āMother to Sonā is a poem written by Langston Hughes that uses the metaphor of a staircase to describe the hardships of life. The speaker is a mother who is giving advice to her son about how to overcome the obstacles he will face in life. She tells her son that her own life has not .............................
Mother to Son - New Broadway - Class 8 - English
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Back Questions - Mother to Son | New Broadway | Class 8 Literature | English
What kind of a life has the mother had? Pick words from the poem that show this.
The mother has led a challenging life, which is portrayed through the metaphoric reference of life not being a "crystal stair." Her life has been filled with "tacks", "splinters", and "boards torn up", depicting hardship and obstacles. She has been in places "with no carpet on the floor", showing a tough, low-comfort lifestyle. The concept of "goin' in the dark where there ain't been no light" symbolizes the dangerous and uncertain situations she had to navigate.
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Do you think the mother lets problems overcome her? Use words and phrases from the poem to illustrate your answer.
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Unlock now šWhat do the words landing and stairs stand for in the poem?
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Unlock now šWhich lines show that there have been days in the motherās life filled with disappointment and hopelessness?
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Unlock now šLife for me aināt been no crystal stair.
Itās had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor -
a. What is the metaphor in these lines?
b. What kind of a life is being described here?
c. What do ātacksā, āsplintersā and ātorn boardsā stand for?
d. Which line suggests deprivation?
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Unlock now šPick words/expression from the box that can be used to describe the speaker.
has an undying spirit | has moral strength |
is easily disheartened | is satisfied with the little she has |
has aspirations | daydreams |
is depressed | is hard-working |
relies on fate | is strong and resilient |
faces challenges and hardships |
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Unlock now šWhat is the motherās advice to her son? Do you think he shares her determination and her moral strength? Choose the words that show this
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Unlock now šIs the poem only about the hardships and challenges faced by a particular individual? Or is it a metaphor for the life of any person who wishes to change his or her lot in life? (You have learnt about metaphors in an earlier lesson.)
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Unlock now šThe poet has used several metaphors in the poem. Find them and write them down.
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Unlock now šBack Exercises - Mother to Son | New Broadway | Class 8 Literature | English
Read these lines taken from different stories and poems, and match them with the kind of sensory image they evoke. Write the name of the image in the space provided.
The smell indeed was so pungent as I opened the front door of my house that I vaguely wondered if something somewhere was burning. ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦. .
A thick light dust covered the shelves. At my first touch this dust began to drift away, disclosing the limp leather covers decorated with the original gold letters and some strips of material that had bound cardboard covers. ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦.. .
ā¦. Which has its sounds, familiar, like the roar
Of trees and crack of branches, common things
But nothing so like beating on a box.
ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦Tossing their heads in sprightly dance ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦..
Tumbling through the ocean water after being overtaken by the monstrous wave. Mark unintentionally took a gulp of the briny, bitter mass, causing him to cough and gag.
ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦They laughed until they shook the trees
With āHah-Hah-Hahsā and āHee-Hee-Hees.ā
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks.
ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand. āI know what you mean,ā said the little old man. ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦..
The winds play no longer and sing in the leaves ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦. .
The smell indeed was so pungent as I opened the front door of my house that I vaguely wondered if something somewhere was burning. Smell
A thick light dust covered the shelves. At my first touch this dust began to drift away, disclosing the limp leather covers decorated with the original gold letters and some strips of material that had bound cardboard covers. Touch
ā¦. Which has its sounds, familiar, like the roar
Of trees and crack of branches, common things
But nothing so like beating on a box. SoundTossing their heads in sprightly dance Visual
Tumbling through the ocean water after being overtaken by the monstrous wave. Mark unintentionally took a gulp of the briny, bitter mass, causing him to cough and gag. Taste
They laughed until they shook the trees
With āHah-Hah-Hahsā and āHee-Hee-Hees.ā
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks. SoundAnd he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand. āI know what you mean,ā said the little old man. Touch
The winds play no longer and sing in the leaves Sound
Extra Questions - Mother to Son | New Broadway | Class 8 Literature | English
Well, son, Iāll tell you:
Life for me aināt been no crystal stair.
