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.
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Comments
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Good
From guest Nazeema (contact)
WELL THIS POEM IS OKAY I MEAN I READ BETTER POEMS THAN THIS ONE BUT FROM 1-10 I GIVE IT A 6 OR 7 hoWEVER IT REALLY DOES INSPIRE YOU AND THIS POEM IS GOOD FOR MOTIVATION -
Its a nice poem, it really does make you look in to your own life with things. When times get hard you really do have to keep going. Inspiring.
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This is one of my favorites!
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Wonderful
From guest Savanna B. (contact)
I really enjoyed reading this poem. I can feel the dialect when I think it, and even if I try to speak this poem aloud, I can't help but let it out slow and western. Very nice, with a wonderful message about determination. Marvelous. -
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Spirited encouragement
It seems the mother's son grasped her feelings and took them as his own. How else could he write such masterly poetry and show such feelings with great images. -
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asking
From guest anjelica (contact)
what is langston hughhes mother's name?
(The son of Carrie Langston Hughes (a teacher) and her husband, James Nathaniel Hughes)
Charley Noble -
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Needed to think
Don't trust my read. It is inspirational and has depth. I 'm still learnin' to walk those steps. Need a break to sit and drink some lemonade. Can't go as fast as I used to. Sure, is a hot day -
Mother To Son
From guest Cordelia Odom-Barnes (contact)
I am 57 years of age, and this has been my all time favorite Poem since I was 15 years of age and began to discover Black Poets, and you know what I'se still climbin' and no matter how tough it gets I won't fall. -
Classic
This is one of the greatest poems ever written and it will forever be known throughout history. I love this poem. I have heard and read it a thousand times before. I just love to read it over and over and over. -
That's a nice poem!
From guest Taylor Fooce (contact)
I love your poem! To me it means that the mother's life was hard, and she doesn't want her son's life to end up like that too. Is that what it really means or not? -
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To guest Taylor Fooce
For me Hughes is passing on the same message that most parent's pass on to their children.
"Life is hard, I have struggled to get this far up life's ladder and I will keep struggling to get higher. Don't you just rest on my efforts but keep struggling higher for yourself and for your own children."
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mother to son
From guest carol (contact)
Langston Hughes is one of my all time favorite poets. Every time I read his work, it stabs me in the heart and my eyes fill with tears. Now thats poetry. -
From guest blackrag (contact)
Every word is well thought out and is used for an effect the word tack is used with a double meaning tack as in a small nail thing and tack as in a zig-zag course, with sudden changes as the mother had experienced the word splinter is a small piece of wood and the word splinter is to break into small sharp pieces, like her her heart has been broken down before boards torn up could be a metaphor for her close torn up because boards are used to cover the ground and clothes are used to cover the body the word bare is singeled out becasue it is a metaphor for times when her house was bare of furnishing or her body was bare of close or bare as in her life was simple and dull then he uses a great metaphor when he talks about goin dark and no light he is talking about how the mom has done things she is ashamed of, bad things(hence the "no light" and the "dark")things like stealing, working in a bar, selling her body etc. Overall an exceptional, high-minded and well constructed piece of poetry -
awesomest poem ever
From guest Miranda (contact)
This poem is so awesome, and i also recited it in 7th grade. I learned a lot about this poem, and it just helps to tell you what life is really all about. Thanx, langston Hughes -
From guest Christie (contact)
I dislike this poem. I mean, it has a nice message, but I'm not very fond of the way Hughes writes. The ghetto voice does give this some redeeming realism, though. -
wow
From guest destiny (contact)
i've performed this poem for my 7'th grade year and i loved it so much i now recite it every year before i start a new one it is great and one of my personal favorites -
My Favorite
From guest Encouraged (contact)
I have loved this poem since I first read it many years ago. It captured my attention in such a way that it gave me the encouragement to keep climbing lifes journey. -
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poem
From guest A+ student (contact)
very good poem. it remindes me of everything that my mother told me when I was in high school and I was having trouble in all of my classes and she encouraged me to do better -
From guest Genevieve (contact)
