Monthly Archives: February 2023

In the passage listed below, the chorus has just witnessed the argument between Oedipus and Teiresias the prophet. The have heard the prophecy that would ultimately destroy the reputation of Oedipus who is a hero to them. They adore Oedipus as their kind and savior, he solved the riddle of the Sphinx, he is at this time in the text trying to find the murder of the previous king. They cannot deny the accusations made by Teiresias either. This leaves them in a state of confusion and uncertainty. “I am in a flutter of foreboding”. They up until this point have had no reason to doubt the king. They question Teiresias’ wisdom, after all he’s only human. They will stand by their king unless some irrefutable proof is presented. The chorus is in a precarious position. Do they believe the hero or the prophet? Why would Teiresias lie? He was very confident in his accusations and did not want to say them at first. This point in the story is the beginning of the end of Oedipus’ glorious reputation. Line 564 – 594 “The augur has spread confusion, terrible confusion; I do not approve what was said nor can I deny it. I do not know what to say; I am in a flutter of foreboding; I never heard in the present nor past of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, that I might bring as proof in attacking the popular fame of Oedipus, seeking to take vengeance for undiscovered death in the line of Labdacus. Truly Zeus and Apollo are wise and in human things all knowing; but amongst men there is no distinct judgement, between the prophet and me which of us is right. One man may pass another in wisdom but I would never […]

In the story “Araby”, words I would use to describe the boy is, sensitive, innocent, romantic, and he has a mindset that is very impressive. He’s a young boy who is experiencing feelings for a friends sister and how he is willing to gift her something from the Bazaar. His character affects to what happens in the end because he was coming to a realization that him being “in love” was all in his head, and because he knew it was just a vision of his he was built with anger and was heartbroken. The way he was viewing certain things made him want to believe he was in love with his friends sister. He thought that going to the Bazaar to get a gift would be a romantic and magical place to his wanting. He also couldn’t find something special for the girl which was disappointing to him.

In the story, “Araby”, the main character can be viewed as a romantic, but impulsive individual. Having a romantic personality led to him having some unrealistic expectations. He grows an attraction towards the sister of his friend, Mangan. Sensitivity seemed like a personality trait as well, based off the way he acted around the girl. He wants to buy a gift for her, rushes to do so, but eventually ends up disappointed. He wanted to get her a gift just so she could like him back, but it’s not that easy, is it? With that being said, he eventually realizes that his feelings were just short-lived and based off a fantasy in his head. It was just physical attraction, nothing more. He also realized that he was just being impulsive and that although all these thing are normal for a young man, he was ready to head into the adulthood chapter of his life.

The Boy in the story “Araby” By James Joyce in my eyes would be described as naive,imaginative,romantic,in love. The reason I say these words is because his attraction towards his friend (neighbor) sister is what makes him do what he does throughout the article. To the point where he has created an imaginative world in his mind where he and she are united. I should say he is also idealistic because it is reflected in his imagination with an exotic place called bazaar “Araby” which he has been so excited to visit. This impacted the ending because of his love for his friend’s sister as he daydreams of romantic scenarios will drop when arrives at the bazaar. Upon arrival he is let down and faced with realization as the bazaar was nothing like he imagined it to be. Also not being able to find a suitable gift brings hopes down even more. He realizes that his romantic idealism was misplaced.

The short story” Araby’ by James Joyce is about a young boy who lives in Dublin, Ireland that is experiencing life and has developed a liking for his friend’s sister and he vows to get her a present at Bazaar. Some phrases to define this character in the story include amusing and readily swayed, as well as optimistic as he arrives at Bazaar seeing as a young kid your naivety can definitely give us different views on things. but he discovers that it is not what he imagined. Learning to realise that things don’t always turn out as anticipated fact that he had idealized a major amount of what would happen makes him unhappy and dissatisfied because of how he saw it and what he had in mind. He could essentially demonstrate how young children perceive the world as something vast and available for them to enjoy and explore with their innocence.

In the story “Araby,” the boy is about 12 years old and has a crush on a girl who lives across the street. He spends a lot of time daydreaming about her and imagines himself as a brave knight who will win her heart. One day, the girl mentions that she would like to go to the Araby bazaar, a market that sells exotic goods. The boy sees this as an opportunity to impress her by buying her a gift at the bazaar. He becomes very excited and starts making plans to go. However, he has to wait until his uncle comes home to give him money for the bazaar. When his uncle finally arrives, it is already late and many of the stalls are closing. The boy rushes to find a gift for the girl, but he is too late and most of the good items have already been sold. Feeling disappointed and disillusioned, the boy realizes that his romantic ideas and dreams were not realistic. He sees the bazaar as a symbol of his lost innocence and the harsh reality of the adult world. He understands that he can never go back to his childlike beliefs and that he must face the challenges of adulthood.

In the story “Araby” by James Joyce is the story of a boy who becomes attracted to his friend’s sister. and become easily influenced and almost obsessed with them. Some of the words that I would use to describe the boy in the story are, hopeful, absent minded, and obsessive. He was very hopeful as he thought someday, he might end up with her. This also draws in on him being obsessives as on the bottom paragraph of the first page it state “Every morning I lay on the floor parlor watching her door.  Even the boy being so absent minded was cause by his attraction to this girl. He started to answer few questions in class and his master thought he was beginning to idle. This affects what happens to the boy in the end because he thinks everything he did up to this point was useless as he now knows the girls works there.

“Araby” by James Joyce is a short story about a young boy that falls in love with his friend’s sister and tries to buy her a gift from a bazaar, basically another word for market. some words to describe this boy would be naive, romantic, infatuated, imaginative, idealistic, disillusioned. His character affects what happens at the end because he realizes that bis love was based on a fantasy and illusion, and he feels angry and ashamed of himself. The boy’s infatuation brought him to dote on this so intensely that he’d watch her from his window, waiting for the very moment she’d come into his eye view just to catch a glimpse of her, shameful of the possibility of the getting caught doing so. His infatuation with this girl also brought on a level of impatience and fear of the idea of not being able to retrieve this gift for her, in this aspect he isn’t alone when it comes to love we find ourselves doing strange and unreasonable things.

In “Araby” by James Joyce, I would describe the narrator as naive. The narrator became obsessive over his crush and began to devote his days into winning her love by any means necessary. The narrator describes his mental state as unable to focus when he says, ” I had hardly any patience with the serious work of life which, now that it stood between me and my desire” (Joyce paragraph 12). This affects the character in the end because he goes to the bazaar in order to look for a gift for his crush and he becomes disillusioned after realizing that he couldn’t find anything good to buy. This is what makes the narrator naive, because he believes that he can buy his lover’s love when love between two people should be based on the connection versus the materialistic. The narrator comes into age after experiencing his first disappointment in life, which is love, and this affects him because in the end, he sees himself as “ creature driven and derided by vanity” (Joyce 37). This affects the narrator because now he feels like his chance of winning his crush is over due to the masculine pressure to provide, which he failed to do. 

The boy in the story is a young boy who is mesmerized by his friends sister. His friends sister is so beautiful that the young boy gets a crush on her after the first sight and he is eager to talk to her and impress her in an attempt to win over her love. The boy in the story eager to win over the love of his crush goes to a bazaar for her because she cant go herself. At the bazaar the boy tries to buy flowers or something nice for a young lady and he is determined to achieve his goals but his plans are ruined by his drunk uncle who comes home late right before the bazaar closes. The boy is determined to  go to the bazaar for his crush but since its closed at the end of the story he did not reach his goals and he is upset mainly because his uncle forgot about his plans this leave the determined in love boy to storm off from the bazaar empty handed because he arrived too late to purchase anything for his crush.

The protagonist of James Joyce’s “Araby” is a young boy who is on the cusp of adolescence. He is naive, idealistic, and romantic, and his character is essential to the story’s outcome. He is a dreamer, and his romanticized view of the world leads him to believe that the bazaar, Araby, will be a magical place that will fulfill his desires. He is also naive in his expectations of the bazaar, believing that it will be a place of wonder and beauty, and that he will be able to find something special for the girl he loves. The boy’s naivety and idealism are what lead him to his disappointment at the end of the story. He is unable to find anything of value at the bazaar, and his romanticized view of the world is shattered. His character is also important in the way that it affects the story’s tone. His idealism and naivety create a sense of innocence and hope, which is then contrasted with the harsh reality of the bazaar. This contrast creates a sense of sadness and disillusionment, which is the main emotion of the story. In conclusion, the protagonist of “Araby” is a young boy who is naive, idealistic, and romantic. His character is essential to the story’s outcome, as his naivety and idealism lead him to his disappointment at the end. His character also affects the story’s tone, as his innocence and hope are contrasted with the harsh reality of the bazaar.

