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I found that each line where the mother is describing her life as a physical thing, each describing factor has its own line, so “It’s had tacks in it”(Hughes) has its own moment of impact before the reader moves on to the next description. Making the poem overall more impactful and emphasizing life’s wearing down on the soul's house.

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The poems “Coal” and “Mother to Son” both offer advice, but I find that I like “Mother to Son” better, because tough love seems to be more effective, for me, because when another option is not given, you only can go forward. However, though “Coal” also expresses a bit of tough love, it's more you either do or you don’t speak your mind, but it’s up to you to pick which one.

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Mother to son accepts the hardships, but does not internalize them. Girl internalizes the sexism of society and spits it back out at the child.

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The tone of the two poems differ. “Girl” is extremely harsh and lists various expectations of the girl, while the tone of “Mother to Son” is protective and loving. “Mother to Son” would be more effective to me because if someone spoke to me with the tone used in “Girl” I would be very upset and probably wouldn’t listen to them.

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Mother to son has a more clear message, and an inspiring yet harsh tone. Mother to son is aimed at those struggling. Reminding them never to give up- that they can’t give up this poem promises no “happy ending”. Only that you must persist despite life’s hardships.

Coal has a less desperate tone. This poem is aimed towards those with more privilege- those who do the listening rather than those who struggle to be heard. I find them both effectives, but with different messages and different audiences.

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Mother to Son has an informal, more comforting tone that’s honest in its warning but still offers hope. Girl on the other hand is more blunt and full of insults. Mother to Son would work better for me because I like honest advice that still has a bright side.

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MTS offers language in a more living sense, you can tell it’s from a mom to her son while Coal is told in a more powerful way to grab one’s attention.

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With “Mother and Son”, the ideas are given more matter of fact, and more commanding than caring. While “Coal” is very thoughtful in its use of imagery and impact on the reader. I think “Coal” would have more of an impact on me as its methodical in its thought process.

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MTS and Coal have every different approaches to advice as the tones in MTS are harsher as the advice given is advice taken. The advice given from Coal is gentle and was given in a very formal manner.

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The tone of Mother to Son’s advice is more endearing and loving, while that of Girl is more blunt and criticizing. In addition, the advice in Mother to Son is uplifting and prospective while the advice in Girl is retrospective as a lesson of the girl’s past actions. The advice of Girl would be more effective to me as the angry tone would scare myself to make a change.

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“MTS” and “Coal” tone are different and they differ in the way they give their advice and how they approach it one is tough love while the other is a more personal approach. MTS would be more effective for me as I respond better to tough love, as well as MtS being easier to digest.

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Coal has more complex diction and subliminal messaging doffing the reader to analyze and decipher the messaging. mother to Son is very direct with casual informal diction which has depth but is more digestible. Mother to son was more effective advice for me as it was easier to understand the messaging and I prefer direct advice that is clear and concise

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Both poems uses different metaphors to express their points. For me Mother to Son would be most effective as the speaker does not sugar coat the struggles of life.

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Mother to son uses tough love to get the mother’s point across while coal employs imagery to relay advice. They differ in their language as mother to son has informal language and Coal uses more metaphorical and sophisticated vocabulary.

The one that would be most effective on me is tough love as I’d feel more inclined to listen.

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They differ in tone because “Mother to Son” is more of a loving tone because it’s maternal advice. “Coal” has a more powerful tone but with more negative effects. “Coal” would work better for me because I will feel more obligated to listen.

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For me, the tone of mother to son would be more effective because the mother feels like multiple family members of mine. The tone in mother to son is very jaded but still slightly optimistic. While in Girl the mother is very stern on her daughter.

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They differ in tone because Coal is much more straight forward and almost in a way aggressive. I can really feel the authors pride and anger towards racism. Whereas the tone of Mother To Son is much more conversational and relaxed while still emphasizing the point the author is making. Because 9f this I would likely find the poem Mother to Son more effective and conveying its message because I don’t really like the aggression that’s in the poem coal even though it’s understandable.

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“Mother to Son” offered more of a motivational take on the advice, while “Coal” was more contemplative and a slow realization of advice. The “Mother to Son” seems to be the more straightforward one, but I prefer “Coal” because it introduces ideas one by one rather than all at once.

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“Mother to Son” has a harsher yet still loving tone while “Coal” has a, at points, negative or condescending tone. “Mother to Son” is more effective for me because the poem incorporates a sense of personalized conversation mixed with its advice.

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The poems “Mother to son” and “Coal” differ from each other because Coal is more talking about self worth and being overlooked, while mother to son is talking about life having obstacles and it’s gonna be hard, but you still need to push through and fight through adversity. I prefer Mother to son because it’s more easily to understand and I believe it gets through easier for me and other people to push through obstacles.

