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 and expenses pieces made her feel motivated and encouraged, which unfortunately did not happen in Sylvia’s case.
At the end of the day, Miss Moore just wanted to show the kids an entire different world, which was different from their daily lives. She wanted to show the kids what they can accomplish in life, regardless of their current reality.
