Determination. The sense of will to go on and purpose when an obstacle comes in the way. The poems “Speech to the Young Speech to the Progress Toward” and “Mother to Son” both have the similar thematic topic of determination in which the authors develop using certain methods. The poem “Speech to the Young Speech to the Progress Toward” by Gwendolyn Brooks is about someone trying to explain that there are going to be some downs in life. The author uses a type of repetition to create a dramatic effect of telling the people who try to belittle you that you can do it. The poem says, “Say to them,/say to the down-keepers,/the sun-slappers,/the self-spoilers,/the harmony-hushers,” The author uses the words “down-keepers”, “sun-slappers”,