In the short story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the narrator allows insight into the realization of a child’s own poverty through various characters.
One character, Mercedes, who has a somewhat more fortunate background represents a social class where hope is not a luxury. For her, the situation is less angering because, as we can learn through her reactions, her financial situation is slightly more fortunate than the rest of the characters’. It is not enough to get her out of their neighborhood but it still sufficiently affects the way she views her own poverty and her possibilities of getting a toy from FAO Schwarz.
The narrator, Sylvia, however, is less optimistic. She is a smart girl, quick on her feet and seems to have a rather realistic understanding of life itself. That being said, the bliss of not having the most sorrowful parts of reality rubbed in one’s face is always sweet, therefore she is rather fed up with the forced reality check that having to visit the toy store is for her. She is angry at everything and everyone because, odds are, she understand the unfairness of it all more than any of her friends. Facing such disadvantage at life itself is a beyond heavy weight to have to carry around at 12.
2 thoughts on “Week 4 Discussion – Viktoria Borosan”
Hello, Viktoria I agree with your point of view. Also, the way Miss Moore taught her lesson was by taking her students to one of the expensive toy stores in New York to show what education can buy for them. Her lesson was to teach her students by showing them something that they did not have or couldn’t even imagine. By showing them what wealthy people can afford she teaches them the lesson that if they work hard they can have a better life than they currently have. The main lesson Miss Moore is trying to help teach kids through using these symbols is that all the wonders at F.A.O. Schwartz are all within their reach, but to be able to ever have such luxuries, one must work hard and overcome social obstacles that stand in the way.
I like the way you explained it and the way it demonstrates the difference between the way of life of each of the characters. In general, it can be interpreted that not everyone can obtain or acquire certain items due to the cost of the item. It is seen to raise the issue of injustice in society and how children learn about it. This point can be seen in different places, even this type of situation happens recurrently in entire countries unfortunately.