I can't find any examples of similes in the poem; similes
are where you compare two things using the words "like" or "as." Something very similar
though, is a metaphor--it is the exact same thing, but doesn't need the signal word of
like or as. The entire poem is packed with metaphors, all centered around the main one
of comparing life to a set of stairs that one must
climb.
There are also no examples of personification, where
you give inanimate objects human traits. For hyperbole, look for examples of extreme
exaggeration. The mother is quite intense, and exaggerates; she compares her life to
being in the dark, getting torn up and worn down, and filled with never-ending trial and
sorrow. If there is satire, it is of a very serious sort, that comments on the
hardships that black Americans had to go through in life. The mother's life had been
very, very hard, and she passed that down to her son, warning him of the difficulties.
Satire usually comments on society, making judgments about
it.
For sound techniques, Hughes uses dialect, a bit of
rhyming ("stair/bare,"), and repetition. Those are just a few examples of some of the
techniques that you asked about. I hope that helps you get started; good
luck!
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