The Short Stories

The Collected Works of Langston Hughes #15

by Langston Hughes, Arnold Rampersad (Introduction), Akiba Sullivan Harper (Editor)

This collection of forty-seven stories written between 1919 and 1963--the most comprehensive available--showcases Langston Hughes's literary blossoming and the development of his personal and artistic concerns. Many of the stories assembled here have long been out of print, and others never before collected. These poignant, witty, angry, and deeply poetic stories demonstrate Hughes's uncanny gift for elucidating the most vexing questions of American race relations and human nature in general.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, African American, Literature, Anthologies, Race

321 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 1996

About the author

Through poetry, prose, and drama, American writer James Langston Hughes made important contributions to the Harlem renaissance; his best-known works include Weary Blues (1926) and The Ways of White Folks (1934).

People best know this social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist James Mercer Langston Hughes, one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry, for his famous written work about the period, when "Harlem was in vogue."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langsto...

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forty-seven short (sometimes super-short) stories.

And not a single one that does not touch the heart.

They can be difficult to read, simply because they are often full of the pain of injustice, with the characters either accepting it or fighting against it, but all of them more than aware of it.

Most story collections can be rushed through, but I needed breathers between these intense tales. And I cannot imagine having the talent that Hughes had. He says so much in each short piece, so much that other people might have needed novels to say.

In the editor's preface, Akiba Sullivan Harper explains how the stories were arranged in chronological order, and that the first four stories were never included in any of the author's short story collections. But most come from either Laughing To Keep From Crying (1952) or Something In Common and Other Stories (1963).

There are too many amazing ones to list by title but a couple of my favorites were Cora Unashamed, in which Cora tells the truth when it needs to be told. Sorrow For A Midget tells of a dying woman and her son, but was he really?

The characters throughout are memorable, the writing pure and direct, and every single story makes you take a deep breath at the end and wonder WHY. Why does the world have to be the way it (still) is? Why do people have to be such fools about so many things?

I still have a book of plays by Hughes and one of poetry. Hughes was a major creative force, with the talent to write in so many different forms, and something profound to say.

I wish the whole world would listen.

[Lisa (NY) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An uneven collection with a handful of brilliant, searing stories about the interactions between white and Black people and many forgettable slice-of-life stories. After finishing, I discovered that the best of these stories are from his collection "The Ways of White Folks." Unfortunately, this is not a comprehensive volume and only includes three of those stories.

[Aaron Wolfson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine collection. Poetic, as you'd expect. Hughes focused on the difficult circumstances of persons of color, dealing with poverty, discrimination, and interactions with white people.

The standout is the story of a high school girl who wins a scholarship. This is one of the best stories I've ever read. You simply have to read this. It's freely available as a PDF.

[Rick Slane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short-story collection.

[Murat Nuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel lucky to have discovered such a gem in a forgotten corner of an unlikely bookshop. I knew nothing about the author or his works before taking the book in my hand, but his prose amazed me as I skimmed through the pages. At the time I was reading Americanah - a novel about the experiences of a Nigerian immigrant in the US and her take on modern day racism, so it seemed only natural for me to take an interest in an author who tackled racism and oppression in the Jim Crow era.
There is a poetic beauty in the way L. Hughes narrates these stories, and they are filled with fully-fleshed characters, twists, unlikely situations, criticism of society and most end with a poetic justice. I think the book is a perfect example "Show, do not tell.", because you rarely see the protagonists, who are often people of color, talk or think about racism, but the plot never lets you take your eyes away from the naked truth: That American society was deeply engraved in racism and this oppression hurt real people. His characters are not victims, of course, but people with all kinds of motives, who are affected by an unfair society and its unjust laws, and you as a reader find it fascinating to read how they manage their lives against a backdrop of a racist society.
The story One Friday Morning starts with the news that Nancy Lee, a black girl who is talented in drawing, has won a scholarship. She goes home joyous, but unable to share the good news with her family until it is officially announced. In her room, we are alone with her thoughts, as she dreams of her plans for a far better future. Yet when Friday morning came, and the ceremony begins, the principal who was as excited as Nancy, had to call her in and explain that the committee changed their plans about the prize when they learned that she was colored . The story still ends with hope for a better America they must make, but it is impossible not to dread of this lost battle against injustice and ignorance.
There were other stand-out stories like the Gun, on the Way Home, Early Autumn, but what amazed me was how the author could create characters in a one page story, that felt more real than those in many 500 page long novels. In all of his stories, he had this ability to add in one little detail, sentence, situation or even a small description that altered your view about the story and its characters and made you reflect, which I think is the greatest strength of Langston Hughes as a writer.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah-maz-ing! Truly a craftsmen with the pen. He makes you feel sadness and outrage and happiness occasionally all at the same time.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection will make a fine addition to the independent reading list for my Reading and Writing Fiction class. The stories, mostly brief, have the feeling of magazine pieces from the first half of the 20th century, a sort of Guy de Maupassant formality. Whenever I would begin to think that they were merely mass market products churned out by a writer whose real talents lay in the production of other genres, however, these stories surprised me with an unexpected poignant or satirical twist. Some of them, true, are merely the fingernail parings of a literary master, but all told there are at least twenty that will be worthwhile and accessible reading experiences for high school seniors. I look forward to seeing how students respond to them.

