Introducing the Story

Literary Focus: Character and Dialogue

Reading Focus: Making Inferences

Writing Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer

Tech Focus

Thank You, M’amby Langston Hughes

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Thank You M’am

What life lessons change the way you think about yourself?

Thank You, M’amIntroducing the Story

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“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

Thank You, M’amIntroducing the Story

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.

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?

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Thank You, M’amIntroducing the Story

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.

Thank You, M’amLiterary 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

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Thank You, M’amLiterary Focus: Character and Dialogue

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.

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 inference about a

character

Your observations of characters’

speech and actions

Thank You, M’amReading Focus: Making Inferences

• Pay close attention to characters’ actions and the dialogue.

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.

• Discuss the subtext—what characters don’t say aloud but may be thinking, feeling, or communicating without words.

Thank You, M’amReading Focus: Making Inferences

Thank You, M’amReading Focus: Making Inferences

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.

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

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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.

Thank You M’amWriting Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer

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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?

Thank You M’am

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Vocabulary

Thank You M’amVocabulary

permit v.: allow.

frail adj.: thin and weak; delicate.

barren adj.: empty; deserted.

Thank You, M’amVocabulary

According to the sign, what is not permitted in this park?

If you permit something, you are giving permission or consent, allowing it to happen.

a. an improvement over last term’s grades

b. a decrease in her grades

c. an encouraging comment from her teacher

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?

Thank You, M’amVocabulary

a. an improvement over last term’s grades

b. a decrease in her grades

c. an encouraging comment from her teacher

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?

Thank You, M’amVocabulary

Frail is often used to describe the appearance of someone who is weak because of poor health or age.

Thank You, M’amVocabulary

Which of these people looks most frail?

Thank You, M’amVocabulary

When Joe’s mother told him that his grandmother looked very frail, he felt ______________

a. concerned; he hoped she was feeling okay.

b. happy; he was pleased to hear that she was doing well.

c. excited; he was looking forward to visiting her during school vacation.

Thank You, M’amVocabulary

When Joe’s mother told him that his grandmother looked very frail, he felt ______________

a. concerned; he hoped she was feeling okay.

b. happy; he was pleased to hear that she was doing well.

c. excited; he was looking forward to visiting her during school vacation.

Thank You, M’amVocabulary

A place that is barren is lacking or unable to produce life.

In what ways does this scene fit the definition?

Thank You, M’amVocabulary

Which of the following is the best example of a barren place?

a. a garden in bloom

b. the surface of the moon

c. a forest trail

Thank You, M’amVocabulary

Which of the following is the best example of a barren place?

a. a garden in bloom

b. the surface of the moon

c. a forest trail

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The End