Mother To Son Literary Devices

In “Mother to Son” is a poem by Langston Hughes that speaks about the struggles of life and the power of resilience. The mother is talking to her son, giving him advice on how to live courageously and never give up in the face of challenges. Hughes conveys the message that life is full of tough times but, with faith, you can accomplish anything. The poem uses a variety of literary devices such as imagery, metaphor, personification, and illusion to bring the message of the poem to life and to emphasize the themes of perseverance and hope. The author represents struggles and hardships of life and despite life's difficulties, you should never give up or let anyone bring you down.

Imagery is used throughout the poem to create vivid images of the mother’s journey of life. In the first line of the poem, the mother says “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”. This imagery of a crystal stair is used to represent the difficult journey of life, with its twists and turns. Metaphors are also used in the poem to emphasize the mother’s message of persevering through difficult times. The crystal stairs are a “worn-out page” and the mother’s journey to “climbing” a “mountain”.

She tells her son that life is often “hard”, full of “stair steps” and “tumbles”. Through this metaphor, she conveys her understanding that life will be full of challenges, and that it is up to her son to make the best of the situation. She encourages him to keep going, no matter what is thrown his way. The mother then goes on to explain that she has faced her own set of challenges in life. She has had “troubles” and “clouds”, but she has kept going, and she encourages her son to do the same. She tells him that he must “keep on climbin’”, even if the road ahead is tough. She also conveys her faith in her son’s ability to succeed, telling him that “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”, but that she believes he will make it to the