Symbolism Mother to Son

The mother says that "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." Used in this context, crystal means...

• transparent and colorless.

• sharp and painful.

• beautiful and flawed.

• clear and smooth.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.8.5

The mother's dialect or manner of speaking helps make the poem more

• understandable

• realistic

• serious

• descriptive

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

The mother tells her son to do all of the following EXCEPT

• not to turn corners

• not to turn back

• not to fall

• not to set down

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

The adjective that best describes the mother's character is

• pessimistic

• threatening

• cautious

• persevering

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

The author's use of a stairway to represent life is an example of

• an allusion

• a hyperbole

• a metaphor

• personification

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

Why do you think the author began and finished with "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair"?

• To emphasize a key point

• To make sure you understood the idea

• To signify the passage of time

• To highlight her anger towards her son

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.5

In this poem, boards with "tacks and splinters" and "boards torn up" are symbols for--

• run-down housing

• a life that has had many difficulties and challenges

• the ungrateful way the mother's son treats her

• The lack of compassion each man has for his fellow man

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.6.4

What might "reachin' landin's" symbolize in the mother's climb?

• Destructive forces in her life

• Portions of her life that held magic for her

• Compassionate forces in her life

• Places in her life where she had to stop and make decisions

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

Why do you think the word "bare" is on a line all alone?

• To emphasize the son's brutality

• Because Hughes couldn't think of anything else to add to that line

• To emphasize how difficult and "bare" of luxuries the mother's life had been

• Because it rhymes with the word "stair"

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.6.4

What is most likely the meaning for "turnin' corners" in the context of the poem?

• Places in her life where she set new goals or had to try to solve her problems in a new way

• Places in her life where she felt like she failed

• The point in her life when she knew her son would be successful

• Her need to find a father figure for her son

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4