Thank You, Ma'am

            The story “Thank You, Ma’am” is about a boy named Roger who wanted to have blue suede shoes and a large woman who live on a rooming house alone, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. The boy tried to steel Mrs. Jones’ large purse but he lost his balance and fell on the sidewalk. Mrs. Jones got angry and stepped on his rear. She asked the boy what have drove him to try to snatch her purse. Roger lied that he did not intend to steal her purse.

            Mrs. Jones dragged Roger up the street to her door. There she commanded Roger to wash his dirty face and then shared a meal with him. She made Roger feel that he was loved and cared. Mrs. Jones made him comfortable by telling stories about her self. And because of that, Roger learned to trust Mrs. Jones and wanted her to trust him also. After the meal, Mrs. Jones gave Roger money to buy himself some blue suede shoes. She led him down the hall to the front door and told Roger to behave his self and to never try to steal anyone’s purse again. Mrs. Jones had made him not to feel embarrassed at her presence. He managed to say thank you to Mrs. Jones before she shut the door.

            Nowadays, there are numerous kids like Roger because of financial crisis. Lot of kids can relate themselves to Roger’s situation. If they happen to read this story, they might realize that when they feel isolated, they are not really alone, someone cares for them and they might keep their hopes up. The story would also make them to avoid stealing someone’s property. This can even change their lifestyle and even get themselves a job to pay there own expenses. It would be great if kids like Roger would all end up being like the new Roger, the Roger after engaging with Mrs. Jones.

I like Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones’ character. She has attitudes which I really admire. She is a strong woman but also a kind and a very understanding person. She can make someone change for the better by words and also, showing good deeds to them. She has a way with kids like Roger. She was cautious on the things that she has said and asked to Roger to avoid him from getting himself embarrassed. It’s an effective way to make someone to trust and respect you. Making someone feel better, makes them feel confident about themselves. I feel like being someone like Mrs. Jones. She is a woman that you can learn to respect just for a very short period of time like what he did with Roger. Actually, I see that she can be a good parent by how she showed care for Roger despite him trying to snatch her purse.

            The theme of the story is “trustworthiness”. In trusting, you can't just ask for it, you got to be worthy to gain it. It’s really good to have trust and faith for everyone if possible. It gives you less reason to think and worry. It also allows you to focus on better things. But it would be better to be trusted by others. It gives you much self-esteem and confidence in things you do.