Toni Cade Bambara's The Lesson

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In literature, a summer filled with friendship and carelessness, where the world seemingly serves a child, portrays the essence of a “perfect” childhood. A superb example of this ideal situation is that of Scout Finch. Yet, when directly exposed to the rabid racism that infected her Alabama town, Scout began to stop selfishly viewing the world as pristine for all. Her childhood innocence began to fade. A similar experience with initiation into adulthood was that of Sylvia in Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson.” Sylvia unknowingly lives in economic disadvantage in Harlem, yet she views the world as flawlessly as Scout did. However, because of her first-hand experience with Ms. Moore, Sylvia sees unequal wealth distribution in her hometown, New York City, and realized that economic inequality is a concern for the adults in her community. To begin with, Sylvia and her friends initially ignore Ms. Moore’s attempts to teach them about their economic situation. When Miss Moore asks the …show more content…
For thirty-five dollars, Sylvia’s parents can buy “new bunk beds” or “pay for the rent” instead of a toy clown she likes from the toy store. This version of Sylvia is not the same girl who previously wanted to steal money from other children. Since entering the toy store, Sylvia sees that she does not belong to the social order of the wealthy, and it bothers her deeply. Her innocent, childlike view of the world is shattered because she now knows that she does not have the same superiority in Society that she has over her friends. However, unlike her friends, who continue with their “perfect” childhoods, Sylvia demands that “ain’t nobody gonna beat [her] at nuthin” when she understands the lesson Miss Moore taught. It is clear that from this point on, including during adulthood, Sylvia will not allow herself to be thrown aside by society because she lives in

Toni Cade Bambara's The Lesson

that has some symbolic meaning or moral hidden within its contents and in some cases, is not apparent. For example, Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” has several themes throughout its entirety, but the main theme is not evident. Bambara wrote this short story as though he wanted to distract the reader from the main point of the story, which prohibits thorough comprehensiveness. “The Lesson” focuses on a group of less fortunate neighborhood kids who spend a great deal of time under the leadership of Miss…

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Bambara The Lesson

“The Lesson,” by Toni Cade Bambara shows class division and the importance of education in society. Bambara illustrates Miss Moore as a teacher who introduces kids to inequality. She makes this comparison to show the dominance the upper class has over the lower class. Bambara’s shows that Miss Moore is trying to teach the children a lesson to strive for more in life by taking them to a high-end toy store that is far out of their finances. Bambara indicated that although the children are hesitant…

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Toni Cade Bambara The Lesson

Life for the average African American in the 1960’s was characterized as being destitute and uneducated. This lifestyle is portrayed through the children in Toni Cade Bambara’s short story, “The Lesson.” In the story, a group of African American kids who are living the stereotypical life of the 60’s are taken under Mrs. Moore’s wing and taught how to live a better, happier life. Despite their unappreciative attitudes, she determines to convince them that there is something better to life than cheating…

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The Allegory Of The Cave Analysis

The Lesson was written by Toni Cade Bambara in 1972, while Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave is from somewhere between 380 and 360B.C. Yet despite being from two entirely different eras there are a lot of similarities within the two stories. In Bambara’s work, the main character and narrator, Sylvia, is not unlike the recently-freed prisoners in Plato’s cave who have yet to experience the outside world. Sylvia states early on that she’d “much rather go to the pool or to the show where it's cool” than…

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Comparing House On Mango Street And The Lesson

years, whose family is from a Spanish culture. She introduces the reader to her lifestyle, her home, the neighborhood they were living in and how she wishes that one day they would live in the dream house that her parents told her about. Toni Cade Bambara’s The Lesson is about a young girl, Sylvia, living in a New York City. She and her friends are evolving their tactics to cope with life as they know it. Sylvia has adopted the pose of a know-it-all who can figure out things for herself. In spite of…

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Myth of Money and Success Essay

today’s society, we all hope and strive for this dream, but how many actually achieve the American Dream? Is it a reasonable goal that Americans should strive for, or is it a myth that only leads to self-destruction? According to Horatio Alger and Toni Cade Bambara, they both believe the concept that the American Dream…

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Fiction: Short Story Essay example

Question 1: O'Connor's "Good Country People" Spend some time detailing the specific and general (overall) ironies in this short story. How do these ironies underscore the title of this short story? The title” Good Country People” signifies that country people are always helpful, respectful, and kind to one another. Country people are typically very accepting of one another. “Nothing is perfect. This was one of Mrs. Hopewell’s favorite sayings. Another was: that is life! And still another, the…

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