“The Lesson” is a short novel written by Bambara that focuses on a group of African American children and systemic
Lesson Learned Toni Cade Bambara creates a character that is way too smart to ignore what is happening around her in the real world. Throughout the story story, she learns that there is a difference between the rich and the poor, and even though it isn’t fair is not fair, it is very real. By the end, Sylvia, a rebellious, “terrorize the West Indian kids and take their hair ribbons and their money” (625) kind of girl with terrible people skills, living in a typical African American neighborhood finds she experiences a huge attitude adjustment in regards to her outlook on not just money, but life in Bambara’s The Lesson.
The "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara appears to be a lesson on social class and having a choice which society we choose to live in. In the story use of language, symbolism, equality, shame, and education to give a reader sense of hope for the narrative Sylvia and her friends. The author use outside world, symbolism, and tools to teach a life lesson to the children. She used toy’s store to teach children a lesson and inspire them to aim for success and seek for better themselves and their situation. The microscope has symbolic value, it has the capability to reveal what we cannot be seen with the naked eye.
In Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson”, a young girl named Sylvia who lives in a poor neighborhood is taken on a field trip to a nice part of town with some other kids in the neighborhood by a lady on her block, Miss Moore. Sylvia, who is authority on the block, feels her authority slipping away as Miss Moore shows that the world is bigger than the neighborhood. Sylvia tries to fight back by keeping the change from the cab ride, not taking part of the conversation taking place in front of the toy store, and trying to control what the other kids say at the mailbox. But throughout the lesson, the other kids are slowly slipping away from her authoritative grasp. By allowing the kids see the expensive toys in the toy store and realize their own financial situation, Miss Moore is teaching a lesson.
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.
What if a person were to learn that their perception of reality is wrong? Would that person defend their pride? Would they choose to accept the knowledge given? In Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson", a poverty-stricken girl is faced with the reality that she lives in a time where racial and economic inequalities exist. This short story tells how a young girl named Sylvia and her friends leave their neighborhood in the projects and take a field trip with an educated African American woman, Miss Moore, to a toy store in the rich part of the city.
Miss Moore was taking the children out to teach them about their socioeconomic class, but Sylvia felt as if Miss Moore was mocking her. Sylvia did not like that Miss Moore had a college degree because Sylvia’s parents would make her go with Miss Moore because of it. The children did not like Miss Moore because she was trying to teach them something that they did not
In the story it is late spring and she is on summer get-away. Summer excursion for Sylvia is investing energy at the recreation center, at the show, and at the pool. This maysound alright, yet as Silvia portrays it the recreation center is brimming with alcoholic bums. The apartmentwhere she lives is additionally covered with bums all through the stairwells and foyers of her loft building, in all likelihood situated in a project. Various symbols are used in “The Lesson,” by Toni Cade Bambara, to represent the social and economic inequality faced by the children in this story.
Towards the end, Sylvia and her group see the riches of the “white folks” and now sees that there is economic and social inequality. Sylvia is a round character due to her attitude and bitterness while her development reflects her understanding the lesson, and this knowledge creates an epiphany in her. She is now aware of the class inequality and unfairness towards
A story can always be about human need and understanding or even so much more. A plot helps us act on that issue and find out what it’s about. Since “The Lesson” has an amazing plot about inequality, it makes us understand the story better about young children who want to make a difference in their own lives. So in “The Lesson” the plot grows by giving us the information about Miss Moore, telling us about how she is different from the other African American people, making us think, if she goes to college and is proper, then maybe she came from a middle class family, but then it makes us rethink about how she is in college, and we all know that college is expensive, so then where thinking where did she come from, where was she born, how was her life before she moved to Harlem. We start to question ourselves.
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.
Miss Moore, a mentor plans a summer trip for the children in Harlem to an expensive toy shop, F.A.O Schwarz to teach them a lesson about the value of money. One of the children is Sylvia and she has an arrogant behavior by saying, “Back in the days when everyone was old and stupid or young and foolish and me and Sugar were the only ones just right” (Bambara 304). Sylvia thinks that she is the smartest person in their neighborhood until Miss Moore comes. Sylvia does not like Miss Moore at all and she “kinda hate her too” (304). She hates Miss Moore because she feels that someone is better and smarter than her in their neighborhood.
1. Miss Moore is a college educated African American woman who lives amongst the poor and teach their youth. The lesson Miss Moore wants the children to learn is about wealth and poverty and the facts of social inequality. Miss Moore is stimulating the children’s critical thinking skills. Taking the narrator Sylvia and the other children to a toy store where the toys are sold for money that their families could live off.
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.
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.
