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.

Guiding questions:

What is the structure of the poem? (# of words, # of lines, # of stanzas)
What is the subject/topic of the poem.
Briefly summarize the poem.
State a major theme presented in the poem.
Give examples of the literary devices included in the poem and write about the effect these devices have on the meaning of the poem as a whole.
Literary Devices.

Rhyme scheme, meter, alliteration, repetition, imagery, personification, allusion, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, irony, oxymoron, symbolism.