In the reading about Araby, I would describe the main protagonist as a boy with a crush. From the detailed description of the surroundings, weather, building structure, etc., I initially got the impression this was an older teen-aged boy, maybe 17 – 19. After reading further, and noticing the almost “obsessive” crush on his friend’s sister (her name escapes me at the moment), I realized he was younger. I still don’t think he is a “young boy” – young to me would be between 7 – 12, with the times he is able to travel by himself or with peers, but perhaps early teen years, between 13 – 15. The voice of a typical, teenage boy, with a crush, trying to prove himself, find himself and get the attention and adoration of a young girl. I also get the impression that he is used to doing things on his own to some degree, with the texts eluding to his uncle having a drinking problem, or coming home drunk fairly often; or even working, being busy or simply forgetting the boy. Due to his circumstances and home life, I feel this built a determined characteristic within him, with a hint of maturity to “always get things done”. He was informed most of the stalls would be closed, if not all, before he left the house to visit the bazaar, but still did his best to go. I felt that towards the end of the reading, the boy’s disappointment and anger was mainly towards his uncle, not the lack of items available to purchase. He was looking forward to going for some time; so much so that he couldn’t concentrate on his studies or tasks. He gave reminders up until the day of, and still forgotten. I believe his actions of just […]

In the story “Araby” by James Joyce the boy boy can be described as introspective, idealistic, and naïve. He is a young, inexperienced adolescent wrestling with his sexuality and desires. He is also portrayed as a romantic, drawn to the exotic charm of Araby and the prospect of discovering something transforming there. The boy’s character influences what occurs in the end because the narrative is recounted via his eyes and views. During the story, his hopes and aspirations grow as he anticipates eventually being able to visit Araby and buy a present for the girl he has a crush on. His idealistic dreams are crushed, however, when he arrives at the bazaar and discovers that it is nothing more than a business market, devoid of the magical and romantic elements he had envisaged. When he sees the emptiness of his aspirations and desires, his disillusionment leads to a tremendous sense of sadness and loss. Finally, the boy’s character is crucial to the development of the plot in “Araby,” since his point of view informs the reader’s comprehension of the events that follow. His idealism and naiveté ultimately lead to his disappointment and despair, transforming “Araby” into an emotional coming-of-age narrative rather than a normal love story.

The young boy in the story “Araby” by Joyce, can be described as an innocent, sensitive, impulsive and attentive boy. At the beginning of the story, one can see how the boy pays attention to every detail of everything in his surroundings, such as the streets and the person who lived there before him and his belongings. This demonstrates he was attentive. He noticed every little detail and described it as it was. He also was so sensitive, the way he acted every time he saw the girl he liked are examples of his sensitivity. He felt some kind of mixed emotions, felt so nervous and cried without explanation, he could barely speak to her. There are a few examples that show us he was so vulnerable and had intense feelings. This also shows he was so innocent, he didn’t know what he felt and didn’t know how to control his emotions. Also, his feelings for his friend’s older sister made him make some desperate decisions because all he wanted was that she liked him back so he wanted to get her a gift. In some scenes one can observe the boy’s behavior as an impatient person, such as when he was supposed to go to the bazaar to get the girl a gift, and his aunt told him “he may put his bazaar off for that night” (Araby), and he took the money and left. This is an example of the boy being impulsive. At the end of the story, he gets angry and frustrated by the fact that he was late to the bazaar and couldn’t get anything for the girl. This situation opened his eyes and he realizes he’s obsessed with her and if it wasn’t because of that he wouldn’t be so desperate to get the […]

The main protagonist in the short story “Araby” by James Joyce can be best described as a very young boy that still plays in the streets of his hometown, Dublin Ireland. Many words can be used to describe the boy such as imaginative, curious, and confused in a sense. This story is not necessarily a love story but rather a story about the “coming of age” as portrayed by the characters development in feeling and emotions throughout the plot. Towards the middle of the story, the little boy begins admiring Mangan’s sister. However, the moment he laid eyes on her, that admiration soon became stronger and intense. The author then proceeds to empathize on how the little boy was thin king of this girl in the most unexpected and unique places and ways. At some point a reader can identify this as being desperate and obsessed to some extent. Mangan sister soon mentions the bazaar that the little boy is very eager to go to. This is because he wants to show her how he is way more mature than she thought and to impress her. This shows readers how the whole aspect of this story is not “love” but rather playing around with your head and environment to figure out who you are. That is what readers can see glimpse of regarding the little boy. Furthermore, the little boys character depicts what eventually happens at the end of the story because soon he realizes that he has wasted his efforts of going through all of this just not get what he went there for.  Therefore, his character of being curious, unintelligent to some extent because he is young, and desperate resulted in this to happen.

The words I would use to describe the protagonist of the story is, he is a young boy who lives in a home in Dublin, Ireland, located on a dead end street, detached from the other homes. He enjoys playing with his friends in the street and he still attends school. In the beginning of the story he seems to be a innocent young teenager that has a crush on one of his friend’s sister. He becomes obsessed with her, truly believing he is in love with Mangan’s sister. He’s imaginative He begins watching her through her window. He admires and expresses into detail of her looks and his attraction towards her. His mind becomes clouded and he can no longer think of anything else but this girl. As he hears the girl is not going to the baazar, he has the idea of buying a gift for his “love.” Along his journey, as he arrives he is hit with the hard reality. He did not love the girl. In fact it was only physical attraction and nothing more. As he searches he learns he knows nothing about her.

I would describe the boy in the story as naive and vulnerable; lacking emotional intelligence. It is implied by his attempt to hide in the shadows to avoid going home, that he is of a very young age. Since he doesn’t have much control over or knowledge of his emotions, a crush on Mangan’s sister turns into more and instead turns into a sense of desperation, “I looked over at the dark house where she lived. I may have stood there for an hour, seeing nothing but the brown-clad figure cast by my imagination, touched discreetly by the lamplight at the curved neck, at the hand upon the railings and at the border below the dress” (Araby). Toward the ending of the story, the boy is angered by the lack of options he was left with at the bazaar, having arrived too late. “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” If he had not been so susceptible to an obsession with Mangan’s sister, he would not have been so determined to buy her something, and therefore, he would not have been so angered by his inability to.

Araby is a well known story about a boy who wants to impress the girl he has been obsessing over for a while now. At the beginning of the story he is described as a young boy. He begins to notice his friend’s sister and starts to act silly, following her to school and thinking about her in unlikely places.This is the first change we notice from the boy, he is starting to have feeling for this girl and the first thing he wants to do after she finally acknowledges him is impress her. Throughout this story the boy begins to change and have mixed emotions. The boy has mixed emotions within this story and begins to have feeling for this girl. The boy changes in Araby by not only gaining some maturity, but his emotions for his friends sister deepens as well, and he comes to a realization and faces reality at the end of this story.

When they arrive at the apartment building, Miss Moore asks the children what they thought of FAO Schwartz.After visiting this toy store,  the children’s view of the world is changed especially for Sylvia. Sylvia is a rebellious, opinionated young woman who wants control of her own life. She learns that the world she lives is un fair because not everyone is seen as equal. She learns that inequality exists and its happening to her. Throughout the short story Sylvia Portrayed as tough hard-shelled individual.Sugar’s journey over the course of the story seems to parallel Sylvia’s, as they both learn to recognize the wealth inequality in their society. But while Sylvia is unable to effectively understand and vocalize her feelings due to her anger, Sugar is able to learn from Miss Moore’s lesson without feelings of resentment. This difference leads to a change in Sylvia, as she has to deal with a new gap in understanding between her and Sugar.

The main character in “Araby” is a young, inexperienced boy who dreams of romance and adventure. He has a crush on Mangan’s sister and makes a promise to buy her a gift at a bazaar. His infatuation with her leads him to go to the bazaar, but when he gets there, he realizes it’s not as magical as he thought it would be. This makes him feel sad and disappointed, and he realizes that his romanticized view of the world was unrealistic. The boy’s character is important because he represents the idea of growing up and losing innocence. His dreams and desires show how young people can be naive and idealistic. His disappointment at the bazaar marks a turning point where he realizes that the world is not always what it seems. He learned that sometimes things don’t go as planned and that he needs to be more realistic. This is an important step towards growing up and becoming more mature. Overall, the boy’s character shows how growing up can be difficult and disillusioning.

I would describe the boy from the novel “Arby” by James Joynce as someone vulnerable and emotional. He got lost in his feelings and lust for his friend’s sister. He has never experienced this feeling and he doesn’t know the proper way to express it. He created a fantasy in his head he believed would work and at first, he seemed like he received some thrill or rush from it but reality hit, and he realized he started to lose himself. I believe the message the narrator was trying to convey is getting lost in your emotions is possible. Make impulse decisions will always have a consequence and lesson. It’s up to you on which one you’re willing to receive and what effect you allow that emotion to have after something happens. Life is already unpredictable.

In the short short “Araby” by James Joyce, a young narrator brings us on his journey of blinding infatuation. Throughout the story, it almost seemed like the narrator was being guided by a light. Little did he know it would lead him to a dark dead end. I would describe the protagonist as naive, passionate, and rash. The narrator is hell bent on purchasing an item from a Bazaar named “Araby” for his neighbor who you can call his “crush” after having a short conversation about the marketplace event. The narrator thinks this bazaar is some sort of sophisticated Middle Eastern market when in reality it’s run by the English. By the time he arrives, it’s almost closing time so there aren’t many people and the atmosphere is dead just like back home. The narrator is confronted with the harsh reality of the bazaar and realizes he was so blinded by his fantasies he didn’t realize he spent most of his money on his way there so now he can’t even purchase any gifts for the girl he likes.

