Thank You, M'am by Langston Hughes

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• Thank You, M'am
  After the boy washed his face twice, what other grooming did the woman have him do?
  Roger, the boy who the old woman takes into her house after he tried to rob her, only washes his face once, but dries it twice and for no other reason than that he doesn't know what else to do. The...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What are some of the boy's character traits in "Thank You, Ma'am"?
  In Langston Hughes's celebrated short story "Thank You, Ma'am," Roger is depicted as a misguided, sensitive adolescent who regrets attempting to steal Mrs. Jones's purse. When Roger initially...

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• Thank You, M'am
  If you were Roger's friend, what advice will you tell him so that he could get the blue suede shoes without violating the rights of other people in "Thank You Ma'am"?
  This is an interesting question and one wonders why Roger didn't try to steal the shoes rather than rob the woman for the money to buy them. The story is set in the sixties, so there wouldn't have...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What is the theme (life lesson) of this story?
  The primary life lesson of Langston Hughes's short story "Thank You, Ma'am" is that empathy and compassion can be more powerful than criticism and punishment. In the story, a young teenager named...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What is the setting? Use context clues to support your answer. Explain your answer.
  While Langston Hughes does not give a specific location or date of where and when the story is set, there are several significant context clues that allow the audience to make an educated guess at...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Why do you think Mrs. Jones makes a point of getting Roger to wash his face in "Thank You, M'am"? Why does she give him food? Why does she tell him about her past? Why does she avoid asking him about...
  Mrs. Jones is a highly perceptive woman who immediately recognizes that Roger is a frightened, lonely boy; perhaps he has no family. She knows that if she behaves too warmly toward him, she will...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What valuable lessons did Roger learn from Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones?
  The lesson of compassion is one of the most important lessons that Roger learns from Mrs. Jones. To be compassionate means to show sympathy towards another person. Mrs. Jones shows tremendous...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What was Mrs. Bates going to do with the canned milk she gets?
  In Langston Hughes's "Thank You M'am," Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones tells Roger that she was thinking of using canned milk to make cocoa for herself and the boy. Hughes doesn't mention whether...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What does the boy do to the woman?
  The short story "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes tells of an encounter between a young teenage boy named Roger and a woman named Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. The boy does several things...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What clues tell the readers that Roger is not a bad guy?
  Hughes suggests to readers that Roger is not a bad person by illustrating how Roger follows Mrs. Jones's instructions by picking up her purse. When Mrs. Jones asks Roger if he is ashamed of...

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• Thank You, M'am
  In Thank You M'am, what does the dialogue between Roger and Mrs. Jones, as well as their actions, reveal about their character traits?
  In Thank You, M'am by Langston Hughes, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones' actions speak volumes about the type of person she is. She is not afraid; she will not accept bad behavior and she feels a...

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• Thank You, M'am
  How does the interaction between Roger and Mrs. Jones in paragraphs 33–41 contribute to the overall meaning of the story?
  This is the section after Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones tells Roger he didn't need to snatch her pocketbook just because he wanted blue suede shoes—he could have simply asked her. Of course,...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What do Mrs. Jones and Roger have in common?
  After Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones's purse, telling her that he wanted to buy himself a pair of blue suede shoes, she claims to have personal knowledge of wanting things that she could not have....

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• Thank You, M'am
  In "Thank you M'am" by Langston Hughes, when Roger enters Mrs. Jones’s room, she leaves the door open. Why?
  In the short story “Thank You, Ma’am” by Langston Hughes, Mrs. Jones leaves the door open to her room as a lesson in trust and decision-making. When the pair arrives at Mrs. Jones’ room she...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Why do you think Roger decides he does not want to be mistrusted in "Thank You, M'am"?
  At a couple of points in the story, Roger realizes that he can escape from Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones's house, such as this moment: The boy turned around, wondering what next. The door was...

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• Thank You, M'am
  How does Mrs. Jones fulfill a role of a temporary mother to Roger?
  When Roger attempts to steal Mrs. Jones's purse, he stumbles to the ground, and Mrs. Jones proceeds to grab Roger and drag him to her home. While Mrs. Jones is dragging Roger home, she asks whether...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What are three themes in the story Thank you M'am?
  Three themes present in "Thank You, Ma'am" are Forgiveness and Empathy, the Power of Love and Trust, and Christian Charity. Forgiveness and Empathy When Roger first snatches the purse of Mrs....

