Analysis Of The Lesson By Toni Cade Bambara

While "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara accurately represents African American culture and vocabulary, the critical article by Janet Ruth Heller primarily focuses on race and culture rather than poverty and socioeconomic inequality, the theme of "The Lesson." The article by Heller does not delve into the main point of the short story (Heller). The article by Heller talks about using African American slang and vernacular to make the story more relatable to an African American's experience. "The Lesson's" main point is to show the children's poverty and how differently they live compared to their wealthy white counterparts. Although the critical article fails to capture the main idea, "The Lesson" song for the Literature Project by Molly Jacobs, a jazz improv, effectively captures the pride in African American heritage

However, the vernacular is not the story's main point or idea. "The dialect reflects Bambara's pride in her ethnic heritage (Heller 1)." This article talks so much about race, yet anyone in a difficult situation or life can live in poverty regardless of race. Not everyone who is white is rich. " What kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain't in on it (Bambara 5)?" This question in the story illustrates the ridiculous prices and how people with this amount of money make ends meet while affording the expensive luxurious toys at the Toy Store the children are visiting. This single quote illustrates that poverty has no race, yet poverty can affect African Americans and minorities due to the barriers and oppression that they face regularly. The critical article does not explore the deeper moral or lesson that the story conveys. This is an important observation as the main point of the short story goes beyond the use of vernacular and cultural representation. The story's moral is to show children what poverty can look like and to value their