[Bruce Welton · Rating 5 out of 5]

With simple, exact language, Hughes uncovers the black experience of the America of his day through a strand of rich and riveting tales about poverty, prejudices, patronage, religion, racial divide and loneliness as seen from a black perspective. This volume was an amazing revelation to me of the immense talent of a master storyteller and social critic at work.

[Kevin Hogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent collection of stories. I've read some of his stories before, but bringing this many together in one book really highlights how well Hughes understood people. The book started with a few stories set on a ship along the African coast. It wasn't what I expected, but the multiple stories with the same characters were a great touch, as the reader becomes familiar with them, and he was able to take it in several completely different directions.

Some highlights for me: "Slave on the Block" did a great job of highlighting problems with cultural appropriation, particularly when it comes in the form of acceptance without true acceptance. "The Blues I'm Playing" spoke to the "white savior" idea, or "helping" someone achieve your vision for them, even if it isn't their own.

I really liked the main character in "Why, You Reckon?" and I thought "On the Road" was brilliant. You can almost see where the story is going, but you still can't tell quite what Hughes is going to do with it. I liked how he used characters on the periphery of the story in "Big Meeting," and "Trouble with Angels" did an excellent job of drawing the reader into the conflict.

"Slice Him Down" spoke to being true to yourself, and "African Morning" highlighted unique problems faced by people of two races. "'Taint So" was brilliant in its simplicity.

There was a lot of variety in the topics Hughes explored--leaders enriching themselves at the expense of the people they claim to help, poverty, infidelity, and more. "Thank You M'am" was heartwarming, and "Blessed Assurance" was tough to read because the father was so awful. The misunderstandings caused by people outside of their usual neighborhood or state were enjoyable in their discussion of contrasts and unique customs. While white people are often heartless, condescending, etc., Hughes also balances this with some positive portrayals of people working together in stories like "One Friday Morning" and "Breakfast in Virginia." "Rock, Church" is unforgettable--the reader knows where it's going but can't wait for it to get there.

The book ends with four of Hughes's early short stories, and they're excellent as well. I particularly liked "Those Who Have No Turkey," but "Seventy-Five Dollars" really got the reader to connect with the characters, and "Mary Winosky" showed the problems of thinking you know someone despite only knowing one surface-level detail.

Hughes develops the characters well and consistently draws the reader in. There are many points where the reader suspects what is going to happen, or feels like there has to be a twist coming up because a plan could never work, but he's still unpredictable enough that the reader remains interested, needing to know how it will all play out. The stories speak to race relations, discrimination, hope, and much more. I'm looking forward to reading some of these in class with my students.

[Carl Mcdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story makes me wish there was a full version of the short stories. Very great book. Full of variety. I actually read this book twice

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Stories by Langston Hughes, edited by Akiba Sullivan Harper (Hill and Wang 1996) (Fiction)(3644).

This collection of forty-seven short stories taught me that Langston Hughes is one of the most talented authors I have been lucky enough to stumble upon. This guy can flat tell a tale.

