The Validity of African American English in Langston Hughes' "Mother to Son"

 

The utilization of African American English in Langston Hughes’ beloved poem “Mother to Son” reveals the validity of the English language variation, which is spoken largely by African Americans.  African American English is utilized to celebrate one’s cultural identity, which cannot be denied. For many years, it has been at the center of conversations because of its stigma. In other words, African American English has been viewed in our society as improper and bad. That is not the case.

Hughes’ poem revolves around a mother encouraging her son to overcome and triumph in his life as a human being in America, whose skin is black. The poem contains features of African American English. He starts off the stanza with: “Where there ain’t been no light.” “There ain’t been” is a phrase that can be viewed as improper, based on the ideology of Standard English. The way that Hughes structured that phrase reveals his attempt to break free of a race-degrading grip that society has had on the African American cultural identity in his time. 

In our society, people have judged others based on how they speak. If someone read “Mother to Son”, one would probably think that the language is not proper. To them, proper English equals Standard English. Standard English is what one has been used to learning in school. If an African American student said “It ain’t” and a teacher corrects you to say, “It is not”, the latter exemplifies the utilization of Standard English. However, correcting a student, especially one who is African American, is letting one know that using African American English is wrong. Doing that tears down an integral part of one’s identity. Those who study linguistics acknowledges the negativity that has come towards African American English and do not downgrade the language. 

Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz explains that students do not perform well when they do not utilize Standard English in schools. However, Sealey-Ruiz points out that the teachers’ negative perception of African American English is a huge factor of students failing in school, based on the language they utilize (Sealey-Ruiz 39). Sealey-Ruiz connects this to a truth that can make some people very uncomfortable. The negative perception of African American English is a result of racism. It is racism that has perpetuated the myth about African American English being inappropriate to use in our society.

The points that Ruiz have made aligns with Hughes’ poem, based on the poet’s decision to utilize African American English. There are other phrases throughout the poem like “there ain’t” and “I’se” that exemplifies what the language is. Hughes’ decision to write “Mother to Son” may come off as being out of place, in terms of speech.  However, Hughes’ decision to write those phrases instead of “There has not” and “I see” was not only an attempt to break free of society’s racially divisive grip on the African American cultural identity. It was also a way for Hughes to tap into the American consciousness to know that African American English reflects one’s reality. Not only that, but it also solidifies a truth that the Standard English ideology tries to bury.

April Baker-Bell reiterated an argument that has evidence to back up. That is every language spoken by a human being has a grammatical system and rules (Bell 72). In other words, the language is valid to utilize. This truth aligns with Hughes’ utilization of African American English in “Mother to Son”. It is because his choices of words and structure in the poem reflects the language's validity that Baker-Bell underscored.

The poem has found a way to convey emotion. That is because of the power of African American English. It mirrors the experience of someone who is not just black, but a human being.  Hughes’ choice to utilize the language does not diminish its importance. It broadens the awareness of its validity. 

 Carl Van Vechten, Langston Hughes. Poetry Foundation.