In the short story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the narrator gives the reader insight into children who grew up in poverty and how their perspective changes when traveling to an expensive toy store.
In the beginning, the narrator Sylvia is a smart, rebellious child who doesn’t like Miss Moore because of her proper speech. Sylvia refuses to listen to anyone but herself because she’s big on independence.When Miss Moore brings Sylvia to the toy store she hesitates to walk in .“So I and Sugar turn the corner where the entrance is, but when we got there I kinda hung back”. Sylvia and Sugar were uncomfortable being in a new environment. Sylvia started questioning the prices of the toys and realized that amount of money could buy her family more things. Sylvia tried to make the other children misbehave but they were more interested in the $1000 toys which made her mad. When Sylvia arrives home she reflects on her day after learning about economic inequality. Sylvia refused to accept that Miss More had taught them an important lesson about social class and where they stand in society from other who could afford those expensive toys.
Miss Moore was described as this serious educated woman, who teaches children in Harlem. She and a group of students went on a trip to Fifth Ave. Most of the students did not like Ms.Moore in the beginning. One student that popped out to her was Sylvia and they both did not get along. When they arrive at the toy store Miss More questions the students on “What things cost and what their parents make and how money ain’t divided right in this country”. The students believed she was doing this in a way to be funny. Ms Moore uses this method to make them reflect on themselves and where they are in society. In the end, the students realized Miss Moore’s lesson of taking them to the toy store was not to make fun of them but to make them understand their place in society’s social class.
2 thoughts on “Shanice Brown #D4”
Shanice: Your explanation of this story is directly on the persons in it. Your explanation about the children opens up what their living and growing conditions were like back then. To be berated about money as if they saw it. You describe Sylvia to the tee on her actions and projected dislike of MS Moore. She felt out of her comfort zone and place going to the store with the group. MS Moore being feeling like she was the self-appointed teacher and instructor didn’t sit well with Sylvia. Ms. Moore was just trying to open their minds to fact that there is a world outside Harlem were the are from. Fantastic job on your discussion.
I concur that Sylvia and Sugar were awkward being in a new environment and the connection between Sylvia and Sugar is perplexing, Sugar intellectualizes the experience while Sylvia takes it in on a more profound level that is transformational. also I observe it extremely fascinating that the understudies acknowledged Miss Moore’s example of taking them to the toy store was not to ridicule them but rather to cause them to comprehend their place in the public eye’s social class.