In the poem “Mother to Son, ” and the advert “The Talk,” Hughes and P&G both celebrate the strength of black women whilst highlighting the continued oppression that blacks have faced throughout their history.
In the poem, the mother is portrayed as a very intimate and hopeful figure, “boy, don’t you turn back”, while in the advert we are shown a series of women from different eras who are all portrayed as inspirational figures. Additionally, different camera angles in the advert put the audience into the perspective of the mothers, allowing us to empathize with them, feeling their love for their children. Such feelings relate to non-blacks as none of us would want similar situations to happen to our own children. The poem also alludes to the plight of blacks throughout their history and how life has been a “stair”, showing how blacks are always persevering through the adversary. This is illustrated more vividly in the advert with the transition between different periods of history, showing how blacks are still chasing that “crystal stair”, a life where they are free from stereotypes. Additionally, the tone of the black women in both the poem and advert highlight the hopefulness that the mothers have not only for their children, but black society in general, “Don’t you set down on the steps”, “You can do anything they can (0:45)”. It is not unusual to see single black mothers in the United States, in fact, in 2011 72% of black babies were born to unmarried mothers. Since black women play such a pivotal role in the development of their children, both Hughes and the producers of the ad look to emphasize the tight-knot relationship and the resilience of the mothers. Through showing the intimate relationship of the mother and son in the poem, “For I’se still goin’, honey”, and the supportive relationships displayed in the advert, the audience is more aware of the strength of black women to persist even in the face of isolation, oppression and hopelessness. Both the poem and the advert help to further these points by putting us into the perspective of black women, allowing us to empathize with them, as we witness the discrimination happening to their family.