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• Thank You, M'am
  Locate passages where the boy could have fled but did not.
  When Roger attempts to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse, he stumbles onto the pavement, and she is able to grab him. Mrs. Jones ends up putting Roger in a half nelson and dragging him home. While Mrs....

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• Thank You, M'am
  Why do you think Mrs. Jones handles the situation the way she does in the story "Thank You, Ma'am"?
  When Roger attempts to steal Mrs. Jones's purse, he falls to the pavement, and Mrs. Jones grabs a hold of him. Mrs. Jones then puts Roger in a half-nelson and drags him back to her home, where she...

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• Thank You, M'am
  ​​What major changes in character and plot would take place if the setting changed to modern-day New York in Thank You, M'am? Use RASPP or RACE to construct your response.
  Langston Hughes’s story can easily be re-imagined for a twenty-first-century setting. A full range of possibilities could be applied. The story concerns the relationship between two characters:...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Hughes introduces both characters with names and then continues to refer to Roger as “boy.” Why do you think this is? What does this emphasize within the story?
  Although Hughes introduces both characters as Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones and Roger, he continues to use the word "boy" when referencing Roger and calls Mrs. Jones the "woman." By referring...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What is the foreshadowing and symbolism in the short story "Thank You M'am"?
  Foreshadowing is a hint at future events, and symbolism is when an object or persons stands for something. One example of foreshadowing is the first sentence of the story, which describes Mrs....

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• Thank You, M'am
  Give two examples of rising action from the story "Thank You, M'am."
  Rising action in a story helps create the tension that makes the climax of the story exciting and satisfying for a reader. In "Thank You, M'am," one part of the rising action is when Mrs. Luella...

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• Thank You, M'am
  When they arrived at the boarding house, what do you think Roger was planning to do in "Thank you, M'am"?
  After Roger attempts to steal Mrs. Jones's pocketbook, she grabs him by the neck, puts him in a half-nelson, and proceeds to drag him home. When Roger first arrives at Mrs. Jones's home, he...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Where was the setting?
  It is difficult to know the exact setting of the story since there are no clues to what city or town it takes place. Langston Hughes lived in many towns and cities, including New York and Chicago,...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Why won't the boy be turned loose in "Thank You, M'am"?
  The boy, Roger, tries to take Mrs. Jones's pocketbook, but not realizing how heavy her purse is, he falls onto the sidewalk instead of making a quick getaway. After giving him a quick kick to the...

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• Thank You, M'am
  In your opinion, would most people be as forgiving as Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones in this situation? Why or why not? What does it take to forgive someone?
  In my opinion, women, or indeed people, like the formidable Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones are unfortunately very rare. I suspect that most people, confronted by someone who had just tried to...

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• Thank You, M'am
  How do you think Roger feels when Mrs. Jones first brings him to her apartment?
  Initially, Roger is frightened and scared for his life when Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones grabs him after he fails to steal her pocketbook. Roger believes that Mrs. Jones is going to report...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Do you think that Roger has changed at the end of the story Thank You, M'am? Explain.
  Certainly, there are indications that Roger experiences a change of attitude about stealing by the end of the story, "Thank You, Ma'am." Because Mrs. Jones is understanding of his neglect and...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What advise does Mrs. Jones give to Roger at the end of the story?
  "Thank you, M'am" is a short story by Langston Hughes (1902–1967) with an unexpected and thought-provoking twist on the meaning of punishment and unconditional love. When a teenage boy, Roger,...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Is there a conflict associated with the story "Thank You, Ma'am"?
  "Thank You, Ma'am" is a piece of short fiction written by Langston Hughes. It tells the story of Roger and Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones—who meet when Roger tries to steal her purse late at...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Mrs. Jones is a woman of modest income. Give three pieces of evidence from the text that show the $10 she gives Roger is actually quite a sacrifice.
  Mrs. Jones is obviously not a rich woman, so $10 would be worth a lot to her. Though the writer does not detail the part of town she lives in, he does say that she resides in a studio apartment...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Why did the boy not run away when the woman finally let go of his neck?
  Roger attempts to steal the purse of Mrs. Luella Washington Bates Jones. His plan fails, and he ends up on his back on the sidewalk. Mrs. Jones snatches him up and proceeds to teach him a lesson....

