Langston Hughes

The poem, “The Negro Mother” is about a slave telling her children and other

generations of African Americans to never give up on success. She wants them to

remember what the slaves went through to get where they are now. She wants them to

remember the struggles they had to face to take to freedom. The poem is motivational for

people of color and to show that no matter what the outcome of our success is, they will

always support us.

By using poetic language and rhythm, he get’s his point across. He uses language

such as similes (line 6. Look at my face -- dark as the night -…). He uses first person

language. He puts himself in the shoes of the negro mother. When the reader reads the

poem, they will feel as though the mother is talking to them personally.

Another viewpoint is “This poem is deep and emotional. It describes and images

the struggle and strife that African - Americans had to do in order to break free from the

chains of slavery. This woman tells her story of her hope that her children and every

other African-American will lead the way to a better and more productive life for all

blacks. Langston Hughes used figurative language and great word choice to create an

educational tone for all to read. The Negro Mother is not only for African-Americans but

it can represent the struggle that everyone has had to be where they are

today.”( http://www.eliteskills.com/c/11753)

Works Cited

"The Negro Mother - Poem by Langston Hughes." Famous Poets and Poems - Read and Enjoy Poetry. 12 Mar. 2009 .