“Araby” by James Joyce is a story about an Irish boy who lives on a quiet street but has an “uninhabited house of two stories stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbors in a square ground.” The “wild garden behind the house as an apple tree and struggling bushes.” After reading this story, I picked up some confusion from the young boy. He has some romantic observations of his friend’s sister, whom he described as her “figure defined by the light, and her dress swung as she moved her body while her hair tossed side by side.” There is something about lights throughout the story; it seems he doesn’t see the bright light at the end of the tunnel for him. The young man is shy when the young girl is nearby, “when we came near the point at which our ways diverged, I quickened my pace and passed her.” He is an inexperienced young man who had no preparation when going to the Bazaar; he was expecting his uncle to provide him with funds to purchase something for the young girl. His emotion got the best of him when his “eyes were often full of tears but doesn’t know why.” His daydreaming and desire towards the young girl were seemingly getting unreal; his impatient and expectation didn’t coincide with his feelings. He seemed lost in the story and needed to use this experience as a learning lesson for himself. He would need to disconnect from his fantasy to be recognized; he needs self-love at this point.

Araby by James Joyce is narrated from the point of view of a young boy. Numerous descriptions of the narrator’s home and neighborhood are provided. He says that North Richmond Street is very peaceful, with a “wild garden” behind his house and an “uninhabited house of two storeys” at the end of the street. When you read the story, you can feel the boy’s confusion and frustration as he navigates his newfound feelings for his neighbor’s sister. The contrast between bright and dim is a major theme throughout the narrative. Aside from his obsession with the girl, who is always depicted with a bright, almost divine light, the narrator seems to have no sources of hope in his life. The narrator describes how the home life is monotonous and devoid of happiness. He sees the bazaar as a magical and exotic place that brings a lot of joy into his life. Unfortunately, the bazaar is already partially dark when he gets there, and the last lights go out. When I read the story, the young boy strikes me as sensitive and romantic, but he also strikes me as naive and inexperienced.His thoughts are constantly diverted to daydreams about the girl he can’t help but be hopelessly in love with. I believe that he went to the bazaar to find a place where his dreams and thoughts about the girl could be fulfilled, but that was just a thought in his mind; he wanted to get her something from the bazaar without first making any preparations. To the point of complete disillusionment by the story’s end. When the light goes out at the end of the story, he understands that his dreams and hopes have also vanished. What he will do next is unclear, but his unrequited feelings for the girl […]

In the beginning of the short story Araby, I would describe the young boy as being very affectionate and sensitive. Due to the fact the boy has a huge crush on Mangan’s sister he is very descriptive of her as well as how he watches her from a distance and infatuates about her. He shows signs of desperation as he sits and thinks about her daily and even begins to fantasize about her and he begins to think about having a future with her. He changes by the end of the story because he starts to feel rejected and discouraged due to the fact he wasn’t able to attend the Bazaar as planned and was unable to purchase a gift for her due to the fact he arrived late and doesn’t have enough money. He becomes disappointed which makes him realize that he was going over board with his feelings for Mangan’s sister.

After reading the novel “Araby” by James Joyce, I think I would use the word lost to describe the boy in the story. At the beginning of the story, the boy is curious about his friend’s sister and has a crush on her. Here he has his first lost, he can’t concentrate, either at school or at home, and he keeps thinking about the girl. He waits for her to appear and converse with her. His second lost was when the girl told him she wanted to go to the fair. It was the only thing on his mind, and his uncle’s late return made him too anxious to think about anything else. The last lost was at the fair, where he lost himself because he didn’t know what gift he should bring back to the girl. His fantasy was wonderful, to bring back a gift to meet the girl. But the reality is that he doesn’t think about what to bring back. This is a reflection of the fact that adolescent boys always have good fantasies but rarely think about reality.

  The unnamed protagonist of “Araby” is introduced to us as a young Irish boy who goes to school and plays in the street outside his house with his friends. When he begins to see a girl in the neighborhood, Magnan’s sister, in a different light, we are shown another side of the narrator. His character becomes shy, sensitive, and obsessive. This confused adoration he gains for Magnan’s sister completely preoccupies his thoughts. He is unable to focus in school, and he cries and sings thinking of her. He is also unable to speak to her. When he finally does, after she approaches him about the bazaar she is unable to visit, he promises to go there and buy her something. When he arrives at the bazaar, it is not the exotic sales stalls he is expecting, and he does not find a suitable gift for Magnan’s sister. This raised expectation caused by his romantic feelings that have grown for her is not met and is ultimately the reason for his frustration as he stands in the darkness. You realize how innocent he truly is, and how he is not ready to experience real love yet.

In my opinion, the boy in the story “Araby” by James Joyce is benevolent, the boy is learning and mentally maturing throughout the story. Although the boy may become more aware of his surroundings, he still falls into his own delusion by chasing a girl he had a crush on. The pursue of a girl lead to the realization that the boy was only chasing a fantasy. His arrival at the bazaar was a sign of the darkness, since his high hopes for a relationship with the girl, Mangan’s sister, was just an idea and it was never going to happen. The author stated, “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” Furthermore, people experience new things and the desire to find love, therefore at some point everyone feels the emotions the boy felt. The inexperienced boy learned a life lesson early. 

The boy in the story seems to be dealing with “love at first site” or what he thinks is love. I would describe him as determined, passionate, and easily influenced. He was so fascinated with a girl who he only exchanged very few words with and he didn’t know why. While he wasn’t mature yet, I feel like he was on the right track to be because he was aware that he didn’t know why he felt so in love with her. He felt obligated to bring her something from the bazaar, possibly thinking that a gift may be the way to win her love rather than just speaking to her. When his uncle forgot he wanted to go to the bazaar and came home late, he was upset but still very determined to go. When he ended up going late and not buying anything, he was angry and defeated. The bazaar seemed to be closing and he couldn’t find anything to buy for his crush. I think he was angry at his uncle, but at himself too for thinking it was a good idea in the first place.

The little boy in this story is the narrator himself. He is currently 12 years old and I find him quite pessimistic for someone his age. He’s more of an honest type and quick to always tell the truth but he doesn’t make it to the end of the story because he doesn’t want to disappoint his aunt and the whole congregation who prays and cries for him. He identifies as someone who is quite down to earth and down to earth. According to the text and the way he exposes things I can say that he only believes what he sees

This story “Araby” by James Joyce to me is about an adolescent boy that has become curious about his friends older sister. He is starting to recognize his feelings and affinity for the opposite sex and he starts to fantasize about the young lady described. He is not yet at the point where he is ready to approach her and confess his feelings. He has only had a few mild interactions with her, small talk. The fantasy he as poured so much though into exists only in his mind. He seems to be at a time in his life where he is transitioning from a child to a pre teen or teenager. He still plays with his friends and hides from adults, but he also has all these powerful emotions that he doesn’t quite know how to process. He can’t take his focus off of the young lady, he thinks of only her while he is in school or at home. He takes the time to watch he door, waiting for her to appear. When he finally does have an impromptu conversation with his crush, they end up talking about the Araby bazaar, she casually mentions that she would love to go and it would be splendid. He takes intense notice of every movement she makes and it seems as if he amplifies it in his mind. It is in this fashion that he takes on the mission in his mind to make it to the bazaar. He had promised to bring her something if he went, he could not miss this event. This was his chance to actually show his crush some affection in real life. He makes his plans to go by getting permission from his aunt and uncle. The days leading up to the bazaar he could […]

The two characters that had different reactions to FAO Shwartz would be the narrator and Mercedes. The narrator demonstrated the reality for poor kids growing up with his survival mindset. For example, the narrator lists all of the different uses for thirty-five dollars, and they are all related to providing for the home. For instance, he acknowledges that “thirty-five dollars could buy new bunk beds…pay for the rent and the piano bill too” (Bambara 6). It is common for children that are poor to miss out on experiences that other children would have and instead learn responsibility and how to survive on “making ends meet”. This prevents the narrator from seeing the fun and entertainment behind toys and instead he uses his logic based on wants and needs. Mercedes on the other hand shows her connection to childhood by having hope that she would get her toys with her birthday money. This reveals her desire and hope to be like other kids regardless of money and economic status which highlights her connection to being a child.

Two students that I picked after reading “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara” were Sugar and Rosie. Both of the girls had some mix feeling after visiting the Fao Schwarz toy store. Rosie has hopes that someday she will be able to go and visit the store again and actually buy something. Sugar comes to the realization to see the difference in income level. The money that one family of six could be used to be supported, was getting spent on a toy boat by another family. Both of their response are similar as they both target the wage gap between lower and middle to upper class. Rosie sees a light at the end of the tunnel where she’ll get to this level one day, and Sugar see the struggle it takes to even build up to that kind of level.

