Transcript Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes
Selected poem study
English 11
Harlem Renaissance Unit
Know the Meanings…
 Deferred-put off; postponed
 Fester-infected; swollen and filled with
pus
“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.
“Mother to Son” continued
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.
“Mother to Son” continued
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.
(Prentice Hall, Hughes 518)
Questions:
 What advice does the speaker give to her son?
 What does the mother suggest has been the course





of her own life?
What is the tone of this poem?
Give some examples of language the poet uses
which is not considered acceptable in standard
English.
Why does Hughes use this variety (dialect) of
language?
What is the son likely to do if he really listens to his
mother’s advice?
What character trait does this mother definitely
show?
“Dream Deferred”
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
and then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over –
Like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it just explode?
Questions:
 What does ‘deferred’ mean?
 Name four things that a deferred dream
is compared to in this poem.
 Is this poem built around a series of
metaphors or similes?
 What is the theme of the poem?
Stop here for Mini-unit
“In Time of Silver Rain”
Note about this poem:
Hughes wrote this poem in dedication to
playwright Lorraine Hansberry when she
told him she had cancer. He was greatly
influenced by her work and was also
inspired to write “Dream Deferred” after
her character Walter Younger in
A Raisin in the Sun, her classic play.
“In Time of Silver Rain”
In time of silver rain
The earth puts forth new life again,
Green grasses grow
And flowers lift their heads,
And over all the plain
The wonder spreads
Of Life,
Of Life,
Of Life!
“In Time of Silver Rain” con’t.
In time of silver rain
The butterflies lift silken wings
To catch a rainbow cry,
And trees put for new leaves to sing
In joy beneath the sky
As down the roadway
Passing boys and girls
Go singing, too,
In time of silver rain
When spring
And life
Are new.
(http://oldpoetry.com)