Answer:
"Mother to Son" is a poem by Langston Hughes that conveys an important theme of perseverance and resilience despite adversity. The poem presents a mother giving advice to her son, using the metaphor of a staircase as a symbol of life's challenges. Here are some possible supports for this theme:
SUPPORT 1: The metaphor of the staircase serves to illustrate the theme of perseverance. The mother tells her son that life has not been a "crystal stair," but rather a staircase with "tacks" and "splinters" that represent the difficulties and obstacles one may encounter in life. Despite this, the mother urges her son to keep climbing the stairs, to not turn back or sit down, but to keep going and reach the top.
SUPPORT 2: The mother's words of encouragement and advice are another way in which the theme of resilience is conveyed in the poem. She tells her son to keep moving forward, despite the hardships he may face, and to not let them discourage him. She also reminds him that he is not alone, that others have climbed the stairs before him and will do so after him.
SUPPORT 3: The poem's structure, with its irregular and fragmented lines, also conveys the theme of perseverance. The language and rhythm of the poem are not smooth or easy, but rather choppy and rough, reflecting the difficulties and challenges of life that the mother is describing. The fact that the poem is addressed from mother to son also reinforces the idea that we must pass on our strength and resilience to future generations.
Overall, "Mother to Son" is a poem that encourages its readers to persevere in the face of adversity and to keep climbing the staircase of life, one step at a time.