  The two characters I picked from “The lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara are Sugar and Sylvia. In this story, a well-educated woman named Miss Moore has taken it upon herself to expose the unappreciative children of the neighborhood to the world outside of their broken-down community. The location where the central part of the story takes place is the FAO Schwarz Toy Store in Manhattan.  Slyvia, the Black narrator, and her younger cousin Sugar are roped into accompanying Miss Moore on an educational day trip. Slyvia and Sugar dislike Miss Moore because of her “proper” way of speech and her preaches about the value of money but  Sylvia would much rather spend the day at the pool or the movies where she and Sugar can “terrorize the West Indian Kids and take their hair ribbons and their money too. When the group arrived at Fifth Avenue the children begin to look through the windows at the toys on display. They’re astonished by both the high price tags and the items themselves: Big Butt wishes he could afford a $300 telescope, and all of the children are shocked by a $480 paperweight. The kids are particularly fascinated by a toy sailboat that costs $1,195, and they wonder why any parents would ever spend that much money on a toy when it would be so fragile, and they could just make their own toy boat for cheaper. Eventually, Miss Moore suggests that they go into the store. Sylvia and Sugar lead the way, but both of them feel suddenly anxious and ashamed as they get to the front door. Sylvia remembers feeling the same way when she and Sugar snuck into a Catholic Church—they were going to pull a prank on the parishioners, but Sylvia couldn’t go through with it

In the short story ‘‘The Lesson’’ by Toni Cade Bambara is about a group of children living in a poor area of New York City who are taken on a trip to a wealthy neighborhood. The two main figures I chose are Miss Moore, a highly educated local teacher, and Sylvia, a pupil on summer holiday. The main character immediately describes her crowded, scarcely populated neighborhood. As the narrative goes on, Miss Moore concludes that it would be best for the kids to purchase gifts in a more affluent area. Most adults in the city of F.A.O. Schwartz pay for their own accommodation, but most children reside in government-subsidized housing. Like a woman wearing a mink coat in the summer, Sylvia immediately observes the stark socioeconomic differences between affluent White people and disadvantaged Black people. Sylvia receives four dollars from Miss Moore at the end of the tour, which she saves for herself. Although it’s conceivable that some will assume Sylvia is stealing the cash from Miss Moore, I think is more likely that she has just lately learned the value of money. This is clear because from the fact that she had no idea how much money she had before heading to the toy store, particularly when she was in the cab. Sylvia had stolen Miss Moore’s four dollars, but she had also learned a valuable lesson. Miss Moore decides to teach the kids about their living situations and how they should work to change how other people view them. Sylvia, a student, learned a lot from stealing to learning a moral even how vast the differences are, they can still prove their worth in the future. This is something that happens throughout the entire novel. The business, in Miss Moore’s opinion, will impart valuable lessons to the children […]

The character of the boy in Langston Hughes’ “Salvation” is a complex one. At first, the boy is shown to be naive, easily influenced, and idealistic. Even though he is only a child, he has a strong religious belief and is very dedicated to what his grandmother taught him. He also wants to know more about the idea of salvation and is eager to do so. But he is also a little bit rebellious because he doesn’t want to do what the church says or what his peers expect of him. By the end of the story, the boy’s life has changed in a big way. His idealism has been broken, and a more mature view of the world has taken its place. He has lost hope because he has learned that salvation doesn’t come from a single event or religious ritual. Instead, it comes from a long-term effort. He is also more open to the idea that the beliefs of his peers might be different from his own, and he is willing to embrace the fact that people have different ideas.

The 2 characters I chose are Sylvia and sugar. When they first approached the store you can tell a shift in both of their attitudes. Sugar attitude was more eager and cherry and obviously more excited. As for Sylvia she’s not so eager at all if anything she had a attitude the moment they got there. When they entered the place Sylvia instantly outta place and out of her element. Which is understandable because of where and how she grew up, this is all foreign to her. Sugar on the other hand is the complete opposite, she’s absorbing everything and living in the moment. She’s just excited to be there and even though she knows she can’t afford anything she stills admire the toys and everything around her. I understand why Sylvia is upset. Growing unfortunate and seeing everything you wish you can get but can’t get it due to financial problems

The two characters I chose are Sylvia and Sugar. When they first approach the store, FAO Schwarz, I feel like although Sugar is more eager and open to visiting, Sylvia kind of has a nasty attitude about it. When they enter, Sylvia instantly feels like she does not belong there, because of her background and where/how she grew up. Sugar seems to be enjoying the experience and taking it all in. She’s grateful that she can be there. She admires the toys, even though she knows that she cannot afford the toys there, she’s having a good time just looking around/window shopping. I can understand why Sylvia felt the way she did. As a kid, it must be tough wanting all these things but not being able to have access to them due to financial reasons. These kids must see other kids in the store buying the toys and it’s understandable to feel a certain type of way about it.

I choose Sylvia and Sugar. In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, we get to see when someone “less fortunate” sort of experiences a “more fortunate” person’s toy store or shopping day. At first, all the kids would bunch up at the window of the store to see the price tags when they saw something they were interested in. Then when it came time to go into the store, Sylvia and Sugar both felt like maybe they didn’t belong in that store. On page 5 of the text it states, “Only she don’t lead the way. So me and Sugar turn the corner to where the entrance is, but when we get there I kinda hang back. Not that I’m scared, what’s there to be afraid of, just a toy store. But I feel funny, shame. But what I got to be shamed about? Got as much right to go in as anybody. But somehow I can’t seem to get hold of the door, so I step away from Sugar to lead. But she hangs back too.” Based on this story, I could tell that Sylvia is usually not ashamed of her money or where she comes from. But here, I see how she felt intimidated to go into the store where she could not afford anything. It must have been so tempting, so aggravating, having to walk around the store seeing everything and not being able to have it. And seeing everyone, the type of people who can afford these things, buying whatever they wanted. This brings me to Sugar. Sugar and Sylvia are very similar. What stood out to me though, was Sugar’s response to what she thought about the toy store. “Sugar surprises me by sayin, ‘You know, Miss Moore, I don’t think all of us here […]

Sylvia and Sugar are the two characters in Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” who have opposing reactions to visiting the FAO Schwarz toy store. Sylvia is the story’s protagonist, and she approaches the toy store with a sour attitude at first, but Sugar is more open to the experience and exhibits delight. Sylvia is a streetwise, self-assured young girl from the slums who is first reluctant to Miss Moore’s efforts to educate her and her pals. As the party goes to the toy store, Sylvia is instantly turned off by the store’s grandeur and rich environment, which she views as being in striking contrast to her own circumstances. She feels awkward and out of place, and her annoyance rises when Miss Moore questions them about the excessive costs of the toys. Sugar, on the other hand, is a more reserved and modest individual who appears to be more open to the experience of visiting the toy store. She is initially taken aback by the toy store and the wide range of toys on display. Sugar, unlike Sylvia, does not appear to be uncomfortable or out of place, and she admires the costly toys on display without feeling guilty of her own lack of access to them.

In the story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, children were being taught more about brutal reality of inequality. Sylvia, a woman of color, doesn’t even have enough cash to afford toys. Not everybody can afford the toys at FAO Schwarz, and yet a relatively wealthy kid in the group named Mercedes is frequently judged for having things they can’t control. Sylvia could not even afford the toys she desired, so even though Mercedes could. The author acknowledged the problems of inequality by incorporating their financial differences. “So we heading down the street and she’s boring us silly about what things cost and what our parents make and how much goes for rent and how money ain’t divided up right in this country” (Bambara 2). In my opinion why would someone take kids and show them stuff they aren’t suppose to be learning ? I also believe that Slyvia was frustrated enough because she did not have the money that others may have to afford what others can.

In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, Sylvia and Miss Moore have distinct responses to visiting the FAO Schwarz toy store. Sylvia is a streetwise and cynical girl from the ghetto who is initially unimpressed by the lavish store. She dismisses the toys as overpriced and unnecessary and resents Miss Moore for bringing her and her friends to the store. Sylvia is resistant to the lesson on social inequality that Miss Moore is trying to teach and feels that it is patronizing and unfair. Throughout the story, Sylvia’s defiance and skepticism towards Miss Moore’s lesson intensify. Miss Moore is a socially conscious and empathetic adult who recognizes the stark contrast between the luxury of the toy store and the poverty of the children’s home environment. She sees the visit as an opportunity to expose the children to a different world and to open their eyes to the injustices of society. Miss Moore hopes that the experience will encourage the children to think critically about the distribution of wealth and resources. She tries to impart this perspective to the children, but her efforts are met with resistance from Sylvia. Overall, Sylvia and Miss Moore have different responses to the visit to the toy store. While Sylvia is dismissive and resistant, Miss Moore is empathetic and socially conscious, hoping to use the experience as a teaching tool for the children.

In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara there are two characters that caught my eye. The two main characters Sylvia and Sugar.  The story is about a girl named Sylvia and her friends who live in a poor area but are taken on a school trip to a toy store in a rich area called “FAO Schwarz Toy Store” by a woman named Ms.Moore who wants to teach them about social inequality. Sylvia, the main character is originally skeptical and suspicious of going to the toy store with Ms,moore and her friends.  She was skeptical on Ms.moore and doesn’t care about the expensive displays and toys that are for sight, She sees all of these customers who are spending a lot and making expensive and extravagant purchases. The way she acts and thinks throughout all of this is resentfulness and emotional because the toys she sees are out of her reach. she sees how difference in compared to her shopping and the people she sees shopping. Sugar on the other hand has a more fun, positive experience on the field trip. She is very admirable on the large expensive sailboat and wants to buy it regardless of the price. Sugars response to the store was in awe. in conclusion, the two character expressed two very different feelings int eh same scenario. both of their reactions mark the majority of social and economic dilemmas that exist in society  

In the story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the two characters that caught my attention were Sylvia and Mercedes. The story begins by illustrating a group of students who are going to be taken on an eye-opening trip to FAO Schwarz, a toy store, with the purpose of showing them and teaching them about economic inequality. Throughout the story, one can appreciate how economic inequality affects children and their development and also can see how they act after they see the expensive toys at the store. Sylvia was a low-income kid from Harlem. She was so disrespectful and expressed her anger verbally attacking Ms. Moore because of her proper behavior. At the end of the story, she realized the lesson Ms. Moore tried to teach them and becomes more reserved and well behaved as this lesson changed her life perspective and she kept thinking about the inequality and unfairness of how money is divided in America, while one has plenty of money, other families suffer. Mercedes, unlike the other kids, was wealthier, well-spoken and open minded. The kids used to make jokes and mock her because of that every time she talks about her family’s money. At the end of the story, she doesn’t seem to get the message at all, she values things based on their price. 

