Monday, November 8, 2010

Less Words the Better

Through Langston Hughes’s short story, “Thank You, M’am,” S. Pearl Sharp’s poem, “It’s the Law: A Rap Poem,” and Lisa Parker’s poem, “Snapping Beans,” it is demonstrated that actions speak louder than words and that it is not necessary to express oneself through multiple words when it can be done in a few.

The character, Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, from Langston Hughes’s short story, “Thank You, M’am,” shows the young, delinquent boy, Roger, kindness and respect and teaches him a lesson worth more than any hot meal or blue suede shoes could ever mean to him, to which he responds, “Thank you, M’am;” yet, the woman did not have to hear those words to know that she affected his life significantly.

The trite Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” is so eloquently proven true in S. Pearl Sharp’s poem, “It’s the Law: A Rap Poem,” when the speaker provides the claim that, essentially, if everyone stopped committing bad acts, there would be no need for laws and the world would be a better place.

In Lisa Parker’s poem, “Snapping Beans,” the speaker subtly explains how the age-old question and answer of “How’s school,” and “Fine,” can reveal so much more than is said and that, without having to explain further, grandma really does know all.

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