1. Thank You, M’am by Langston Hughes
Feature Menu
Introducing the Story
Literary Focus: Character and Dialogue
Reading Focus: Making Inferences
Writing Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer
Tech Focus

2. What life lessons change the way you think about yourself?
Thank You M’am
What life lessons change the way you think about yourself?

3. Thank You, M’am Introducing the Story
Click on the title to start the video.

4. 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.

5. Thank You, M’am Introducing the Story
It’s late at night when a boy runs up behind Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. He grabs her purse in an attempted robbery. How she reacts might surprise you.
A Slice of Life
What makes Hughes’s characters seem so real?
Click here to find out.
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6. Thank You, M’am Literary Focus: Character and 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—the conversation between characters.

7. Thank You, M’am Literary Focus: Character and 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.
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.
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8. Your inference about a character
Thank You, M’am Reading Focus: Making Inferences
Writers often don’t tell you directly what their characters are like. Therefore, you have to make inferences about characters based on what they say and do.
Your prior experience with people and situations
Your observations of characters’ speech and actions
Your inference about a character

9. Thank You, M’am Reading Focus: Making Inferences
After you’ve 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 characters’ actions and the dialogue.
Discuss the subtext—what characters don’t say aloud but may be thinking, feeling, or communicating without words.

10. Thank You, M’am Reading Focus: Making Inferences
Into Action: Use a character’s words or actions, plus your own ideas, to make inferences about the character. Complete a chart like this one:
Into Action: Character Inference Chart
Text Clue
My Ideas
My Inference
Roger says “yes’m” when Mrs. Jones first talks to him.
“Yes’m” is a contraction of “Yes” and “Ma’am,” and “Ma’am” is a term of respect.
Although his actions are aggressive, Roger is polite. + =
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11. Thank You M’am Writing Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer
Find It in Your Reading
Notice how Hughes uses dialogue to bring characters to life.
“If I turn you loose, will you run?” asked the woman.
“Yes’m,” said the boy.
“Then I won’t turn you loose,” said the woman. She did not release him.
As you read, pay close attention to the story’s dialogue. Take special note of dialogue that reveals information about each character.
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12. Thank You M’am TechFocus
As you read this story, think about how the dialogue might sound if you were to speak the characters’ lines.
Would the characters sound the same ten years from now?
Why or why not?
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13. Vocabulary

14. Thank You M’am Vocabulary
permit v.: allow.
frail adj.: thin and weak; delicate.
barren adj.: empty; deserted.

15. Thank You, M’am Vocabulary
If you permit something, you are giving permission or consent, allowing it to happen.
According to the sign, what is not permitted in this park?

16. Thank You, M’am Vocabulary
Ana’s parents would not permit her to go to the dance after they saw her report card.
What did they see on her report card?
an improvement over last term’s grades
a decrease in her grades
an encouraging comment from her teacher

17. Thank You, M’am Vocabulary
Ana’s parents would not permit her to go to the dance after they saw her report card.
What did they see on her report card?
an improvement over last term’s grades
a decrease in her grades
an encouraging comment from her teacher

18. Thank You, M’am Vocabulary
Frail is often used to describe the appearance of someone who is weak because of poor health or age.
Which of these people looks most frail?

19. Thank You, M’am Vocabulary
When Joe’s mother told him that his grandmother looked very frail, he felt ______________
concerned; he hoped she was feeling okay.
happy; he was pleased to hear that she was doing well.
excited; he was looking forward to visiting her during school vacation.

20. Thank You, M’am Vocabulary
When Joe’s mother told him that his grandmother looked very frail, he felt ______________
concerned; he hoped she was feeling okay.
happy; he was pleased to hear that she was doing well.
excited; he was looking forward to visiting her during school vacation.

21. Thank You, M’am Vocabulary
A place that is barren is lacking or unable to produce life.
In what ways does this scene fit the definition?

22. Thank You, M’am Vocabulary
Which of the following is the best example of a barren place?
a garden in bloom
the surface of the moon
a forest trail

23. Thank You, M’am Vocabulary
Which of the following is the best example of a barren place?
a garden in bloom
the surface of the moon
a forest trail
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24. The End