Poetry Analysis Literary Response Essay

Source Material: âMother to Sonâ by Langston Hughes

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47559/mothe...

Background:

ï· In the poem, âMother to Son,â by the esteemed Langston Hughes, Hughes uses rich imagery and symbolism to portray a motherâs message to her son as well as to the readers.

Instructions:

ï· Read the poem carefully, paying particular attention to the effectiveness of the symbolism and the motherâs message. Then in a well-organized essay, analyze how Hughes/ the mother uses the symbols in the poem to convey a message to her son.

ï· Your analysis should include the following sections

o Introduction: introduce the poem, its title, its poet, its publication date. Include a brief idea of the plot of the poem and then move directly into the analysis of the poem

o Main analysis: Using the poetic elements of symbolism and imagery, discuss how Hughes used these devices to convey his message. In other words:

i. What is the motherâs message to her son? How does the reader know this? Use text examples from the poem to support your ideas.

ii. What are the symbols in the poem? How does Hughes use these symbols to help convey the motherâs message? Use text examples to support your ideas

b. Conclusion: recap your main points and leave the reader with a thought-provoking ending.

Requirements

ï· Length and format: 2-3 pages.

ï· The title page and reference page are also required, but they should not be factored into the 2-3 page length of the essay.

ï· It should also be double spaced, written in Times New Roman, in 12 point font and with 1 inch margins. Essay should conform to APA formatting and citation style.

ï· Use the objective voice, avoiding personal pronouns such as âI,â âyou,â âwe,â etc.

ï· Use APA format for in-text citations and references when using outside sources and textual evidence.

ï· Please be cautious about plagiarism. You are welcome to use outside sources to research some ideas for your analysis. If you are going to use outside sources, be sure to either quote or paraphrase them, and to use both internal and reference page citations.