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.

question:
identify the poem’s major theme and explain how the author’s use of metaphor to develop that theme. use specific evidence from the poem to explain your answer.

Read the passage below and answer the question that follows. ‘you make me feel uncivilized, daisy,’ i confessed on my second glass of corky but rather impressive claret. ‘can’t you talk about crops or something? ’ i meant nothing in particular by this remark but it was taken up in an unexpected way. ‘civilization’s going to pieces,’ broke out tom violently. ‘i’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things. have you read ‘the rise of the coloured empires’ by this man goddard? ’ ‘why, no,’ i answered, rather surprised by his tone. ‘well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. the idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged. it’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved.’ in this passage, tom’s ideas about race relations come off as uncivilized. what literary device is fitzgerald using here?

Which statements are true about theme? check all that apply. themes are observations about life. themes can be stated in a sentence. themes and topics are the same thing themes are messages a text conveys about a topic examples of themes include loyalty, corruption, and greed. themes are rarely stated directly and need to be inferred by the reader.

What is the climax or crisis, which brings about a change in the plot's direction known as?