This activity allows students to break down the various components of the extended metaphor in ”Mother to Son”. As students read through each line, they will need to identify the figurative meanings behind Hughes’s word choices. Students should be able to cite a line from the poem and understand its literal meaning (as it pertains to the staircase) and its figurative meaning (as it pertains to the mother’s life). With this storyboard, students should choose 3-5 important lines from the text and depict their figurative meaning. Below each image, have students provide a brief explanation of the image they chose to represent.
Life has been difficult for the speaker. She has had to struggle and work hard to survive and improve her circumstances.
The "staircase" of life has been filled with difficulties.The tacks and splinters represent hardships and moments that brought the mother pain. These could include working long hours, losing a job, dealing with illness, watching a loved one die, or many other difficulties.
The "bare" portion of the staircase again suggests difficulties. By isolating the word "bare" in its own line, Hughes suggests the mother was lonely or poor. She had no soft carpet of friends or money to bring her comfort or to ease the pain of her journey.
The darkness represents hopelessness. When the speaker says there "ain't been no light", she suggests that there is no happy, bright spot in her life to bring her joy or give her hope in a brighter future.
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Student Instructions
Guide students to craft personal metaphors by brainstorming challenges they've faced, then selecting a central image (like a journey or object) that represents their life. Model how to weave literal and figurative meanings together, just as Hughes does. Encourage creativity and personal reflection to make their metaphors meaningful.
Invite students to share moments when they faced obstacles or setbacks. Connect these experiences to the poem's theme, highlighting how everyone encounters 'tacks and splinters' in life. This builds empathy and sets the stage for metaphor creation.
List objects or journeys that could represent overcoming difficulties (e.g., climbing a mountain, sailing a stormy sea, fixing a broken bike). Encourage students to think beyond stairs and choose images that feel personal. This step sparks imagination and ownership.
Have students write a short poem using their selected metaphor, describing both literal and symbolic meanings. Remind them to include details that show struggle and perseverance, just like in 'Mother to Son.' Provide sentence starters if needed.
Allow students to read their poems aloud and explain their metaphor choices. Foster a supportive classroom culture by encouraging positive feedback and connections between students' experiences. Sharing builds confidence and deepens understanding.
The extended metaphor in 'Mother to Son' compares life to a difficult, worn-down staircase. The mother describes how her journey has not been easy, using images like tacks, splinters, and darkness to illustrate life's hardships and challenges.
Students can identify figurative language by looking for words and phrases that go beyond literal meaning. In 'Mother to Son', examples include 'crystal stair', 'tacks', and 'splinters', which symbolize obstacles and struggles rather than actual objects.
Examples include 'Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair' (meaning life is hard), 'tacks in it, and splinters' (symbolizing pain and obstacles), and 'going in the dark where there ain’t been no light' (representing hopelessness).
Teachers can have students choose important lines from the poem, interpret both literal and figurative meanings, and illustrate each one. This helps students connect images and metaphors to real-life experiences.
Figurative language helps students understand deeper meanings in poetry, builds interpretive skills, and encourages creative thinking. It allows students to relate abstract concepts to real-life situations, making poetry more engaging.