The found poem above is taken from page 1-3 of the narrative “Thank You, Ma’am,” by Langston Hughes. The primary conflict of the poem is internal – man vs. self. The internal conflict occurs after Roger, the protagonist, got caught attempting to steal from Mrs. Jones. He contemplates whether to run away or stay with her. In the rising action of the story (when Roger was held onto by Mrs. Jones), Roger stresses that he possessed a strong desire to run, shown in lines, “I just want you to turn me loose”(Hughes, 2), and when Mrs. Jones asked him whether he would run if she released him, he responded with a, “Yes’m”(Hughes, 1). However, as the rising action unfolds, it reveals that Mrs. Jones sees Roger as a misguided youth, expressed by Mrs. Jones’s change in attitude toward Roger. At the beginning of the narrative, she was pressuring him. But she then became compassionate by welcoming him into her house, washing his face, and giving him advice after he explains he has no adults to take care of him.

 

Despite Roger’s desire, when offered the opportunity to run (when Mr. Jones released him and asked for him to go wash his face), he reacted by “looked at the door— looked at the woman — looked at the door” (Hughes,2). Roger’s hesitation indicates that he was conflicted between dashing to the door to fulfill his desire from the beginning or to stay with Mrs. Jones and repay her for her kindness. Consequently, the internal conflict of “Thank you, Ma’am,” occurs when Roger is conflicted about whether to stay and repay Mrs. Jones for the kindness she showed or to run away from her and get away with his robbery.