Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no 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?

The correct option is Staircase.

Explanation:

An extended metaphor is a literary device where an author introduces a single metaphor (a comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as") and then expands, develops, and sustains it throughout a large section of a work or the entire poem.

In Langston Hughes's poem "Mother to Son," the mother compares her life journey to a journey up a staircase. Instead of just mentioning this comparison once, the entire poem is built around it:

- The physical features of a rough, neglected staircase (such as "tacks," "splinters," "boards torn up," and a "bare" floor) represent the hardships, poverty, and struggles she has faced in life.
- The action of moving forward in life is described as "climbin’ on," "reachin’ landin’s," "turnin’ corners," and "goin’ in the dark."
- She advises her son not to "turn back" or "set down on the steps" when life becomes difficult.

Because the staircase is the central, overarching metaphor that structures the entire poem and gives meaning to all the other details (tacks, splinters, bare floors, landings), it serves as the extended metaphor. The other options (tacks, splinters, bare floor) are merely individual details that contribute to this larger, extended metaphor of the staircase.