Langston Hughes

While reading Hughes' poetry, I found myself stumbling upon an abundance of connections to other pieces of literature. One particularly interesting connection came to me while I was re-reading "Mother to Son" on page 30.

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.

In this poem, an older mother discusses the difficult life she's had, describing her life-long struggles as a winding, twisty staircase, but not a crystal one. Rather, the staircase "had tacks in it,/And splinters,/And boards torn up,/And places with no carpet on the floor -/Bare." Speaking in a "Negro dialect," she encourages her son not to give up or "turn back," and not allow the hardships that he may go through to changes his hopes and dreams.

The poem reminded me a lot of "The Heritage" from The Brownies' Book, because this poem shared the same kind of message, and possessed a similar tone and diction. Both the mother in this story and Mother Mason from The Brownies' Book send young adults the same advice: stay focused and motivated and take advantage of all the opportunities in their lives, which their parents and grandparents didn't necessarily have access to. I think that both this poem and the "The Heritage" are more than simple reminders to African American children to stay in school or keep dreams in sight. I actually view both of the mothers as a collective voice -- the voices of many mother, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers -- representing numerous generations who's slave lives were "no crystal stair." Both this poem and the story from The Brownies' Book are definite motivators for youth.

This is one of Hughes' earlier poems, and I wonder how much time he had spent, at this point in his life, pondering over what kind of a poet he was going to be? Even some of Countee Cullen's poems are centered around his confusion over race representation, and therefore often addressed him questioning himself as a man, as a poet, as a black, male, poet. However, Hughes' poems, so far, seem much lighter than that. Often, they do not even specifically focus on "the race question." I'm wondering if these subjects will change at all as we read further into his anthology of poetry.