The Negro Mother Langston Hughes Analysis

African-Americans had to go through some of the worst brutalities that have taken place on the American soil. The Negro Mother, by Langston Hughes, tells the story of a former African-American slave and a woman. The speaker, who is mother mentioned in the title of the poem, recalls the hardships she went through previously and encourages her children to continue the fight for freedom and equality. The speaker is a zealous and strong woman who was mistreated and abused and yet refused to succumb to the oppression. She also establishes the fact that the fight for equality is not yet over. This is the message she wants every African-American child to hear and take to heart. Hughes uses diction, biblical allusions and metaphor to illustrate the theme of how African Americans should continue to strive for their rights and equality in the

In the beginning of the poem the speaker mentions how “Sometimes the road was hot with sun/But I had to keep on until my work was done” (25-26). The literal meaning of the lines is that the speaker had to work even though the sun was blazing down on her. But, in the metaphorical sense the “sun” represents the struggles and hardships the mother had to face throughout her life. Additionally, the “work” symbolizes her desire to achieve equality and freedom for all her children. Further along the poem the speaker mentions how her children should make the pain that she suffered in the past the “torch for tomorrow” (36). This simply implies that the narrators struggle was meaningful considering her children can build upon the efforts of their ancestors to win equality for African American in the future. The use of metaphors helps illustrate the struggles the narrator has been through and helps establish the community’s struggles. It also inspires the future generations to continue to fight for their