“Thank You Ma’am” is an American short story written by Langston Hughes. The story was published in 1958; however, some people, including me, seem to believe that it was written in the 1930’s due to the racial undertones (www.americanliterature.com 1). Also, Langston wrote many of his short stories in the 1930’s. In the story, a boy named Roger tries to steal a purse from what seems to be a large, African American, elderly lady named Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. When Roger reaches out and snatches the purse, he loses his balance and falls flat on his back. Mrs. Jones simply gives him a swift kick in the rear and tells him to get up. Then, instead of continuing to beat him, she sees his dirty face, and her motherly instincts resurface. She carries the boy home, makes him wash his face, cooks him a hot meal, and then gives him the money that he was trying to steal. Why she does this, I do not quite understand, but the traits such as her size, strength, name, and motherly instincts may provide the reader with a clear explanation of the woman Langston Hughes was portraying throughout this story as well as provide insight as to why others have seen the character as a symbolic feature of slavery.
The story repetitively states that Mrs. Jones is a large woman which is very significant to the story. For instance, one quote says, “She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails” (Hughes 1). I imagine her to be a big woman with long,
Have you ever thought of stealing, for something you dearly wanted, and would do anything to get it? Well Langston Hughes wrote “Yes Ma’am” about a young boy named Roger. Roger wanted blue suede shoes, but didn’t have money to buy them. He saw Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, and tried to steal her purse, but failed to do so. Hoping to shape him up, she treats him like her own son, and cares for him, though there is no one at his house to go home to.
Have you ever help someone that try to do you wrong? ¨Thank You, M'am.¨ by Langston Hughes is about a woman that helps out a young man. ¨ A Victim Treats His Mugger Right¨ by Michael Garofalo is about a man that helps the guy that try to steal from him. Julio Diaz and Mrs. Jones both help this young boys in many ways when they try to do something bad to them.Mrs. Jones and Julio Diaz have many things in common.
Sometimes people can seem cruel and mean, yet underneath the cruelty kindness and compassion that can be is cruel or mean when provoked. Thank You, Ma’am by Langston Hughes is a perfect example of that, how at the beginning she seemed cruel and unusual with her punishment of the child. Then when she got the child home all she could be was nice by having him cleaned, feeding him. All she wanted to do was make him a honest person, just like a mother.
The world can be a scary place with bad people. In the story, “Thank You Ma’am”, by Langston Hughes, the theme is respect, Mrs.Jone, a brave woman, definitely experienced the scariness, of a boy trying to steal her purse,and she could of called the police but she didn't . So shows a lot of respect to the boy. She respects the boy Roger because she lets Roger into her house and gives Roger money.
Langston Hughes has a type of cynical view on America that seems to change its taste as he gets older. The first to look at is “I,Too” where he seems to have a hopeful view of his country and separates the citizens from the country. He says things such as “They’ll see how beautiful I am” which shows that he feels good about his future and the future of racial tension. Which he then transitions into “Let America be America again” where he is crtizieing the American people for saying that they are about liberty and freedom when they are his oppressors. It’s more of a call to action than his last few poems he is more so pointing out the injustices than just stating that there are some. And by the tone of the poem you can tell that he has lost
We all have faced a moment or a time where someone had made us happy or sad. And there is this Quote written by Mary Angelou “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, or what you did, but people will never forget how you made them fell.” I have to say that this is really true. And how many people have ran thoughts about someone and how they made them feel a million times. I say that because I do, and sometimes I actually thought or think what they did and said was true. Because of that I think it was my fault. How many people do this, and how many people actually believe it, more that there should be.
Langston Hughes’ coming of age story “ Thank you Ma’am” takes place in a town where a boy is struggling for money. This boy’s name is Roger. Roger thinks he needs money so much that he decides to try and rob that money from a lady’s big and heavy purse . Roger instead falls down and gets caught by the lady. One lesson in this story is sympathy because if someone is in a bad situation that another person can relate to then that person would want to help.
