Mother to Son

Which of the following lines express advice?

• Well, son, I’ll tell you:

  Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

• 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.

• 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’,

Who is the speaker or persona of the poem?

• Longfellow

• Mother

• Son

• No answer

Based from the poem, what dominating mood can be felt?

• Discouraged

• Encouraged

• Loved

• Mesmerized

Select the line from "Mother to Son" that emphasizes the first person point of view of the mother.

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

• It's had tacks in it, /and splinters, /and places with no carpet on the floor-- Bare.

• She told me “I’se still goin, honey, I’se still climbin’’

• She climbed the crystal stair to her destiny

What effect does the repetition of the phrase “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” at the beginning and the end of the poem have on the poem’s meaning?

• The phrase emphasizes the struggle that has been the speaker’s life

• The phrase emphasizes the hope that the speaker feels for her future

• The phrase is repeated to create symmetry

• This has no meaning.

Answer explanation

Crystal is smooth and pretty. What would it mean if her life isn't like that?

What does the line “I’se been a-climbin’ on” reveal about the speaker?

• She is hopeless and has given up on life

• She wants to do everything so that her son never needs to struggle

• She wants her son to see that she has never given up despite her struggle

• She climbs many stairs each day at her job

What emphasis is created in the lines “And with no carpet on the floor--Bare?”

• It emphasizes that the family needs to buy new carpet for their home

• It emphasizes that the stairs do not need carpet to be good enough

• It emphasizes the struggle of the speaker’s life through figurative language

• It emphasizes the empowerment that the speaker feels

Answer explanation

Consider if the stairs that the mother is using as a metaphor show that her life is easy.

Select the way that Langston Hughes emphasized the point of view in the poem.

• He spoke in the third person and explained the message of the poem

• He used figurative language and a third person perspective

• He used figurative language and a first person perspective

• He used literal language and a third person perspective

Answer explanation

Remember:

First person point of view uses pronouns like "I","me", "my.

Third person uses pronouns like "he", "she", or "they."

How does the speaker describe her life in the first seven lines?

• She uses the metaphor of a beautiful and luxurious crystal staircase.

• She uses the metaphor of the staircase to describe a difficult life.

• She describes her life as flawless and without pain and wants her son's to be the same.

• She uses the metaphor of a spiral staircase to describe how confusing life can be.

Answer explanation

Reread the first 7 lines to see how the mother describes her lfie.

In the poem, whom is the speaker addressing and about what?

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

• A mother is describing for her son the climb up a crystal staircase.

• A son is recounting a conversation with his mother about his struggle to earn a comfortable living.

• A mother is talking to her son about the difficulties of life and the need to persevere.