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Mother to Son
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.
Langston Hughes

1. What images can be seen from these particular words? And why does Hughes pick these particular things as symbols in this poem?

2. What was your reaction to the speaker of this poem?

3. Do you agree with the advice that the mother gives her son? Why or why not?

4. What do you think the speaker means when she says that her life has not been a “crystal stair”?