Mother speaks to son about not giving up. She tells him all she's been and is still going through, and has not given up. Poem is a motivational. 'Life for me ain't been no crystal stair" (2) is a metaphor for her climbing the "life 'ladder' that has not been easy. she describes as 'It's had tacks in it, and splinters, And boards torn up,'. (3-5)
Yes, you are absolutely right about the "crytal stair" being a metaphor in this poem (Hughes 2). What do we think of when we hear a phrase like "crystal stair"? Also think about why Hughes chose to have the mother say that the "crystal stair...had tacks in it and splinters..."(1, 3-5)rather than have her say that the "crystal stair" was slippry or covered with shards of glass?
ReplyDelete