In The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara, a group of uneducated children learn about the injustice of the distribution of wealth. Using symbolism, the author is able to educate the children and the audience of the importance of fighting for their share of the dream through the use of Miss Moore, the toy store, and their diction. Miss Moore is a college graduate who has seen life outside of the ghetto. “Miss Moore was her name. The only woman on the block with no first name”. She has attained a higher status than the rest of the community. To be called by one’s last name is a symbol of respect. It also distances her from others and shows a lack of familiarity. She becomes a symbol of arrogance in the community. The adults mock her for her …show more content…
“Imagine for a minute what kind of society it is in which some people can spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven”. The children are beginning to see the unfairness in the division of wealth. Poorer families do not have the luxury of wasting money on frivolous toys. “I could see me askin my mother for a $35 birthday clown. ‘You wanna who that costs what?’ she’d say, cocking her head to the side to get a better view of the hole in my head. Thirty-five dollars could buy new bunk beds for Junior and Gretchen’s boy”. Poor families living in destitution are resourceful, “‘my sailboat cost me about fifty cents’”. Even though they do not have the financial benefits, the children play with toys they make themselves. They value money because there is less of it so it goes to the important things in life. The impoverished value food and beds over toys. Rich families that are not burdened by insufficient funds value material possessions and luxury items. They still have the necessities; however, they are not burdened by the lack of food or beds. Those born rich are able to live life not realizing the struggles of the poor. Poor families see money and associate that with food. “‘You know, Miss Moore, I don’t think all of us here put together eat in a year what that sailboat costs’”. Even the children understand the hardships that a lack of money can cause. These people value money because they
But it don't necessarily have to be that way, she always adds then waits for somebody to say poor people have to wake up and demand their share of the pie..." (652). This quote not only illustrates that Miss Moore classifies herself and the children as poor, but also that she believes they need to take initiative to do something about it. By taking the children to store where one toy costs the equivalent of feeding one of their families for a week, she shows them how different the priorities of a wealthy person are as opposed to a poor
“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara is not just an original story about a poor girl out of place in an expensive toy store. The short story is based on an African-American girl named Sylvia who was trying to be a normal girl but she always thought she was better than anyone else. Sylvia was an ignorant, and an abusive girl who thinks Miss.Moore as an unsolicited educator. Sylvia’s classmates had agreed with Sylvia’s opinion, people such as Fat butt, Junebug, Sugar, Flyboy, and Rosie. Miss.
Oppression, Education, but Not Stupidity “The Lesson”, a short story by Toni Cade Bambara, features a young African American girl, Silvia, in New York during the 1960’s or 70’s. Sylvia is strong-headed, to say the least, and the story follows her and her friends on an outing into uptown New York. An older and well educated woman from their neighborhood, Miss Moore, takes the children into the city to a very well-to-do toy shop called F.A.O Schwarz. As the children look around the shop, Silvia becomes more and more frustrated and angered by the extravagant toys and the price tags whose numbers could feed her family for a year or more. After the children leave the store and return home, Miss Moore asks a crucial question, “what did you think” (Bambara 103).
One common modern saying is that “money makes the world go round”. People living in developed nations, specifically the United States, often strive to become rich and live a life compromised of indulgences and luxuries. A topic of debate, however, is whether or not this way of living is selfish, and if we, as humans, have a responsibility to adopt alternate lifestyles that better foster the decline of poverty and, oppositely, the rise of adequate, healthy lifestyles for all of humanity. Both Dorothy Day in Loaves and Fishes and Peter Singer in “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” acknowledge the consequences of this desire for excessive amounts of money and, alternatively, advocate for a lifestyle of voluntary poverty. Dorothy Day lived her life serving the poor and now serves as a role model for people looking to live their lives dedicated to the less fortunate.
I viewed Frontline a documentary series, which episode was entitled Poor Kids. The frontline personnel spent time with three children Kailey, Johnny, and Britany along with their families as they all struggle financially. We perceive a glimpse of what it is like to live below the poverty line in America through a child’s eyes. While observing the documentary, I became consciously aware that children who are considered poor or living below the poverty line were more mindful of the responsibilities of life. The children were worrisome of the lack of employment for their parents, bills, and in Britney’s case; how they would accommodate their way of living to support a new addition to the family.
She begins by talking about her college experience of how her own professors and fellow students believed and “always portrayed the poor as shiftless, mindless, lazy, dishonest, and unworthy” (Paragraph 5). This experience shocked her because she never grew up materialistic. She brings up the fact that she is the person with the strong and good values that she has today because she grew up in a poor family. In culture, the poor are always being stereotyped.
Character growth creates more appealing characters. Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” conveys character growth 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.
In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the author illustrates the idea of social inequality and the lack of quality education for African-American children. The narrator of this story who is introduced to the reader as a young black girl growing up in Harlem named Sylvia, inevitably is revealed as the story’s dynamic character. The story introduces Miss Moore, the only educated person in the neighborhood, who decides to take some children on a trip to F.A.O. Schwartz in Manhattan. Sylvia, initially looks upon Miss Moore with bitterness and defiance and believes Miss Moore is preventing the children from having fun. In reality, the goal of the trip is to show the children another side of life, hoping they realize that education is important if
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.
When people are poor, they often have a lot of problems in their life. They struggle through every day, but they learn to appreciate everything that they have. However, when people are going through tough times, they often think that money will solve all of their problems. In “A Raisin In The Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, she guides the audience through a black family -- impacted by the need for money -- living on the south side of Chicago. The Younger family gets Lena Younger’s dead husband’s insurance check and buys a house in a white neighborhood, and they save the remainder of the money for Beneatha’s medical degree and for starting a liquor store.
According to the PBS Frontline video “Poor Kids” 2012, more than 46 million Americans are living beneath the poverty line. The United States alone has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the industrialized world. It is stated that 1 out of 5 children are living in poverty. The video documented the lives of three families who are faced with extreme hardships and are battling to survive a life of being poor. All three families have more than one child and could barely afford to pay their bills and purchase food for their household.
The characters of ‘The Lesson” play critical roles as their motives are defined by their behavior and actions. Sylvia is a school age girl who has street knowledge and has learned
In the article entitled, “A Generation Struggling: Rich Kids are Losing,” Dr. Brian Carr talks about how rich kids have a lot of problems. First, Carr describes the way rich kids live their lives. The writer tells us the life story of struggling rich kids. In addition, he points out that wealthy kids don’t want to work hard to be successful but want to be successful quickly.
This is where Sylvia begins to wonder how the amount of money a toy costs on Fifth Ave could be used to help her family. She explains that if she asked her mother she would say “Thirty-five dollars would pay for the rent and the piano bill too” (Bambara 59). Among several things, only thirty-five dollars could make an enormous difference in Sylvia’s family. They would need it to have a roof over their heads, compared to the people on Fifth Ave who would use that money to buy a toy. She then beings to question “Who are these people that spend that much for performing clowns and $1000 for toy sailboats?
In the short story, “Not Poor, Just Broke,” Dick Gregory creates an amazing true story about how him and his family was affected by poverty in the 1930’s. Richard was a resourceful, intelligent kid. He is always creating ways to get around their tight budget. Richard is not like other kids, He will believe what everybody says about him. Richard and many other kids can easily be affected by poverty There is no doubt Richard was affected by what other people say or think.