Choices: Building Your Portfolio
Thank You, M’am
Writer’s Notebook
1. Collecting Ideas for an Essay Analyzing a Character
Words and actions.
Langston Hughes never tells us directly what kind of people Roger and Mrs. Jones are. What do the words (or dialogue) and the actions of these two characters reveal about their true natures? Make a chart like the one below, showing what we learn from each character’s words and actions.
| Mrs. Jones | Roger | |
| Words | ||
| Actions | ||
| What They Reveal |
You might want to refer to the chart you made in answer to question 2 in Making Meanings. Save your notes for the Writer’s Workshop at the end of this collection.
Language Analysis
2. Idioms—Don’t Take Them Literally
When it’s raining cats and dogs, you don’t expect creatures to be falling from the sky. Every language has
idioms like that one, phrases and expressions that mean something different from their literal meaning. How would you explain the following idioms, used in the story, to someone who has just started to learn English?
• take off full blast
• have a bite to eat
• make a dash for it
• latch on to my pocketbook
Write five entries for a classroom dictionary of English idioms. Use each idiom in a sentence, and then write a definition of it.
Creative Writing
3. A Letter from Roger
What do you think Roger will be like ten years after his encounter with Mrs. Jones? What might he write in a letter to her? Compose a letter from Roger. Write as “I.” You will have to write Roger’s present address inside your letter. Be sure you state the purpose of his communication after all these years.
4. Character Up Close
You may not realize it, but the people around you are very interesting. Select a person you know whom you can use as the subject of a character sketch. Think of that person’s spirit—how does he or she cope with joy and sorrow, trouble and success? Describe what the person looks like, how he or she acts under stress, how other people respond to him or her. Describe the person’s setting. You may want to tell an anecdote, or little story, about the person. Choose your details carefully. Hughes needed only a few details to bring Mrs. Jones to life.
5. Found Poetry
Sometimes poetry is found embedded in prose paragraphs. Sometimes it’s found in news articles, even in weather forecasts or recipes. Find the paragraph from “Thank You, M’am” that begins “In another corner of the room” and reformat it so that it looks like a poem. Break the sentences into lines that seem right to you. Use very short lines for dramatic effect. Change any words you wish to. It will be up to you to decide where to end your poem.
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