ipl-logo

Thank You Ma Am By Langston Hughes

636 Words3 Pages

Have you ever got caught doing something wrong, and then something good comes out of the bad situation? In the short story Thank You Ma’am by Langston Hughes, this is exactly what happens to Roger. Roger was caught by Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones while attempting to steal her purse, wanting her money. Instead of calling the cops, and turning Roger in, Mrs. Jones decides to pamper him, while teaching him a lesson of manners. Mrs, Jones takes a bad situation of Roger trying to steal her purse and turns it into a good situations by showing Roger the proper way to get what he wants. In the beginning of this short story Roger seemed to be a theft and a troublemaker. Right away, in the beginning of the story Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones purse, but does not succeed. On page 1, “when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse”, this right here is the first piece of text written about Roger. This is not a very good first-impression on someone; you realize right here that Roger is a troublemaker and a theft because of his actions. Mrs. Jones reaction to this seems to be calm, but simple. She calls him out on it, not by calling the cops but taking the situation …show more content…

On page 2 “But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye, if she wanted to, he did not trust the woman not to trust him, and he did not want to be mistrusted now.” Roger’s attitude is different here because of Mrs. Jones, she relates to him by telling him “I was young once, too.” Saying this makes Roger feel more comfortable around Mrs. Jones. Mrs. Jones wants Roger to trust her by not forcing him to but by her actions and words to let him know that she is. Mrs. Jones teaches Roger here that if he can gain someone’s trust in a relationship he can get what he

Show More
Related

Short Story Sucker Peter

241 Words | 1 Pages

In the short story “Sucker”, by Carson McCullers, creates a bond between Peter and his younger cousin, Richard. The author teaches the reader a lesson about friendship. She feels that the way Peter treated Sucker was wrong and that friendship is a fragile thing. The text is narrated from Peter’s perspective and the way Peter narrates the story makes it clear that he regretted treating his cousin. When he reflects on his past, he says that “if I could have seen ahead maybe I would have acted different” (McCullers 69).

Read More

Why, You Reckon By Langston Hughes

409 Words | 2 Pages

The purpose of “Why, You Reckon?” by Langston Hughes is to accurately display, through the times of that century and human emotion, that despite money, power, and the color of your skin there can still be an unhappiness of the soul. There is evidence in the beginning of the short story of two men’s unhappiness in life the symbol of them being uncontent was their hunger. “Man, ain’t you hongry.... Well, sir, I’m tellin’ you, I was so tired and hongry and cold that night.” (253- 254).

Read More

Situational Irony In 'The Ransom Of Red Chief'

673 Words | 3 Pages

Emotions Created by Situational Irony Surprise is an emotion that leads to other feelings. Situational irony uses surprising twists to create other emotions. For example, “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry uses situational irony to instill humor in those who read the short story. Guy de Maupassant also uses situational irony in “The Necklace,” but the feeling he creates is one of justice. Both short stories, when analyzed, show the effect of situational irony on a reader’s emotions.

Read More

Essay On African American Religion

265 Words | 2 Pages

A majority of Black Americans usually follow what is known today as the “Black Church” These religions include Baptist and Methodism. These religious formations took place during the time of slavery. During the time of slavery, Blacks were not able to freely worship God. This led white Evangelical Baptist and Methodist preachers to travel throughout the South and sped their Religion to slaves. This led many slaves to convert to Methodism and Baptist.

Read More

The Osage Firebird Passage Analysis

653 Words | 3 Pages

In the passage “The Osage Firebird” the author structures the story in a specific way. The author organizes it in a way where things in one paragraph will help develop things that happen in a paragraph latter on. In the passage the author talks about one thing and and that helps develop the rest of the story. Since the author has the passage in specific sections this helps the development and organization of the story even more. In this essay I will be describing how the author organized this passage to were things in one paragraph help other things later on in the story develop.

Read More

How Does Langston Hughes Teach Someone Right From Wrong

375 Words | 2 Pages

Most people have a family or parents that teach you right from wrong. Not Roger. For Roger doesn't have any family or money and tries to steal a woman's (Mrs. Jones) purse. Mrs. Jones takes the boy back to her house and gives him dinner and money and moreover, a sound life lesson. I infer what Langston Hughes was trying to convey to the reader is that it is up to the community to teach someone right from wrong if someone doesn't have a family or parents.

