Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks

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Motherhood Raising a child is not easy especially when a mother is subjected to racial discrimination, poor socioeconomic conditions, daily scrutiny or ethical questions. Two well-known authors, Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks, poetically express some of these struggles that surround the theme of motherhood. Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” reveals that this mother (Mother 1) is a caring individual who has to gently remind her son that “Life…ain’t…no crystal stair” (Pg.1254). Life is not going to be easy for the mother or child, but having the gift and opportunity of life is something that many people take for granted. In contrast, Gwendolyn Brooks’ “the mother” exposes the reality and un-motherly act of abortion. This mother (Mother 2) claims that “You remember the children you got that you did not get,” (Pg. 1579). Within this line there is a tone of regret; however, how can Mother 2 justify her act of cruelty to her unborn children who were denied the rights to become “The singers and workers that never handled the air.” (Pg. 1579) Both authors weave the theme of uncertainty pertaining to motherhood through their poetry. Hughes’ mother is an actual mother who is always looking forward, but is uncertain about what hardships she will face. Whereas Brooks’ mother reflects on the choices she made which leads one to question Mother 2’s potential to be labeled as a mother based on the confusion that the mother feels, the contradicting evidence, and statements this mother makes. Mother 1 and Mother 2’s uncertainties are tied to their own interpretation of the meaning of motherhood. Mother 1 has many motherly characteristics but it is unclear as to what motherly characteristics Mother 2 has to offer when she deliberately terminates her pregnancies. Mother 1 is a caring individual that listens to her son’s problems and offers advice based off of her own personal
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