“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara is a short story that portrays and discusses the social issue of inequality in America. Throughout the short story, Bambara focuses on teaching and showing inequality by portraying how characters relate in an improvised neighborhood. To better understand how Bambara achieves to get her theme home to the audience, comparing the experience of Miss Moore and Sugar when they visited the toy store will be vital to enhance how the theme of inequality is arrived at. Miss Moore is presented as a woman well-educated with a college degree and perceived of a higher status in the neighborhood (Bambara, 1972 pp. 1). She is aware of the community’s inequalities as she acknowledges that money is not equally distributed in America (Bambara, 1972, pp. 2). However, she sees the trip to the toy store with the children as an opportunity to expose them to a world different from their neighborhood. By encouraging them to calculate the cost of the toys they are interested in and compare them to the limited resources of their family, Miss Moore hopes the children will understand some people exist with such potential and see the inequality that exists. Conversely, Sugar is a young girl from an improvised neighborhood who is impressed by the toy store’s products, costs, and elegant wealth. However, she is later disappointed and frustrated since she cannot afford to purchase one and asks if they can steal (Bambara, 1972 pp. 2). Sugar is also perplexed with what some individuals could spend on toys alone that could feed a certain family of seven(Bambara, 1972 pp. 6). In summary, the conduct and experience portrayed by Miss Moore and Sugar reflect the social and economic inequality that people encounter daily on the grass root. The author exposes the gap between those […]

The two characters I pick are Mercedes and Sugar these characters both had two very different experiences at the high end toy store. In the story Sugar seems like a mischievous young child mostly following her friends lead I even think Sugar and her friend thought about stealing from the Toy Store when they first arrived they were probably joking i dont know.  Mercedes acted different from Sugar and her friend Mercedes acted more conceited than her peers and acted like her father would buy her anything she wanted this made her unpopular with Sugar and her friends. The Characters in this story was mostly poor coming from the working class in society Miss Moore was trying to open their eyes on money because Miss Moore thought that working class people should want more of the “pie”. At the start of the story Sugar and her friend was eager to buy or obtain everything in the store until they seen the expensive price tag which led them into a Miss Moore lecture with the store clerk. While Mercedes entered the store window shopping while also bragging to her friends that her father could afford her anything she could want in the store that quickly made the other children not like her and they tried their best to shut her up quickly.

In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the two characters that i would compare are Sylvia and Miss Moore on visiting the FAO Schwarz toy store because Sylvia is from a poor family and a neighborhood that has low income, she is excited to visit the store but when she sees the high prices she becomes distressful on the prices of the toys and their value and on the fact that neither her or her friends can afford a single toy from the store. After visiting the store she realizes  the fact that how much discrimination exists in the society and she cannot do anything about it.Sylvia does show signs of frustration and stress and is not interested in listening to Miss Moores lesson about economic inequality. On the other hand Miss Moore is a college educated women, who want to empower kids so takes them on a trip to visit the toy store because she thinks that the children should be aware of the privileges that exist in the society and want. the children to realize  the economic issues and  inequality issues that they are facing. So while comparing Sylvia and Miss Moore we can see that Sylvia is frustrated with the fact that she cannot buy any thing from the store while  Miss Moore is trying to educated the children to think critically about the world around them.

The two characters from “The Lesson” I’ll be comparing their response to the experience of the FAO Schwarz toy store is Sylvia and Mercedes. Sylvia was taken out of her comfort zone, the ghetto, to get a first look at what the different experiences in the upper class could feel like. Sylvia seems to be a kid that speaks her mind with no apology behind it. Sylvia was exposed to how minorities and the more privileged were treated, which was unfair and unequal. An example from the story states that Ms. Moore expresses how money isn’t divided equally in this country. And I agree with her statement from centuries ago and still today, minorities, especially women and women with children, are underpaid. It also goes by where you live; some women barely make the minimum wage and make ends meet for their families. Sylvia questioned, “who are these people that spend that much for performing clowns and $1000 for a toy sailboat? What kind of work do they do and how do they live, and how come we aren’t in it? Once the community you are living in is underdeveloped immediately, you are looked at differently. You are paid the same way and looked at the same. The trip Sylvia was experiencing could be a learning lesson for her and her friends, for them to take their schoolwork seriously and attend college to have some degree so that people don’t look down on her because she is from the ghetto. After all, it’s not where you’re from; it’s where you’re going. Sylvia’s demeanor and outspokenness can be a future advocate for her community. Sylvia has the power to lead her destination if she takes all the pieces of advice she got from Ms. Moore. Mercedes didn’t feel how the other […]

In the story “The Lesson” By Toni Cade Bambara, a group of kids take a trip to the toy store with Miss Moore, their adult supervisor. On their way to the store, Miss Moore is lecturing them about life as usual, and just like every other lesson Miss Moore tries to drill in their heads, it goes through one ear and out the other, especially Sugar and Sylvia. When they get to the toy store, they window shop and marvel at the expensive toys until they lay their eyes on the $1000 toy boat. At this point, their astonishment turns into confusion. They ask who even purchases these toys when there are cheaper alternatives. Sugar starts to compare the price of the toy to how much her family spends on food and realizes it’s not even close to the price of a meaningless toy. Sylvia is almost uncomfortable with this harsh truth as she tries everything in her power to stop the discourse between Sugar and Miss Moore. Earlier that day Miss Moore tried to tell the kids about how the current state of the economy makes it unfair for people like them to get ahead, and since Sylvia dislikes Miss Moore, she hates the fact that a lesson is actually starting to resonate with her when she initially disagreed with her theories, but sugar was more understanding.

This story directs a deeper meaning in regards to inequality and how minorities may experience the same situation differently. Ms. Moore brings the children into the toy store and begins to look around. However, the main two characters in focus would be Sugar and Mercedes because of the fact of how different yet similar they can be at times throughout the story. Ms. Moore took the children to the toy store to show how different socioeconomic and financial factors can alter the experience for someone, most vulnerable being children who grew up not having too much. For instance, as stated in the story, it states, ” “This is the place, “ Miss Moore say, “Can we steal?” Sugar asks very serious like she’s getting the ground rules squared away before she plays. “This quote portrays the sense that Sugar wasn’t brought up with too much money and her family came from the struggle. The text emphasis “serious like” to illustrate to readers on how significantly she wanted a toy that she would just maybe steal one instead if she didn’t have enough money. On the other hand however, Mercedes experience in the toy store is a little different than rest of the pother children. She doesn’t seem to mind the prices too much when looking at them compared to the other children. For example, it states, ““I don’t even have a desk,” say Junebug. “Do we?” .“And I don’t even have a home,” says Flyboy. “I do,” says Mercedes. “I have a box of stationery on my desk and a picture of my cat. My god- mother bought the stationery and the desk. There’s a big rose on each sheet and the envelopes smell like roses”. This quote shows readers on how Mercedes was more fortunate then the re3st of […]

.Two characters that stood out to me was specifically Sylvia and Mercedes. The comparison between these two characters are completely different in how they act towards the lesson Miss Moore is trying to teach these group of kids on a trip to the toy store. Miss Moore is attempting to show these young kids the economic and social impacts on prices and the economic system issues generally. Mercedes is the only child who is different from the rest. The others kids truly come from and know what it’s like to not have rich privileges or rich things. However, Mercedes is well familiar and expresses that throughout the story.  She seems to be proper and unbothered or unshocked by the pricing of the toys and does not show she has learned anything from Miss Moore’s lesson in the end. Sylvia is quite the opposite. She is well aware of the lesson that is trying to be given by Miss Moore. In fact she is more angry throughout this trip and she shows her hatred and attitude toward Miss Moore any chance she can get. She fights and battles with Sugar over which toy they want. Sylvia does not want to give in to Miss Moore’s lesson and what she is trying to show these kids from this trip. However, Sugar betrays her friend by agreeing with Miss Moore and showing her true potential by not letting Sylvia take control of her.

