In Langston Hughes' poem, Mother to Son, Hughes illustrates a strong-willed mother who reminds her son of her failures and how her failures have not stopped, but rather helped her to continue fighting. The mother goes on to tell him how difficult her life has been, telling him, "Life for me has not been a crystal staircase," but she explains that these obstacles are not only bearable, but also worth the effort. worth confronting. Langston Hughes uses elements such as; Dramatic monologue, diction and imagery to describe the life of a woman who overcame adversity. The use of dramatic monologue in the poem places the reader in the position of the child, listening to his mother talk about her lessons learned and applying them to his own life. This causes the reader to become more drawn to the poem, as the woman's advice is directed to us and the son's irritation is ours. When the mother says, “Well, son, I will tell you:”(1), it gives the impression that the son has asked his mother a question or complained about his life. This line gives the reader the impression that he ...