Why Is Langston Hughes's Mother To Son Still Relevant Today?

Although we have come very far as a society since the end of slavery, there are many inequalities African Americans still experience. The Harlem Renaissance was known as a revival of black culture through music, dance, literature, and more. Despite this being a positive time for African Americans, they were still looked down upon and discriminated against. The poem “Mother to Son” written by Langston Hughes during this time period, shed light on the issues African Americans were facing despite the Harlem Renaissance being known as a time of prosperity for African Americans. This poem strongly relates to “Power” by Audre Lorde although they were written 60 years apart. This shows that although Americans are told we have come a long way since

“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes was written to represent a mother speaking to her son about the challenges of being Black. Despite the poem being written over 100 years ago, it is still very relevant today. The poem begins with the lines “Well, son, I’ll tell you: / Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair (lines 1-2).” This is an example of symbolism because the stairs are meant to represent the mother's life. He specifically mentions the mother's life not being a crystal stair to get the reader thinking about what a crystal can represent. When someone thinks of crystal, some describing words that may come to mind are expensive, clear, and made well. These are all characteristics Hughes wanted the reader to think about because they each represent a bigger issue that took place during that time

This can also connect to the present time where African Americans experience systemic racism which can prevent them from achieving high levels of capital. During class, my peers were able to connect this to the other end of the spectrum which was White Americans who are able to experience an easier life. This is because most White Americans are born with a ‘silver spoon in their mouth’ meaning they have many advantages over Black people such as being born into a higher socioeconomic status. Although this may not be true for all White Americans, just being White alone gives you the advantage of White privilege which is another example of an inequality African Americans experience today. Moreover, when something is clear you are able to see what is coming from the other side. This is an advantage in terms of life being a “crystal stair” because you would be able to see what obstacles are coming your way. The other end of this would be opaque without knowing what life is going to throw at you making you unprepared which is usually the case with African Americans. As a result of systemic racism, African Americans have a lower chance of receiving high levels of education which is one of many examples of