MORAL VALUES REFLECTED IN LANGSTON HUGHES’ SHORT STORY “THANK YOU, MA’AM”

Abstract

The multiple ways in which literature can serve society are by being an art form and a means for one to reflect on how one's actions are moral if they are acting ethically and if that person possesses a good character. The purpose of this study was to look at how the interactions of the characters in Langston Hughes' "Thank You, Ma'am" demonstrate moral values, as demonstrated through the interaction between Mrs. Jones and Roger, the young man that Mrs. Jones tries to teach an important moral lesson to. The design that the researcher selected for this research study was a descriptive qualitative method of research. The data collection was done by the gathering of the dialogues as well as the narrative sections of the short story, followed by the critical reading of the selected data. Following this step was the classification of the data according to current day views on moral education and character education. The findings of this research indicated that there were five significant moral values that were exemplified by Mrs. Jones in her response to Roger's bad behavior; these values are Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Honesty, and Kindness. Other findings in this study indicated that providing empathy and kindness through compassion will be more beneficial and effective in teaching moral awareness than using punishments or punitive actions. The findings also support the current body of literature that states that literature is being used as a tool for character education and moral development.