An interesting part of The Lesson is Sylvia’s language and how she tells the story. Her sharp, witty, and sometimes defiant tone helps the reader understand the themes of awareness, resistance, and growth. Sylvia comes across as bold and opinionated. She doesn’t trust Miss Moore and sees her as someone who thinks she’s “better’n the rest of us” because she is educated and speaks differently. Sylvia’s defiant attitude is a big part of her voice. She doesn’t like being told what to do or taught lessons, which makes her an interesting and complex character. When Miss Moore takes the children on a trip, Sylvia refuses to accept the lesson being taught: “And I’m really hating this nappy-head bitch and her goddamn college degree.” This unfiltered thought shows her resistance and frustration at feeling judged or out of place. Bambara writes in a way that feels real, using slang, contractions, and informal speech to make Sylvia’s voice sound natural, as if she’s speaking directly to the reader. Because of Sylvia’s strong voice and attitude, I would title this essay “Words with Attitude: How Sylvia’s Voice Shapes The Lesson.”
Mohon Miah
My understanding of the Week 1 prewriting assignment for Activity 10 is that we will be reading an essay and grading it for grammatical errors. We will review the essay to check for proper grammar, ensure it makes sense, verify the correct use of quotations, and so on. The purpose of this assignment is to help us understand the grading process from the professor’s perspective. It offers a valuable opportunity to learn how to identify errors and improve our own essay writing skills. By critiquing the student’s essay, we’ll also refine our own writing. In doing so, we’ll become more aware of grammar usage, proper citation of quotations, and the clarity of our own work. I think this is a useful prewriting assignment, as it will allow us to see the process from the professor’s viewpoint, which will ultimately benefit us as writers. I look forward to working on the assignment and grading another students work.