I love short stories. As I dug into these selections, I noticed almost immediately how fresh and modern Hughes’ writing from the 1920’s through the 1960’s sounds to the ear of a twenty-first-century reader. Given that Hughes wrote some of these stories over a century ago, I was continually amazed at how perfectly modern the tone and tenor of his prose and particularly his dialogue still sound today.

I like action in short stories. I find it off-putting when I open a new story only to find that it is a “tone poem” or some other experimental writing style. This admission likely marks me as an unsophisticated reader (I admit it), but I know what I like. I’m a big fan of the short stories of Annie Proulx and Ron Rash, to name a couple of my favorite authors.
And now I can add Langston Hughes to the list. There are forty-seven stories in this book; I thought that forty-five of them were at least great and that a number of them were outstanding.

Here is a short list and a quick summary of the stories that I found to be the most noteworthy (without spoilers!). There are three jewels among these: “Who’s Passing For Who?”, “His Last Affair,” and “Rock Church.”

So here we go:

“Cora Unashamed” - Cora is the Black housekeeper for the Sturdivants, who are White. Cora, whose own daughter died in infancy, loves the Sturdivant’s daughter Jessie, who is the same age as Cora’s deceased child. Jessie grows to be slow and plain, to her parents’ great disappointment. When unmarried Jessie becomes pregnant, her family’s disapproval sets events in motion that reveal Cora’s true character.

“Why, You Reckon?” - The idea of “honor among thieves” takes a surprising turn when a pair of robbers rolls a rich White visitor to Harlem.

“Spanish Blood” - Valerro, a beautiful golden-hued young Black man, is the best dancer in Harlem and the envy of all the men and a magnet to women. His mother warned him, but he grinned and ignored her - until the mob enforcers show up.

“Gumption” - Old Man Oyster’s boy got educated and took a nice clean office job. But once the Depression arrived, things were different. (This story contains the best quote in the entire book:

“[T]hey went up there and fought for what they ought to have. They didn’t win, but they got gumption.”
“You can’t live on gumption,” I said, trying to be practical.
“No, but you can choke on shame,” my wife yelled, looking hard.”
(“Gumption,” p.99).)

“Professor” - Dr. Brown, a highly educated Black professor of sociology at a Black college, feels that he has no choice but to play “Uncle Tom” for the school’s White benefactors. The reason he tolerates this status quo is logical but heartbreaking.

"Big Meeting” is about the reactions of tourists and locals at a brush arbor camp meeting.

“Tain’t So” - A White skeptic visits a Black healer.

“Breakfast in Virginia” - Two Black soldiers who have been thrown out of a train dining car in the Jim Crow South are approached by a White man who witnessed the event.

“Who’s Passing For Who?” - A Black gathering in Harlem is stifled by the presence of a White couple - until the couple admits that they are actually Black “passing for White.” (This is one of the few stories where Hughes shows his wry sense of humor.)

“Mysterious Madam Shanghai” - A former circus performer has spent her adult life regretting an impulsive act that brought discord into her existence.

“Patron of the Arts” - Young portrait painter Darby’s life begins to unravel when his older married lover tells Darby that she has told her husband everything about their affair. (This is one of the best stories in the book.)

“Thank You, M’am” - A purse snatcher encounters the matronly Ms. Jones.

“Early Autumn” - This tale describes a poignant chance encounter between former lovers.

“The Gun” - Flora Belle Yates is homely, unloved, and lonely. All she wants is to meet a man to love and who will love her. (This story is particularly meaningful in 2022).

“His Last Affair” - Pillar-of-the-community Henry Marsdon gets his comeuppance when he steps out on his marriage.

“Rock Church” - Elder William Jones is a rock-star church-shoutin’ preacher who conspires with Deacon Jones to put on a spectacle that will live on in legend.

My goodness. I just realized that I have claimed fifteen short stories from this collection as great fiction.

And now I’m ready to read it again.

My rating: 8/10, finished 6/5/22. (3644).

