When reading “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara there is a clear distinction between two characters and their experiences in the FAO Schwarz toy store. These two characters are Mercedes and Sugar. From the very start once they get out of the taxi they see all the white people in their attire. They head to the toy store and see a toy that catches their eyes instantly but once they know the price they are in awe. Mercedes seeing all the fancy stuff shows from the start that she is more educated on certain things and is more fortunate than the others seeing that she owns a stationary and that she would go back when she got her birthday money. On the other hand, Sugar tells us that even saving up all the allowance money they would have already outgrown the microscope that they had seen in the window. The clear separation of social class and education shows that they have completely different upbringings. Mercedes isn’t fazed when she finds out what stuff costs at the store and wants to come back when she gets money, while Sugar knows she isn’t fortunate enough even if she saved for some time.
Daily Archives: September 16, 2022
The two characters I chose are Mercedes and Sylvia who visited the FAO Schwarz store and seemed to have different reactions. They both saw that toys were so expensive. They both realized that a sailboat toy cost was the same as the cost of rent, but it seemed like Mercedes really wasn’t surprised. She mentioned that she would like to go back on her birthday when she gets money. She seemed to come from a family who didn’t struggle. I felt like this isn’t something new to her and she is okay with it. As opposed to Sylvia, was upset and angry about it. She was surprised that there are people who are okay with buying these toys when that same amount of money can be used for bills and rent. Sylvia seemed like she was interested at the store but didn’t want to show it to Miss Moore. I think was Mercedes was nonchalant about it. On the other hand, Sylvia was processing her thoughts. I think Sylvia didn’t find it fair that she wasn’t part of that life.
The story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara focuses on equality, class, appearance, and education. The story raises the issue of unfairness in society and the way children learn about it. While we read the story, we come across with multiple characters. Miss Moore is a school teacher who constantly plans different activities for the kids. One day she decides to take kids to the FAO Schwartz on the fifth avenue. As soon as kids arrive to the location, everyone seems very intimidated by the prices and the toys. I would like to discuss and compare behavior of two characters, Mercedes and Sylvia. Sylvia has always had a very negative attitude towards Miss Moore. She did not like the way Miss Moore would speak or dress. She hated her for her college degree. Sylvia and her friend Sugar mock the woman because of her “nappy hair” and “proper speech.” Once they arrive at the FAO Schwartz, Sylvia realizes that they’re on Fifth Avenue, where everyone is dressed in expensive clothing. It immediately makes her feel upset and irritated. When they enter the store she did not understand what was the point of seeing all those fancy expensive toys without any money. She imagines how ridiculous it would be to ask her mother to spend that much on a toy clown. Sylvia thinks about all the things that much money could pay for in her family. On the other hand, how see a different reaction from Mercedes who was very excited and happy to see the place. She even says that she wants to go there with her birthday money. She truly appreciated everything she was and felt motivated at the end. She felt that she could do so much more in life regardless of the circumstances. Seeing all the amazing […]
In reading Toni Cade Bambaras “The Lesson” the two characters that stuck out to me the most were Sugar and Mercedes. I chose these two because I feel that their final outlook on the lesson contrasted the most. It is subtly made clear that Mercedes is more affluent than the other children by her comments of “My father’d buy it for me If I wanted it” and the fact that she has things the other kids do not (A desk & stationery). Despite being taught the lesson of class disparity she still exudes an heir of superiority which is cemented when she expressed desire to return to the toy store on her birthday completely unfazed by the lesson After her visit to the toy store, it is clear to Sugar that there is a financial gap between those from her neighborhood and others. Made apparent when she compares the price of the toy sailboat to the combined total their parents have to feed them every year which is probably low because of income disparities even going as far as to musing about the logic of a society where some people can frivolously spend the equivalent of what others depend on for survival. This gives her character some form of growth/development Side note: In my opinion, Sugars character development (realization of class injustice) is overshadowed by her desire to frivolously spend the money Sylvia unjustly obtained
Two characters that caught my attention in “The Lesson” are Sylvia and Mercedes. Firstly, Sylvia doesn’t want to go to the store at all and doesn’t even know why she’s going as she knows she doesn’t belong there. She has a feeling of shame when Miss Moore urges the children to go inside and has the shame of being lower class, hating Miss Moore for even taking her. Sylvia doesn’t understand why people buy such expensive toys as she sees such an expensive one but then sees one that’s $35 that she likes but realizes the money used on it can help her family instead. On the other hand, Mercedes wasn’t surprised by the prices of the toys and she’s already an upper-class girl and it’s normal for her. She knows more of the items than the other kids as she has expensive things and it’s nothing to her. She wants to come again with her birthday money and buy more toys and it’s like a shrug on the shoulder for her, nothing expensive really.
In “The Lesson”, the two characters I want to compare are Mercedes and Sylvia. Their characters had a different experience in the lesson that Miss. Moore was trying to teach them. Mercedes didn’t see the lesson because she out of the group had the most money the the only one that had a desk at home. On the other hand, Sylvia realizes that there was no equality in the world. Sylvia realized that in order to afford these expensive toys, you’ll have to be like the who’re people or live like them, but for Mercedes she wanted to be like the white people, seeing no wrong in what she learned. This story is what I can relate to because me being in the “hood” I never realized the inequality in the world because everyone around me had the same. It was until I went out of my neighborhood to travel to school was when I seen the difference and mine and other neighborhoods. And also social media had open my eyes that in the “ rich or suburban” neighborhoods had more than mines. They had “better”. They they buy things that I wouldn’t even touch because what was taught in the “hood” was to be cautious on what you spend. Sylvia was right when she stated “…this is not much of a democracy if you ask me.”
In “The Lesson”, Flyboy is someone who comes across as more mature and way more talkative than the others. Based on what he said and did he was someone who understood a lot about the things around him like how to manipulate the adults into pitying him by saying things like how he doesn’t have a house. He also spoke up more and was more confident with himself even though he might be wrong at times. In contrast, Junebug was way more naive about things and it shows how she said she didn’t have a desk at home and then questioned if she was right by saying “do we?” Although they were both different in terms of personality they both seemed to understand that the toys in the store were for pretty wealthy people and were able to see the financial differences even if it wasn’t at a deeper level than others might have.
The short story “The Lesson’ By author and advocate for African American and women’s rights, Toni Cade Bambara included nine characters. Eight of which are adolescents and one adult. The emphasis of this story in my eyes were put on Sylvia and Miss Moore, two other supporting characters are Sugar and Mercedes. Sylvia had a rotten and bitter attitude towards most things, especially anything that Miss Moore had to say or do. Sylvia wanted to control everything around her, she despised the idea of not being in charge. I think it made her feel belittled and not much of anything other than a young black girl that felt poor and helpless, she needed her ego to drive her to feel of importance, apart of her being headstrong made her a good leader, but not always a good student. Sugar was her right hand girl, they were “the only ones just right.” Sugar followed behind Sylvia most of the time. Mercedes was a little different from all the other characters, she had more than what they had to settle with and her outlook on the division between her African American community and the White American community differed. Miss Moore was an educated black woman, a neighbor that felt responsible for the children in her neighborhoods education. Although, the parents talked poorly of Miss Moore at times, they knew what she could do for their children’s futures and success. Miss Moore took all the children to a toy store, unfortunately it was not the children had hoped. It was a lesson, not a shopping spree. Mercedes thought highly of the rich and white, she wanted to reach that level of success. What she did not realize is that there was a separation of her community and the other communities, that what she […]
