Langston Hughes' "Thank You, Ma'm"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that "Thank You, Ma'm " by Langston Hughes (1902-1967) recalls the genre of 1950s television series in which virtually all young people, across all demographic distinctions, replied "yes sir" and "no ma'am" to adults. Next, the author cites passages in this story that demonstrate conversational tones between adolescents and adults, which were different than they are today. In conclusion, the author argues that this change represents an attitudinal and linguistic evolution, which is much more detrimental than beneficial to American social culture.

From the Paper:

"In many ways, the attitude of respect that was common at the time is entirely extinct in contemporary social relations except in the most formal circumstances. In the past, adolescents deliberately used substantially different language to address adults than
the less polite terminology they may have used amongst themselves."

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