[Nina autajay]

At first glance, "On the Road" is an interpretation of The Biblical story of The Good Samaritan. A man walking through the snow looking for a place to stay for the night gets turned down by a pastor and then gets beat by the police after he tries to find shelter in a church. You’d think that the third person to cross his path would be the Good Samaritan. Instead, a literally cold stone Jesus walks in his direction and then they part ways. Christ replies with “You had to pull the church down to get me off the cross” This addresses the hypocrisy of the Christian Church. The church is known for a place of refuge; where you can go in time of dire need. Yet, they beat the crap out of the Sargeant when he tried to do so. Maybe he was delusional from the cold, but he got Christ off the cross. Christ on the cross represents that he died for everyone’s sins, that he treated his comrades the way he wanted to be treated. Yet, Christ’s people forgot his values when they had the opportunity help a brother in need. The Sargeant broke the pillars of the church and stone Jesus fell off his cross. When Jesus says that the Sargeant had to pull the church down to get him off the cross, he meant it literal as well as symbolic. Maybe Christ’s people-his supposed Christian followers- did not see the error of their ways, but Christ saw what his people were doing. It took a moment of judgment for Christ to maybe finally realize that his own people did not know the values of his teachings. This may have been a delusion in itself, but it showed that if Christ was alive in the story, the real Christ would have know that his people have lost touch with the values of Christianity.

[Serge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it--I had no idea about this writer until recently. The style of writing is (to me) sublime. While it is nominally about black Americans in the early-mid last century, it's really about all of us, and how most of us go through life almost blindly, with just the occasional bursts of real insight into who we are. All his stories are intensely human and rewarding. (I also suspect Toni Morrison might owe at least a bit to Langston Hughes, who like her, was way ahead of his time.)

[Jenny Jaeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of remarkable short stories by the legendary Langston Hughes offers a kaleidoscope of windows into the lives of black people, and some others, in straightforward, gently poetic and finely wrought prose. Hughes is largely known for his poetry, but he was prolific in many forms. Heartbreaking, funny, hopeful, strange, and despairing, these stories will expand your soul.

[Craig Leinoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got really nervous at the beginning.

I'm familiar with a handful of Langston Hughes poems which I've always found very meaningful. The first few stories in this collection -- the ones set tangential to the trading ship in Africa -- left a little to be desired. They are kind of "by-the-numbers". Like the kind of thing that a very talented student might write if they had the motivation to really work on a short story. They sort of remind me of the vignettes from Full Metal Jacket or The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. But having consumed both of those I didn't find them particularly effecting.

However, after this, and probably because Hughes was addressing African American culture, the entire rest of the collection is a frigging joy to read. Sometimes emotional but never maudlin, it's almost completely free of missteps, averages on good, and has several moments of brilliance.

I will say the only negative I have about the book is that Hughes doesn't seem to have had any awareness of Asian people whatsoever. There are a couple of bizarre comments or missteps, primarily about Chinese people, that seem to be just an unfortunate product of American culture of the time.

Doesn't spoil a good, important book. Although I guess I'm not Chinese.

[Old Man JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories by Langston Hughes. Most of the stories appear to have been written in the fifties and sixties but represent his entire career. There are a total of 43 stories in the collection as well as 4 early stories in the appendix. The subject matter varied considerably but most of the stories were about relations between the races and racism. One problem I had was, like so many other short story collections, some of the stories ended abruptly without any real conclusion. In my opinion, the best story of the book was titled "One Friday Morning" about a young girl who wins a scholarship but is told she will not be receiving it after the sponsors learn that she is black. Another story that I thought was quite good was titled "Slice Him Down" a humorous story about two friends who get into a knife fight. Another humorous story that stood out was "Who's Passing For Who?" about light-colored people and the confusion they create for those who don't know how to label them as either black or white. All of the stories were quite good but like any short story collection some weren't as good as others.