Ms. Moore’s decision to bring the eight children in this story to an expensive toy store, in what seems to be a predominantly white neighborhood, is made in an effort to showcase the inequality that exists in the United States’ economy, and each child reacts to this trip differently. Although Sugar and Sylvia seem to be most alike in their mischief and mannerisms, they have opposite reactions to being inside the store and seeing some of the prices on the displayed items. Prior to entering the store, the two are in alliance in terms of behavior, “‘Can we steal?’ Sugar asks very serious like she’s getting the ground rules squared away before she plays. ‘I beg your pardon,’ say Miss Moore, and we fall out. ” They are both hesitant to enter the store, feeling as if they don’t belong, yet as they enter the store, their behavior changes. Sugar becomes intrigued by the items, which angers Sylvia, “We just stare at that price tag. Then Sugar run a finger over the whole boat. And I’m jealous and want to hit her. Maybe not her, but I sure want to punch somebody in the mouth.” It’s clear Sylvia is doing everything in her power to preserve her tough persona while Sugar is showing an actual interest in what Ms. Moore is attempting to show them. Sylvia is angered by this trip, likely unconsciously trying to avoid coming to terms with the truth these price tags are teaching the children. When they return to their neighborhood, Ms. Moore asks what the children thought of their trip to the store and the implied but very clear differences in economic status and Sugar responds, to Sylvia’s dismay, by saying,” ‘I think,’ say Sugar pushing me off her feet like she never done before […]

The first character from “The Lesson” I pick is Miss Moore. I believe she wanted to teach the kids that it’s so much more in this world then what they have Seen. she wants them to know they are just as important as every other kid that shopping in that toy store. The kids might have to work harder but it is something that can happen. I believe that experience taught them to respect each other and other people more and take live more seriously. I can relate to the kids in a way because I use to do things and make fun of people for having or doing things I couldn’t have because it made me feel better. Until I had seen more and started experiencing more. Now I respect people who have and don’t have. The second character from “The Lesson” I picked is Mercedes. I picked her because of her confidence going in the store knowing she didn’t have no money to get anything from the store, but she felt like she belonged there. She walked down the aisle proud and looking around. She was proud to speak about her cat and desk letting the kids know that regardless of where she’s at she worth the same as the stuff in the store.

“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara was a very interesting read. The group of children went on an outing with Miss Moore to F. A. O. Schwarz, an expensive toy store, that had plenty of things most of them couldn’t afford. Miss Moore showed them expensive toys and it seemed as though she was pulling reactions out of all of them and seeing how they all felt about the prices of everything. Sylvia and Sugar were different, yet the same in the way they reacted to the whole outing. Sugar shared her insight being that she was a more outspoken and opinionated child, while Sylvia didn’t seem to want to say much. Sylvia appeared to be getting frustrated about everything, and even more so when Sugar decided to speak out. In the text, Sugar seems to speak on how she feels about the price of the sailboat, “Then Sugar surprises me by sayin, “You know, Miss Moore, I don’t think all of us here put together eat in a year what that sailboat costs.” And Miss Moore lights up like somebody goosed her.” I assume this angered Sylvia because she felt like it was disrespectful to them. I think Sylvia knew what the problem was, but didn’t want to admit it. I feel like she was in denial and did not want to talk about the issue.  

The two characters from “The Lesson” whose responses to the FAO Schwarz visit I find the most interesting to compare are Sylvia and Sugar. They both become aware of racial inequality, but Sylvia is more affected and angry by this realization. Before Miss Moore asks the group what they think of FAO Schwarz, Sylvia is thinking about the $35 toy clown on the train going back uptown. During this inner dialogue, she is questioning why certain people are able to afford these expensive toys while other people are not able to. She asks what kind of work they do, pointing out that other people are given different opportunities than people in her community. When the group returns and Miss Moore asks the children what they think of FAO Schwarz, Sugar replies with insightful opinions, which upsets Sylvia. Sugar is stating ideas that emphasis the thoughts Sylvia was having on the train about equality and how everyone should be able to attain the same opportunities. Sylvia feels betrayed by Sugar answering Miss Moore and siding with her in a sense. I believe Sylvia is not only mad about Sugar speaking up, but she must also be so upset comprehending this unfair truth that exists in this country. On the other hand, Sugar does not seem too negatively affected by it. When they leave, Sugar is ready for the next fun activity while Sylvia must be alone to contemplate the day.

Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” is a short story that provides insight into the lives of poor urban children. Miss Moore, a black American woman with a university education, takes a group of kids to FAO Schwartz, a toy store known for its outrageously priced items. She hopes to impart knowledge on them regarding racial inequality in the United States, the value of frugality, and the distinctions between social strata. Sylvia, Sugar, and Mercedes all have very different times at the toy store throughout the story. The high prices and the realization that they can’t buy anything shock them. Sylvia is infuriated and embarrassed by her realization that she is out of place. Sugar’s perspective shifts and she begins to constantly make comparisons to items she has seen in the supermarket. The other kids often look down on Mercedes, the rich kid, because she has access to more affluent peers’ luxury items. The author draws attention to the issue of economic disparity by concentrating on the various levels of wealth possessed by the people in the story. The events of this narrative illustrate how a childhood spent in poverty may skew a person’s viewpoint to the point that they do not appreciate the things that they do have. The children were stimulated to think critically and given exposure to a more expansive world as part of Miss Moore’s approach to guiding them. A significant takeaway from this narrative is the devastating impact that poverty can have on a person’s life, as well as the transformational potential of receiving an education.  

The first character I picked was the main character, whose name I believe is Sylvia; her reaction to the experience of visiting the FAO Schwarz toy store was first embarrassment and ashamed, but by the end, it had transformed into a type of motivation for her. I say this because when she approached the toy store, she felt ashamed and pitiful as she proceeded to open the door. I believe she felt this way because of her upbringing; her views of some things were already tampered with by what her family could afford. But, in the end, she states, “I ain’t going to let anyone beat me at nothing,” which, in my opinion, suggests that she will do whatever it takes to achieve in life. Sugar, the second character I picked, had a similar reaction to her cousin Sylvia’s to the experience of visiting the FAO Schwarz toy store, but she was more receptive to the lesson that was being given. I say this because she had the same feelings as Sylvia when they first entered the toy store, which were embarrassment, shame, and pity, but when they returned home and Ms.Moore asked what she thought of the toy store, she was honest and admitted that none of their families could afford to eat as much as the price of the toy sailboat. She viewed this as a sign that having an equal likelihood of happiness means having an equal chance of making money and living as well as the wealthy.  

Gabriel García Márquez’s “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” is a short story that tells the tale of a drowned man floating ashore. The arrival of a dead body to the shores of the village changes everything. The man, whom the villagers name Esteban, is remarkably tall and amazingly handsome that everybody in the village start to essentially fall in love with him, giving him religious respect, and accepting him into their families. In the end, they dump his body into the sea but leave it there hoping that Esteban will float back one day. They swear to change the village into the sort of place that is worthy of Esteban. The villagers seem sympathetic and compassionate on how they treat Esteban which is noticeable by the way they treat him. It is like the villager’s desire to bury him with dignity, something that he might not have had when he was still breathing because of his size and the way he looks is so much different than others. The man ‘s death made them realize that no one is without pain and without sorrow. The villagers changed because they wanted to memorialize him by painting their houses a grey color to honor him. This story makes me think that we do not know what one is going through and should not judge one another.

After reading the story “The Lesson”, I noticed that the main characters, Sylvia and Sugar, have a change in how they see things and the people around them after a visit to a toy store with Miss Moore. Both Sylvia and Sugar are children growing up in the commonwealth and have limitations in how they view things. They also view the people around them with contempt, as living in the slums has distorted their worldview. After going to the toy store, they find that the price of one toy is enough to buy furniture for their whole family. They begin to think about what kind of world this is, something they never knew before. This is exactly why Miss Moore brings them to the toy store. After they came back from the toy store, they kept thinking about it too.

In the story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, a group of kids are taught the harsh reality of inequality. Sylvia, a person of color, does not have the financial stability to purchase toys. Not like everyone could afford the toys at the FAO Schwarz toy store, but a wealthier kid in the group named Mercedes is often judged for having things they don’t have. Sylvia could not afford the toys she wanted, while Mercedes could buy anything. The author used their financial differences to identify the issue known as inequality. In the text it states, “So we heading down the street and she’s boring us silly about what things cost and what our parents make and how much goes for rent and how money ain’t divided up right in this country.” (Bambara 2). Furthermore, the wealth in society divides people that are rich or poor, so both groups may view each other differently and not be seemed as equal. Rich people would buy more pricey things, but the poor could make the most of anything they purchase.

In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara we see that each character had their own experience when visiting the FAO Schwarz toy store. Sylvia is a young black girl growing up in Harlem with her cousin Sugar and the rest of her family. Miss Moore, a well-educated woman who wants builds a community and educate the youngsters that live in Harlem neighborhood. Miss Moore took these young kids on a little trip to show them the world outside their restricted society.  FAO Schwarz Toy Store in Manhattan, known for its astronomically priced toys. Miss Moore uses her journey to the toy store to educate the young kids on how black Americans are denied equal opportunity to profit from the economy and society. Sylvia feels both anger and shame in the F. A. O. Schwartz toy store on Fifth Avenue because she knows she does not belong and cannot afford the toys there. Sylvia feels anger while visiting the F. A. O. Schwartz store because she realizes she can’t afford any of the toys on display. 

