“Mother to Son” By Langston Hughes
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
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It's had tacks in it,
4
And splinters,
5
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor -7
Bare.
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But all the time
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I'se been a-climbin' on,
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And reachin' landin's,
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And turnin' corners,
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And sometimes goin' in the dark
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Where there ain't been no light.
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So boy, don't you turn back.
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Don't you set down on the steps
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'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
17
Don't you fall now -18
For I'se still goin', honey,
19
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
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2
6
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Mystery Questions
1. What is the poem about?
2. What is the theme? What makes you think that?
3. What Figurative Language/Sensory Language does
Hughes use in this poem?
4. This poem is an extended metaphor comparing
____________ to a _______________________.
5. Which are most effective?
6. What is the dialect/dialogue used in this poem?
7. What does the poem say about the time period it
was written? Examples?