Itās had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floorā
Bare.
Why do you think the mother compares her life to a stair thatās not made of crystal?
What do you think the āsplintersā and ātacksā in the stairs might represent in the motherās life?
How do you think the mother might have felt when she found places with no carpet on the floor?
What does the word āBareā mean in this content? Why do you think the mother used this word?
How does the condition of the stairs reflect on the motherās journey through life?
Well, son, Iāll tell you:
Life for me aināt been no crystal stair.
Itās had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floorā
Bare.
Why do you think the mother compares her life to a stair thatās not made of crystal?
What do you think the āsplintersā and ātacksā in the stairs might represent in the motherās life?
How do you think the mother might have felt when she found places with no carpet on the floor?
What does the word āBareā mean in this content? Why do you think the mother used this word?
How does the condition of the stairs reflect on the motherās journey through life?
The mother compares her life to a stair thatās not made of crystal to show itās been tough and not easy or shiny like a shiny, smooth crystal stair would be.
The āsplintersā and ātacksā in the stairs might represent struggles or obstacles the mother has faced in her life. They made her journey tough and painful at times.
When the mother found places with no carpet on the floor, she felt discomfort or hardship. These could be the hard times she faced in her life.
The word āBareā probably means empty or without any protection. It shows the motherās life has been rough and harsh, without any comforts.
The condition of the stairs reflects the motherās hard and challenging journey through life. She had experienced a lot of hardships along the way.
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But all the time
Iāse been a-climbinā on,
And reachinā landinās,
And turninā corners,
And sometimes goinā in the dark
Where there aināt been no light.
What does the speaker mean when they say, āIāse been a-climbinā onā? What could āclimbingā symbolize in this poem?
Why do you think the speaker talks about āreachinā landināsā and āturninā cornersā? What can these phrases tell us about the speakerās journey through life?
The speaker mentions āsometimes goinā in the dark / Where there aināt been no light.ā Why might the darkness and absence of light be important elements in this poem? What could they represent?
With thought of the messages of the poem, how might you handle tough times differently?
What all the mother feels about climbing the stairs?
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Vocabulary - Flashcards - Mother to Son | New Broadway | Class 8 Literature | English
About the Poet - Mother to Son | New Broadway | Class 8 Literature | English
Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. Born in 1902 in Missouri, Hughes was one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s. He wrote about the experiences of African Americans and sought to portray the realities of their lives in his works. Hughes was also deeply involved in the civil rights movement and used his writing to advocate for racial equality. He is considered one of the most significant and influential writers in American literature, and his works continue to be studied and celebrated today. Hughes passed away in 1967.
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Unlock now šSummary - Mother to Son | New Broadway | Class 8 Literature | English
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Themes - Mother to Son | New Broadway | Class 8 Literature | English
- Perseverance: The poem's central theme is perseverance. The mother advises her son not to give up in the face of adversity. Life has been tough for her, with "tacks," "splinters," and "boards torn up," but she keeps on climbing. She encourages her son not to give up either, no matter how tough life gets.
- Struggle and Hardship: The poem is filled with images of struggle and......................
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Unlock now šSymbols - Mother to Son | New Broadway | Class 8 Literature | English
The poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes doesn't contain any specific symbols. However, the mother's metaphorical use of...............................
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Unlock now šPoetic Devices - Mother to Son | New Broadway | Class 8 Literature | English
The poem "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes employs several poetic devices to create its powerful and memorable message. Here are some of the most notable poetic devices used in the poem:
- Extended metaphor: The mother's comparison of life to a "crystal stair" is an extended ...........
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Unlock now šVocabulary - Mother to Son | New Broadway | Class 8 Literature | English
- Tacks (line 4) - small nails with flat heads used for attaching things to surfaces.
- Splinters (line 4) - small, sharp, thin pieces of wood that can break off....................
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