A Comparative Theme Analysis Essay of “Mother to Son” and “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium” Childhood and adolescence are viewed as times for growth and exploration. It is when young people learn to make decisions and overcome metaphorical roadblocks. Rarely, however, are these young people alone. Many children and teenagers have parents or parental figures they can turn to for advice. These older, wiser individuals serve as a source of mentorship to the youth who look up to them. In the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes and the short story “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium” by Matt de la Pea, …show more content…
“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes is a poem wherein a mother gives support to her son in regards to pain associated with living. The mother character begins by educating her son about all of the hardships she has faced over her life, explaining that she has experienced her fair share of suffering, and that her son should expect the same (Hughes 1-7). After speaking to these points, however, she goes on to say, “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.” (Hughes 8-13). These lines represent a turning point within the poem, where the mother explains that she has been going on despite the troubles she has faced - a key part of the invaluable advice she is giving her son. Moreover, the mother finishes the poem by urging her son to go on, just like she has: “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.” (Hughes 17-20). This is, perhaps, the most manifest example of advice from a wise …show more content…
It is implied by how the father tells his son that he was not in the wrong that the father, too, has experienced racism over the course of his lifetime. This particular moment in the story highlights how an older person’s experiences can be used to educate and support youth. Consequently, both texts offer a lesson to their potential younger readers: when faced with dilemmas, problems, or roadblocks, parental figures can serve as advisors. In Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” and Matt de la Pea’s “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium”, the older characters display wisdom that is often associated with old age, and serve as mentors and confidants. Younger readers are reminded of the significance of their parents and guardians in their lives. Both texts offer the implication that, rather than attempting to face strife alone, one can turn to an adult who they can trust. Ultimately, by acknowledging the beneficial impact turning to a parent had on the two young boys in these stories, today’s youth can be better connected with their elders through mentorship, conversation, and
“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” (Line 14-20 Norton, 2028), is the loudest part of the poem. It speaks volumes on how she truly viewed her struggles. . The mother states “ I’se been a-climbin’ on” (Hughes & Rampersad Line 9, 60), which illustrates her dedication to becoming better. She lets it be known that her struggle is yet to be over, but she does not care how hard it will be, she is going to make it. She details the pain she endured: “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair/
In youth and throughout life, children look to their parents for answers. Providing advice, tough love, and unconditional support is part of the job description for many parents. In The Other Wes Moore, the audience witnesses first-hand accounts of having a mother that takes on both “mother” and “father” roles. Wes’s mother is strong, courageous, and compassionate, while the Other Wes Moore’s mother is just as compassionate, but naive and in denial of her child’s faults. Wes’s mother, for instance, held high expectations for her son in school, considering the sacrifices she made to send him to the school she wished she could attend in her youth. When hearing of Wes’s grades she says, “Well your grades aren’t bad because you can’t pick this stuff up or because you are stupid, you are just not working hard enough” (76). From there, she proceeds to send Wes to military school, which
Another fitting quote from the text is something the mother says at the end of the poem, ¨So boy, don’t you turn back. [...] 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¨ (Hughes lines 14-20) This shows the Mother's purpose in telling this story. The mother says to the son, using her stair metaphor, to keep persevering through life, as she had.
Intergenerational conflicts are an undeniable facet of life. With every generation of society comes new experiences, new ideas, and many times new morals. It is the parent’s job go work around these differences to reach their children and ensure they receive the necessary lessons for life. Flannery O’Connor makes generous use of this idea in several of her works. Within each of the three short stories, we see a very strained relationship between a mother figure and their child. We quickly find that O’Conner sets up the first to be receive the brunt of our attention and to some extent loathing, but as we grow nearer to the work’s characteristic sudden and violent ending, we grow to see the finer details and what really makes these relations
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is broken winged bird that cannot fly.” -Langston Hughes The struggle in America that African Americans face throughout America’s history is a saddening story where it can apply to any type of people facing the same problems of inequality. The poem I, too and Mother to Son are both similar with the message that it represents but different in the way the message is said. Mother to Son highlights the struggles that Americans who are poverty stricken may face.