[Elijah]

Have you ever given or got a second chance? If you did, you will like the story “Thank you ma'am'' by Langston Hughes. In the beginning the boy Roger tries to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse, and later she gives the boy a second chance. The text teaches me that everyone deserves a second chance. For example the story shows this when Mrs. Jones gives Roger a second chance even though he tried to steal, when Mrs. Jones might have got a second chance so she is doing the same thing for Roger, and when Mrs. Jones gives Roger food and money. This shows that people deserve a second chance.
One reason everyone deserves a second chance is because Mrs. Jones gave the boy Roger a second chance even though he tried to steal. For example In the beginning of the story of “Thank you ma’am” Mrs. Jones was walking alone and someone tried to steal Mrs. Jones’s purse. Later on, she brought the boy home to wash his face. Meanwhile Mrs. Jones took her eyes off of the boy, when the boy could have run out the door . . . but he didn’t. In the text it said,“The woman did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse which was left behind her on the day-bed.” This shows that she gave him a second chance because everyone deserves one.
Another reason everyone deserves a second chance is because Mrs. Jones might have got a second chance when she was young so she is doing the samething for Roger. For example Near the middle of the story Mrs. Jones brings the boy back to Mrs. Jones went home with the boy to wash his face. In the part after that Mrs. Jones and the boy were talking about their lives. The boy then says that he does not have family at his house. Later Mrs. Jones says that she had done things too. In the text it said ,“I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son-nether tell God, if he didn’t already know.” This shows that someone might have helped her and given her a second chance because they felt the same as Mrs. Jones feel’s for the boy.
My last reason everyone deserves a second chance is because Mrs. Jones gave the boy food and money even though he tried to steal. For example In the beginning, middle and end of the story of Thank you ma’am it shows evidence that the text teaches me everyone deserves a second chance. In the beginning Mrs. Jones takes the boty home, then she gives the boy lima beans and ham. This is weird because the boy tried to steal and she is giving him food. Later, the boy said he wants shoes but he does not have money to buy them. Mrs. Jones then gives the boy 10 dollars so the boy can buy shoes. One technique is description. The author did this because the reader would not understand lot’s of things. According to the Author she puts in, “ Now, here, take this 10 dollars and buy some blue suede shoes,” and the text said “ she heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox.” This shows that if someone does something bad, you can give them a second chance.
In conclusion everyone deserves a second chance, it shows this when Mrs. Jones gave Roger a second chance. When Mrs. Jones might have got a second chance. When Mrs. Jones gives Roger food and money. If this happens like this I will give people a second chance. So, will you give people a second chance?

[Jasper]

In life people normally have problems just like the boy in the story “Thank You Ma’am” but that is not what we are going to talk about today. Today we are going to talk about how the woman in the story is caring. The boy tries to steal the purse and the woman takes the boy home and helps him. In the story “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes tells me the woman is caring. The woman is caring by giving the boy ten dollars to buy shoes, the woman gave the boy a place to sleep, and the woman fed the boy.

Take a look in the story “Thank You Ma’am” the woman was caring because she gave the boy ten dollars to buy some blue suede shoes. The boy tries to steal the purse and the woman takes the boy home and helps him. I believe she did this because she felt bad for the boy. The text said, “now here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes”. This means that the woman wanted to give the boy ten dollars because she felt bad for him. For example the woman went really hard on the boy at the beginning so the woman felt bad for the boy. This shows that the woman is caring.

Anyway in the story “Thank You Ma’am” the woman is caring by giving the boy a place to sleep. The boy tries to steal the purse and the woman takes the boy home and helps him. For example the text said, “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”. I think the woman did this because she felt sad for the boy. She felt sad for the boy because he does not have anyone to help him with money or him and that is why he tried to steal the purse. This shows that the woman is caring.

Anyway in the book, “Thank You Ma’am” the woman is caring because she feeds the boy after she found this boy on the street trying to steal the woman's purse. The boy tries to steal the purse and the woman takes the boy home and helps him.For example the author put in “she heated up some lima beans and ham she had in the ice box, the cocoa, and set the table”. I think the woman did this because the woman noticed the boys face at the beginning of the story. The text said, “um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?” The way I see it is the woman felt bad for the boy because he probably does not even have a home. That is why she fed the boy. This shows that the woman is caring.

As you can see the woman in “Thank You Ma’am” is caring to the boy even though he tried to steal the woman's purse. The woman is caring because she feeds the boy, the woman is caring because she gave the boy a place to sleep, and giving the boy money. The woman went from being angry and dragging the boy down the street to letting the boy sleep in her house. For now on I will not judge someone by what they are doing. You never know maybe they are doing it for a reason. Sometimes you just have to say thank you ma’am.