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Girl seems to be a poem about a girl who views her life and a chore , with the stuff she does is forced upon her and she may never find happiness, with MTS we see a mother giving advice to her son this advice doesn’t seem crucial and seems more optional as in girl her life seem to be a forced

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“MTS” and “Girl” have very different tones, mainly due to the fact that in one poem it comes off as scolding, whereas the other one comes off as personal and caring. I believe that I would reciprocate the advise from “MTS” more because I do not do well with harsh language.

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These poems differ greatly in their language. MTS incorporates tough love but also a comforting figure as the mother. Coal however offers advice in the form of knowledge using very vivid imagery and figurative language. To me coal holds greater meaning and would more effectively imprint its theme into my brain.

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The poem begins and ends with the line “life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”, which portrays the theme. There is also repetition of the word “and” which creates a list-like feeling that shows the attitude of the mother and represents the presence of non-stop hardship.

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The majority of the poem focuses on the mother’s life challenges and perseverance until the last section which focuses on the son. This effectively relates her life philosophy to a direct piece of advice to her son

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The structure of the poem resembles climbing up a stairway. Some lines are shorter while others are longer which symbolizes the different stages in life that will vary in difficulty and change.

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The function of the poem is to show how life is hard but why you need to keep pushing through, it’s short and quick because you are watching a mother talk to her son.

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The function of Mother to Son’s structure is to emphasize and remind the audience of the fact that life isn’t easy, but it is worth all the hardships. By also placing the line with the metaphor of the crystal stair again at the end of the poem, it serves to remind the reader that even through all the troubles of life, they still need to persevere.

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The function is to read a speech, given with care to a son from his mother. It’s blunt and written with imperfect grammar.

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The beginning feeding into the end, and the contrast between the negative experiences of life in the first half and the positives and hope in the second half, Show that life has its ups and downs, and it’s not a straight path.

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By structuring the poem to start and end with the line of “life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” It serves to in the beginning allude to the fact life is hard, then expands by their experiences and then ends with the same line that shines a new light on the theme.

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The poem is structured as a talk between mother and son and through the usage of informal language and the extended metaphor of a crystal stair case the message of life and fighting on.

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The poem’s structure makes it feel like a real person is giving you advice. The informal diction makes the reader feel as if they know the speaker.

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The function of the poem structure is has constant use of metaphors referring to life and the purpose on living.

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The poem begins and ends with the same line, “life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” At the end however, the statement has new meaning because it has been further explained. This adds to the readers comprehension of the poem’s theme.

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The poems structure repeats the line, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” and this serves a function to emphasize the mother’s journey of life and how it was never easy.

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There is a repetition of the line “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” in the beginning and the end. The use of it in the beginning was to foreshadow the life lesson and to allude to the metaphor. But the second time was to show the line on a new light after adding some context with the crystal stair having obstacles.

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The poem has a specific line that is stated at the beginning of the poem and at the end of the poem. This creates a full circle moment because at the beginning it is alluding to why life is hard, but at the end we learn the reason to keep pushing despite life’s difficulties.

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The poem is very quick with short lines, like a mother yearning to get her point across to her son, her quick statements also seem to be endearing and this may just be a mother looking out for her son.

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It acknowledges that life will not be easy, but then counters with the narrator’s journey up the “staircase of life” that she travels to create motivation for the viewer.

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The structure of this poem functions to heighten the extended metaphor that is incorporated into this poem. The structure breaks down the metaphor for the reader and leaves the poem full circle.

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The poem is very easy to read because it’s written in a simple way using common vocabulary and lots of imagery. Because of this it feels like a conversation you could actually have where you’re given advice allowing the reader to better absorb the theme the author is expressing.

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To establish the difficulties of life in the beginning, but to end on an inspiring message. “As hard as my life has been, and as hard as yours will be too, you must keep on climbing, just as I am.”

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“So boy, don’t you turn back”

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“And places with no carpet on the floor- bare.”

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“Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (Hughes 2).

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“But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on”

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“So boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you fall now-

For I’se still goin’, honey,

I’se still climbin’”

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Don’t you set down on the steps ‘Cause you finds its kinder hard. Don’t you fall now —

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The same words can hold different connotations and meanings based off of who is saying them, and people can sometimes judge the words of others without fully understanding them.

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“I’se still climbin’,

And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”

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“And Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”

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“For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”

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And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

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“And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”

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“And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light”

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“Don’t you set down on the steps ‘cause you finds it’s kinder hard.”

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For I’se still goin’, honey

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For I’se still goin’ honey, I’se still climbing,

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“Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”

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And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair

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The line prior to this says “how a diamond comes into a knot of flame” (Lorde 4). Afterwards we get the line “how a sounds …” this is simply comparing itself to the line prior, just like how a diamond comes into a knot of flame, the sounds in words and how they are perceived vary with different people

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“And sometimes goin’ in the dark/ Where there ain’t been no light” (Hughes)

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Dont you set down on the steps cause you finds its kinder hard

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I’se still climbin’

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“So boy don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down of the steps”

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“So boy, don’t you turn back”

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And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

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Although the word choice chosen when speaking can make a big impact on its interpretation by other people, the tone in which it is deliver can also create a crucial difference on how the message is perceived. The speaker themselves determine the tone of their speech to give off a certain connotation to the recipient, whether it be on purpose or on accident.

