Question

The poem is in the form of an advice given by a mother to son. Have you come across similar poems in your mother tongue?

Consider the following lines from the eminent Malayalam poet Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan’s poem Kozhi.

Work out the thematic parallel between these two poems and present your ideas before the class.

Answer 1

In the poem ‘Kozhi’, Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan also gives a similar message. Here the mother hen is advising her young chicks. They should have their eyes on both sides and also up and down. There should be burning insight in the eyes. Tears should not wet the eyes and blur their vision. All this is needed to forge ahead in life. In Mother to Son, Langston Hughes says almost similar things to her son. She asks her son to overcome the tacks and splinters, the uncarpeted and broken boards with the determination and insight. The message both the poems give is: “Don’t give up, be alert and have confidence.”