Mother to Son

Question 1

Subject Matter

Answer 1

A mother’s letter to her son about the difficulties of life

Question 2

Purpose

Answer 2

• To impart wisdom and encourage resilience in the face of adversity
• A mother teaching her son that life will be hard, but to not give up

Question 3

Emotion

Answer 3

• Pain, encouragement, resillience

Question 4

Structure

Answer 4

• Free verse
• Single stanza, conversational flow

Question 5

Language

Answer 5

• colloquial expressions and AAVE (African-American Vernacular English) - personal and authentic

Question 6

Imagery

Answer 6

• Extended metaphore: Stair is a metaphore for life
• “crystal stair” = easy life
• Personification - human characteristics given to abstact concept of “life”

Question 7

Movement

Answer 7

• Anaphora, enjambment
• colon: lists
• em dash - dramatic pause to “bare” and continues thought

Question 8

Sound

Answer 8

n/a