What is the meaning of no crystal stair?

She tells her son that “life for me ain’t me no crystal stair” literally meaning that life is not like a smooth , clear crystal.

What is the opposite of crystal stair?

The reader can conclude that the mother’s life was the exact opposite of a crystal stair because she describes her life as it “had tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn.” The mother goes on to tell her son that even though life is going to be hard he has no excuse to quit.

Why the life of mother is not crystal stair?

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.

Who said life aint no crystal stair?

Langston Hughes
“Mother to Son” is a 1922 poem written by Langston Hughes. The poem follows a mother speaking to her son about her life, which she says “ain’t been no crystal stair”.

What has the mother’s stairway been like?

Using the analogy of a crystal stairway, this mother explains to her son that the journey of her life, and life overall, is like a stair that is deceased, and broken, containing small cracks, splinters, and torn up boards, rather a smooth, good looking “crystal stair.” The crystal stair is used as a metaphor for the …

What does splinters and tacks represent?

They both represent a mother’s pain and sufferings in her life being conveyed to her son. Explanation: In the poem, “Mother to Son”, the inference of the words splinters and tacks are trying to mean the hardships and rough spots in the life of the mother that she encountered always.

What does i’se been a Climbin on meaning?

Despite everything, she announces, “I’se been a-climbin’ on.” In other words, the speaker believes that she and her son can still lead successful lives, despite the obstacles in their way.

Is life for me Ain’t been no crystal stair a metaphor?

Hughes creates the metaphor in the beginning of the poem, when he writes, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” The strong imagery, the picture created in the reader’s head of a crystal stair, is the opposite of what the speaker has experienced.

Why did Langston Hughes wrote Mother to Son?

Langston Hughes wrote the poem “Mother to Son” to express the importance of perseverance, particularly for a young African-American person… See full answer below.

What does crystal stair suggest?

The speaker gives her son advice about how to improve his lot in a racist society through an extended metaphor about climbing a set of stairs. While white people can climb up a “crystal stair”—meaning they enjoy a smooth and easy ascent—black people are forced to take a dangerous and dark staircase.

What does the metaphor boards torn up mean?

Boards torn up means broken, obstacles, unfinished.

What does the metaphor turnin corners mean?

Lines 2-13 have an extended metaphor comparing the speaker’s life to a staircase that has “tacks,” “splinters,” “boards torn up,” and “bare” floor with “no carpet.” She furthers the metaphor of her life to a staircase by saying that she has been “a-climbin’ on,” “reachin’ landin’s,” and “turnin’ corners” meaning that …