Dr. Randall
Langston Hughes informs the readers that life is challenging when he begins the poem by saying, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” Here, the audience learns that the narrator in the poem has experienced numerous challenges in her life. Thus, she has had to find ways of dealing with them, rather than giving up. For this reason, the son should prepare to face the adversities that he comes across.
In the poem, Langston Hughes shows that the mother’s only hope is for the son not to fall when he writes, “don’t fall now.” Here, the mother hopes that the son would emulate her while climbing stays. This is the only hope she has of her son surviving in the brutal world they live in, which is not meant for the weak-hearted.
In the poem, Hughes shows that people should embrace the adversities they encounter in life instead of avoiding them when he says, “Don’t you set down on the step.” The statement implies that persons should never give up whenever they are facing challenges. No one has an easy ride up, thus stepping back is not an option. Thus, people should know that difficulties they face define who they become, hence should never back down from a challenge.
Langston Hughes shows the readers the importance of embracing the struggles that people face in their lives. In the poem, the mother tells the son that life has not been a crystal stair to her and she had to overcome numerous challenges to survive the harsh conditions. Therefore, she prepares him for life by informing him that he should not be afraid of any challenge he encounters. Instead, he should embrace them and fight to the end.