The great advantage of poetry is that with the right choice of words, it can capture an entire scene in just one line of a stanza. It has the ability to offer hope from a painful experience and is something a person can identify with; almost as if the poet and the reader became one. In his two poems, “Mother to Son” and “Harlem”, Langston Hughes, sheds light on the lives and struggles of African Americans (“The Poetry”). Although the theme of both poems centers on perseverance, Hughes skillfully uses figurative language, tone, form, and structure differently in each poem to portray the same message. firm middle-aged mother. From beginning to end, the mother has a heart-to-heart conversation with her son. In the conversation, he gives advice to his son on how to handle the trials he has faced and will face in life. Hughes lived in a time when blacks and whites were not equal (“The Poetry”). From the language used and the descriptions of the mother's experiences, readers would assume that this is an African American family from the South (Bass 60). The Southern dialect, evidenced by the dropping of the "g" in words like "climbin" or "turnin" and the knowledge of the time period in which the poem was written, one might assume that the mother had no formal education . However, what she lacked in formal education, she made up for in life experiences and shared with her son. In his poem "Harlem" Hughes expressed his anger at the inequality of African Americans. He saw the danger in not being equal and strongly resented the fact that the wants and needs of blacks were seen as unimportant (--- 74). “Harlem” questions the reader about dreams; asking what happened......middle of paper......ryone. And as we let our lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. When we free ourselves from our fear, our presence automatically frees others. We must also pay attention to the advice that the mother in “Mother to Son” gave to her son. The advice is simple but relatable: to overcome life's obstacles, a person must possess courage and determination. Works Cited "The Poetry of Langston Hughes." LORDS Renaissance. 19 May 2004: np SIRS Rinascimento. Network. March 6, 2012. Basso, Ramona and Arnold Rampersad ed. The Complete Works of Langston Hughes. 1. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2001. Print.---. The Complete Works of Langston Hughes. 3. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2001. Print.Grimes, Linda Sue. "Hughes's Harlem - A Dream Deferred." Np 7 February 2007. Web. 16 March. 2012