Langston Hughes: The Pioneering Black Poet of ‘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. *As a postscript about this poem, Martin Luther King Jr. referenced “Mother to Son” at least 13 times in his public appearances, including during his “I Have a Dream” speech. These references often emphasized the themes of perseverance and moving forward. Hughes’s use of folk diction and rhythm gives the poem authenticity, making the mother figure come alive. She represents countless African-American mothers encouraging their children to keep striving despite hardships.