Thank You Mam by Langston Hughes Page 109

“Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes Page 109 CCRS – RL. 9 -10. 1; RL. 9 -10. 3; RL. 9 -10. 10; W. 9 -10. 2; W. 910. 4; W. 9 -10. 5; W. 9 -10. 6; W. 9 -10. 10; SL. 9 -10. 1; L. 9 -10. 2; L. 9 -10. 3; L. 9 -10. 4; L. 9 -10. 6 Reading Skills – Making inferences Literary Skills – Understand how character traits are revealed through dialogue

Thank You, M’am Introducing the Story In “Thank You, M’am, ” readers meet Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones on the night a boy tries to steal her purse. How this woman reacts to the attempted theft might surprise you. A Slice of Life What makes Hughes’s characters seem so real? Click here to find out.

Thank You, M’am Literary Focus: Dialogue In fiction, as in real life, what characters say can reveal a lot about them. To get to know the characters in a story, pay close attention to the dialogue, or conversation between characters.

Thank You, M’am Literary Focus: Dialogue As you read “Thank You, M’am, ” notice what the characters say to each other—and what they don’t say. Then, decide what you think of them. “Your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. ” Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones “You gonna take me to jail? ” Roger From “Thank You, M’am” from Short Stories by Langston Hughes. Copyright © 1996 by Ramona Bass and Arnold Rampersad. Reproduced by permission of Hill and Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC.

Literary Terms • Dialogue – conversation • Inference – educated guess

Thank You, M’am Reading Skills: Making Inferences Most good writers don’t tell you directly what their characters are like. Instead, you have to make inferences about characters based on what they say and do. Observations of characters’ speech and actions Prior experience with people and situations Inference about a character

Thank You, M’am Quickwrite Make the Connection There’s a saying “When the going gets tough, the tough get going. ” In very difficult circumstances, some people do indeed get going. They have a spirit that moves them ahead—pushing them to do heroic deeds. What makes these people so tough, so strong in spirit? Why do they turn out to be good? Why do others go so wrong? Jot down your thoughts about these hard questions.

While Reading 1. Describe Roger. 2. Describe Mrs. Jones. 3. How does Roger change over the course of the story? 4. Identify a possible theme for the story. 5. How does the change Roger makes contribute to theme of the story?

Activity • Compare the character traits revealed by Mrs. Jones in the dialogue in the story with the traits revealed by the mother in “Mother to Son” (p. 114). Both women talk about difficulties in their own lives. In an essay, compare the two women. Be sure to cite information from the story or poem. Think about the following: – 1. Characters’ pasts – 2. Characters’ current situations – 3. What important message is each character trying to convey to her listener?