Daily Archives: September 20, 2024

I will write about wealth inequality and I will give this essay title called “the wealth inequality of the word”. In this essay, “lesson”, by Toni Cade Bambara, Miss Moore asks a group of children if they know what money is like and says this world is made of wealth inequality. She also says they are poor and live in the slums. Sylvia personally doesn’t agree with her until they go to the fifth Avenue. They see the price of a hand-crafted sailboat of fiberglass through the window of a toy store and that cost one thousand one hundred ninety five dollars. When she saw this price she was very shocked and couldn’t believe this sailboat cost that much. Her sailboat is just fifty cents, she doesn’t believe people will buy that expensive sailboat and believe this sailboat should have a motor or other special on it. Unfortunately, there was nothing special on this sailboat, just a handmade sailboat. There is a big gap between the poor and the rich. They don’t care how much this thing is worth,because they can afford it. For low income people like Sylvia won’t spend that much on a sailboat. Even if she has the money, she will spend this money on other places, but it is likely that she still couldn’t afford it with her savings. When Miss Bambara tells them to go inside the store everyone stops moving including her. This made her very angry because she felt that this was not like usual self where she could go wherever she wanted. She thought in her mind but her body just can’t move forward. No one moves because they feel the inequality between poor and rich, they know they can’t afford anything in this store. Finally they followed Miss Moore into this […]

Toni Cade brings us through many different facets in “The Lesson.” She explores economic disparity, the lack of socioeconomic security, and the effects of growing up in a marginalized community. A part of the story that I found very interesting, and one I could resonate with, is witnessing how Sylvia’s attitude changed as they made their way through the toy store. At the beginning of the story, Sylvia appears to be a very outspoken individual with strong opinions on her classmates, environment, and Miss Moore. However, as Miss Moore takes the children outside of their comfort zone, she’s able to evoke many different emotions out of them, including Sylvia. As an individual who grew up in the North Bronx within a poor community, I could resonate with her feelings of apprehensiveness and uncomfortability being in such an expensive store. I’ve had the pleasure of being a nanny to many different wealthy families in NYC, with whom I’ve traveled to The Hamptons, Martha’s Vineyard, and overseas. Similar to Sylvia, initially being within those dynamics and out of my element, I would feel uncomfortable as if I didn’t belong, “But I feel funny, shame. But what have I got to be shamed about? Got as much right to go in as anybody” (Sylvia). I would often times find myself rationalizing my being there and meeting such successful people. Unlike Sylvia, my feelings didn’t manifest into anger and resentment but more so a curiosity to learn as much about the places I was visiting and the people around me to further educate myself. Which was Miss Moore’s objective with the children—to provide them with exposure to cultivate a new way of thinking. I was saddened to realize that, unlike Sugar and Mercedes, who adopted an introspective attitude at the end of the trip, […]

A topic I would write in an essay on “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara that doesn’t talk about the socio-economic issues in the story but more on an interesting detail would be about the impact this trip to Fifth Avenue with Miss Moore has left on the children. In the beginning of the story, the main character and the other children weren’t quite familiar with the world outside their own that was until a lady named Miss Moore brought them to Fifth Avenue where they learned how about the unjust equal opportunity. There, they found expensive toys that costed more than enough to feed a whole family which made the main character, Sylvia, angry. But besides the anger towards how unequal they found she society was, I believe that this whole trip had a major impact that changed these children’s views of the world and possibly even affected them to work hard for their future. A different title I would give the story would be “The Impact.”  

If I were to write an essay about “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, I would entitle it “Role Model” or “It Takes a Village.” In the essay, I would focus on Ms. Moore’s unwavering dedication to expanding the minds of neighborhood kids by introducing them to experiences beyond their immediate environment, such as upscale toy stores like FAO Schwarz, demonstrating her belief in the transformative power of knowledge and exposure. Ms. Moore’s emphasis on education and critical thinking is evident in her interactions with the children, particularly in her conversations with Sylvia. When Sylvia questions the lesson’s relevance to their lives, Ms. Moore encourages her to engage with the realities of social and economic inequality critically, challenging the children to think beyond their immediate circumstances. She motivates them to question, analyze, and seek understanding, nurturing a sense of agency and empowerment. Ms. Moore’s influence cultivates curiosity and critical awareness, establishing her as a positive role model committed to the children’s development.

