The Founding Fathers built the Constitution with the idea that “all men are created equal.” However, many minorities still fight for the same rights and opportunities as others. “Mother to Son” and “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” are poems written by Langston Hughes that use symbolism to exemplify the struggles of African Americans as they attempt to persevere through adversity. Hughes uses stairs in "Mother to Son" and rivers in "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" as major modes of symbolism. In "Mother to Son", Hughes uses a worn ladder as an extended metaphor to parallel his shortcomings with those struggles of African Americans. The poem begins with a mother talking to her son about the pressures of reality and telling him not to succumb to it. She tells her son, “Life to me has not been a crystal ladder” (line 2 of Mother to Son “MS”) to portray that her life is far from perfect like a white person's ladder. He describes his life as full of “tacks and splinters…with torn boards” (Hughes lines 3-5). These flaws symbolize the problems in her life, whether caused by her race or gender. Aside from the mother's race and gender, her lack of education also plays a role in the difficulties in her life. Hughes makes his limited education evident in his use of his vernacular language. Like “ain't” and “I'se” (lines 4, 9 of the MS) symbolize the fact that the mother comes from a black background and does not have sufficient education. These limitations, however, do not prevent her from persevering and maintaining a positive paradigm. She wants her child to realize that even though they may not have the best education or the most advantageous skin color, they must strive to overcome these difficulties to reach their highest potential. ...a staircase that continues to infinity. In the Mother's speech there is never any mention of the end. However, he continues to explain that during his climbing he saw torn boards and bare floors. This parallels the idea in “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” that blacks will encounter obstacles in their progress, but must overcome the obstacles to survive and thrive. Through the exemplary use of symbolism, Langston Hughes produced two poems that spoke to a singular idea: Black people have prevailed through trials and tribulations to carry on their legacy as a persevering people. From rivers to stairs, Hughes' use of extended metaphor emphasizes the feeling of movement that embodies people's determination. Overall, the driving sentiment of the poems combined with their strong imagery produce two different works that consolidate and validate one main idea..