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Marxist Criticism In 'The Lesson'

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Marxist Criticism, specifically the Hegelian Dialectic is applicable in Bambara’s short story, “The Lesson”. Social class is predominant at the time “The Lesson” was written and the story focuses on the main character, Sylvia’s perception of her own class, the struggles that it brings and what she is then introduced to by Miss Moore. The Hegelian Dialect can be applied to this story as the transformation ensues within Sylvia upon her enlightenment of the difference in social classes. What appeared to be anger, frustration and resentment within Sylvia, undergoes a conversion into an upheaval curiosity of a newfound “culture”. Does the enlightenment occurring within Sylvia, present a new synthesis of which she uses as a platform for change? Hegelian Dialectic is founded on socioeconomic phases. According to the German philosopher Goerg Willhelm Friedrich Hegel, there are three phases that make up the Hegelian Dialectic which evolve into a cycle. The first phase, being the “thesis” is what is considered to be the economic norm. What Sylvia is accustomed to based on her social-economic class. The thesis is then contravened by a “antithesis”. The “antithesis” is what would be considered the other sign of the coin. An introduction to another world that generates …show more content…

In fact, as the author in this story, Toni Cade Bambara, Sylvia grew up in a very poor neighborhood. Sylvia’s understanding of the world is limited to what she experiences within her neighborhood and her tiny apartment. Scarcity and want are no strangers to her. Luckily, Sylvia and the other kids have Miss Moore as a mentor. Miss Moore begins to work within the kids’ environment to enrich them inasmuch as possible with education. Confronted with much resistance; especially from Sylvia, Miss Moore introduces Sylvia and the kids to another social class; another

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With Sugar the struggle was easy, yet with Silvia a lot more difficult. It was children like Silvia that Ms. Moore knew she would have to be a bit more extreme in not only teaching her verbally, but also showing her the difference in knowing the “real meaning of money, how to earn it and spend it”. As an educator, the challenge doesn’t only apply to the immediate family. The challenge also surrounds it self by environmental and media factors including but not limited to music, thus as a child until someone comes along and takes the time to explain and physically show you your ultimate options you could potentially remain still. Ms. Moore knew that and with that she took the children to “F.A.O. Schwarz” in New York.

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Rhetorical Analysis of Jerome Cartwright’s "Bambara's the Lesson” Jerome Cartwright’s feature article on Toni Cade Bambara’s “the Lesson” was published in 1989. This piece provides a scholarly secondary source for Bambara’s short story because it was featured in The Explicator, a quarterly journal of literary criticism published by Taylor & Francis, Inc.

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Miss Moore brings the children into the toy store so they can walk around and most all of them feel out of place. Sylvia thinks to herself, “I mean, damn, I have never ever been shy about doing nothing or going nowhere … We all walkin on tiptoe and hardly touchin the games and puzzles and things” (627). She is realizing that these things are worth a lot of money, money that she does not have. After learning about the sailboat, Sylvia’s mood changes and she asks to leave, when they get back to the train she thinks about how her family is different from the people who can afford all the expensive things.

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With the context given, readers can only assume Sylvia will use the information gained negatively. She could turn into a criminal-a thief- since her pride will not let her acknowledge the lesson. Her fall will soon come. As for Sammy, now jobless, he has nowhere to go in life. Sammy comes from a poor family, which is inferred by the quotation: “when my parents have somebody over they get lemonade” as

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Moore. In the beginning, Sylvia, the narrator, reveals her attitude as she talks about Miss Moore as “nappy-head bitch”. We can infer at this point that Sylvia doesn’t like Miss Moore. She continues talking about her surrounding where there was “winos”, “junk man”, and “handball walls”, exposing her poverty condition. She even reveals her race when she says “ we all moved North the same time and to the same apartment”.

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