Toni Cade Bambara The Lesson Analysis

The major theme of the story was creating awareness in adolescents about what life has to offer. The nature of human beings of accepting the realities of life to such an extent that apathy and lethargy sets in, is what proves to be destructive for the social fabric of today’s world. In this stagnation, Mrs. Moore provides the impetus required for people to realize their god given right to something better. We are told that Mrs. Moore has a college degree, is well dressed most of the times, and has a good command on her language. She seems to be a kind of a person who has seen the world. She has experienced life, and wants to use that experience in providing the children with an opportunity to broaden

Toni Cade Bambara addresses how knowledge is the means by which one can escape out of poverty in her story The Lesson. In her story she identifies with race, economic inequality, and literary epiphany during the early 1970’s. In this story children of African American progeny come face to face with their own poverty and reality. This realism of society’s social standard was made known to them on a sunny afternoon field trip to a toy store on Fifth Avenue. Through the use of an African American protagonist Miss Moore and antagonist Sylvia who later becomes the sub protagonist and White society the antagonist “the lesson” was ironically taught. Sylvia belong to a lower economic class, which affects her views of herself within highlights the

Some of them include a paperweight and a sailboat. Initially, none of the children, especially Sylvia, knew what the paperweight was. She says to herself that ?my eyes tell me it?s a chunk of glass cracked with something heavy, and different-color inks dripped into the splits, then the whole thing put into a oven or something. But for $480 it don?t make sense? (Bambara 123). After Mrs. Moore explains what it is, the children still cannot comprehend its use or the price. Bambara uses the paperweight to symbolize importance. A paperweight is used to hold something that is of value, something that someone wishes not to lose. The children have never known or owned something that is precious. At the same time, the paperweight can symbolize that their living in the slums and never reaching out for something more can be holding them down. They are the important ones under that paperweight. A better life, one in which their basic needs are met, costs a price- one that they are not use to. To them, $400 is a life?s worth of work and unfathomable. The price of their future is going to have be something that they will have to strive for and open their minds past their current dwellings. Similarly, the sailboat is also used by Bambara to represent freedom and the journey that lies in front of them.

The theme in "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara appears to be a lesson on

At the end of the trip, Miss Moore leaves the children in front of the mail box, back where the trip started, thus creating a frame for the lesson of social equality. This frame is completed with Sugar and Sylvia's new understanding of the necessity of social equality for everyone. “And something weird is going on; I can feel it in

"Puppy" by George Saunders and "The Lesson" by Tomi Cade Bambara are both stories that show the ugly side of poverty. In "Puppy" the main character Marie and her kids are well off because of Marie's husband. However, the other family in the story which include Callie and also Callie's husband and her kids live in poverty. Marie goes to Callie's house to check out a puppy her kids are interested in. When Marie gets there due to the class differences Marie cannot understand why Callie does things the way she does and also why her house is the way it is. Furthermore, because Callie is living in poverty Marie looks at her as less of a person. In "The Lesson" is narrated by a girl named Sylvia who has an impoverished up-brining in Harlem. In this

Miss Moore finally leads the kids to the toy store. The are immediately dazzled by the toys in the windows; even declaring which ones they were gonna buy. The children seemed to know they couldn't afford the toys, but they didn't think they would be off by much. The once brave and proud and strong children were hobbled at the door, none of which wanting to go in first. Here is the point where they get slapped in the face. Here is where they first see that they do not belong here. Eventually one of them pushes through the crowd and throws herself into the gallery of toys. They go around gazing at the different objects. Miss Moore drives the point home by leading them to the fact

Throughout The Lesson economic class was deal with among the children in F.A.O Schwartz toy store. Sylvia mentions what Miss Moore have been saying about the economic barrier she states “how money ain’t divided up right in this country. And then she gets to the part about we all poor and live in the slums, which I don’t feature” (643). Even before the children were on their journey they were being made aware of the economic gap. A gap in which there were those who had more money than others. This was a reminder of the conditions in which they lived compared to others who had the money. Some of the children on the trip identified with the economic gap among themselves. While some had a desk and a stationary “I do…I have a box stationary on my desk” (644) says Mercedes other did not even have a desk. June bug states “I don’t have a desk” (644). Some of the kids had things that the others did not though they were all from the average working class family. Economic class was then identified as Sylvia was

Finally, one-day Ms. Moore's is decided to take those kids to the Toy store in the town, and that makes them feel curious about the trip but when they were coming into the store and was surprised about the prices of toys “Must be rich people shop here, said Q. T"(241).

Lessons can come in many forms, some more straight forward than others. In the story “The Lesson,” by Toni Cade Bambara a girl with hate in her heart learns that good things can happen to anyone and in the essay “Commencement Speech, Kenyon College,” by David Foster Wallace he guides us to not live with hate in your heart. Both authors bring up the fact that people tend to be very selfish and annoyed with other people around them. They also suggest that a person can transcend a negative environment through effort. They explain this in different ways which leads to a lesson in both stories.

The Lesson," by Toni Cade Bambara, considered a superb work of fiction because of its utilization of symbolism. The key components of symbolism provide depth while improving the reader’s understanding. "The Lesson" demonstrates one lady's endeavor to demonstrate a gathering of poor dark children the imbalances between the societies they live, in correlation to how children live in different groups.

At the store, it is not long before the children begin seeing things that interest them. The first of these is a microscope that costs $300. Miss Moore comments on the educational value of microscopes but the children poke fun at the idea. “”Hey, I’m going to buy that there.”

In Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson,” she encourages Sylvia to look society in the eye and change what is expected of her. She exposes the inequality present within the United States’s society through the perspective of young African American children. Often, many are unwilling to acknowledge that they are a victim of poverty, leaving them in a state of ignorance, that will not promote any change. The story revolves around Sylvia, a young black girl, who finally has her eyes opened to her disadvantaged economic status. Real learning often occurs after a state of discomfort and confusion. Bambara takes Sylvia through a journey enlightening her through an uncomfortable juxtaposition of Harlem and Manhattan, her and her friends, and who she actually is and who she wants to be.

In, The lesson by Toni Cade Bambara, Miss Moore, an African American women that lives in Harlem, takes a group of African American children who lives in her neighbourhood to a toy store called F.AO. Schwarz in Manhattan. Though Miss Moore teach the children many lessons, such as residential racial segregation, socio-economic inequality, and the children are apathetic of the severity of the effects of discrimination against African Americans as it is something that they do not notice due to their lack of experience, Miss Moore will further expose and make the children more aware of what African Americans are facing.

In the short story “The Lesson”, Toni Cade Bambara portrays young children who receive a lesson about social status and American society. The main character, Sylvia, is a dynamic character who ends up being awakened to the inequality that she is faced and her fellow children are faced with. The story takes place in the 70’s, where Miss Moore brings the children to F.A.O. Schwartz, a very expensive toy store, even by today’s standards. The children are shocked when presented with the products in the toy store. They can not comprehend the idea that people would spend such absurd amounts of money on toys because the money could be spend on an abundance food that they are currently struggling to provide. Sylvia does not like this economical gap in her life, and wants it to change. Through characters, point of view, and dialogue, Bambara highlights the division between the rich and poor that exists in American society and motivates readers to want change.