Poem analysis The poem Mother to Son by Langston Hughes is about a mother who is the speaker of this poem,

she talks to her son about her life. This piece of writing also has an extended metaphor that tries to represent stairs as life, making the poem easier to understand and making it easier for readers to relate and connect to the poem. Mother to Son by Langston Hughes expresses a message to the readers that life is difficult but you have to stay strong. This message is conveyed by metaphors, mood and imagery. Hughes uses metaphors in this poem to describe the mothers life and emphasize the main message. The first example is, Life for me aint been no crystal stair. This evidence is talking about how life for the mom isnt like a crystal stair, this also means that her life isnt perfect and its likes stairs; which the poet purposely used to describe about how the moms life is an uphill battle. The poet also wrote, Its had tacks in it. This example is about how her stairs (life) had had tacks in them. The meaning of tacks is the problems that the mother has faced in life. Another evidence of the poets use of metaphors is, So, boy, dont you turn back. This last example expresses that the boy shouldnt turn back down the stairs, the meaning of this example is the boy shouldnt give up in life. The poets use of metaphors improves the understanding of readers on how life is like as stairs. The message of this poem is also expressed through mood, the poet uses diction to expand the meaning of the poem and make it catchier to read; the mood of this poem is inspiring and sad. Words that create the mood are, torn up, turnin corners, tacks, splinters, bare, hard and fall. These words are about how the stairs has many problems and how the mother is walking on it, feeling all these terrible things which represents the bad and tough moments in her life. turnin corners is when you reach a landing on the staircase and you have to turn to continue walking up the stairs. This example is about how life can change. Mood creates emotions for this poem, making it stronger and easier to understand. The poet also uses imagery to help readers understand what the mom is talking about and helps the readers visualize the action and objects in the poem. An example is, And places with no carpet on the floor Bare. This quote is an example of tactile; it makes readers feel like the floor is naked. In some places on the stairs there is no carpet, having no carpet on the floor also means that sometimes in life; the mother had no support or help. Hughes writes, And sometimes goin in the dark where there aint been no light. This is a visual, it helps visualize that the stairs are really dark which means that sometimes the mom has no solutions to the problems in her life. Another example addressing this point is, And reachin landins. This is also a visual; it is about how sometimes you can reach floors on the staircase. Reaching floors can also mean like some points in life where you arent tired and you are happy at once, finding solutions to your problems. Langston Hughes uses figurative language to engage readers and develop the main message of this poem. The speaker of this poem faces many problems in life, unlike many lucky people who get everything they want. But eventually, everyone will have to deal with problems in some points of their lives, it depends on how people deal with it. This poem teaches about how life is hard but never ever give up.

Criterion A: Content You demonstrate an understanding of the poets message and how (s)he conveys it using language and structure. 0
You do not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors given below You demonstrate a very limited understanding of the poems meaning, organization and mood as well as how this is achieved. You give few or no examples to support your thinking. You are missing poetic terminology (e.g. rhythm, simile, metaphor). You demonstrate a limited understanding of the poems meaning, organization and mood as well as how this is achieved. You give insufficient examples to support your thinking. Your use of poetic terminology (e.g. rhythm, simile, metaphor) is sometimes accurate and appropriate. You demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the poems meaning, organization and mood as well as how this is achieved. You give generally good examples to support your thinking. Your use of poetic terminology (e.g. rhythm, simile, metaphor) is usually accurate and appropriate. You demonstrate a good understanding of the poems meaning, organization and mood as well as how this is achieved. You give substantial details to support your examples (you include the words/phrases in the poem). Relevant poetic terminology (e.g. rhythm, simile, metaphor) is used accurately and appropriately. You demonstrate a perceptive understanding of the poems meaning, organization and mood as well as how this is achieved. You consistently use illustrative details to support your examples

Criterion B: Organization You are able to organize your essay in a clear and logical way.

Criterion C: Language and Style You can use appropriate language in your essay.
You do not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors given below You have very frequent errors in grammar and spelling that persistently hinder communication. You show little or no evidence of a register and style appropriate for an essay. You have frequent errors in grammar and spelling that hinder communication.

You do not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors given below Your essay is disorganized, unclear, and/or incoherent. You do not use body paragraphs or are missing topic sentences and/or quotations and analysis.

1-2

Your essay shows the beginnings of organization but lacks coherence.

3-4

Your body paragraphs sometimes include a topic sentence and few quotations with little You show some evidence of or irrelevant analysis. a register and style appropriate for an essay.

5-6

Your essay is generally organized, clear, and coherent. Your body paragraphs usually include a topic sentence and some quotations with subsequent analysis.

Grammar and spelling are generally accurate. Occasional errors sometimes hinder communication. You often use a register and style appropriate for an essay.

7-8

Your essay is usually well-organized, clear, and coherent, and the ideas build on each other. Your body paragraphs are well-structured and consistently include a clear topic sentence and correctly embedded quotations with subsequent analysis.

Grammar and spelling are accurate. Occasional errors rarely hinder communication. You consistently use a register and style appropriate for an essay.

9-10

Your essay is consistently wellorganized, clear, and coherent, and the ideas build on each other in a sophisticated manner. Your body paragraphs are purposeful in their construction and always include a

Grammar and spelling are accurate. Very infrequent errors do not hinder communication. You demonstrate a mastery of a register and style

(include the words/phrases from the poem) You show a sophisticated command of relevant poetic terminology (e.g. rhythm, simile, metaphor).

sophisticated topic sentence and correctly embedded quotations, which are subsequently analyzed in detail.

appropriate for an essay.

In order to succeed you need to:

Clearly communicate the poets message Use examples from the poem (quote lines) as evidence Use poetic terminology to explain your examples.

Use paragraphs with a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a concluding sentence Words and phrases taken from the poem should be inside quotation marks

Use a formal tone. Avoid contractions and slang. Write in the third person Revise for spelling and grammar