Thursday, February 10, 2011

Thank You Ma'am by Langston Hughes

http://www.americanliterature.com/Hughes/SS/ThankYouMam.html

Follow the link to the story and read it. Next, you comment your analysis on the blog. I would also like you to comment on other people's comments once they have put them up. (at least 3).

I will join in on the fun as well!!

Prof. Lignelli

41 comments:

  1. Anigiselle Regis

    My first thought was: "WoooW."That lady really tought him a lesson alright. She understood what the kid was going through, thats why she treated him so ukwardly awesome. If it would've been someone else they would've probably kicked the hell out of him. If I would've been the boy, I think I would've stayed in her house. I'd be to afraid to go running after I said my name.

    Some times we misjudge people for what they do, not knowing why they do it. Also, sometimes people misjudge us, like the boy did with the lady and I was amazed when she told the boy he could've just ask for what he wanted. Either way we all just need better comunication to develop a better understanding of life its self.

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  2. Jose Espada this was a great story actually is more frequently that we thought. I think that kid never going to forget that day and that large lady.maybe he learn the most important lesson of his live and probably he start to do things right after this event. not a really long story but it was short and fun right on the spot i imagine his face all dirty ,scare , afraid of been catch and have problems with the police WoW thats a million dollars face jajaja.

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  3. jose espada my opinion is that maybe just maybe he have a dysfunctional home base when he just need to do things like that not to survive but as a routine because is the way that he live ,maybe his parents are in drugs , maybe he just grownup like this but something was wrong with him . Thanks to that lady maybe he can change the way he is and start to recognize that he can be a good person and he dont need to steal to obtain what he what sometimes you need to work hard sometimes things are easy and i think he learn a good lesson by a good person.

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  4. Anigiselle Regis

    Ok so since Jose Espada is like the only one who has commented besides me...I'll comment on it.

    In ur first comment u said it is more frequent than what we think, what is? People trying to rob or people actually caring about others? Either way it is not a common thing to actually care about others like the lady from the story did, that would sum up to the amazement reflected on this kid's face...It takes one who has passed through ur same situation to understand us and care for us...I'm not saying that it is always the same, there are people who care about others, it is just less common to find them.

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  5. Ludienne Henriette
    To me this is a beautiful story.The language in which it is written gives the idea that it comes from a place were the people have little education. But still they know the difference between right and wrong. This lady, if she didn't have pity on the boy, would have taken him to the police right away and who knows what would have become of him. But instead she choose to teach him a lesson that I think would have made the difference in his life. Eventhough there are so many bad people in this world, there is always someone that wants to do the right thing. Especially those who had kind of similar experience while growing up. They know what it is like to go to bed hungry, not having money to buy clothes, not having parents that care, and based on their experience they sympathize with others. They show mercy to those who do not deserve it, paying bad with good.

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  6. Ludienne Henriette
    To Anigiselle...

    I agree with you on the point of misjudging people. We have this really bad tendency of judging people based on their words and actions, but we never will really know the real motives unless we ask or show ourselves friendly to them so they can open up. And even if we can get them to open up, we have to learn to keep a secret to ourselves and don't go about gossiping. That will break the trust and that comes with another problem of people not wanting to express themselves, because they cannot trust nobody.

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  7. Ludienne Henriette
    To Jose...

    You right, he comes from a disfunctional home. Even if it means that his parents aren't home.
    There is something wrong with the way his parents raised him. At that hour of the night, why aren't his parents home? Why is he on the streets? That shows that his parents don't care enough about him...But it could be also that he was lying to the lady that his parents aren't home, and probably not even have a house/home to go to. I he would tell the truth, she might take him to the police.

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  8. Sony Antron

    So i finally got around to reading the piece and i definitely have never read it before. I think its a bit funny. I wish my parents would have punished me like that when i was growing up. I think its really funny how through one simple slip of his feet she was able to teach him some manners.
    I really liked how while they were eating she didn't ask him about his life, family or anything, she just told him about herself. If i were in her situation i would have asked him why he was living alone and why he wanted blue suede shoes. I also really liked how through embarrassing him, because he would've "just asked" she was able to teach him a life lesson.

