TIPCAST of Mother to Son

Title- Mother to Son. This may be a poem written by a mother addressing her son telling him to do or not to do something.

Paraphrase- This mother’s life has been very rough however, she kept going and climbing forwards. She is now telling her son this and wants him to do the same.

Connotation- Don’t give up no matter how rough life may be. If you give up, then you will never make it anywhere.

Attitude- Strong push through.

Shifts- There is a shift at “But all the time…” This shift takes the poem from all the bad that had happened in her life to the fact that she just kept climbing. There is another shift at “So, boy, don’t you turn back…” This shift changes from what the mother has done to addressing the son, telling him to never give up.

Title- Mother to Son. This poem is a mother telling her son to never give up even when times are tough. She has had a rough life but she still pushed through.

Theme- No matter of tough life gets, one must push though and never give up.

 

Divisions:

1)     “Well, son, I’ll tell you… Bare.” This first division dicusses how life can be challenging. “It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare.” All of the words in this section create horrific images. This mother has had a rough life that may have been filled with abuse and other evil actions.

2)     “But all the time… ain’t been no light” Even though her life was tough, she still pushed through. This sections is filled with positive uplifting words: climbing, reaching, turning. This section greatly differs from the first through the world choice.

3)     “So, boy, don’t… no crystal stair.” As the final division, she is summing up what she wants to tell her son. She is telling him not to turn back even though life is “no crystal stair.” This division is mostly positive. She is telling her son to keep going and climbing and not to fall.  

The theme of this poem is so never give up. Everyone’s life can be difficult at times. The people who succeed are the people who never give up.

 

I relate to this poem trough my Great Great Grandmother Mitchel. She married at 13 and was abused by an alcoholic husband. At 16, she had an affair and remarried. She divorced this man and married another, who I believe was rarely around. She had another affair with a farmer who lived near them and then married him. Her life was rough. However, she powered through. She eventually opened nursing homes in the small town she lived in and started a decent living. She was not extremely rich but she was well known in the area. This poem is a description of her life. She was abused and remarried many times. However, she kept pushing and in the end had a decent life.