportunity to provide for his mother and the rest of his family. Nevertheless, the situation escalates into an obsession that he will never recover from.

Langston Hughes’ “I, Too”, written in the Harlem Renaissance time period, focuses mainly on the “New Negro” concept. By concentrating on the rise of the African American people, Hughes demonstrates that African Americans are, indeed, Americans and that they are not in their own substandard category. He displays this position through the use of literary devices such as figurative language, imagery and tone. Hughes utilizes figurative language when he states “I, too, sing America”, showing that he deserves to be part of an equal society and deserves to be treated as such. Through his connection with America when he “sing[s] America”, he declares his right to feel devoted to his county, that he does not wish to just sit on the sidelines with

SUMMARY American poet, Linda Pastan, in her poem “Marks” published in 1978 addresses the topic of women’s roles in the household and asserts that although mothers may be good at their household job, their desire to fulfill other careers is overpowering and necessary to thrive. Pastan supports her claim by using vivid imagery, such as describing the grades she gets from her life job, a repeating pattern in the sentence structure, when listing what each of her family members grades her as, and connotative diction, when describing her feelings about being targeted in such a hardening and impersonal way. The author’s overall purpose is to inform readers that women were and still are being stereotyped, so that they might think about how they treat

Hurston’s use of symbolism creates a dynamic piece of literature that can be looked at through multiple lenses. The symbolism in Sweat is somewhat overt, making it difficult to not be noticed. There is a heavy use of religious metaphor, tying the story back to the story of Adam and Eve from the Christian bible. This gives the piece a personal touch, showing us that Hurston has a strong spiritual connection. It also helps to add a whole other layer, creating a depth to the story that would not otherwise be accessible.

During the 1920s the African American people suffered strong racial discrimination, they lived facing oppression like racism in employment, education and culture, consequently they lived a low quality life. Nevertheless despite all the racism and prejudice, many artists raised exalting their culture with the intention of create a new and positive image of themselves, through art, music and literature, transforming the 1920´s in the era of Jazz, Blues and the Harlem renaissance. Among the entire artists that surged in that season Langston Hughes was one of the most emblematic in the Harlem Renaissance. In his collection of poems he talks about various themes like war, dreams, love, but the most outstanding is about the life of African American people.

Sharon Olds writes about the details of the youth guest’s that attended her son’s birthday party in her poem “Rite of Passage”. The poem uses a significant amount of similes to describe the specific details of the kids and their interaction amongst each other while at the party. Olds does a great job of giving specific similes to describe the look of the children so you can truly picture the children. With the way that she describes the children and their interaction it feels that you are standing along with her observing the same thing she is. The way that Olds describe her son and the details that describe her son, gives the reader a great understanding of the love that she has for her son.