Comparing Speech To The Young Speech 'And Mother To Son'

All plants start off as round smooth seeds. They have nutrients for a while, but they eventually have to break free, and grow on their own. The first challenge they often face, is the challenge of breaking their seed’s hard shell. They fight, and struggle to succeed. If they don’t succeed, they will eventually die. It is only with perseverance and determination that it will one day overcome the shell that it is trapped in. The poems, “Speech to the Young Speech to the Progress Toward” and “Mother to Son”, both express a similar theme of determination. In the poem “Speech to the Young Speech to the Progress Toward”, Gwendolyn Brooks, expresses the theme through the utilization of punctuation and sound devices. In “Mother to Son”, Langston Hughes,

Hughes describes life as a staircase. In his poem he writes, “Well, son, I’ll tell you:/Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” The speaker uses symbolism to impart the knowledge of challenges. Each obstruction on the staircase resembles a challenge that one must face in life. The speaker states, “It’s had tacks in it,/And splinters,/And boards torn up,/And places with no carpet on the floor—/Bare.” When the author uses this metaphor, one can imagine the challenges that lay ahead, as though they had to climb the very staircase that is being described. However, the poet prolongs the metaphor, by using the action of climbing the staircase, as never giving up. The speaker states, “So boy, don’t you turn back./Don’t you set down on the steps...Don’t you fall now—/For I’se still goin’, honey,/I’se still climbin’”. This brings attention to the fact that one should never be discouraged by the challenges that lay ahead. That no matter what is in one’s path, that they should never be dissuaded from trying to

Although they share the theme, have two different ways of expressing the theme. Gwendolyn Brooks, in “Speech to the Young Speech to the Progress Toward”, uses punctuation and sound devices in order to express the theme in an impactful manner. Langston Hughes, in “Mother to Son”, uses a metaphor and a unique speaker’s style, to impart the theme. This theme of determination can be viewed everywhere in daily life. To exemplify, just like the seed, humans face a great deal of challenges in their lives. But one must learn to persevere and push against our challenges. Because if they do not, they will be unsuccessful, and will never be able to grow into a blossoming and strong