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  9. Jennifer Bruno

    This is a very good story and it as an amazing lesson. First of all I was amazed how Mrs. Jones treated Roger. I mean the kid tried to stole her purse but he could barely run because it was too heavy so instead of the women putting him in jail or being rude, she brought him to her home and gave him food and let him washed his face. ?she gave him ten dollars to buy some jeans i mean WOW!!And at the end I can imagen the boy thinking "what just happen? why s she being nice to me?. She gave him advice that was very wise "because shoes come be devilish like that will burn your feet.
    I think the boy learned he's leason. I mean i would have

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  10. jennifer bruno
    Jose Espada- i agree with him. Some author ride big stories and dont have a good point, but this short story did, it makes you think that there are good people in this world that know what you are going through

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  11. jennifer bruno

    ani always as good points and i agree. People now a days criticize by just looking at them or by the way the act but they dont know what the person is going throught. This women knew and she wannet to help the kid.

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  12. jennifer bruno

    Sony I loved that part too. I mean the women knew what those types of question would do to the kid, maybe bring bad memories or just make him sad. She wannet the kid to feel comfortable, she wannet the kid to know she was just trying to help him and not judge.

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  13. Lionel Aneudy Escobales Filippetti
    This was an amazing story. The fact that the lady helped the little boy, even thou he tried to steal from her is just breath taking. There have been movies made with this idea, and some stories told too. If this were to happen, it is a life changing story. It is sure that the boy was never the same after that day, for what the lady did for him. Showing kindness instead of what could look the logic action, that is something that changes future courses.

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  14. Lionel Aneudy Escobales Filippetti

    Jennifer I agree with you in everything. It was really amazing how she treated the boy that almost took everything from her. The story said the purse was heavy, which means she had lots of important things. I too think the boy learned his lesson on what he should do next time.

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  15. Lionel Aneudy Escobales Filippetti

    Anigiselle - Your comment was very good. It's true, many people would have just preferred to take the boy to jail or kick his behind to teach him a lesson. Instead the lady preferred to change that boy's life. And it is true, this story shows that with better communication better things are reached.

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  16. Lionel Aneudy Escobales Filippetti

    Sonny - I agree with you on the asking part. It is very interesting how is it possible for someone to teach such a lesson by just giving. The lady was not curious a little bit about the boys past, but she wanted a better future for the boy

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  17. Anigiselle Regis

    Sony:
    Yeah I totally agree. Although I think that maybe, just maybe, if the kid would've just be "afrentao" and just asked the lady wouldn't really have the opportunity to teach him the most valuable lesson of his life. Maybe she would've just give him the money and move on with life.

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  18. Anigiselle Regis

    Jennifer:

    If it would've been me, like you said, i would have totally learn the lesson. I like ur comment, I think we are just agreeing with everybody else just to have our 3 comments. Yeah people I agree with all of you...

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  19. What about the boy??? Tell me about him...What is so special about him?

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  20. Who or what does the lady represent?

    What about the boy?

    Do you think there is some symbolism in this story?? Where?

    What's the Author's purpose to writing this story? Do you agree with it? Why or why not?

    Does the setting have anything to do with the story's events??

    MORE diving!!

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  21. Predict the Boy's homelife or past.

    Predict the Lady's homelife or past.

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  22. Sony Antron

    Hmm...the boy...well i believe that there is a reason why the boy wasnt described as much as the women...actually i dont think he was described at all. I believe that the author's reasoning for this was so that we can put ourselves in the story, feel what he feels, see what he sees. This makes the story become more personal. Although im pretty sure most of us have never tried to steal a woman's purse, but we have all been in situations where we have been forced to humble ourselves due to something wrong we did. I think that the boy represents the choas that america was going through at the time, the great poverty and, i believe, how america felt at the time, as a whole. People felt like they had no one there to help them out ( the boy apparently didnt have parents) they also felt the pressures of being extremely poor and wanting to buy something to ease their suffering although they didnt have the funds (the boy wanting to buy those blue suede shoes. He also seemed to symbolize what america had become at the time. No one had sympathy, everyone was just out for themselves, 'survival of the fitest' (just like the boy had no sympathy when he went to steal the lady's purse). But through all this there was always a ray of light which in this story was characterized as the kind women who took the boy in.

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  23. Jose Espada for me the kid is not that bad like he knows a little bit about respect and he recognize that he was wrong and he turn that oportunity when he stay with the lady and listen to everything that she said to him.
    he represent us i think because everybody in a certain moment of his childhood make mistakes things like steal en el colmadito de la esquina or when your mom dont't want to buy you that awesome toy and she turn....and ... bang you put it on your pocket ,he was a kid of course he's going to try to do things like that but at the end he learn the lesson and experience that sometimes he just need to ask or workhard to get what he want he represent everyone of us.

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  24. jennifer bruno

    I think the boy didn't know the things he was doing, he was confused and just did the firts thing it pop into hes head. The thing that is speacial from this kid is that i think he learned a good leason .