[Courtney Doss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Langston Hughes is a very good writer. I quite enjoyed this collection of his short stories, many of which were powerfully written and intensely profound in their message. However, one caveat I would offer to a modern reader is that while his commentary on race and religion is superb, and worthy of every accolade available, there are some of his stories that present outdated ideas with regard to women, disability, and homosexuality. In many of his stories, women are presented as manipulative and deceitful. While he doesn't delve into disability to any depth, he does use outdated terminology for someone born with dwarfism, and his single story dealing with homosexuality is told from the perspective of a homophobic person, therefore displaying some negative thoughts and feelings about it. He was born in 1902 and died by 1967, so its to be expected that his writing would reflect these attitudes, but if that is something that bothers you, I would suggest skipping a few of his stories.


Bodies in the Moonlight -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Young Glory of Him -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Little Virgin -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Luani of the Jungles -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

These four stories are small vignettes set on a ship and focused on members of the crew, and should be read together.

Slave On The Block -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cora Unashamed -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Blues I'm Playing -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Why, You Reckon -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Little Old Spy -- ⭐️⭐️
Spanish Blood -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
On the Road -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gumption -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Professor -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Big Meeting -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trouble with Angels -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tragedy at the Baths -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Slice Him Down -- ⭐️⭐️
African Morning -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
'Tain't So -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One Friday Morning -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heaven to Hell -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Breakfast in Virginia -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Saratoga Rain -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Who's Passing for Who -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
On The Way Home -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Name In The Papers -- ⭐️⭐️
Sailors Ashore -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Something in Common -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mysterious Madame Shanghai -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Never Room With a Couple -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Powder-White Faces -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pushcart Man -- ⭐️
Rouge High -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Patron of the Arts -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank You, M'am -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sorrow for a M*dget -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Blessed Assurance -- ⭐️
Early Autumn -- ⭐️
Fine Accommodations -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Gun -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
His Last Affair -- ⭐️⭐️
No Place to Make Love -- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you ma’am
In life you should always be kind and give second chances to people.in this story “thank you ma’am” by langston Hughes the book thank you ma'am roger gets a second chance because mrs Jones was kind to roger and showed empathy roger. taught him to not steal.this show that you should give second chances and be kind.


My frist reason is She gave him a second chance because she gave him another chance. The ather put this in the book because When she let him pick up the pocketbook is when she gave Roger a second chance when she let him pick up something that he tried to steal. This show that she gave him a second chance.this show that she gave him a second chance this show that she gave him anther chance



My second reason is “ She was kind when she asked him if he wanted food and when she took him home to wash his face,and to give him a second chance. This shows that she is kind and always was trying to be kind but at the start she did not sound nice but she is.this shows that she is kind.


My third reason she showed empathy when she gave him a second chance is because I think she did the exact same thing as him and she did not get a second chance so she gave a second chance because she felt how he felt. the text shows she has empathy.



In conclusion this shows that she was kind to roger and not mean and gave him a second chance and was just trying to be nice and show empathy to roger because she felt how he felt to sum it up she was kind.this show she is kind.i wonder did roger ever see her again.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sticking with the standard position that he's a better poet than short story writer - but these were interesting. The collection goes in chronological order, the idea being it would allow the reader to see Hughes grow as a writer -- and I doubted that growth for the first half of the book. Many of the early stories are about the quality that any skilled college english major could produce. Hughes' stories did get better and deeper over the years. I really did not emotionally connect to the early characters/stories, but the later ones drew me in much more. He certainly didn't limit himself, while he wrote mostly about black people, he wrote plenty of white people, women, men, rich, poor. I liked that. I don't particularly agree with the recent idea that male writers can't write women characters, and vice versa. Either you have the ability to develop a full character in your head or you can't. Hughes definitely could. I enjoyed the stories were he mocked the wealthy white "patrons" of young black artists. The two that I think will stick with me are, first, the one where the wealthy white couple "passes" for black on a night out in Harlem [Who's passing for who?], and, second, the one where the older hard working lady brings the young would be thief home for a meal [Thank you, M'am].

