Lesson No. 4

                                             Thank you, M'am

                                                                                                                                  (Langston Hughes)

She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but a hammer and nails.It had a long strap, and she carried it slung across her shoulder. It was about eleven o' clock at night, dark, and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The strap broke with a sudden single tug the boy gave it from behind. But the boy's weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance. Instead of taking off full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.
After that the woman said,"Pick up my pocketbook, boy, and give it here."
She still held him tightly. But she bent down enough to permit him to stoop and pick up her purse. Then she said,"Now ain't you ashamed of yourself?"
Firmly gripped by his shirt front, the boy said,"Yes'm."
The woman said,"What did you want to do it for?"
The boy said,"I didn't aim to."
She said,"You a lie!"
By that time two or three people passed, stopped, turned to look, and some stood watching.
"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.
"Lady,I'm sorry," whispered the boy.
"Um-hum! your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you.
Ain't you got no body home to tell you to wash your face?"
No'm," said the boy.
"Then it will get washed this evening," said the large woman, starting up the street, dragging the frightened boy behind her.
He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow- wild, in tennis shoes and blue jeans.
The woman said,"You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong.Least I can do right is to wash your face. Are you hungry?"
"No'm, said the being-dragged boy. "I just want you to turn me loose."
"Was I bothering you when I turned that corner?" asked the woman.
"No'm."
"but you put yourself in contact with me," said the woman."If you think that that contact is not going to last awhile,you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones."
Sweat popped out on the boy's face and he began to struggle. Mrs. Jones stoped, jerked him around in front of her, put a half nelson about his neck, and continued to drag him up the street. When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside, down a hall, and into a large kitchenette-furnished room at the rear of the house. She switched on the light and left the door open. The boy could hear other roomers laughing and talking in the large house. Some of their door were open, too, so he knew he and the woman were not alone. The woman still held him by the neck in the middle of her room.
She said,"What is your name?"
"Roger," answered the boy.
"Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face," said the woman, whereupon she turned him loose- at last. Roger looked at the door - looked at the woman - looked at the door - and went to the sink.
"Let the water run until it gets warm," she said."Here's a clean towel."
"You gonna take me to jail?" asked the boy, bending over the sink.
"Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere," said the woman. "Here I am trying to get home to cook me a bite to eat, and you snatch my pocketbook!
Maybe you ain't been to your supper either, late as it be. Have you?"
"There's nobody home at my house,"said the boy.
"Then we'll eat," said the woman. "I believe you're hungry - or been hungry - to try to snatch my pocketbook!"
"I want a pair of blue suede shoes,"said the boy.
"Well, you didn't have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede shoes," said Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. "You could have asked me."
"M'am?"
The water was dripping from his face, the boy looked at her. There was a long pause. A very long pause. After he had dried his face, and not knowing what else to do, dried it again, the boy turned around, wondering what next. The door was open. He could make a dash for it down the hall. He could run,run,run,run!
The woman was sitting on the daybed. After a while she said," I were young once and I wanted things I could not get."
There was another long pause. The boy's mouth opened. Then he frowned, not knowing he frowned.
The woman said,"Um-hum! You thought I was going to say but, didn't you?
You thought I was going to say, but I didn't snatch people's pocketbooks. Well, I wasn't going to say that." Pause . Silence. "I have done things, too, which I would not tell you,son. Everybody's got something in common. So you sit down while I  fix up something to eat. You might run that comb through your hair so you will look presentable.
In another corner of the room behind a screen was a gas plate and an icebox. Mrs. Jones got up and went behind the screen.The woman did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse, which she had left behind her on the daybed. But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room, away from the purse, where he thought she could easily see him out of the corner of her eye if she wanted to. He did not trust the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.
"Do you need somebody to go to the store?" asked the boy,"may be to get some milk or something?"
"Don't believe I do," said the woman,"unless you just want sweet milk yourself. I was going to make cocoa out of this canned milk I got here."
"That will be fine," said the boy.
She heated some lima beans and beef she had in the icebox, made the cocoa, and set the table. The woman did not ask the boy anything about where he lived, or his folks, or anything else that would embarrass him. Instead, as they ate, she old him about her job in a hotel beauty shop that stayed open late, what the work was like, and how all kinds of woman came in and out, blondes, redheads, and Spanish. Then she cut him a half of her ten-cent cake.
'Eat some more,son,"she said.
When they finished eating, she got up and said,"now here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor anybody else's - because shoes got by devilish ways will burn your feet. I got to get my rest now. But from here on in, son,I hope you will behave yourself."
She led him down the hall to the front door and opened it. "Good night!
Behave yourself, boy!" she said, looking out into the street as he went down the steps.
The boy wanted to say something other than,"Thank you, m'am," to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but although his lips moved, he couldn't even say that as he turned at the foot of the barren stoop  and looked up at the large woman in the door. Then she shut the door.








Exercises

Q 1. Choose the correct answer.

1. What was the woman carrying?

(a) a rod (b) a bag (c) a hammer (d) a large purse



2.From where was she coming?

(a) hotel (b) beauty shop (c) office        (d) college



3.What had happened  to her?

(a) a boy made a request for help (b) a bot tried to help her

(c) a boy begged ten dollars (d) a boy tried to snatch her purse


4.The boy washed his face on the direction of 

(a) police officer (b) his father (c) the woman (d) his uncle



5.The boy was in his 

(a) teens (b) twenties (c) jeans (d) thirties



6.What was the name of the woman?

(a) Luella (b) Bates (c)Washington Jones (d) Luella Bates Washington Jones



7.The boy was dragged into a 

(a) living room (b) kitchenette-furnished room        (c) hall (d) dining room



8.What did she suggested to the boy to look presentable?

