40 pages 1 hour read

Langston Hughes

Thank You, M'am

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1958

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Activity

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY: “Thanks Again”

At the end of the story, Roger wants to tell Mrs. Jones “something else other than ‘Thank you, m’am’” but doesn’t have the chance (Paragraph 46). Consider what Roger might have wanted to say and what exactly he was thanking her for—the money? Dinner? Not calling the police? Once you feel you understand Roger’s thoughts and feelings, write a letter from his perspective to Mrs. Jones, saying everything he would have liked to tell her in person.

Teaching Suggestion: “Thank You, M’am” relies heavily on suggestion to convey character and theme: Hughes does not directly state what Roger would like to say to Mrs. Jones, leaving readers to deduce his final state of mind from his behavior throughout the story. Use this activity to engage students in this kind of inferential reading, prompting them to consider questions like how aware Roger is of the change he has undergone and why exactly the shoes mean so much to him.

Related Titles

By Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

I look at the world

Langston Hughes

I look at the world

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary

logo

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Study Guide

logo

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary

logo

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE

logo

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes