Speech To The Young Poem Analysis

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We’ve all faced tough, seemingly “impossible” obstacles before. We’ve all been put down by others, with them telling us, “You’re not good enough. You can’t do it.”. We’ve all come close to and possibly have wound up giving up before. But we are still able to move on. Why? Because we have people who support and encourage us, people and things to live for, and always another goal that needs to be accomplished-- things that fuel our determination and strengthen our resolve. The two poems, “Speech to the Young: Speech to the Progress Toward” by Gwendolyn Brooks and “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes are good examples of how poetry, too, can speak to a reader’s heart and mind and fuel their determination. “Speech to the Young Speech to the Progress…show more content…
The poem, “Speech to the Young: Speech to the Progress Toward” uses this as an advantage to help develop the thematic topic of determination using a slightly more artistic and unique approach. This can be seen in how the author writes, “say to the down-keepers,/ the sun-slappers,/ the self-soilers,/ the harmony-hushers,”. She could’ve gone for the simpler route by straight-up using something along the lines of ‘those who put others down’, yet instead, she chose to create with language to be even more specific and unique so that the reader can understand what she is trying to say better. The words/descriptions in particular that she chose seem to be lighter in weight than the meaning of ‘cold-hearted people who put others down’ that is behind it, and thus gives the reader a feeling that these people aren’t as big of a problem as they might’ve originally thought. This helps the author convey to the reader thoughts encouragement and a boost in determination. The author of the poem, Gwendolyn Brooks, also adds in logic to her determination-fueling words when she writes, “‘Even if you are not ready for day/ it cannot always be night.’” The reader knows that time will always keep on ticking, and by emphasizing that things change even when you don’t want them to, the author accomplishes her goal of helping to dissolve the hesitation that the reader may have.…show more content…
However, he focused more on figurative language (such as metaphors) to tell the reader a story, from which the reader can gain inspiration, motivation, and determination. Hughes writes from the point of view of the mother, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair./ It’s had tacks…,/ And splinters,/ And boards torn up,”. The mother (written by Hughes) is comparing life to a long, difficult flight of stairs, with tacks and splinters and torn-up boards representing the difficult obstacles that she faced in real life, as they make advancing on the stairs (in life) harder. This metaphor helps the reader visualize life in a new, more familiar way, as stairs are a common sight for all, and while the reader is thinking about this, the author then writes (as the mother), “Don’t you set down on the steps/ ‘Cause you find it’s kinder hard./ … For I’se still goin’, honey,/ …ain’t been no crystal stair.” By using metaphorical language combined with vivid description, the author uses a motherly figure to connect with the reader. As the reader is making sense of the mother’s words and recalling the events in their own life that have been or are difficult, Hughes then encourages the reader to not give up by having the mother say how she’s gone through it all too, and can and is
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