The Power of Personality in Toni Cade Bambara's The Lesson Essay

Imagine living your whole life thinking you had it good, a house, toys, etc. However, one day you find out that to some people your life seems like poverty. In the story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the main character Sylvia, a 14-year-old New York native, is introduced as tough hard-headed character who lives in the ghetto. In order to survive the ghetto Sylvia had to act and be tough causing here to develop into a hard-headed individual. Miss Moore, an educated takes Sylvia and her class on a field trip to visit a toy store unlike anything they had ever seen. The reason why she does this is because she knows that the kids can relate to toys and loves playing with them; however, her main purpose is to use toys as a way to teach a lesson. After visiting this toy store, called F.A.O Schwarz, the children’s view of the world is changed especially for Sylvia. She learns that the world she lives is un fair because not everyone is seen as equal. She learns that inequality exists and its happening to her.

In “The Lesson,” by Toni Cade Bambara, the one-thousand one hundred ninety-five dollar fiberglass sailboat represents Sylvia’s powerlessness and inability to sail away from that which is keeping her rooted to the shore. The boat represents everything that she cannot have, due to her predetermined race and monetary situation and the unfairness of the world. Despite however much she may want to, she cannot cut the ropes that are holding her back – her skin color, the amount of money she has, and the opportunities that she’s missed and will continue to miss. Sylvia’s conclusion that the boat “must have a motor and a whole lot else besides,” because “who’d pay all that when you can buy a sailboat set for a quarter at Pop’s, a tube of glue for a dime, and a ball of string for eight cents?” illustrates the vast distance between

When they arrive at their destination, the author gives up another clue toward the extent of the childen’s poverty. “Then we check out that we on fifth avenue and everybody dressed up in stockings. One lady in a fur coat hot as it is. White folks crazy.” (Bambara 471)

Do you remember when you were a specific age or have you discovered a time in your life? Where you looked at individuals and saw them for who they are and what or who they could be? It’s like you never bothered to see someone else purpose in life. So you start to question yourself for the reasoning of their presence. Think about a time in your life when someone just wanted to see the good in you and wanted you to live up to your full potential. Sylvia’s character in, “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara represents Sylvia's transitioning from her childhood to adulthood. It is motivated by Miss Moore's Lesson where the process of the growth is demonstrated through Sylvia’s life experiences which later makes her realize she needs to grow up.

Toni Cade Bambara wrote the short story, The Lesson, in 1972. The Lesson is considered by the Literary Canon to be a wonderful work of fiction because of its use of language, humanistic theme, symbolism, and non-genre plot. Two essential elements that add to the depth and enhance a reader?s comprehension of The Lesson are Bambara?s use of symbolism and theme.

Toni Cade Bambara’s "The Lesson" revolves around a young black girl’s struggle to come to terms with the role that economic injustice, and the larger social injustice that it constitutes, plays in her life. Sylvia, the story’s protagonist, initially is reluctant to acknowledge that she is a victim of poverty. Far from being oblivious of the disparity between the rich and the poor, however, one might say that on some subconscious level, she is in fact aware of the inequity that permeates society and which contributes to her inexorably disadvantaged economic situation. That she relates poverty to shame—"But I feel funny, shame. But what I got to be

“The Lesson” Tony Cade Bambara Understanding the lives and experiences of the characters presented in the short story "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara readers should acknowledge the significance of privilege and setting. The plot focuses on Sylvia, a child who comes from a low-income family. Sylvia and Miss Moore speak about the reality of economic inequality and of course the impact it has on how privilege comes about. Privilege and environment play a role in how many opportunities an individual might have as well as having an impact on actions, thoughts and attitudes. Miss Moore, who is knowledgeable and aware of inequality in society, represents privilege.

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

"The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara is not just a spirited story about a poor girl out of place in an expensive toy store, it is a social commentary. "The Lesson" is a story about one African-American girl's struggle with her growing awareness of class inequality. The character Miss Moore introduces the facts of social inequality to a distracted group of city kids, of whom Sylvia, the main character, is the most cynical. Flyboy, Fat Butt, Junebug, Sugar, Rosie, Sylvia and the rest think of Miss Moore as an unsolicited educator, and Sylvia would rather be doing anything else than listening to her. The conflict between Sylvia and Miss Moore, "This

“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, is a short story with many different character traits. Miss Moore is a person in the short story who has many different traits. Miss Moore teaches the kids the value of a dollar in a unique way. Miss More shows that she is caring, presentable (confident about her looks), and well educated teacher, who is trying to better the lives of the kids, through out the story. Miss Moore shows off her traits in many ways.

Despite all her rebellious actions, Sylvia feels slightly uncomfortable when everyone is about to enter F.A.O. Schwarz. She states, “…but when we get there I kinda hang back. Not that I'm scared, what's there to be afraid of, just a toy store. But I feel funny, shame.” (Bambara 4). The quote signifies that for some reason, Sylvia is feeling insecure. She is not afraid of a simple toy store, but it is something different. She knows it is embarrassment. In this context, the cognizance is coming to Sylvia in the form of embarrassment. After witnessing the immensely different lifestyles on Fifth Avenue, she starts to understand Miss Moore’s ideas. She is slowly learning just how big the cavity is between the different economical classes. She feels like an outsider. The child in her is slowly growing up, absorbing the harsh reality of the world in the process. In addition, when the children are at the store, the exorbitant prices of the toys compels Sylvia to question herself of the social and economic differences. She states, “Who are these people that spend that much for performing clowns and $1000 for toy sailboats? What kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain't in on it? ” (Bambara 5). According to the quote, all the children have arrived at the toy store F.A.O. Schwarz and got a look at the inflated prices of the toys. Sylvia is questioning herself about

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

The negative effects can be seen in that competition for jobs in American society is so competitive that author John Michael Roberts asserts that people, "Work for free" (28). While Americans tend to believe that competition brings out the best in people, the Marxist theory states that it actually brings out the worst in people such as greed, selfishness, and unethical actions. This can be seen by how the characters of "The Lesson" and Callie's family are living in extreme poverty despite being in the richest nations in the world. Danzinger and Danzinger assert, "The child poverty rate in the US is high in relation to the rate in other industrialized countries" (57). This high poverty rate can be seen in "The Lesson" and it shows how competition can leave some people at the bottom even in New York, one of the richest states in the United States. Miss Moore sees that it is unjust for kids to be living in such poverty and says, "Imagine for a minute what kind of society it is in which some people spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven" ("The Lesson", Bambara 151). While some people get rich off competing, some get left behind and many times the ones that do get ahead had to do something unethical. Sylvia notices all of the unethical practices it takes to get ahead in a competitive society and as a result, when Miss Moore gives Sylvia money

Growth within characters makes them more appealing. Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” conveys character growth as a way to achieve more appealing characters. “The Lesson” follows an obnoxious girl named Sylvia who goes on a trip with some friends. Miss Moore orchestrates this trip; Sylvia and her cousin, Sugar, hate Miss Moore. The children and Miss Moore travel from Harlem to Fifth Avenue to visit a toy store.

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