Monther to Son

Mother to Son: Insincere?

As a child I always was taught that the short poem written by Langston Hughes “Mother to Son” was the most inspirational poem that can be read, but as I grew older I began to see the poem for what it really was; insincere. Most individuals take this as a poem where a mother is trying to motivate her son never to give up no matter what comes before him, but how can she tell him to keep fighting if she never achieved anything for herself? Throughout the poem she explains to her son that she has been through so many problems and hardships, and still fought. But what is her accomplishments? By her telling her son “Don't you set down on the steps”, “don't you fall now”, does that symbolize that she’s telling him to keep fighting so he can be exactly where she is ; nowhere.

The mother compared her life struggle as not being crystal stairs. The symbol of the staircase is in order to make it to the top; one must start from the bottom. The crystal stairs also gives the impression that it’s not always going to be a smooth ride, it may have “tacks” in it but if you keep moving you’ll eventually make it to the top. The term insincere means “not honest in the expression of actual feeling or being hypocritical”. So if the mother hasn’t made it to the top and she’s been fighting her whole life would this make her a hypocrite and a liar? And most individuals take this as an inspirational poem. If people was to sit down and analyze exactly what they were reading they would see this as a poem where a mother is lying to her son, convincing him that if he keeps fighting he will be successful and her life is proof. Her being a hypocrite and a liar is exactly what makes this an insincere poem.