The Mother to Son poem by Langston Hughes is about a mother sharing her life experiences with her son. The mother is trying to teach her son lessons she learned throughout her life. The theme of this poem is persistence, overcoming hardships and never giving up. A poetic device Hughes uses in this poem is a metaphor, to show that the mother’s life has not been easy and she has had to struggle through a lot. “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”, Hughes compares the mothers hard life to a “crystal stair”, which represents a perfect easy life. Another poetic device Hughes uses is symbols; he uses symbols all throughout the poem to represent what the mother has been through in her life. “It’s had tacks in it, / And splinters, / And boards torn up, / And places with no carpet on the floor --/ Bare.” These are symbols that represent the suffering and obstacles the mother has gotten through in her life. The placement of the word “Bare” as the only word on the line puts emphasis on the word and makes more of an impact. The mother’s message that she is trying to convey to her son is that no matter how hard life gets do not give up. Hughes uses many symbols to convey the message that the mother has overcome her struggles becasue her persistence, “I’se been a-climbin’ on, / And reachin’ landin’s, / And turnin’ corners”. The poem Mother to Son is a mother giving her son advice on life because she knows his life will not be a “crystal stair”, just as hers was not and she knows how hard it will be for him. -
Amazing
From guest H C (contact)
This poem is a great inspiration no matter who you are. It is important to remember this because often in life we forget it is the bitter things that make life so sweet! -
Excellent -Keep on Keeping On
From guest J Turner (contact)
I found this to be uplifting - Dare to keep dreams alive. -
Lanigston hughes poetry
From guest deep (contact)
i love the way langston hughies writes his poemlswith so much so-ul lin it i ve the way he doesnt ryhme his words yes i love him and his poems -
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NICE POEM
From guest BRENDA (contact)
THIS POEM IS TELLING ABOUT THE PROMBLEMS AND TRIBULATIONS THAT A MOTHER IS TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO HER SON -
Mother's struggles
Reminds me of the struggles my mother conquered in raising six children as a single parent. She always emphasised the need to set goals and standards and go after them. A strong woman who wants better for her son. I get so emotional reading it. -
wow
WOW THIS POEM WAS AWESOME!JUST LIKE TANYA I HAD TO RECITE THIS POEM. BUT THE FIRST TIME I READ IT IT WAS LIKE WOW THIS IS REALY TUCHING! IT SHOWS ME HOW GREATFULL I AM TO HAVE WHAT I HAVE! I HOPE ANY ONE WHO READS THIS LIOKES IT AS MUCH AS I DO!! -
wow
From guest ashley (contact)
i agree with kenzie this peom is very tuching! the mom is stugleing and she tells her son about this! i love it and i hope you keeping wrighting! im looking for the next one!! loved it ashley !! -
From guest kenzie (contact)
this peom is realy good! its makes me think about the bad thibgs in life and then how those bad thibgs became better! i loved it and cant wait to hear another one! -
From guest Kia Wyatt (contact)
I to read this and memorized Mother to Son, this poem and one of Langston's books of poetry,has been with me for 32 years. I now have ordered his collected works and read this poem and others to my son,neices & nephew. -
WOW!
From guest TANYA (contact)
WHEN I WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, I LONG TIME AGO, I MIGHT ADD, THIS IS THE POEM THAT I HAD TO RECITE IN FRONT OF STUDENTS, TEACHER AND PARENTS FROM MEMORY AND STILL TODAY, IT'S POWERFUL TO ME. -
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i had to read this infront of alot of people and i love it !
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Awesome
From guest Awesome (contact)
I am native german mom that went through all the struggles possible being an US immigrant and just randomly searched for Mother and Son Poems. This was the most uplifting writing I've seen in a long time. It inspired me to write one myself. Thanks for sharing/posting etc. -
From guest alice (contact)
This has been one of my favorite poems for years. There is no speaking of fairness in life, the Mother speaks of strength and determination. No pity, no poor me, only don't give up and don't give in! -
Mother to son
From guest Tiffani Jennings (contact)
ohhh my god this was a hreat peom alot of parents need to step up on the plate and really talk to their kids like that and give them advise and tell them to keep going even if it aint easy just to put on threw and not fall down on the way -
awsome
From guest vicke (contact)
I'm mother and have older son. I feel that way he gave me hard time. I love the poem! -
From guest debilynn (contact)
i love this poem because it expresses that even though life is hard you don't sit down and do nothing. you're suppose to keep going because life is not a crystal stair, it's made of many planks of woods; it's suppose to be hard. so we just get on and get with it. this is a wonderful read for everyone regardless of race or age; i feel it would be great required reading in schools. it might just make a difference. -
MY SON
From guest MigdaliaMartinez (contact)
THIS POEM IS AMAZING I READ THIS POEM AND GAVE IT TO MY SON TO READ AND LEARN THAT SOMETIMES LIFE IS NOT FAIR BUT YOU MUST SIT FOR A MOMENT AND TAKE IN THE BAD AND GET UP AND CONTINUE FIGHTING TO LIVE LIFE AS A NORMAL HUMAN BEING THE RIGHT WAY AM STILL TRYING TO GET MY SON BACK FROM THE STREETS AND AM GONA WIN VERY EMOTIONAL POEM HE CARRIES WITH IT AT ALL TIMES. -
what kind???