    The boy represents most of us. I mean he was in trouble and did something extreme thinking that it would solve everything it juts like us. We try looking for short cuts but then when we do it we are in a bigger problem that where before. Most of us go through what the kid did, we think so little and dont wanna go through the hard stuff in life and we go with the short cuts

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  25. Anigiselle Regis

    I think that the boy might represent the people who do wrong things because of necesities they might have. I mean, he wasn't trying to steal someone elses purse just for fun. He had a necesity, his parents weren't around and he needed shoes. People try to justify their bad actions with good reasons, atleast thats what I think. Then all of a sudden he gets caught and even when he has the chance to run away, he doesn't. So even if he was doing something bad and wrong, he was a good hearted, scared,in need boy.

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  26. Lionel Aneudy Escobales Filippetti

    The boy was a small child who probably lives alone in the street. He can be too be an orphan or has parents who don't care about his life. He probably haven't bathe in a while, wich is why he's face is dirty, and maybe he haven't ate too, wich explains the reason why he tried to steel. The boy represents us as people. The reason why I think this is because at some point of our lives we have felt alone, and the problems have cover our faces. Maybe we take bad desicions and try to get over them by doing more damage. It is not until something or someone wipe the problems of our faces that we can see that there's more we can do or be than just what we are. Just like the boys life was change, just by a simple gesture.

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  27. jennifer bruno

    The lady represent the people that we have in out life or that wanna come into our life to help us go through the day by days in our life. I mean the lady was very inteligent because i think most of us right now coulden't do what she did. She knew the kid did something really bad and she had two decision to make, either go to the police or try to understand why he kid act that way. Most of us would have go to the ploice but she didn't, she wannet to help him and teach him a leason. She was a good example for him and i think he saw that and was surprise by the way she acted with him.

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  28. Sony Antron

    Well like i was saying about the woman; she symbolized the hope for america. Although many people resorted to violence there were still kind people out there willing to help others and just when everyone thought that everythign was lost the depression ended and "life" was able to begin anew. She symbolized the hope that america had, the good that people still have in them and the general hope for humanity.

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  29. Jose Espada the lady represents the hope that just a little amount of people have in others .maybe she saw something special in that kid and she understand that if she teach him a good lesson the boy can see what is wrong and what is right.in some way she is the oportunity that everybody have once in a time to fix our erros and mistakes .she believe in him and her emotions were like she was he's own mother

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  30. Justin Cruz

    In my opinion the boy represents the reader. While I was reading I began too remember some of the mischevios acts I use to doo. I guess the auther does not discribe the boy mainly because it is looking for you to view yourself in a position like the one the boy is having. The special thing from the boy is he reacted in a positive way too the odd big lady that was giving him a chance.

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  31. I believe the boy represents an average inter-city youth that has had a rough life/upbringing. As a kid we tend to want many things that catch our eye but not all of us have the ability or resources to obtain them. I knew many friends, that didn't have the most stable household and couldn't get what they want, who decided to get those things in ways that are not so socially accepted. Neither the Roger nor my friends were essentially bad children, they just didn't have that parental guidence.

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  32. Lionel Aneudy Escobales Filippetti

    The lady represents what we ALL should be. She represents the change of a society if we all dedicate ourselves to teach people what they sould do, the right thing. In the story she showed understanding and compassion, but at the same time she teached the boy a life-changing lesson. We all should do the same. We should teach people the correct desicions they must take, but teach them with understanding and care. Even thou we have to put character on that teaching too

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  33. Above is me, Noel!!!!

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  34. Anigiselle Regis

    The woman might represent the kind of persons who have had to learn serious lessons in life, the rough way but doesn't gives life what it has given to her. She decides to help others instead, for them not to make the same mistakes she did.

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  35. Justin Cruz

    The lady in my opinion represents the second chance that life brings us. Sometimes we belive the second chance will come like the first, but it comes in the more bizzare way. Life brings us positive things in trhe way that we never imagend.

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  36. ask things with kind

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  37. give one chance to everyone to make there habits good

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  38. The boy seems to remind the women of someone she once knew. Someone whom she wishes she could have helped perhaps long ago, a family member, a friend, neighbor or herself. She realizes that the boy is young enough to be reformed, to save him from the person or misguided youth he is today so that he may grow and mature into a respectable young man tomorrow. The boy realizing this and no doubt happy with the money to buy his shoes, wants to do more than thank her, but feels that Thank You, is not enough.

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  39. excuse me? can somebody explain to me what the first sentence of the first paragraph mean?, the part where nails and hammers where the contents of the bag? should i take ti literally or read between the lines?..

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