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• Thank You, M'am
  Is the story "Thank You, M'am" always serious? Pick out two places where the tone of the writer is humorous.
  This story is not always serious in its tone. The author uses lots of examples of humor, like this one in the opening sentence of the story: She was a large woman with a large purse that had...

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• Thank You, M'am
  If I were Roger from the story "Thank You, M'am" and I had to write a letter to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones 10 years after the incident in the story, what could I write?
  Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones made a strong impression on Roger the evening he attempted to rob her by treating him with hospitality and grace after the incident. As an unsupervised teenager...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Why did Roger try to steal Mrs. Jones's purse in "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes?
  Roger, the protagonist of "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes, is a teenage boy who tries to steal a woman's purse but picks the wrong woman if he wanted an easy mark. Mrs. Luella Bates Washington...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What does the woman give the boy to eat in "Thank You, M'am"? What does this tell you about her financial situation?
  After taking him back to her home, the old woman prepares the young boy something to eat. She fetches him some lima beans and ham from the icebox and heats them up; they're going to be served with...

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• Thank You, M'am
  In Thank You, M'am, what may have happened if Roger had tried to run away?
  Given what we know about Luella, it's likely that she would've chased after Roger if he'd tried to run off. Failing that, she probably would've called the police, for Luella's a pretty formidable...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Why is Roger afraid in "Thank You, M'am"?
  When Mrs. Jones takes hold of Roger and refuses to let him go, Roger is described as being "frightened." It is easy to see why Roger is afraid of Mrs. Jones. After all, he has just tried to steal...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Write 3 dialogues with the mood and tone 
  Tone and mood can often be confused and may share similar characteristics because they are so closely related. In general, tone refers to the attitude an author uses to connect with the subject of...

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• Thank You, M'am
  Why does Roger offer to go to the store?
  Roger, having just tried to steal Mrs. Jones's purse, is now in her apartment waiting while she cooks him dinner. She has just confided in him that she was also young once and did thing she was not...

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• Thank You, M'am
  In "Thank you M'am" by Langston Hughes, when Roger enters Mrs. Jones’s room, she leaves the door open. Why?
  Roger is the teenage protagonist of "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes, and when we first meet him he is trying to steal a woman's purse. That woman is Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, an...

  1 Educator Answer

• Thank You, M'am
  What would be in a dialogue between Roger and Mrs. Jones when they encounter each other ten years later.
  Langston Hughes' short story "Thank You, M'am" is about a young man who gets the lesson of a lifetime. Roger is a teenager who tries to steal a lady's purse on the street of a large city, probably...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What does Roger do when Mrs. Jones leaves him alone with her purse? Why does he do this? How have Roger's behavior and attitude changed?  
  In Langston Hughes short story “Thank you, M’am,” Roger’s attitude changes from that of a petty thief to a young man who desires to demonstrate his trustworthiness and gratitude. After Mrs....

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• Thank You, M'am
  What do Roger and Mrs. Jones learn from each other in Langston Hughes's "Thank You, M'am"?  
  In Langston Hughes's short story "Thank You, M'am," Roger learns for the first time in his life that there truly are caring, compassionate people in the world, whereas Mrs. Jones is reminded of her...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What is the denouement of "Thank You Ma'm" ?
  The denouement of Hughes's story is when Mrs. Jones closes the door on Roger, leaving him to navigate his future choices. The denouement--or declining action following the climax of the plot--of...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What is an analysis of the characters in "Thank You, M'am"?
  Langston Hughes' story "Thank You, M'am" contains two main characters, a boy of about fourteen or fifteen named Roger and Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. Through Hughes' use of colloquial...

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• Thank You, M'am
  In Thank You M'am, do you think that Roger will steal again?
  The question of whether or not Roger will attempt to steal again after his encounter with Mrs. Jones is one of the more often addressed aspects of Langston Hughes' "Thank You M'am". From the...

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• Thank You, M'am
  What is the setting in "Thank You, M'am?"
  "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes reveals the effects of kindness and compassion and how they have the potential to change someone's life. When Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones has an...

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• Thank You, M'am
  How would you describe the imagery in the story "Thank you, M'am"?
  I think one of the noticeable aspects of the author's style in this great short story is its sparseness and simplicity. The style of writing is very down to earth, and thus there is not elaborate...

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