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

In life the world can be unkind but in ‘’Thank you ma’am’’ by Langston Hughes is about kindness This story teaches me kindness.This story teaches me kindness because Mrs.Jones did not turn him into the cops reason two she feed him food reason three she gave ten dollars for the shoes he wanted.

Reason one she did not turn him in to the cops. A boy tried to steal a woman's purse. She took him home to wash his face. Are you going to take me to jail asked the boy ‘’Not with that face I would not take you nowhere’’ this shows that mrs. johns did not take him to jail. This teaches me kindness because she did not take him to jail.

The second reason is Mrs Jones fed him food. A boy tried to steal a woman's purse. She took him home to wash his face. The text said I believe you have been hungry. This shows that she fed him food. This teaches me kindness because she feed him food.

The last reason is that she gave him ten dollars for the shoes.A boy tried to steal a woman's purse. She took him home to wash his face. I believe you have been hungry, she said.than she fed him food. Now take this ten dollars and by yourself the shoes you wanted. This shows that she gave him ten dollars.

This is why the story teaches me kindness Mrs.Jones did not turn him into the cops reason two she fed him food reason three she gave him ten dollars.

[Andy Oram · Rating 5 out of 5]

These sensitive and visceral stories show how Hughes grasped the many aspects of oppression and the strange ways people deal with it. An unexpected and very humanistic twist winds up many of the stories. Among his memorable characters are a naive white boy thrown into the rough life of a ship, a man who has limited the cope of his life scope to honor a mother who is now dying, and a jealous wife who spends most of her life mourning a husband she tried to kill. Such gems make it worth reading through the few stories that are more polemical. This book spans Hughes's career with many important pieces, so you can watch his evolution from somewhat conventional sentimentality to a ribald but life-affirming cynicism. Some of his stories are less than two pages long, offering enchanting vignettes, and allowing him some innovative narrative styles such as scattered quotations from people in a crowd.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memorable. The stories were all lively and real, and pulled me right in. Hughes had a knack for creating weird and wonderful characters -- the kind that made me smile, or frown, or cringe, and they stuck in the mind like a burr. Rather than academic literary works, these tales were accessible, down-to-earth stories about real life in his time. But perhaps that's the highest form of literature.

I picked this short story collection due to his famous name. It seems strange that I've never read his poetry. That will definitely be my next pick!

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Langston Hughes may have been famed for his poetry, but this collection of short stories illustrates his mastery of prose and ability to portray in such a vivid way, the lives of everyday people.

As a social critic and one of the most distinguished writers of the Harlem Renaissance, he addresses the topic of race from many angles; fetishism, oppression, love, guilt...

But what Hughes does so well, and what makes these stories so accessible to people from every walk of life, is his skill for capturing the real essence of human nature with understated elegance.

[M.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several short stories, most only a few pages long. These hit hard, almost none with happy endings. The theme of many of the stories was disappointment...disappointment in the idea of the "American Dream," and how far it was out of the reach of those who were black, of color, poor, and newly arrived immigrants. Entirely well-written, I just had to take a break every once in awhile because some of the stories were so sad.

[John Bohnert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't care for the first few stories. Then the writing and stories got better and better.

[William Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was making a list of my favorite stories out of this collection— but the list was over 20 stories long. This whole thing is great.

Though, “On The Road” was the story I randomly flipped to while looking in the book at the library and which convinced me to read this. So, credit where credit’s due, that short story deserves a named mention.

These short stories are quick, incisive, and incredibly creative. The background across all of the stories is consistent while each individual story is captivating in its descriptiveness and story-setting.

Having only read a handful of Hughes’s poems, I didn’t know what fully to expect — but now I want to read more of his poetry.

Read this collection - especially if you like cutting, moving short stories.

[Steve Comstock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. I've been a longtime fan of Hughes' poetry, but this is my first exposure to his fiction. He writes with a poets grasp of repetition. His stories dance with the rythym of individual dialects and straightforward prose.

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully poignant. Funny at times as well. I really enjoyed it but don't exactly know how to describe it.