This story “The Lesson” gives a glimpse into the mind of a child growing up in the ghettos of the inner city. The narrator, Sylvia and her peers are taken on a trip to F.A.O Schwartz by Miss Moore. Miss Moore seems to be kind of a mentor to the children in the story. She is described as a college educated black American woman. She has a sense of obligation and duty to expose the children to the differences in class and society. Sylvia points out every detail of Miss Moore, from her hair, the way she speaks, even the way the parents react to her. I think Miss Moore being the opposite of what Sylvia is used to elicits her negative feelings towards her. I detect a great amount of destain from Sylvia towards Miss Moore. It’s as if Miss Moore’s way of mentoring gets under Sylvia’s skin. I believe Miss Moore does this knowingly to provoke thought. This is the set up of the day described in the story. Something that really stood out to me in the story was the power dynamic in the group of peers. Sylvia though young, seemed to be very opinionated and head strong. I view her as a leader in this group. It seems as if Miss Moore pointing out the glaring inequalities they all experienced, was a threat. This is highlighted when Sugar was intrigued by Miss Moores lesson. Sylvia immediately attempted to stop her from engaging with Miss Moore. After the day was concluded, Sylvia did get the lesson that was intended, thought she never admitted it to Miss Moore. She considers a toy clown that costs $35.00, and ends up questioning who are these people that shop here. I believe the job Miss Moore set out to do was […]

In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara both Qt and sugar both have a different experience when visiting the toy store and reflect on it. with sugar after they saw a toy in the store they started seeing things different and referring to a lot of things to what  seen as the toy they have seen when at the book store. With Qt they as well felt different when going to the toy store and answering something correctly when ask by miss Moore. They then go Back to the mailbox and now have a different thought. i feel that Miss Moore wanted to tech these kids a lesson about the type of world they are living in and show them whats wrong and what’s right. They also learn about what it takes to save and spend money and how much they can save by just not spending and how it can 100% make a difference in life.

  The boy in the story “Salvation” By Langston Hughes experienced a wide range of emotions while in the church.  The boy expresses the values of trust and respect for his elders shown in paragraph two. He believes he will see Jesus because he heard his aunt and many old people explain that Jesus would come to him. He also expresses the value of honesty. In paragraph fifteen Hughes reveals the pain he feels for lying about seeing Jesus. He stated, “I was crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church” (15).  Along with values and emotion, Hughes expresses self-definition. In the first paragraph, he states that he is a sinner.  He also defines himself as a calm and thoughtful child. In Paragraph two he explains that he sat “calmly in the hot, crowded church, waiting for Jesus.” The boy is heavily anticipating the arrival of Jesus stated in paragraph 5 “Still I kept waiting to see Jesus. In the final paragraph, the boy regretted lying to his aunt, and to everyone in the church, he stated he was ashamed of himself and that he cried while he was in bed. He stated, “I cried, in bed alone, and couldn’t stop…[my aunt] woke up and told my uncle I was crying because the Holy Ghost had come into my life and because I had seen Jesus. But I was crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church, that I hadn’t seen Jesus, and that now I didn’t believe there was a Jesus anymore, since he didn’t come to help me. The boy started to question his belief after not being saved by Jesus, and that’s when […]

After reading “Salvation” by Langston Huges the boy in the story who is the main character suddenly becomes very appealing to me. His character is someone that seems like all he wanted to do was be saved so that his aunt would believe him. Some of the words that I would use to describe him is optimistic, confused, and worried. I say this because the longer he sat there he could tell that it was going nowhere.  Although he wanted to try and be saved watching all of the kids get picked up and passed by him, he felt as if he had no other choice but to fake it and act like he was saved as well. By the end of the story, he is a bit different as now his faith is at stake. After lying his way through church, he questioned everything he’s ever know because “he” was supposed to come down and help but didn’t.

The boy in “Salvation” by Langston Hughes is strong-willed, conscious, and was very aware of his actions. In the story, Hughes was strong-willed because he stood his ground when everyone in the Church, including his aunt, wanted him to stand up and go to the front with all the other children. In chapter 3, Hughes states “Westley and I were surrounded by sisters and deacons praying. It was very hot in the church, and getting late now. Finally Westley said to me in a whisper: ‘God damn! I’m tired o’ sitting here. Let’s get up and be saved.’ So he got up and was saved. Then I was left all alone on the mourners’ bench.” This demonstrates Langston Hughes was strong-willed because he stayed sitting while his friend, Westley, went up in front of the church because he said he was “tired of sitting” and went ahead and joined the other kids. Hughes felt like it was not yet his time so he did not decide to get up with the others. Hughes was very conscious. He knew what he was doing and he knew his goal. He was waiting to see Jesus physically. In my opinion, he did not fully understand the “concept” in the belief of Jesus. He thought he was going to physically get saved and did not do so, because he never actually saw Jesus. In the end of the story, Langston Hughes was very aware because after he was home, he regretted lying to his aunt, and to everyone in the church, and he felt so ashamed that he even cried to himself while he was in bed. He stated, “I cried, in bed alone, and couldn’t stop…[my aunt] woke up and told my uncle I was crying because the Holy Ghost had come into […]

I would describe the boy in the story, “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, as trusting, faithful, anxious, and excited. I say he is trusting because when his aunt tells him what he should expect from the revival, he believes her with no doubt and has faith that something will happen to him inside and he will see this “light.” I would maybe also describe him as naive or innocent because when he hears everyone asking Jesus to come, there is this implied sense that he is truly excited and anxious to physically see Jesus. When he was the only one left that had not been saved, he says, “And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting – but he didn’t come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me, but nothing happened,” to further show his innocence. By the end of the story, he is ashamed, no longer excited and lacks faith because he felt he had deceived everyone and no longer believes there is a Jesus anymore because he didn’t come to help him.

Langston is curious and impressionable, eager to learn about the concept of being saved from sin. He has heard many old people talk about the experience and wants to see and feel it himself. However, despite his aunt’s assurances and the intense revival meeting he attends, Langston is left disappointed and unfulfilled, as he doesn’t feel that Jesus has entered his life. Langston decided to lie about his own experience in order to fit in when he got up to be saved saying he saw Jesus but he didn’t.  By the end of the story, Langston has changed by becoming more aware of his own beliefs and starting to question the societal norms surrounding religion. Langston is a curious, impressionable boy who undergoes a transformation from a sincere seeker to a conflicted and disillusioned individual. The words that describe Langston at the beginning of the story include: curious, impressionable, sincere, and eager. The words that describe Langston at the end of the story include: disillusioned, conflicted, emotional, and unsure.

“Salvation” is a short story by Langston Hughes that describes the experience of a young boy named Langston who is taken to church by his aunt to be saved from sin. The boy has a skeptical but honest nature. Even though everyone around him is so deeply engrossed in their faith, he believes in rationality i.e. he kept waiting to see Jesus, and eventually went along with the crowd so as not to disappoint them, but eventually gets overcome by his grief for deceiving others. Despite his disappointment, the child keeps going to the revival service in the hopes of finding the redemption he seeks. But as the night wears on, he comes to the bitter and furious realization that he has not been rescued. The fact that his aunt is informing everyone that he has been saved, even if the child is aware that this is not the truth, just serves to fuel his grief. He understands that the spiritual experience he was looking for is not what he had anticipated, and that churchgoers are only acting religiously without actually experiencing salvation.

In “Salvation” by Langston Hughes the younger boy can be described as hopeful, enthusiastic and zealous about Jesus coming into his life and seeing him and getting to know him after his aunt has talked greatly about Jesus and being saved. At the end of the story, he was different and felt immensely different about this religion he was always around and watched others praise along with worshipping someone that he was eager to know about. When the other little boy that he was left with at the alter realized that nothing was happening and he told Langston that he was tired and just going to say he got saved and the longer he stayed there he decided that he should too and was very conflicted by what he did and was upset.

The young boy in the story “Salvation”, by Langston Hughes can be described using various words, based on his characteristics and events that took place throughout the story. In the beginning Langston and his aunt are at the big revival that is taking p[ace in the church. The aunt describes how Langston would feel, see, and hear Jesus and so Langston has taken that personally and seriously. Therefore, Langston eagerly awaits for Jesus to come, portraying characteristics of being naïve and gullible. This shows how Langston is inexperienced and is easily persuaded by the members of church. During the middle of the story, Langston faces a conflict of his own and lies to the member of the church and his aunt that he saw Jesus. When in fact he had no such encounter with Jesus and was almost pressured into claiming this with the heavy devotion and religious influence in the church and on salvation. The young boy finally gave in and went up to fit in with the rest of the children who Jesus had “seen”. This was almost like a defense mechanism for Langston as he did not want to deceive everybody in the church, including himself. This results in Langston feeling a huge loss of faith and connection with Jesus and almost self doubts. By the end of the story, Langston has changed from being a naïve and gullible young boy to finally realizing what was promised was not promised in a sense. The best words to describe the young boy towards the end of the story would be disappointed, confused, despair, and even heartbroken. The lack of truth into how and what his aunt had said to him has caused him to feel this way. After all, he thought and was almost described to that meeting […]

After reading “The Handsomest Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I feel that this story was assigned to us as the first story of the course to demonstrate how strong imagination is. (Maybe some stories we read will be focused on imagination). In this story I took notice of how strong the idea of “Esteban” was. Many people gravitated towards him, many wanted to be him, and many wanted to be with him. Without knowing him, everyone glorified him and placed him on a pedestal, only based on stories that they heard, through the power of imagination. Very often in death, people bring out the best of the person, and this is how they commemorate them. In “The Handsomest Drowned Man”, Marquez made it important to showcase “Esteban” as a god-like figure, in my opinion. A god is someone who is worshipped, or looked up to, by others. Everyone in the story was making Esteban seem as a role model, or the person to be, or be with. This was all done through imagination which, to me, made the story seem like a “realistic myth” that was told back in the day.

