ipl-logo

Summary Of The Lesson By Toni Cade Bambara

975 Words4 Pages

“The Lesson”, by Toni Cade Bambara, is a short story which shows that while education is a powerful and essential tool for changing one’s circumstances when it comes to social status, it is ultimately how we are affected internally by the things we learn that matters the most. It isn’t as simple as merely being educated or working hard. Hard work doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, and education doesn’t necessarily influence change. The psychological effects of poverty can lead individuals to feel trapped in their circumstances, and oftentimes an equal amount of luck is needed in addition to hard work, emotional and mental resilience, and education to overcome the obstacles to financial security.
Economic status can cause people to feel …show more content…

A. O. Swartz store. It’s easy to see by her statement that being exorbitantly rich to the point of spending money senselessly is viewed as a “white person” problem. According to statistics presented by “The Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation” and “The United States Census Bureau”, minorities suffer a higher rate of poverty. It would seem being born with extra melanin, on its own, could set a person back on their path to success, so it isn’t far-reaching when Rosie Giraffe makes this …show more content…

When faced with such an example of frivolous spending, it could easily serve to make someone of lower income feel like they were catching a glimpse of another world entirely…a world from which they were unceremoniously excluded by reason of circumstance. Living in poverty can lead a person to feel overcome with hopelessness when comparing their own lives to the lives of the wealthy. This can result in a lack of motivation to improve circumstances since the future isn’t easy to envision while dealing with immediate stress. As professor of psychology, Elliot Berkman puts it, “Worrying about tomorrow can be a luxury if you don’t know how you’ll survive

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of The Lesson By Toni Cade Bambara

    250 Words  | 1 Pages

    In “The Lesson” written by Toni Cade Bambara, the kids exhibit behaviors that suggest that they are uneducated. Aside from living in the “slums” as Miss Moore says, they also use words and phrases that are less than respectful. The kids seem to be uneducated because they use improper language, they look down on education, and exhibit bad behavior. The first way the kids indicate that they are uneducated is by using foul language and poor grammar. For example, at the beginning of paragraph two Sylvia says, “And the starch in my pinafore scratching the shit outta me and I’m really hating this nappy-head b*tch and her god*amn college degree.”

    Read More

  • Peter Singer Bystander Effect

    1691 Words  | 7 Pages

    They buy many things that they could do without. I am not saying you shouldn’t buy things beyond basic necessities. Rather that instead of buying that 30th pair of shoes or 7th car; the money would be better spent helping someone who has almost nothing. If each person gave a small amount, the money needed to feed and provide for these very poor people could be reached quickly. This isn’t the reality though.

    Read More

  • Summary Of On Becoming Educated By Joy Castro

    1142 Words  | 5 Pages

    Today, you either get educated or you get stuck in a dead-end job without much prospect for the future. The gap between those with a higher education and those without one is becoming wider with advancements in technology and the growing competitiveness of the job market. There are many dangers of this gap. One such danger is the people who have a higher educations having the leisure to ignore those who are less educated. Joy Castro in her essays “Hungry” and “On Becoming Educated” discusses her life and educational journey.

    Read More

  • Cultural Theory Of Poverty

    886 Words  | 4 Pages

    While many theories of poverty exist, few focus on the overarching issues that exist to perpetuate poverty in the United States. Of them all, the Structural Theory of poverty addresses those issues most directly. This theory focuses on the overarching structural factors in society that dictate our lives and every decision. It is impossible to address poverty and combat this ever-pressing, and ever-growing issue without recognizing that society places people in situations that are out of their control. Similarly to the Cultural Theory of Poverty, which explains how belonging to a socio-economic class (specifically being in poverty) for generations produces a new family culture that is distinct from others.

    Read More

  • College At Risk Summary

    545 Words  | 3 Pages

    Going to college for many students is just a normal part of life. It is what will enable them to get an education that eventually will lead to get a well-paid job and the resources and the status to live a comfortable life. But for college professor, Andrew Delbanco, the American college has a higher purpose. In the article “College at Risk”, Delbanco states that colleges should be promoting critical thinking among students, through knowledge of the past and the interaction with each other; as well as, help them discover their talents and passions and figure out what they want to do in life. This type of education is called liberal arts and for Delbanco, it represents the ideal education.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Serving In Florida By Gregory Mantsios

    1318 Words  | 6 Pages

    The American dream is a dream of a land in which one can prosper with ambition and hard work. This idea has created many illusions for some because in reality the American dream is proven to be something that is rarely achieved. No individual is guaranteed success or destined for failure, but it is apparent that women, people of color, and those born into poverty will face greater obstacles than others, despite being a greater part of the American population. An author that tackles the issue of class in the United States is Gregory Mantsios. In his essay, “Class in America-2009”, Mantsios aims to prove that class affects people’s lives in drastic ways.

