Read the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes. Keeping in mind the figurative meaning of the staircase, what does the speaker mean by “I’se still climbin’”? 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.

Not getting ahead

Painful hardships

Giving Up

Persevering

Drag the tiles to the correct boxes to complete the pairs. match each paragraph to its corresponding purpose. tiles: instructs describes persuades narrates pairs before you purchase a used car from a dealer or an individual, there are important steps you must take. first, examine the car using an inspection checklist, which you can download and print from many websites. then test-drive the car under a variety of road conditions, making sure that it handles well in many situations. finally, ask for the car’s maintenance report and make sure you understand any repairs made on the car. arrowboth "good morning, sal! " uncle freddie said. " for coming in so early today." uncle freddie danced as he spoke. sal yawned. he did not know how his uncle woke up so cheerfully before dawn every day. uncle freddie placed a tray of cookies in front of sal. "i need you to decorate these," he said. he handed sal several tubes of icing. arrowboth the hole created by the meteorite's impact, known as the barringer meteorite crater, can still be seen today. it is one mile wide and over 550 feet deep—20 football games could be played at the same time on its floor, and more than two million people could watch from its sloping sides. arrowboth you know the feeling: it’s minutes until the school bus comes, but you just rolled out of bed, threw on some clothes, barely brushed your teeth, and now you’re racing out the door to catch the bus. you skip breakfast again. that’s three days this week alone! it’s no wonder, then, that by second period you start to feel awful, with your stomach grumbling and your eyelids drooping. my fellow classmates, listen up! you may be surprised by how a few simple changes in your life can have a huge effect on how you feel morning, noon, and night! arrowboth