In Langston Hughes’s “Salvation,” the boy is an interesting character to study. At the beginning of the story, the boy is young, interested, and maybe even naive about being saved. Adults in his life, like his aunt and the people in the church, try to get him to accept Jesus Christ into his life. The adults around the boy are able to force him and get him to do what they want. The young boy is shown to be at odds with himself because he wants to be like the other kids but also wants to be honest and tell the truth. Even though he doesn’t have much faith, he feels like he has to live up to what the adults around him expect. So, he lies and says he is saved and has met Jesus, even though he hasn’t. At the end of the story, the boy’s disappointment and loss of hope are clear signs that he has changed. He used to believe in Jesus and salvation as a young boy, but now he feels lost, alone, and let down by his religious beliefs. Adults and the pressure to fit in with social norms have a big impact on what he thinks and how he feels. In the end, the boy in Langston Hughes’s “Salvation” is a complicated character that shows how society and culture can shape a person’s religious beliefs and how hard it is to fit in with the norms of society. At the beginning of the story, the young boy is interested, open, and naive. By the end of the story, he is disappointed in his beliefs, lost, and disillusioned.

Various ways can be used to analyze the boy’s character, as stated in Langston Hughes’ “Salvation.” First of all, the boy can be considered susceptible and naive. At barely twelve years old, he is readily persuaded by his aunt and the elderly members of the church who preach about salvation. He patiently waits for this experience to occur since he also believes in seeing Jesus and experiencing him in his soul (Sharpe, 2020). However, he feels dissatisfied and disillusioned because this doesn’t happen. The inner conflict the youngster experiences between his wish to blend in and be accepted and his sense of honesty and truth is another part of his character to be analyzed. Even though the boy doesn’t have much faith at first, he is surrounded by individuals who have a strong faith in salvation, and he feels compelled to live up to their standards. This ultimately causes him to lie and claim that Jesus has appeared to him, even though he has had no such encounter. Hughes depicts the boy’s disappointment in the religious experience of being saved from sin. The boy is pressured into pretending to be saved to fit in with the other young sinners and avoid being the only one left on the mourners’ bench. Despite his efforts, he doesn’t feel any connection to Jesus and feels like he has deceived everyone in the church (Sharpe, 2020). Therefore, disillusionment, pressure, pretense, disappointment, and dishonesty can be best used to describe him. At the story’s beginning, he is a young boy whose aunt has taught that salvation is a real and tangible experience that one can see, hear, and feel. He believes in this and eagerly awaits the moment when Jesus will come to him and save him from sin. At the end of the story, […]

In “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, the young boy seems to be very curious. I also feel as if he’s very pressured into the religion. He was just turning 13. He didn’t seem to have too much knowledge of what was going on. I think his expectations were based off what he had heard about Jesus coming to save him, and in his head, he pictured something completely different. At the end, he got nervous and felt like he had no choice but to lie, which in a way, makes sense because he was so young, he didn’t know any better. Also, because of everything he had heard about Jesus coming to save him, at the end he was disappointed and did not believe in Jesus anymore. In my personal opinion, I feel like adults should be more mindful of how they explain things like this to young children, because it really sticks with them throughout their childhood.

The boy in the story seemed to be curious but non believing. He watched the other people praise someone they couldn’t see and never saw before and wanted to know why and how, but he didn’t follow in their footsteps. He watched other people become saved and waited himself to see the light they were talking about. It was obvious at first that he didn’t believe them but probably didn’t want to speak against the adults. I would describe him as impatient and curious. I would say he is a very respectful kid since he held in his emotions and actually felt really bad about lying to everyone. He’s different in the end of the story because everyone else believes he was saved. After he watched the other boy give in after being tired of sitting there for so long, there was even more pressure on him since he was the only one still sitting down. He felt bad for letting it get so late and holding everyone up. It’s funny because he was thinking about what God might’ve thought about Westley because he had lied about being converted, but he didn’t see the light that would let him be saved by God. It’s like he doesn’t believe but at that moment he was speaking as if he somewhat believed in him.

In “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, the character is an observant and curious African American boy who lives in the South. Two words I could use to describe him would be attentive and despondent. In the story, Hughes describes the church service, and through the inclusion of imagery, he displays his attentiveness in the beginning. For example, Hughes starts the story fast paced, jumping from detail to detail as a way of mimicking the high church energy that the character was surrounded by. This proves Langston to be attentive because as a young boy who is not familiar with the concept of spirituality and religion, he was able to understand his environment and what was expected out of him from it from the members of the church.  Hughes highlights the pressure applied to “see” Jesus in order to be accepted as the lamb. This is largely shown in the song that the pastor sang to the children about the “ninety and nine safe in the fold, but one little lamb was left out in the cold” (Hughes paragraph 3). This is what leads the boy in the story to change into a despondent person because he did not get the spiritual awakening that he expected and that was when he became the “one little lamb left out in the cold”. From the beginning, readers are able to see the excitement and hope turn into pessimism and self-judgment once the boy lied about reaching salvation by even concluding that he “didn’t believe there was a Jesus anymore” (Hughes paragraph 20). This fuels self-judgement because now he sees himself as unworthy of being saved from sin.

I could describe Hughes as a sincere person. I consider him a sincere person because he was very genuine at the end despite his actions. In the story, “Salvation”, Langston Hughes introduces us to Auntie Reed, Westly and himself. In ‘Salvation’ we could analyze Hughes as a boy that is losing faith and some that is peer influences. Hughes began to lose his faith in Jesus because Auntie Reed led him to believing that he will see some physical miracle of Jesu when he is saved. Hughes started to see that every other kid was begin saved but him and Westly weren’t. However, Westly decided to stand up as if he was really saved. This made Hughes feel bad about himself since he was the only one sitting. As the adult continued to pray for Hughes, he stands up as if he was “finally saved” by pretending to see Jesus. He was not saved by the love of Jesus but by falling into peer pressure. According to the text, it states ” but I was really crying because … to tell her that I had lied…” this shows us that the peer pressure led him to feeling guilt and frustrated for lying. However he fixed it by telling the truth at the end.

I would describe  Langston as a young man who was probably forced to go to church by his aunts and uncles who had encouraged him to submit to Jesus for his own good. I feel this young man in  Langston is naive and doesn’t have good judgement since he expected Jesus to come out the shadows or appear in thin air to save him. I think Langston Hughes and his naviety is just a curious young boy who expected Jesus to swoop in and save him like his aunts and uncles said he would. I know Langston is a different person from everyone else who attended the church that day since he was the last one to be saved by Jesus, he just sat there and watched everyone else run off into salvation. Once all the attention in the church was on him he caved into what other people wanted and allowed himself to be saved by Jesus.  I think Langston changed when he had not seen Jesus come save him it made him question if Jesus was even real, Langston felt bad because he lied to get out of that tough situation. I think in the end Langston going to church as a “young sinner” looking to be saved by Jesus that day just strained and made him question his ideas and relationship with Jesus since he had not come to save him like everyone said he would.

I would analyze and describe this character as curious and trying to sustain his religion and respect the beliefs that come along with it. He’s excited and almost skeptical of what is about to take place or what it really means to be saved and to see Jesus as everyone around him is telling him. It started to become a thing where it was intense pressure as all the other kids were in fact being “saved” while the boy was the only one left. Langston begins to feel doubt, lowering his confidence of seeing Jesus and his mind shifts. He doubts the truth of it all. Under the pressure of the women and the people of the church he finally stands. He started off happy and looking forward to something and realized maybe it all isn’t true as he had to lie about being saved. His beliefs were then struck and he no longer believed there was a Jesus to see or to help him.

In the story “On Salvation,” Langston feels pressured; his perception of believing he will see Jesus is not understood as how an adult would. As a child, he was being curious and excited at the same time to see Jesus right away. I assume not everyone his age would understand the meaning of being saved from sin. Just as in the Bible, Jesus was baptized at the age of 12, but the difference is that Jesus knew what his mission was, and of course, he was led by his father, “God.” He might have understood better if he had been taken by his aunt and had a better conversation and explained more to him. As quoted, “they held a special meeting for children to bring the young lambs to the fold” (pg. 5). Many times, children are led by example and follow or feel pressured by their peers and sometimes family, and in his case, he felt pressured by both. I believe that because his aunt spoke several days ahead, he felt obligated and didn’t want to disappoint her. Despite not being saved, Jesus is always in our lives, but we must take that extra step to believe, have faith, and get a clearer understanding. Sometimes we as adults say things or even promise children something just because we want them to do something, which could portray something terrible in the long run for that child. Langston believes that because his friend Westley lied in the temple and he saw that God didn’t punish him, Langston feels that if he lied too, nothing would happen to him, so he went ahead and stated, “Jesus had come, and get up and be saved” (pg.8). Langston understood that what he had done was not right, and it made him feel terrible. Langston’s […]

I feel like the pressure made him did what he did because after the fact he felt very ashamed and restless of himself. From reading he is a very good person and honest person, and it’s shown by him reflecting on his actions. We do the same in our everyday life. One example of us doing something like that is when we say we are doing one thing and go around and do the other but while doing it you sit there and think about it ask yourself is this right

Because the pressure around him made him lie, He was very ashamed and restless all the time. I think he is an upright and honest person. He will reflect on his behavior and ask himself whether it is right to do so? We often encounter such examples. For example, my parents always say “ learning is very important. If you don’t study, you can’t find a good job. You have to review your homework.” I said yes, I will do it  but in fact I will not, I will play games but I will also reflect on myself, is it right? I would also think, why do people have to study and work? The lifestyle of many rich people is to lie on the beach, but I can play on the beach now, so what is the meaning of my study and work?