Structure

"Cross"

The structure of this poem is very unique. The rhyme scheme in this poem contains one stanza. Each point is him stating a fact and then his own thoughts. The longer lines are his facts and the shorter lines are his thoughts and they all follow logically from the preceding one. For example, in “Cross,” he writes, “If ever I cursed my white old man,” (line 3) and then writes a shorter line stating, “I take my curses back” (line 4) This is the style he uses throughout the whole poem. He ends the poem with a question which I thought was very interesting. Hughes says, “I wonder where I’m going to die, being neither white nor black?” (line 11-12) In a world of black and white, Hughes was neither. During that time it meant something very different to be a particular race, and interracial dating, or marriage, was unheard of. This made him question where exactly he belonged in society. Ending the poem with a question makes a person think about it after they’re done reading it. They sit and wonder how they would answer his question. Also, what other people think. Leaving the reader with something to think about is the purpose of the poem. “Cross” was himself questioning his racial identity. If he was neither black nor white, what exactly was he? and where did he belong?

"Mother to Son"
The structure or plot found in “Mother To Son” is that of a mother’s ongoing struggle with everyday life. It starts off by identifying it as “no crystal stair” (Line 2) with “tacks, splinters and boards torn up” (Lines 3-5). Then, down this life’s path, there’s “been climbin’, landin’s corners and darkness” (Lines 9-12), all of which the mother made it through. She is passionate to her son when she tells him “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” (Line17-20). The poem’s structure is simple statements consistent throughout making the overall meaning easy to identify. This structure is clear by the pattern of sounds that Hughes created; just a he did with “I, Too” and “Cross”. The overall meaning, or structure, clearly identifies a mother’s endless struggle to her life’s experiences, and she expresses this never-ending perseverance to her son. She appears to be conquering life alone, and it may have been her son inspiring her to keep going. She realizes that he too, will encounter these battles but wants him to never give up and “don’t you turn back” (Line 14), just as she did.

"I, Too"

One of Hughes’ strengths as a poet was his ability to use different forms of poetry. For example, in his poem, “Cross,” he uses a rhyming structure to covey to the reader that because of his parentage, he confused where he will go when he dies. Here, he uses a form known as free verse. Free verse is a style of poetry that does not follow the constraints of traditional poetry and allows the poet to express him or herself through a fluid, almost uneven rhythmic, series of words. The words do not have to rhyme which perhaps is where this type of structure gains its popularity. Unrestricted, poets are able to convey messages that they feel are important, in this case, to help others gain knowledge. The knowledge conveyed in this poem is that black Americans are just as American as white Americans.



	Structure

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"Cross" The structure of this poem is very unique. The rhyme scheme in this poem contains one stanza. Each point is him stating a fact and then his own thoughts. The longer lines are his facts and the shorter lines are his thoughts and they all follow logically from the preceding one. For example, in “Cross,” he writes, “If ever I cursed my white old man,” (line 3) and then writes a shorter line stating, “I take my curses back” (line 4) This is the style he uses throughout the whole poem. He ends the poem with a question which I thought was very interesting. Hughes says, “I wonder where I’m going to die, being neither white nor black?” (line 11-12) In a world of black and white, Hughes was neither. During that time it meant something very different to be a particular race, and interracial dating, or marriage, was unheard of. This made him question where exactly he belonged in society. Ending the poem with a question makes a person think about it after they’re done reading it. They sit and wonder how they would answer his question. Also, what other people think. Leaving the reader with something to think about is the purpose of the poem. “Cross” was himself questioning his racial identity. If he was neither black nor white, what exactly was he? and where did he belong? "Mother to Son" The structure or plot found in “Mother To Son” is that of a mother’s ongoing struggle with everyday life. It starts off by identifying it as “no crystal stair” (Line 2) with “tacks, splinters and boards torn up” (Lines 3-5). Then, down this life’s path, there’s “been climbin’, landin’s corners and darkness” (Lines 9-12), all of which the mother made it through. She is passionate to her son when she tells him “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” (Line17-20). The poem’s structure is simple statements consistent throughout making the overall meaning easy to identify. This structure is clear by the pattern of sounds that Hughes created; just a he did with “I, Too” and “Cross”. The overall meaning, or structure, clearly identifies a mother’s endless struggle to her life’s experiences, and she expresses this never-ending perseverance to her son. She appears to be conquering life alone, and it may have been her son inspiring her to keep going. She realizes that he too, will encounter these battles but wants him to never give up and “don’t you turn back” (Line 14), just as she did. "I, Too" One of Hughes’ strengths as a poet was his ability to use different forms of poetry. For example, in his poem, “Cross,” he uses a rhyming structure to covey to the reader that because of his parentage, he confused where he will go when he dies. Here, he uses a form known as free verse. Free verse is a style of poetry that does not follow the constraints of traditional poetry and allows the poet to express him or herself through a fluid, almost uneven rhythmic, series of words. The words do not have to rhyme which perhaps is where this type of structure gains its popularity. Unrestricted, poets are able to convey messages that they feel are important, in this case, to help others gain knowledge. The knowledge conveyed in this poem is that black Americans are just as American as white Americans.