Unusual Punishment In Thank You Ma Am, By Langston Hughes

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As Plato once said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” The kids who are disruptive on the subway may be that way because they do not get enough attention at home. The quiet kids in class that get nervous speaking out loud may be that way because they were bullied when they were younger. The boy trying to snatch a woman's pocketbook may be doing it because he doesn't have any money at home to buy anything for himself. This is the scene originally set by Langston Hughes in his short story “Thank You Ma’am.” Both the plot, conflicts and characters contribute to the idea that “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes is a story about unexpected kindness and unusual punishment.
Firstly that night, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, a large woman with a large purse, was walking home alone when a young boy named Roger came up behind her, trying to take her pocketbook. His plan, however, failed, when Mrs. Jones grabbed him by his collar and shook him “until his teeth rattled” (Line 17). This is a physical …show more content…

Jones and Roger were unexpectedly kind and gave or received an unusual punishment. First of all, Mrs. Jones is materially poor. She lives in a home with many other people and does not work a very good job at a beauty parlor. So, based on this knowledge, it is very unexpected that she would give $10 to Roger for him to buy shoes. The surprise is evident with Roger as well after he is told that he “could of asked [Mrs. Jones] for [$10]” (Line 105). However, based on the knowledge of Mrs. Jones’ rough past, the kindness was only really unexpected from Roger or the reader. This also ties in with a point from the previous paragraph that the meeting with Roger unearths some sentimentality and pain from the past. In addition, Roger thought that he was going to be punished by being taken to jail. Instead, he learned a valuable life lesson from the kindness of a stranger that saw herself in

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