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Summary Of The Lesson By Toni Cade Bambara

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“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara is not just an original story about a poor girl out of place in an expensive toy store. The short story is based on an African-American girl named Sylvia who was trying to be a normal girl but she always thought she was better than anyone else. Sylvia was an ignorant, and an abusive girl who thinks Miss.Moore as an unsolicited educator. Sylvia’s classmates had agreed with Sylvia’s opinion, people such as Fat butt, Junebug, Sugar, Flyboy, and Rosie. Miss.Moore is a teacher that teaches kids that there's more to life than money, but Sylvia would rather be doing something else than listen to her. The relationship between Sylvia and Miss.Moore did not start off great “this nappy head bitch and her goddamn college degree", everyday Sylvia starts to dislike Miss.Moore even more. Sylvia has her own approach of how things …show more content…

I used to be ignorant, thinking I was better than everyone else. Calling people names, hating on teachers who thought that they know everything, but I never really understood why I was mad all the time. Maybe it was because I never interacted with classmates because of the way i looked, or because of my personal beliefs. My emotions was always mixed, I was confused, angry, abusive, and scared. I was under my own universe and never planned to change myself. Sylvia’s emotions were almost similar to mine she was scared, nervous, and confused about what was going on around her and being irrational. She wants to be normal and be a part of the community instead of being an outcast. I totally understand where Sylvia comes from. Sylvia is a smart girl but she needs to make a wise choice before taking any actions or before commenting something that should not have been said. Sylvia and I both want to change our personalities and become better individuals. We want to experience that moment “seeing the light” and what's the real reality behind our

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In The Lesson, written by Toni Cade Bambara, it begins with Sylvia giving her own description on Miss Moore. She is confused as to why Miss Moore always gathers the kids from the neighborhood and takes them on boring outings. Sylvia mentions that Miss Moore is one of the few who has a college education, but she does not seem too impressed and would rather spend her day at the pool with her cousin, Sugar. As they enter the taxi cab, Miss Moore hands Sylvia a five dollar bill to tip the driver at the end of the trip. However, Sylvia has a difficulty time figuring out how much she should give the driver and decides against tipping him but would rather give him nothing.

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The choices made at the end of each story were made due to characters pride getting the best of them and can be predicted to harm them in the future. After walking away from Miss Moore, Sylvia thinks about the day and claims “ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin” (Bambara 6). Throughout the story, Sylvia has pessimistic thoughts that may affect her future. By not admitting she learned something, it can be inferred that her pride will not allow her to acknowledge the lesson. Due to this, Sylvia may suffer a fall in her life, such as the quotation, “pride comes before Destruction” suggests.

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The primary character, Sylvia, is a fourteen year old African American young lady, who recounts the story in a first individual account. Sylvia notices Miss Moore, an educator who felt that it was her obligation to help underprivileged kids learn. Miss Moore felt there was a lesson to learn at FAO Schwartz, an exceptionally costly, high society toy store in downtown Manhattan. The reason Miss Moore conveys the kids to FAO Schwartz is caught in Bambara's utilization of imagery. Miss Moore utilizes the toys in FAO Schwartz to pass on to the children where they are on the social stepping stool.

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Before we started working I asked her to tell me a little about herself and that’s when I realized Sylvia has lived a thousand lives in one lifetime.

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Mother of Education Some children are not as fortunate to be given wonderful lives like their peers. Furthermore, the mother and father of every little boy and little girl do not always set the best examples. In “The Lesson”, Miss Moore seeks to educate the children of the neighborhood. She takes them to a store in town, trying to help them better understand the issues with income inequality. Confidence, intelligence, and passion-- these are all qualities that Miss Moore, a motherly figure, exhibits while impacting the children 's education.

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The symbols present in “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, depict the economic and social injustices faced by specific members of society, specifically the children in the story. The characters in the story are being mentored by Miss Moore, a woman from their block who has taken up the role of taking them out on weekly outings. The story touches on the situation of the children that are stuck in living in almost poverty. “The Lesson” focuses on the socioeconomic disparities between the different racial groups and how. Bambara uses several techniques such as irony, othering, and second person point of view to make the story meaningful and demonstrate the characteristics of the characters.

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I remember when I was going to start school. The school I went to was called Lincoln Elementary. It was just a short four streets down from my house. I was a little nervous and slightly scared to go. I didn’t want to have to leave home and be gone for so long.

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