    Read More

  • Chris Mccandless Materialism

    1601 Words  | 7 Pages

    In the Non-Fiction by Jon Krakauer, Into The Wild, we are introduced to the eccentric mind of 24 year old Christopher Johnson McCandless. Chris came from a family who was financially stable. When he graduated from Emory University, Christopher Johnson McCandless took off without the awareness of his loved ones, gave all his savings to OXFAM, destroyed everything in his wallet, and reinvented a whole new life for himself. In my opinion, I think what McCandless did is something to be admired. He did so many things without the need of a companion or society in general.

    Read More

  • Part Time Indian Theme

    954 Words  | 4 Pages

    No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor.” Junior faces many difficulties. He often misses school when he goes to Reardan as it was far from home and there was never gas in the car and goes sleeps being hungry. Junior’s dad spends most of the money as he is an alcoholic and gambles. His dad does try by driving 22 miles now and then for him to attend school.

    Read More

  • Growing Up In Poverty In The United States

    493 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Katherine Magnuson and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal, “poor children are one-third less likely to complete high school than those children not living in poor areas” (33). Children living in poverty does not only possess lack of education because they can’t pay for the education but due to lack of parental involvement and high risk of getting involved in crimes as a result dropping out of school. When a child does not get diploma or degree they don’t have the opportunity to get a good paying job as a result they will live in poverty for their whole

    Read More

  • Teaching With Poverty In Mind Book Summary

    926 Words  | 4 Pages

    in Organizational Development and a Ph.D. is in Human Development. Jensen also synthesized brain research and developed practical applications for teachers for over two decades. I believe his purpose for writing this book was to put focus on the way poverty affects students and to give fellow educators theories, research, and strategies to hopefully ensure success against despite the present challenges. Summary The book has a total of 6 chapters not including the introduction.

    Read More

  • Bridges Out Of Poverty Essay

    1896 Words  | 8 Pages

    Bridges out of Poverty provided valuable insight on how to better understand the constructs of poverty, as well as offering strategies for how to help those living in poverty transition to middle class. The book was designed to help readers recognize and address issues contributing to poverty. There are many different hidden rules that exist within each socioeconomic class. Using the resources available in this book can help those living in poverty gain insight on what is trapping them in the poverty cycle. In addition, it can help those of us who are already living within the middle-class identify the reoccurring patterns of poverty and what we can do to assist in the development from poverty to middle-class.

    Read More

  • International Student Personal Statement Sample

    1224 Words  | 5 Pages

    Personal Statement I was born and grew up in a rural village in Jiangsu province, China. I am a female, a Chinese and at present also an international student. What do all those identity markers mean for me and how have they shaped my interest in the sociology of culture? Being born as a country dweller means education is probably the only upward ladder. Both of my parents are common peasants with neither much economic capital nor political capital.

    Read More

  • Children Raised By Rich Parents

    541 Words  | 3 Pages

    For many years children have been growing up thinking that social class determined their future. That being raised by from a wealthy family will eventually help support them in the future. In today’s society many children have been poor and now are famous, well-educated and stable in their lives, whether there were growing up poor or rich. The problem lies in the difference of children raised by poor parents versus children raised by rich parents.

    Read More

  • Culture Of Poverty Research Paper

    633 Words  | 3 Pages

    A culture of poverty phenomena does exist. The work of Durlauf (2011) supports the culture of poverty phenomena through explaining how the theory of poverty whether it pertains to a family, a community, or a larger society all have one thing in common, a cycle of poverty that has been learned and passed down from generation to generation creating poverty traps. Poverty traps hinder the poor from surpassing values, norms, and learned behaviors that cause people to remain in poverty. The cycle of poverty is generated by many different factors, however, it is not defined by socioeconomic status or by ethnicity. There are situations where individuals live under dire circumstances within the lower socioeconomic status, yet are still able

    Read More

  • John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Speech: The Pursuit Of Happyness

    833 Words  | 4 Pages

    On January 20, 1961, John F Kennedy, the United States of America’s 35th president, gave his Inaugural Address. One of the most discussed statements from that speech was, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” This statement has been discussed far and wide, mainly on whether or not one must realize that they cannot depend on others to succeed; they must depend on themselves to succeed. When one is facing poverty, they must work as hard as they can to get out of it.

    Read More

More about Summary Of The Lesson By Toni Cade Bambara

Open Document