Mother to Son

Mother to Son

A poem by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

was an American poet, activist, and novelist.

He is also one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, which was the cultural, social, and artistic movement of black artists that happened in Harlem between the end of WWI and the mid-1930s.

Mother to Son

• Read it once through. Wee will read it together, chunk by chunk.

​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.

​

​ - Langston Hughes

​

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, 

Multiple Choice

What is the speaker comparing the stairs to?

• Her childhood

• Her partner

• America

• Her life

Onto the next Stanza!

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor —

Bare.

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

Multiple Choice

How has the speaker described her life so far?

• As a fancy, beautiful staircase.

• As flawless, without trials.

• As a difficult, painful climb

• As a strange, spiral staircase

Onto the next Stanza!

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.

Multiple Choice

Why did the speaker share that it felt like they were "sometimes goin' in the dark"? What feelings does that evoke?

• Frightening and confusing

• Sad and devastating

• Adventurous

• Exciting

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.

Multiple Choice

How does the speaker end the poem? What does she tell the boy?

• That he will not be able to reach the top without a lot of help.

• That crystal stairs are not hard to climb if he does not turn back.

• That he should keep going up the stairs, because she is still going.

Multiple Choice

In the poem, who is the speaker addressing, and what are they addressing?

• A mother is telling a story to her child about her own childhood.

• A mother is speaking to her son about climbing a crystal staircase.

• A son is retelling a conversation his mother had with him about earning money.

• A mother is warning her son about the difficulties of life and perseverance.

Multiple Choice

What is the theme and central metaphor of the poem?

• The narrator describes a tiring climb up a beat-up staircase, representing life's struggles.

• The narrator describes a beat-up staircase turning into a crystal staircase, representing her overcoming hardship.

• The narrator describes herself going down a spiral staircase, representing her continuous problems.

Open Ended

Share your thoughts about the poem.

Do you agree with the mother's advice?

How does the mother's mindset apply to a crisis like in I Am Alfonso Jones?