If I had to write an essay that focuses less on socio-economic issues and more about interesting/important details or elements in the story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, I would probably decide to write about the symbolism that Toni Cade Bambara added into this story. One of the symbols I saw was when they went to the toy store and as they were looking through the window, they saw a boat that was priced at one thousand one hundred ninety- five dollars. Sylvia had to reread it twice because of how ridiculous she thought the price was for one toy, which I agree on. Sylvia was shocked and a bit angered at this which can symbolize that she has a different perspective on what to spend money on as well as the relationship she has with money and wealth. This one toy can symbolize the difference between poverty and wealth, depending on who’d buy that and who wouldn’t even believe the price. Lastly, the title I’d give this essay would be something basic and maybe along the lines of “Symbolism in The Lesson”

In an essay focused less on socio-economic issues and more on other important elements in Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson,” I would explore the themes of personal growth and mentorship, particularly through the lens of childhood challenges. The story highlights Sylvia’s journey of self-awareness, as she navigates her environment with growing curiosity and observation. Miss Moore, with her appearance and approach—”nappy hair, proper speech, and no makeup”, serves as a symbol of individuality and defiance of societal norms, pushing the children to question their surroundings and aspire for more. While Sylvia’s educational background remains ambiguous, her sharp observational skills show her potential to transcend the limitations of her upbringing. The real focus of the story is on internal struggles and the awakening of perception, as Sylvia begins to grasp that her circumstances don’t have to define her future. The title for this essay would be “The Awakening of Perception: Navigating Childhood Challenges and Mentorship,” highlighting how mentorship helps shape a deeper understanding of the world beyond material inequalities.

After reading through the short story “The Lesson”, the title would be “Through the Lense of Childhood Challenges”. Bambara made a very good point about the fact childhood life exists with challenges as well as challenges that come with it. Stories can tell us something about what had happened at the time of setting within the writing, and something big for it to represent the situation. I think for this short story, her childhood represented a big impact. That big impact I learned from the short story is through the struggle of education. We see this girl in a coming of age story viewing her background with much anticipation of the world. We don’t even know how Sylvia is educated. But we understood by Sylvia’s personality that she might have been well observative and analytical to her surroundings. But regardless if Sylvia is well educated, there can be other potential problems she has experienced through the story like her neighborhood and society. I imagine Ms. Moore would be the testimony behind Bambara’s past life if she were to be a real life person.

I would just like to add that I appreciate the exposure that Miss Moore is giving the children in her community. It’s an exposure that they more than likely would not have with out her.

I think this essay focuses more than the socio-economic issues in “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, you might look at how Slyvia grows and becomes more self-aware. At first, Sylvia is resistant, shown when she says, ” I’m really hating this nappy-head bitch and her goddamn college degree”, which emphasizes her first defiance towards Miss Moore. By the end, Sylvia reflection ” Ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin,” shows she’s starting to think differently and she feels more determined.  Another perspective is Miss Moore could be seen as pushing the kids to see things differently, especially when she said, “Where we are is who we are,” encouraging them to question their surroundings. The toy store could symbolize dreams, when a toy is expensive it represents both dreams and aspirations: the wanting and The work. If I had to give this a title for this essay it would probably be “Growth and Symbols”.

If I were to write an essay on “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, I would probably write about childhood development and how it’s affected by different aspects. The title would be ” A Journey Through Childhood Development”. The introduction would give a quick idea of how someone’s childhood could have effects on a person’s current, and future, way of life and how it relates to the story. Each body paragraph would focus on how various interactions and thoughts affect the children differently, such as how Miss Moore tries to teach them in varying ways, the children’s view on her lessons (and each other) throughout the story, and how the children begin to change by the end. I would include certain parts from the story, like how the children realize how the world works, how they all want their piece, and how Sylvia starts to think through what she was being taught and how that could affect her future.

Hi everyone, I think I would write in an essay that is less about socio-economic issues and more about other interesting/important details or elements in the story is empowerment. Miss Moore is trying to get the students to take action that will change society. This would require them to stand out and speak up, to be different. Miss Moore is a good example of this with her “nappy hair and proper speech and no makeup.” She also doesn’t use her first name and doesn’t go to church. On the train ride back, Sylvia remembers one of Miss Moore’s refrains, “Where we are is who we are. . . But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way.” The response she’s wants in return is “that poor people have to wake up and demand their share of the pie.” She wants to get through to the kids that they don’t have to be limited by where they grow up. The “demand” indicates that they will have to do something about it. She’s trying to empower them enough to take the necessary steps. I would name this story “Empowerment Awareness”.

While an AI generated essay on “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara would be about socio-economic and broad social issues, I found the narrator, Sylvia, and the start of her growth to be more interesting. In the beginning of the story, Sylvia found Miss Moore to be an annoyance. She hated the way Miss Moore looked, and the constant lessons she would try to teach the children. Sylvia called the teachings boring, and would much rather have gone to the pool. I interpreted this as Sylvia normalizing the way life was, and not caring about Miss Moore’s lessons. Once they headed to the store, Sylvia’s behavior changed. Once the realization hit her that people spend more money on pointless toys than her family spends on life essentials, she finally started giving it some thought. However, it wasn’t a complete 180 from before. She shut down when Miss Moore specifically asked her what she learned, and didn’t wanna hear Sugar realizing it too. It’s almost as if Sylvia didn’t want to believe what she learned, and was taking it out on the people around her. After all, Sylvia was a child, and growth takes time. I found the first step in her path to seeking a better life to be the most fascinating part, as it’s subtle change was realistic. As for the title of the essay, I think “The First Stage of Grief” is fitting, because Sylvia was essentially in denial of her reality even though she knew better.