In the short story “Thank You M’am,” By Langston Hughes, forgiveness, kindness, and empathy have a positive impact on the main character's life. Mrs. Jones, “a large woman with a large purse,” had a positive impact on Roger, the main character. To help Roger, Mrs. Jones took him home one night after he had tried to steal her purse. He tried to steal her purse because he wanted some new blue suede shoes and he didn't have the money, which we found out later in the story. You may think, why would she help him after he did such a thing? It’s because Mrs. Jones thought farther and realized that there could be a reason he did this.
In "Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes, the theme of second chances and the transformative power of kindness is prominently featured. Mrs. Jones, a character who has experienced want in her own life, offers Roger, a young boy attempting to steal her purse, a second chance by taking him home instead of turning him in to the authorities. Through her actions, Mrs. Jones teaches Roger about responsibility and the importance of making positive choices. The story emphasizes the idea that individuals have the power to shape their own destiny, regardless of their circumstances.
One small act of kindness has the potential to change a life. This heart warming story “Thank You, Ma’am” by Langston Hughes introduces Mrs.Jones, a big strong willed woman. Roger, a young troubled boy, runs into Mrs.Jones and she changes his life forever. In this short story, Roger tries to steal from Mrs.Jones. After being unsuccessful instead of punishing Roger, she takes him to her home, washes him, feeds him, and gives him the money that he before tried to steal. The author makes the point that no matter how different two people can be, their stories can be very similar teaching the reader to never
Ramona was an innocent looking girl, right? So her parents thought she was, but oh no they were wrong. That night she went out attempted to rob a bank her former friends, parents owned. In the story, Thank You, Ma’am, Langston Hughes, the author, shows how the main character Roger gets taught a lesson after trying to take something that wasn’t his. When one makes a bad mistake, a lesson must be learned from, yet with care.
In the book “Thank You, Ma’am” Hughes sets the tone for how people are to be treated. Even though the book is not in public domain does not mean we cannot read parts of it and apply it to our lives now. In this short story book, he details an interaction of a young black child, Roger, who tries to steal a purse but is stopped. What he doesn’t know is the purse he will try to steal is that of a strong-willed lady, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. In the story, he depicts Roger as a dirty boy trying to survive on the streets. He must resort to stealing things to survive. When he encounters Mrs. Jones, she shows him some tough love “Then it will get washed this evening, said the large woman starting up the street, dragging the frightened boy behind her” [Thank You Ma’am]. This shows that even though he did wrong she still treated him with respect. Hughes was known for writing his short stories, poems, and Jazz music that had to do with African Americans and the racial issues that he faced. He was noted to be only a “few black authors to champion racial consciousness as a source of inspiration, and cautioned young writers to avoid racial chauvinism and virulent anger in their work toward whites.” He did not want society to write angrily with another race but simply embrace and love each other.
How do you put all your greatness in one essay? The answer is you start with your foundation. My foundation comes from my mother and my faith. A foundation is the greatest when it comes to building because a structure that does not have a great foundation will fall. Threw my seventeen years of living I have learned and grown because of my mother. Many times in my life I felt like giving up on different things but my mother would come along and encourage me to never give up never give in. I always thought of “Mother to Son” poem by Langston Hughes when he writes “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 been no crystal
“Seek the good in others and the best you will find.” In the short story, “Thank You, Ma'am” by Langston Hughes, Mrs.Jones lives by this quote. When a raggedy boy runs up behind you and steals your pocketbook you naturally would think,”he is not a good boy.” Well when this happened to Mrs. Jones one night she had a different approach. She sought the good in others by looking past the bad, giving second chances and kindness. She shows this when she took Roger in and taught him a lesson. From this story, we can all learn the important lesson of seeking the good in others.
“The boy wanted to say something other than “‘Thank You, M'am”’ to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but although his lips moved, he couldn’t even say that as he turned at the foot of the barren stoop and looked at the large woman in the door”(130). Langston Hughes wrote an enduring short story called “Thank You Ma’m” that starts off with an old lady strolling an urban city at about eleven o'clock at night. Mrs. Luella Bates Washington-- otherwise known as “a large old lady” (10) teaches a lesson to Roger-- a thief searching for money to buy blue suede shoes. A central idea of “Thank You, Ma’m” is that believing in someone, despite extraordinary circumstances can change someone for the better.