"Tithonus" by Tennyson and "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes: Compare, Contrast and Analysis

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Two poems, Tennyson’s “Tithonus” and Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son”, were written at two different times, focusing on two different stories, themes and characters. Though the two are similar in the fact that they are written in the same form, use many types figures of speech and poetic language along with the fact that they are both highly praised works of poetry. Tennyson’s “Tithonus” is a poem about the ancient Greek story involving Tithonus and Eos. The story is of the goddess of the dawn, Eos’ lover, Tithonus, who asks to become immortal, though forgetting to ask to also stay young and handsome. The first stanza explains that people have come and died by the line, “Man comes and tills the field and lies beneath.” In the first stanza, it is also mentioned that Tithonus is an old man through referring to him as a “white-haired shadow”. The second stanza explains that he had asked for the immortality, “Who madest him thy chosen, that he seemed to his great heart none other than a God! I asked thee, give me immortality!”. Though as the stanza continues it becomes obvious that he is no longer happy with this gift, now seen as a curse. “Let me go: take back thy gift” Tithonus says as he realizes it is a mistake asking for this ability. Eos has to tell her past lover that Gods do not have the power to take back the gifts they have granted to others, thus damning Tithonus to continue to grow old, to have to continue to look upon his love in a painful way, and to continue to think of his mistakes and wish that he was normal. Put simply, “Tithonus” is a poem about love, immortality and youth. Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” does not have as complex of a story as Tennyson’s. The poem is short and sweet, a piece of dialogue of a ... ... middle of paper ... ...za there is personification in the line, “the vapors weep their burthen to the ground”. There is also a sense of irony with, “man comes and tills the field and lies beneath” because its humans working the land for crops that help them survive, only to be buried beneath it when they pass away. In the second stanza, the God granting his wish is described by the smilie, “Then didst thou grant mine asking with a smile, like wealthy men who care not how they give”. The two poems seem to be mainly different; telling two separate stories, using a different style of writing and words in each, focusing on mainly different themes. They both do use the same form and type of narration and character. Overall, both “Tithonus” and “Mother to Son” are poems about life lessons. “Tithonus” about being care of what you ask for and “Mother to Son” about not giving up in hard times.

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