Objective:
Students will be able to
practice analyzing poems.
Aim:
How do you analyze poems?
Literature and Writing
Levy
Get Ready:
1. Take out your homework from last night.
Biography of Langston Hughes
• Born: February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri.
• Poetry: Hughes began writing poetry when he was in high school, and his class designated him as “class poet.”
• His Works: Wrote in a variety of genres (types of writing), including poetry, short stories, plays, novels, and inspired the work of many other authors.
• Harlem Renaissance: Langston Hughes achieved his fame as a poet during the artistic period known as the Harlem Renaissance.
• Hughes distinguished himself from other black poets of his time because he refused to separate his personal experiences and the common experiences of black America.
• He wrote stories of black people without personalizing them.
• He wanted his readers to be able to develop their own ideas and conclusions to his writings.
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.
Mother to Son
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.
A message from a mother to her son
-Life has not been beautiful, transparent, or easy for the mother. It hasn’t been an easy climb.
-Tacks and splinters are hazards that can cause pain, just like hazards in life.
-The torn up boards represent damage, obstacles, and hardships in life.
-It is cold and lonely without carpet on the floor.
-But no matter how big the obstacle, she keeps moving forward -And achieves her goals.
-And keeps making progress even when times are tough (dark)
-When there is little hope and new challenges, she doesn’t want her son to turn back.
-She doesn’t want her son to give up even if times get tough or get weak.
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.
Stanzas:
3
Tone:
Loving, caring
Speaker:
A mother who has had a
difficult life
Audience:
Sons at different stages
of life
Theme:
The importance of hard
work and dedication regardless of
life’s challenges
Repetition:
“Life for me ain’t been
no crystal stair” and “I’se still
climbin’”
Imagery:
crystal stair, tacks,
splinters, boards torn up, no carpet,
reachin’ landin’s, turnin’ corners,
goin’ in the dark
Figurative Language
•
Figurative Language
is used to express ideas in his work
.
•
Metaphor
is a comparison that does not use the words “like” or
“as.
•
In line two of “Mother to Son”, Hughes writes “Life for me
ain’t been no crystal stair.”
•
Hughes makes the initial comparison between life and
“crystal stair in this line. He continues the poem within
that metaphor by symbolizing the hardships of life
Partner Practice
• With a partner, analyze “I too sing
America.”
I, too, sing America
I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes,
But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.
Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes.
Nobody'll dare Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen," Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed—
I, too, am America.
-Langston Hughes
I am also an American
I am also an American. I am black.
And even though I am not
allowed to sit at the dinner table, I still enjoy myself and get
stronger.
Some day,
I will become their equal.
And nobody will ever tell me to eat in the kitchen, separate from the company.
I, too, sing America
I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes,
But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.
Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes.
Nobody'll dare Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen," Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed—
I, too, am America.
-Langston Hughes