(a) to wash his face    (b) to dress properly  (c) to polish the shoes     (d) to comb his hair



9.The woman cooked the food and asked the boy

(a) to serve (b) to help (c) to set the table (d) to eat



10.What did the boy want to say to the woman?

(a) thank you, M'am     (b) thankful to you (c) grateful to you (d) something other than,"Thank  you, m'am





Q 2. Mark the statement true or false.

1. A large woman was carrying a large purse containing hammer and nails. False

2.The boy offered his help to carry the purse.                        False

3.The woman firmly gripped the boy by his shirt front.        True

4.The woman dragged the boy to her home.                                True

5.She asked the boy to bring some food from the store.        False

6.The boy was punished by the other members of the house.        False

7.The boy stole the pocketbook to buy some food.         False

8.The boy was afraid of going to jail.          True

9.The boy did not trust the woman not to trust him.          True

10.The woman advised the boy not to make the mistake of latching onto her pocketbook. True



Q 3. Answer the following questions.


1.What was the time when the boy tried to snatch the purse of the woman?

Ans. It was about eleven o'clock at night when the boy tried to snatch the purse of the woman.

2.What happened to the boy when he tried to snatch the purse?

Ans. When the boy tried to snatch the purse, the strap broke with a sudden single tug. He lost his balance and fell down.

3.What was the reaction of the woman?

Ans. The large woman simply turned around and kicked the boy. She picked the boy up by his shirt front and shook him severely and ordered him to pick up her purse.


4.What was the conduct of the people when they saw the incident?

Ans. Two or three people passed, stopped, turned to look, and some stood watching.


5.How did the boy look physically?

Ans. He was about fourteen or fifteen years old. He was very weak physically.


6.What was the condition of the boy when the woman gave him a few jerks?

Ans. The boy felt helpless and miserable when the woman gave him a few jerks. Sweat popped out on the boy's face and he began to struggle.


7.Why did the woman ask the boy to wash his face?

Ans. The woman decided to teach the boy good manners. The first lesson that she taught the boy was to wash his face because his face was dirty. She wanted to reform him.


8.Why didn't the boy run from the house of the woman?

Ans. The boy was ashamed of his act. He wanted to establish his trust. The woman gave him confidence by not keeping an eye on him. This was the reason that he did not run from the house of the woman.


9.Why didn't the woman watch the boy while preparing a dish?

Ans. The woman gave the boy confidence that she trusted him. Therefore, she did not watch him while preparing a dish.


10.What was the nature of the woman's job?

Ans. The woman worked in a hotel beauty shop that stayed open late. She dealt all kinds of woman like blondes, redheads, and the Spanish.



Q 4. Write down the answer of the following questions in 100-150 words.


1.Write the incident in your own words.

Ans. A large woman with a large purse was walking alone at night when a boy tried to snatch her purse. The strap broke and the boy lost his balance and fell on his back. The woman picked him up by his shirt front and asked him why he did it. The boy apologized. Then the woman told the boy that his face was dirty and needed to be washed. She dragged him to her home. Te boy told her that he wanted money to buy suede shoes. She gave him food and ten dollars to buy shoes. The boy felt obliged and learnt a lesson.



2. What was the effect of the behavior of the woman with the boy?

Ans.The woman gave the boy confidence and made him free. She asked him to wash his face and also told him that she was not going to take him to jail. She believed that the boy was hungry so she prepared food for him. She intentionally left her purse there and went behind the screen trusting him. The boy was so impressed by the behavior of the woman that he sat away from the purse.
He did not want to be mistrusted. He was stunned and unable to move even. He was not under pressure but motivated. He started digesting the things. He felt easy and started talking to her like his mother. Then she gave him ten dollars to buy suede shoes and advised him not to do anything wrong. The boy wanted to say something , his lips moved too but he could not do so.


3.Why did she treat the boy nicely in her home after punishing him in the street? 

Ans. It seems quite strange that woman treats the boy in a very good manner after punishing him in the street. She could have sent him to jail. She asked the boy if he had eaten something. The boy replied that there was nobody at his house. She felt sympathy for the boy. She thought him a victim of a scattered family. She took it as a social responsibility to educate the boy.
She decided to teach him a moral lesson through love, confidence and trust by repeatedly calling him son. She decided to adopt the teaching methodology. She proved herself a very wise teacher and tackled the boy very tactfully. With her experience she successfully transformed the character of the boy. The boy also proved this with his behavior.


Q 5. Use the correct form of the verb in each sentence.

1. She (carry) the purse slung across her shoulder.
    She carried the purse slung across her shoulder.

2.The boy (fall) on his back on the sidewalk.
   The boy fell on his back on the sidewalk.

3.Some people (turn) to look.
   Some people turned to look.

4. She (drag) the boy inside, down a hall.
    She dragged the boy inside, down a hall.

5.Mrs. Jones (get) up and went behind the screen.
   Mrs. Jones got up and went behind the screen.

6. The boy (take) care to sit on the far side of the room.
    The boy took care to sit on the far side of the room.

7.She (make) the cocoa, and set the table.
   She made the cocoa, and set the table.

8.A hotel beauty shop (stay) open late.
   A hotel beauty shop stayed open late.

9. She (lead) him down the hall to the front door.
    She led him down the hall to the front door.

10.The boy (want) to say something.
     The boy wanted to say something.


Q 6. Punctuate the following lines.

well you didnt have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede shoes said mrs luella bates washington jones you could have asked me.


Answer:

"Well, you didn't have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede shoes,"said Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. " You could have asked me."


Q 7. Use the following prepositions in your own sentences.

in, across, off, up, around


Prepositions                          Sentences

in                                             I met him in the class room.

across                                     He went across the road.

off                                            I called him but he ran off.

up                                            All stood up when he entered the office.

around                                     He arrived around five o' clock.