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“And sometimes goin’ in the dark / Where there ain’t been no light” (Hughes).

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This line shows how words can be differently interpreted depending on who’s saying it and how they say it.

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Words only have value if those who are listening assigns them value, because if you cussed at someone in a language they did not understand, the person would be baffled but un offended because of the uselessness of the word to them. However “who pays what for speaking”, essentially means that there still is a price to those words spoken, no matter how insignificant.

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This shows that’s sometimes the word we speak can be interpreted differently than it’s intent

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The line is used to illustrate the idea that those in power and those with money are the ones with a powerful voice.

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This line relates to the central theme of the effect that words have. The “pays” part refers to how the words effect individuals, if it hurts someone to hear, or urges it’s speaker to not be able to hold the words in.

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The line means words can come out differently then what the intend was.

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Words can be depicted differently based on who’s speaking

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Words can be received differently based off the person on the other end of it.

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Depending on the race of the person speaking and who they are speaking to, various words can have different connotations when used in different contexts. Some words may carry a heavier meaning when said to one person than another and affect how the person on the receiving end reacts. The paying part refers to both the reaction of the receiver as well as any further consequences that might follow the person who spoke these words.

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This line, not only establishes a key theme of this poem- the subjectivity of reality, and how the value of words is affected by the prevailing narrative- but also, a commentary on society. Those with money get to control what is said, and thus what people believe.

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I think this line is indicating the way that words can be taken different ways dependent on who’s saying them. For example you might take words from a kid less seriously or in this case due to the oppression and systemic racism you might take a word said by a person of color and not care and much as if it were said by a white person.

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It resembles how words hold value and shapes our identity and how others perceive us.

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The situation someone is in, and the respect or lack thereof that environment affords them, determine the words they choose to speak.

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It depends on how one is speaking, you can say one thing but mean another. It can change depending on the audience around you and how they interpret your words.

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Speaking is an expression of one’s self. The sound of a word is only impactful because a person is say it. The person adds the emotion, that’s what makes words matter. Otherwise they are just noise.

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This line highlights how the words being spoken can represent completely different things depending on who is saying them and who is listening to them.

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Words can be depicted differently based on who is speaking.

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It shows how people will change their ideas and word choices based on their audience/who is listening 

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It shows how people will change their ideas and word choices based on their audience/who is listening 

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Words and ideas will be interpreted differently depending on who is on the receiving end.

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The way someone states something varies on who the audience can be.

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Diamonds are seen for their beauty and rarity because of its looks, coal on the other hand isn’t seen for its own beauty because it can be perceived as dirty as well as not being seen for its true value.

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The contrast between the coal and diamond highlights that the way coals and diamonds may be perceived can differ from their importance, as both substances can hold value.

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This contrast is used to illustrate the theme- how words for less ‘shiny’ places are undervalued. Diamonds represent an aspect of society, what is clear and well understood. Coal, however, represent style opposite- what is dark and deep and lays under our society’s surface. The last few lines unite these two aspects of our world,

“as dimanond comes into a knot of flame

I am black because I come from the earths inside

Take my word for jewel in your open light”.

Diamond shining, and coal being black, are similar in that, they are created that way and what the are cannot be changed. But, the words of those who are looked over, should be taken with just as much value, especially in “your open light”- aka society’s seemingly clear views.

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a person will change the way they express an idea depending on who is listening to it

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As coal can turn into diamond under immense pressure. The contrast between a coal as a more dirty mineral and a diamond as seem as a gem while virtually the same mineral serves to show how we overlook people in our society based on what they show on the outside 

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As coal can turn into diamond under immense pressure. The contrast between a coal as a more dirty mineral and a diamond as seem as a gem while virtually the same mineral serves to show how we overlook people in our society based on what they show on the outside 

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The contrast between the coal and diamond in this poem can serve as a metaphor to illustrate the varying qualities of words. Coal and diamond symbolize two different forms of the same potential of the same materials.

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The use of coal is to represent someone’s view of themselves as low confidence and thinking of no self worth. The diamond is to show people their true beauty in the inside and them realizing their self worth and to reach happiness after being overlooked

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The contrast between coal and diamonds is how we view them. Coal is seen as dirty and bad while diamonds are a sign of wealth. The contrast is between how lorde feels on the inside and how they actually are.

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The contrast portrays how the speaker is viewed in society as a coal, which is unpolished and overlooked, but the words of the speaker are like diamonds, polished and highly valued by society.

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Coal is a substance that hold no significance, while diamonds are viewed with lots of value. It shows how the speaker still holds inner beauty and strength despite struggles faced.