After reading Toni Cade Bambara’s short story ” The Lesson”, I would center my essay on positive human emotions and traits, such as joy, happiness and kindness. I would title it “Kill Them with Kindness”. In the story, Miss Moore takes the children on a field trip, stopping at an upscale toy store. This experience plants a “seed” of awareness in the children’s minds, sparking both joy and happiness. Miss Moore’s kindness stands out as a key element in the story, but it’s also a source of discomfort for the kids, particularly Sylvia and Sugar, because it represents something unfamiliar to them. Miss Moore’s approach, though well-intentioned, challenges their worldview, making them uneasy about the unfamiliar kindness and lessons she imparts. Ultimately, her actions provoke complex emotions, but they also expose the children to the new experiences and understanding, which Miss Moore’s true lesson-using kindness to help them grow and see the world differently.
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2 thoughts on “Michal Piencioszko Discussion week 3 redo”
Michael, I’m wondering where in the story you see joy and happiness? While Miss Moore has the best of intentions, but the children are having a miserable time, don’t you think? Even Sylvia, who learns something, is very angry at the end of the story.
Prof. Conway, I believe that the joy and happiness is infused into the kids only for a partial moment , as they arrived to the toy store. All the kids at that moment felt only joy – even if it was just for a second. Kids forgot about their everyday sadness. As a human nature goes, human have a very high defense wall for not allowing changes. Miss Moore, I believe is a symbol of so called ” wrecking ball” , and if the wall is tough and tall, it takes time to take it down. Brick-by-brick.
P.S Unless I am all wrong in my thinking process