Read the following poem: Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been so crystal stair It’s had…
The staircase is the sustained metaphor that organises the poem’s account of a life of effort. Tacks, splinters and the bare floor are particular obstacles within that…
Choose your answer
Read the following poem:
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been so 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 no crystal stair.
Which one of the following is an ‘extended metaphor’ in the poem?
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been so 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 no crystal stair.
Which one of the following is an ‘extended metaphor’ in the poem?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer C
The staircase is the sustained metaphor that organises the poem’s account of a life of effort. Tacks, splinters and the bare floor are particular obstacles within that extended comparison. They contribute to its detail, whereas Staircase names the larger figurative structure developed across the poem.
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UGC NET English