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 darkWhere 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. 1:Literal Sense Lindsey's Space: Who: mother and Son, What: the mother is telling her son to perservere and remain strong in life. For her life was tough, there were splinters, and boards were torn up (representing difficulties) taylers space; the mother is telling her son he shouldn't give up because things get hard. that she kept "climbing" but it wasn't a crystal staircase. that sometimes it was dark and there was no light, sometimes no carpet, and many splinters. basically, she is saying that no matter how difficult your climb is, you need to keep going and not give up. because she never did, she's still going. so if she can do it, so can he. Melissa- The mother is talking to her son having a simple conversation about life. She tells the son to never stop trying because things can only get harder and more challenging. She compares it to not being a 'crystal stair.' and everything will not get handed to you and you have to work to get what you want in life. Matt--> The mother is telling her son that her life wasn't a crystal ball and that his would not be a crystal ball either, and telling him not to turn his back on life, she is telling that she isnt giving so that would maybe motavate him Zack- The mother is talking to her son using metaphors. She tells him about all the rough times she has had climbing the stairs. She doesnt want her son to travel back down the stairs, because her life wasn't crystal clear. Casey's space the mother is just tryingto tell her son that times where ruff when she was growing up. She is just trying to show that he can do better and have much more of a better life then what hismother did. Just that he needs to liston to his mother liston to his mom rather than be bad kid and follow his dreams.2:Emotional triggersJoe- After reading the poem, i didnt feel a connection to the poem. The poem was well written and had great word choice and sentence flow, but i didnt think about anything specific about emotions, cause the poem dosen't have any connection to me.David-After reading this poem, I personally dont have a connection with it, but the metaphors are easy and clear to understand. Becca -After reading this poem, I personally dont have a connection with this poem, but it was well thought out, and you could really hear how the lady would personally sound in life. But I could relate because life dosent always go our own way and many times we feel we want to give up hope and keep trudging through. glens makes me think of two houses one clean and smooth and the other rough and complicated and either way he can do itCarolyn- After reading this poem, I realizied that i have no connection with this poem, but when readig this poem it reminded me of an African American woman who has a son that is dying and she is telling him that it is not his time to die.The poem made me feel kind of sad because the mother seems upset with her son.Paige- I dont feel connected to this poem at all. But the metaphors in this poem are really easy to realize what they are and what they mean. 3:Intellectual CuriosityDakota- Why does the mom talk like that? What is the stair that she is refferiing to? What is the stair case that she is reffering to? does the son understand anything that the mom is saying?Sara: Why is the women not using correct grammar? Why does the mother relate how she feels to a crystal stair? What made this womens life so rough? What message is the women trying to portray to her son? Will the womens life every turn around and go in a good direction? Caryn- What happened in the womens life? Why did the author choose to make the women talk like this? How did she turn her life around? Does she think her sons life is going to turn out like hers did?Nathan-Why the accent? What kind of uphill battle does the son face? What obstacles does he have to overcome?chad- why is the poem being beaten ? what is the mom talking about when it comes to crystal stair? does the poem seem like it takes place in a different time?why is she talking about splinters? whats a kinder? is it a place or how someone acts? WOAH! Mike- why is the women telling her son this? 4:Writer's Craft Sami: the author plays the role of the main character by writing in a southern accent to get a better idea of the character talking to the son. the "mother " is giving the "son"advice about life basically and using the stair case metaphorically as the troubles in life and the complications along the way being obstacles. the text was seemingly uneducated but i know that it was intentional so it gave me a better understanding of the characters and i could actually hear the mother talking and have a good idea of her voice so i feel more involved in the passage.This was a good poem that took some thought to understand it better.Brittton~ the author is speeking like a hill billy or something.. he opens with a statement, then closes with the same statement. he also wrote started 3 lines in a row with "AND" 2 times in the poem..Kristi- the grammar in the poem is not well written, but it creates the voice. the women is basically saying to not give up when things get rough. Austin- the writer is trying to make the mother sound like a woman from the deep south. Even though, the grammar is bad and some of the words arent proper english, the story stills shows a motto and life lesson that when times get hard to push on.Hannah-The author is having the main charcter speek in a southern voice. The southern women is telling her son or boy about how life isn't easy. You have to work or "climb" to get where you need to be. The grammar is very southern; it's written with a lot of slang as well. The dirty freshmenfresh meat.