Answer to Question #248839 in English for Memza

Question

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.

2.2 The above poem suggests that the speaker has not had an easy life. Explain how the writer’s choice of words influences the mood and feeling of the poem overall. Give three specific examples from the poem and elaborate on the feelings they generate. 

Answer 1

The writer uses symbolism to influence the mood and feeling of the poem; The main symbolism in the poem is when Mother compares her life to a staircase. She says, “Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.” By this, she means that life has not been easy, and her journey through life has been like climbing a staircase.

The writer uses Stressed and Unstressed Syllables: These two types of syllables are used in trochee such as the first is stressed and second is unstressed syllable in “Mother to Son” and this pattern continues throughout the poem such as, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal ”

The writer also use imagery to illustrate the mood of poem. Imagery is used to make readers perceive things with their five sense. For example, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”, “And places with no carpet on the floor” and “Don’t you set down on the steps.”