"Mother to Son"
by Langston Hughes
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor--
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now--
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor--
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now--
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
While this poem has many themes within it, such as the generational gap and cultural expression, the one to be concerned with in the context of the American Experience as a journey is perseverance. The idea behind the American Experience is, essentially, to persevere—to always keep trying and continue chasing a dream no matter the circumstances, even when, "goin' in the dark." "I'se still climbin'," is the essence of the American Experience; one must always reach higher and higher, for the next dream and a better tomorrow. You must embark on a journey to partake in the American Experience; a journey upwards, one on which you cannot turn back, as the poem says. That is where the American Experience begins: upwards.