Those Winter Sundays And Mother To Son Comparison Essay

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From starting a fire in the morning to giving life advice to making sacrifices for their children, parents manifest their love in numerous tangible and intangible ways. These subtle indications of affection are the driving forces behind two poems written with the same theme: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden. In the two poems, the authors reveal the different ways in which parents show love for their children through point of view, imagery, and symbolism; however each poem deals with a different method of demonstrating their kindness.
The two poems employ different points of view to convey their similar messages to the reader. While both use first person point of view, “Mother to Son” is told from …show more content…
Hughes’ speaker tells her son what to expect in his life, all while using herself as an example as to what he should strive to be. She references her past, saying, “Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. / It's had tacks in it, / And splinters” (lines 2-4), in order to emphasize her own hardships in life, and continually reminds her son, “Don't you set down on the steps / 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard… / For I'se still goin', honey” (lines 15-18). Another purpose behind the mother as the speaker in Hughes’ case is that her dialect further explains her struggles. Using words like “I’se” and “kinder” indicate that she has not been formally educated, yet her deeper understanding of life - such as through the extended analogy of the “crystal stair” (line 2, line 20) - and willingness to inform her son, demonstrate her passion for his well-being. While her reflections on life are somewhat negative and out of hope for her son, she maintains a positive outlook on life for herself and her offspring, thus allowing him live a successful life. Similarly, Hayden’s speaker reflects on past experiences, however, in “Those Winter Sundays,” the speaker reminisces on his father’s actions, not his own. His tone, too, is slightly negative, in the sense that he regrets not
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