As I read the story, “The Lesson “by Toni Cade Bambara, I was immediately drawn to the Sylvia’s description of Miss Moore. One of such is” This lady moved on our block with nappy hair proper speech and no makeup “(Bambara 1). There were many other reasons why Miss Moore stood out in this neighborhood, and one of them was that she was always planning something. For this reason my title for this story would be “Teachable Moments.” On this occasion Miss Moore took the children to The Toy store on Fifth Avenue. In this experience she piqued their interests to learn about new things; such as the paper weight and the microscope, had open discussions and explained the prices. However, most of all she observed their reactions. “And I watched Miss Moore who is steady watching us like she is waiting for a sign” (Bambara 5). Miss Moore wanted them to broaden their thinking and enjoy their childhood. As Sylvia said” I’m thinking about this tricky toy I saw in the store. A clown that somersaults on a bar then does chin ups just cause you yank lightly to his leg” ( 5).
Daily Archives: September 16, 2024
“Knowledge is Power” is what I would title the essay to my interpretation of the short story “The Lesson” by Toni Bombara. In the short story, we learn about Sylvia and her block friend’s trip with Ms. Moore and how one rip in their reality can cause them to believe there is more to them than where they come from. Sylvia is first presented in the story as someone who knows exactly who she is and has a good understanding of how the adults around her move, so there’s nothing that surprises her as she is a brilliant and observant young girl and won’t change for anybody, not even Ms. Moore. That is until she is given this new perspective in life, how the World around her is a lot more unforgiving than it seems, and how she has been dealt a poor hand for no other reason than losing the lottery in life to gain better opportunities. From there on she is angry with her new reality and how her small world has been ripped from her hands by Ms Moore but, it is not for nothing. It wasn’t just some painful experience Ms Moore wanted to inflict on these children but rather drive them to reach for more than their surroundings. I’m glad I see this in the final sentence where Sylvia announces how “ain’t nobody gonna beat” (Bombara) her at anything, the lesson that Sylvia was trying so hard not to embody and detest ironically, ignites a fire in her.
My title would be “The different ways in which individuals conceptualize the same idea”. In the story “The Lesson”, They all live in the same neighborhood and they all live in very similar situations – Living in the ghetto with similar house holds. “while our mothers were in a la-de-da apartment up the block having a good ole time” (Bambara 1). However, during their visit to the toy store, they all had different reactions. In the end some personalized the experience while it flew over the heads of others. It had an effect on all of them but the severity of the effect is different. For example, Sylvia and sugar. They both understand the concept, that the lesson is a contrast to how they live versus how others live in relation to their financial stance. Thereafter, sugar accepts her reality and situation. The lesson never truly got through to her, However, for Sylvia, her reality was threatened and in that moment she felt ashamed and somewhat vulnerable which she’s not used to. Those feelings urge her to change her situation instead of accepting it like sugar.