From guest Barry Mayfield Jr. (contact)
I was wondering what kind of poem is this. Is it a free-verse, prose,tercet, or what? If any one know's could you please contact me a.s.a.p. Thank you -
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Looks like free-verse to me.
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lol
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I Love This Poem
From guest Kate Gainer (contact)
I am a Disability Rights activist as well as a mother. This poem is relevent to both. -
Mother to son
From guest Bartb King (contact)
I really like this poem it conveys my feeling of what I'd like to tell my own sons -
Mother to son
From guest nicole (contact)
this poem is really good to study on as i have been doing it in my performance in english. -
I like this poem
From guest janada acree (contact)
this a really neat poem cause it can teach u a very valuable lesson -
Resilence
From guest Erika (contact)
I love this peom and I literally and figuratively keep it tucked away for hard times. I just keep in mind that in life you must always fall forward--never backward. When I think about hardship reciting this poem always keeps me grounded and focused back on 'climbing the proverbial stair.'This poem has served has pain medicine many, mnay times in my life. I pass its message and iportance down to my daughters! -
From guest fred (contact)
this poem is about a mom who has had a rough life, and a son who has hit a rough time, and wants to give up. The stairs are used as a metaphor for lifes path-fred -
From guest jasmine (contact)
i love this poem. i've have done alot with this poem over 3 years since i've been in school -
very moving poem
From guest Justin Timberlake (contact)
i love this poem because it expresses that even though life is hard you dont sit down and nothing.your suppose to keep going because life is not a crystal stair,its suppose 2 be hard.i didnt even like poetry untill i read this poem.langston is now one of my favorite poets.i also read this when i was in the fifth grade.phenominal poem. -
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love it
From guest dominique (contact)
i love this poem because it expresses that even though life is hard you dont sit down and nothing.your suppose to keep going because life is not a crystal stair,its suppose 2 be hard.i didnt even like poetry untill i read this poem.langston is now one of my favorite poets.i also read this when i was in the fifth grade.phenominal poem. -
like
From guest SHAWANDA! (contact)
i like this poem i had 2 read this when i was in da 5 grade ALSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -
The poem
From guest Brittney Titpon (contact)
I think the poem was a good poem to read because it have a good meaning that a lot of people can relate to -
mother to son
From guest B. Javon DeMena (contact)
This is a good poem to read when you have troubles or when your down or maybe just have the blues. -
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That alright
From guest Demario Height (contact)
I really like that poem, It is a poem that everybody should read. The poem is simply saying that life isn't always going to be easy, but you should thank the good Lord for all of you test and trails. Beacuse they only come to make you strong. -
LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From guest Passion (contact)
I love this poem. it is the bomb. I have never read a poem that was as great as this one. GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -
Mother of a multiracial son
From guest chelsea (contact)
My first child with my husband is a son. I will hang this in my son's room as a reminder of the strength of black culture and the struggles in life that will ensue inevitably. This has been one of my favorites since I was 14. -
Just what I needed to hear
From guest Kamau Cannon (contact)
I lost my mom when I was seven, and when times were hard I would imagine my mom telling me this poem. Now I’m a widower and raising a motherless 4 year old girl…I now I have to put this poem inside my daughter so she knows that she has to strive even though life has dealt her some rough cards. Langston Hughes is true black hero. -
From guest vanessa (contact)
I being the single mother of 4 one a son have always loved and respected this great work,even before I knew I would one day be a mother, my love for this great work started when I was in sixth grade. -
oh,yeah?
