Mother To Son

By Langston Hughes

Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

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Mother Son

1 / 13

How does the speaker’s attitude towards life contrast with her son’s?

2 / 13

What does the phrase “turnin’ corners” suggest?

3 / 13

What effect does the phrase “And sometimes goin’ in the dark / Where there ain’t been no light” have?

4 / 13

What does the speaker warn her son not to do?

5 / 13

What grammatical type of word is “climbin’” in the phrase “I’se still climbin’”?

6 / 13

What does the staircase symbolise in the poem?

7 / 13

What is the effect of the dialect in the poem (e.g. “I’se still climbin’”)?

8 / 13

Why does the speaker repeat the phrase “I’se still climbin’”?

9 / 13

What is the tone of the poem?

10 / 13

What does “splinters” in the poem most likely represent?

11 / 13

What poetic device is used in “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”?

12 / 13

What does the phrase “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” mean?

13 / 13

What is the central message of the poem?

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