The author of “Mother to Son”, Langston Hughes, displays the attitude of hopefulness in the poem to show that life will not be easy for the son, but he should never give up because the mother did not. The author uses literary devices like figurative language, imagery, and diction. By using these literary devices, Hughes creates a sympathetic mood in the poem in order to emotionally draw in the reader.
staying the course. In the poem “Mother to Son” a mother tells of her persistence through life’s obstacles, encouraging her son not to give up.
On the road of life, many obstacles come about that one must overcome to make themself feel complete. The poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes was written in 1922. Langston Hughes was a black writer, whose work started to be published in the 1920s. “Mother to Son,” which shows a black mother telling her son to stay hopeful despite all the hardships one may encounter in life. Here the author is passing a message to the public through this woman of wisdom.The mother tells her son that life has not always been easy for her, yet she is still carrying on. This poem “Mother to Son” has many poetry elements within the poem. The poem shows the message of staying hopeful through the obstacles one may encounter throughout life. Hughes uses metaphors,
His poems established him as a well known poet in Harlem. In two of his poems one titled “Mother to Son” and the other “Harlem” both have some comparison and contrast between the two. The poem “Mother to Son” is more of a free lyric flowing poem. In this poem Langston Hughes gets the message across in a powerful attack. The poem is narrated from a mother’s viewpoint and the wisdom she gives her son as read in the following lines:
In “Mother to Son,” Hughes uses a worn staircase as an extended metaphor to parallel its flaws to the struggles of African Americans. The poem begins with a mother speaking to her son about the pressures of reality and telling him not to succumb. She tells her son, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” (Mother to Son “MS” line 2) to portray that her life is far from perfect like the stair of a white person. She describes her life as having “tacks and splinters….with boards torn up” (Hughes lines 3-5). These defects symbolize the problems in her life whether they were caused by her race or gender.
Every parent in this world loves their children more than anything. Even the children can’t stay away from their parents for so long. Nothing in this world could be more precious than the love of a parent has for his/her children. Our parents are always with us no matter what happens. Often in life we make mistakes, but our parents give us supports and teach us to learn from those mistakes and move on with our lives. They also try to teach us from their experience. Parents always make sacrifices to provide for their family. In the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Huges and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, the poets talk about how the parents are always making sacrifices to make their children’s life a little bit easier. Both of these poems reveal the struggle the parents go through in order to provide for their family.
The comparison between two poems are best analyzed through the form and meaning of the pieces. “Mother to Son” and “Harlem (A Dream Deferred)” both written by the profound poet Langston Hughes, depicts many similarities and differences between the poems. Between these two poems the reader can identify his flow of writing through analyzing the form and meaning of each line.
The afternoon was slowly fading into the evening and I had gone the whole day without the figure of my aspiration, my father. I impatiently paced the floor in front of the door like a stalking cat waiting to pounce on its prey. The thoughts of wrestling my father and hear those words of affirmation, “You got me! Mercy! I give up!” filled my head. My father was obviously faking it but there was something about his words that have such power over a young boys life. Mothers are sources of comfort and safety for a young boy but it is the father that defines the identity of a young boy, the father bestows manhood on the boy.
Every mother would like to see her child succeed in life. The following passage from the poem, "Mother to Son", by Langston Hughes demonstrates the love and concern a mother has for her son. She teaches him using her own life as an example; her life as a climb up a staircase. The imagery from the advice given in the stanza is explicit and poignant:
"Tithonus" was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poem's setting is the ancient story of Tithonus. Tithonus fell in love with Eos, goddess of the dawn, and asked her for immortality. Unfortunately for Tithonus he did not ask for eternal youth, only eternal life. He, therefore, grows old but never dies while Eos not only never dies but also never grows old. What makes Tithonus's situation worse is that "the gods themselves cannot recall their gifts" (49). This dramatic monologue is characteristic of Tennyson.