Read More

How Does Shakespeare Present Richard As A Round Character

285 Words | 2 Pages

In this piece from William Shakespeare’s Richard III, Lady Anne, the widow of King Henry VI’s son, Edward, is stopped by Richard of Gloucester as she, along with a group of men, bear the corpse of King Henry who was killed by Richard during the of the battle of Tewkesbury. Richard, whose goal is to woo Lady Anne and marry her even after he killed her husband and father-in-law, plays the role of a suffering lover and attempts to use petrarchan conceit to win over his beautiful mistress after failing a stichomythic exchange with Lady Anne in which he was shot done by her continued peristrophe. At this point in the play, the audience is familiar with Richard’s character as to be a round character who is gifted speaker. With this gift, he is able

Read More

Thank You M 'Am' By Langston Hughes: Response

191 Words | 1 Pages

“Thank You M’am” Essay Response In the story “Thank You M’am” by Langston Hughes, the boy Roger, seems to be lonely. The story is about a boy named Roger who tries to steal Mrs. Jones purse, she takes him to her house and takes care of him. Roger could be described as lonely because he has nobody home at his home, he is very respectful of Mrs. Jones, and he tries to steal.

Read More

Negro, By Langston Hughes

781 Words | 4 Pages

Langston Hughes is known as one of the most influential African American poets, and he has a large collection of works that still influence African American society today. One of his most famous works is “Negro,” which is a poem that highlights African American identity through the personification of African American heritage. The narrator is the personified figure that connects African Americans by explaining historical allusions that contributed to African American heritage and culture. This personified narrator serves to enhance and clarify the theme of unified heritage among African Americans text as a whole by connecting recorded experiences by Africans and African Americans of the past and present, highlighting the history of African

Read More

Thank You Ma Am Theme Essay

473 Words | 2 Pages

Imagine you try and steal a woman’s bag in the middle of the night, but you get caught. 1 hour later, your walk out of the woman’s house with $10 in your hand and a respect for all people. In the story “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, this is exactly what happens. A boy gets caught stealing a woman’s purse. You would think the woman would take the boy to jail, but instead, she teaches him a lesson and he leaves with a new attitude about life.

Read More

A Central Theme Of Thank You Ma Am, By Langston Hughes

277 Words | 2 Pages

A central theme in the short story “Thank you Ma 'am” by Langston Hughes is a little kindness goes a long way. One act of kindness can change a person’s life forever. Her unnecessary kindness made a major impact on Roger and changes him. As the story progresses, we see that Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones shows empathy and kindness for Roger. That kindness appears to pass onto Roger near the end of the story.

Read More

Rodger And Ms. Jones In Thank You Ma Am

148 Words | 1 Pages

In the story Thank you Ma’am there are to characters. One character’s name is Rodger. Rodger is a young boy. He is homeless and broke.

Read More

What Are Mrs. Jones Character Traits

523 Words | 3 Pages

Langston Hughes is one of the best writers of the 20th Century. “Thank You M’am” is a book about an older woman who gets robbed at night by a boy who wants some shoes. Later, you find out that the woman’s name is Mrs.Jones and she helps the boy (Roger) by feeding him and teaching him life lessons. Also, throughout the book Mrs.Jones is caring, brave, and trusting. One of Mrs. Jones character traits is caring.

Read More

Literary Analysis Of 'Thank You Ma Am' By Langston Hughes

870 Words | 4 Pages

Jazmyne Nelson Dr. Rose English 101 December 11, 2017 Literary Analysis Langston Hughes’ short story entitled “Thank You Ma’am”, analyzes the interaction between Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones and Roger. It presents the readers, the idea of goodness, the theme of trust, forgiveness, and kindness. Hughes is able to convert a language that is easier to understand by characterizing the context of story, advancing important themes, and using dialogue among the characters. Trust is one of themes that stood out while analyzing the short story. Though Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones has been victimized Roger worries that she won’t trust him, so he moves.

Read More

How Did Mrs Jones Change Roger

194 Words | 1 Pages

In the story “Thankyou M’am”, Mrs. Jones kindness towards Roger changes his ways. Mrs. Jones changed Roger by showing him that you don’t have to take from others to get something you want. On page 31, Roger tried to steal Mrs. Jones’ purse, but she catches him. Then on page 32, Mrs. Jones takes Roger to her house and makes him wash his face so that he looks presentable. Mrs. Jones then makes Roger and herself something for dinner.

Read More

More about Thank You Ma Am By Langston Hughes

Related Topics

Open Document