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“Thank You, M’am” Questions
Prior to Reading
On page 134 there is a painting which represents Harlem during the time period that we will be reading about in the story “Thank you, M’am”. What inferences can you draw about the setting or what we could maybe expect from the characters?
During Reading
1) Why does Roger want money? How is he trying to get it?
2) What does Mrs. Jones give Roger? How does Roger feel when he leaves Mrs. Jones house? Why? Be specific.
3) In what way is Mrs. Jones tougher than Roger expects?
4) What does Mrs. Jones mean by “shoes got by devilish ways will burn your feet”?
5) At the end of the story, what do you think Roger wants to say besides “Thank you, m’am”? Why do you think that is all he is able to say?
6) Will Roger change as a result of his encounter with Mrs. Jones? Find clues in the text that help to support your opinion.
7) Based on your own experience, do you believe that these events could happen as Hughes describes them? Why or why not?
8) Mrs. Jones’s unique personality comes through in her dialogue. Choose two statements of hers from the story, and explain how they affect her character.
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9) What characters don’t say can be as important as what they do say. What do you learn about Roger and Mrs. Jones from their silences? Find points in the story when Mrs. Jones and Roger are silent, and explain why you think they choose not to speak.
10) How does the setting of Mrs. Jones’s home—her furnished room, the gas plate, the ten-cent cake, the noisy building—contribute to your sense of who she is? Why?
After Reading
Reflect on what you think Roger has learned from Mrs. Jones, in other words, what is he walking away with after meeting her? Cite an instance in your own life when you have learned an important life lesson after making a mistake.