"Mother To Son" is a reinforcement of what seems common sense encouragement by it coming from one in your life. It's been said to watch succesful ones for the results, but that isn't done through a poster of evidence but past experience you can maybe nod to, shaken out of shortsightedness, mostly..
This had a way of repairing oneself from just feeling as poor folk of circumstances, if the clear step isn't only found in prevention of tripping but splitting from the "splinters" like whether to make a stamp on what has logic for a "climb." Hence, one you're dependent on doing it may make you think.
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wow
From guest Leslie (contact)
this is the most inspiring poem i've ever heard. there have been so many times where i've just given up. and when i read this poem one day in my class, it almost made me cry. and now, every time i feel like giving up, i remember this poem and it helps me..a lot. and im only 13. so if it's that amazing to me, it must be one amazing poem because i don't even like poetry. -
From guest Stephani Clark (contact)
That's one of mt favorite poems and i'm not even a poem person. I think it's very moving and had alot of thought put into it. -
need this 4 school
From guest caroline (contact)
we have to memorize this poem for school and i think its kinda cool cuz of the grammar that is used in it. -
needed this today
From guest Rhonda Barnes (contact)
I wrote an essay on this poem over 30 years ago. Today, I sent it to my son who is stuggling. Who would have thought...... -
hi
From guest jessica (contact)
i really love this poem because it is speaking directly to you and telling to never give up . And if i'se like the poem and i'se am only 13 you should like it. -
Smiplicity at it Best
The simple truth of a mother relating to her son when a guiding father is not around. -
From guest Kaly (contact)
I love it. It's a very positive message that L.H gives us through this poem the fact that when you're down, and you think that everything around you is falling apart, you should not give up...In any case, I will keep it with me. -
Langston Hughes
From guest Nikkie (contact)
This is a great poem, we just read it in class and our teacher gave us a copy with blanks on it where we had to make our own metaphors then type up a rough copy of our version. -
From guest Stormey (contact)
this poem is one like i havn't seen before. There is a special rhythm that Langston captured in his words without useing duel words that sound the same. I really enjoyed reading this poem. It truly spoke to my heart. -
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lovely
The word pictures in the single image of the mother climbing a set of stairs with the child following behind, listening to her instructions about life are very fine. I think this poem is great. Iana -
seems like a strong... and never giving up parent ... imparting her wisdom about facing the struggles of life... inspirational words... as elegant expression
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I find this poem encouraging because it’s not only an inspirational message from a mother to a son, but to the reader. No matter what kinds of mountains I have to climb in life, I know that I can overcome them because Langston has revealed to me with his them of hope and encouragement in, Mother to Son . Everything the mother in the poem tells her son , arouses in me the want and need to keep climbing every mountain in my way and to make lemonade when life gives me lemons.
-Unique
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I have to do this poem for my class research project and I think this poem is very influencing to keep on going.I like this poem because it still is realistic even though it was written years ago
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My absolute favorite poem of all time! Very inspirational! The philosophy I use for my students!
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This is a very inspirational poem. It opened my eyes to my parents' true intents and love for me. No parent wants their child to quit and give up. THey want a child to have a better life than they did. This poem teaches one to never give up and to keep climbing those stairs toward their ultimate goal.
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I love this poem, it shows that life isn't easy that all through it you have different obsticles to surpass, in 7th grade this was in our literature book, I didn't really like it and then i started to understand ti more and it is one of my favorite poems.
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I feel almost identical to the way Naena feels except for the first time i heard this poem I was in forth grade and it moved me so. I coul'dnt believe the power behind such simple words. This poems contiues to push me every time I want to give up. Even today i still live off his words.
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This is one of my favorite poems of all time. I can still remember the first time I ever heard it. I was in 9th grade and my beloved English teacher read it to our class. I'm not sure it moved everyone the way it moved me...and this made me a touch sad. It brought goosebumps to my skin. Not only has this been an encouraging, "when the going gets tough...the tough get going" for me, but it also reminded me very much of my grandfather...who was the strongest and greatest man I've ever known. That's what this poem speaks of to me...strength and perseverence.
Elaina
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This is a very true poem but it has showed me how to keep pushing on though my life even when there is things in the way of my goals.
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I love this - it's another interpretation of the conversation my Husband and myself had with our son when he was so undecided about his future. some things never change.
Von -
This is a great poem. It has inspired me to stay in school and make somethingof myself.
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