Extended Metaphor Poem Examples - Love Sorrow and Mother to Son

In the "Mother to Son", the mother compares her life to a _____ 

• river
• road
• staircase
• journey

In "Mother to Son", The mother tells her son

• to be more carefree.
• to make more money.
• to not fall in love.
• not to give up.

Which is the main type of figurative language used in both poems?

• simile
• metaphor
• personification
• hyperbole

Which line from the poem "Mother to Son" reflects a lesson the speaker wants her son to learn?

• Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair

• And places with no carpet on the floor

• So boy, don’t you turn back

• I’se still climbin’

Which lines from the poem "Mother to Son" best suggest that the speaker is persistent?

• It’s had tacks in it,/And splinters,

• And boards torn up,/And places with no carpet on the floor-

• For I’se still goin’ honey,/I’se still climbin’,

• ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard./Don’t you fall now-

Who is the poem “Mother to Son” written by

• Idris Elba

• Langston Hughes

• Frederick Douglas

• Thomas Edison

Read line 2 from the poem "Mother to Son"

Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

 The poet includes this metaphor most likely to:

• Suggest life is not always easy

• Help the reader imagine what crystal stairs look like

• Suggest that life can is beautiful

• Identify the speaker’s future

How has the speaker in "Mother to Son" described her life so far?

• As a fancy, beautiful staircase.

• As flawless, without trials.

• As a difficult, painful climb

• As a strange, spiral staircase

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

• Frightening and confusing

• Sad and devastating

• Adventurous

• Exciting

What is the theme and central metaphor of Langston Hughes' 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.