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Generosity In Langston Hughes Thank You, Ma Am

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Generosity In Langston Hughes Thank You, Ma Am
Trust and kindness are usually not very freely given, and it is rare that it is given to a total stranger. However, if someone is in need of trust, it should be the duty of any human to help them. In Langston Hughes short story, “Thank You, Ma'm,” the main character Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones demonstrated a true act of generosity when she took Roger to her home and allowed him to to be cared for, when she told him about her life story, and when she gave him ten dollars for his shoes. These acts of kindness were not required of Mrs. Washington, but she gave them to Roger freely out of the goodness of her heart. This is demonstrated early in the encounter when Roger approached her. When Roger first meets Mrs. Washington, it is out of hostility he does so, and this began his meet up with an unlikely hero. In the beginning, Mrs. Washington immediately knocked roger onto his …show more content…
Washington gave Roger a gift he would likely never forget. On the way out of her house, Roger was given the money to buy what he desired, blue suede shoes. When he received this gift, he was left utterly speechless. He wanted to say thank you very badly, but he only muttered it as the door slammed. Roger never saw Mrs. Washington again, and he had learned a very valuable lesson that night, Roger realized that there was hope for a brighter tomorrow. He had an opportunity to treat others with true generosity, just as Mrs. Washington had treated him with.
In conclusion, Mrs. Washington was truly generous. First, she had treated a total stranger with the utmost kindness, and invited a boy she had never met into her home to be treated well. Second, since she related to him, she had relayed her life story and related to the strange boy. Finally, she gave the same boy that had attempted thievery on her money to buy what he desired and taught him a lesson of grand proportions. Mrs. Washington’s practices helped to shape Roger’s future, and it gave him a hope for a magnificent

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