The Talk

In the poem, Mother to Son, and the advert The Talk, Hughes and P&G both celebrates the strength of black women whilst exhibiting the many struggles they face on a daily bases. For example, in the car scene, the conversation between the mother and daughter reveals the vulnerability of the child which was contrasted by the mother talking about the harsh reality of racism and stereotypes. In one still from the advertisement, when we see the house, it is clear that the mother and daughter live in a middle-class household and have a seemingly stable income. Regardless, they face stereotypes no matter their socioeconomic status or even their personality.

The repetition of the talks between mother and their child reinforce the strength of black women and through each interaction, P&G vary the tone, setting and subtext to portray the vast number of stereotypes and situations the upcoming generations are unaware of but may be exposed to. For instance, the tone in the scene where the mother combs her daughter’s hair, there is a stern tone to fortify the cruel reality of being black and that they are seen and treated as unequal. This is compounded with the isolated setting of the household and this creates an image and sense that the daughter in this particular moment is safe and protected but as the mother talks about the n-word and that is unacceptable to ‘be beautiful for a black woman’, the sense of protection fades away because, after this conversation, the daughters vulnerability is even more prevalent. On the contrary, in the conversation that takes place outside the baseball field, the issue and subtext of restrictions faced by black people (in this case not being able to play in the baseball game) which provides another one of many possible dangers/situations the parents want their children to be aware of at an early age. However, the setting is contrasting to the previous one as it is public and this can show how many ignore or even push these stereotypes. Every parent, child and coach would be able to see the boy in uniform, ready to play but he was left out and no one objected. Additionally, the boy’s parents did not confront the coaches and this can show the repressed culture as well as the severity of the issue.