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. 
-Langston Hughes 

When I first read the poem 'Mother to Son' by Langston Hughes, I thought the writers outlook on life was negative and rather lonely. Like when the poem states; '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.' This particular part in the poem made me think that the mother, who was talking to her son, was bitter and putting him down by telling him that life was hard and not worth it. But, after reading the poem again, I realized that I was completely mistaken. The poem was not at all a negative outlook on the journey of life, it was actually more of a realistic pep talk. The mother figure, the one the point of view the poem is written from, was saying that even though life had wasn't easy, you can't give up.

Like when it states 'So boy, don't you turn back' and 'Don't you fall now, for I'se still climbing, and life for me ain't been no crystal stair'. These parts made me realize that she was telling her son to keep going, because in the end, life was worth it. Realizing this and reading those parts of the poem completely changed my outlook on the rest of the poem. I read it over again, and realized the way the author beautifully weaved the words to create a perfect metaphor for life. The use of vivid descriptions of darkness, and bare splintered stairs, but with the occasional turn of a corner of landing made the poem all the more meaningful in my eyes. I like the description of a life with change, turning corners and landings and the occasional splinter, rather then an on going and repetitive crystal stair.