Thank You, M’am by Langston Hughes Feature Menu Introducing the Selection Literary Focus: Dialogue Reading Skills: Making Inferences

Thank You, M’am by Langston Hughes

Vocabulary Development

Thank You, M’am Introducing the Story “She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but a hammer and nails. . . .” from “Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes 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.

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. [End of Section]

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. “You gonna take me to jail?” “Your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you.” Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones 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. [End of Section]

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 Reading Skills: Making Inferences After you read “Thank You, M’am,” skim through it again and jot down clues that you think reveal something important about the characters. Pay close attention to character’s actions and the dialogue. Discuss the subtext—what characters don’t say aloud but may be thinking, feeling, or communicating without words. [End of Section]