The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara
Children learn in school about famous Americans like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King who fought to make this the land of freedom, opportunity, and equality for all. They learn about famous documents like the Declaration of Independence which declares that "All Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." One of the most difficult things about growing up as a member of a minority group within the United States, is learning that America is not the perfect portrait of equality, opportunity, and freedom that some make it out to be. In Toni Cade Bambara's short story, "The Lesson," Bambara shows one womens attempt to show a group of poor black kids the inequalities that exisist within our so called equal society. In the story, set in the time period immediately following World War II, a group of black children are taken on a "field trip" to an upscale part of New York City -- namely, Fifth Avenue, an exclusive and expensive shopping district frequented primarily by whites. The guide of the field trip is an intelligent young black woman with a college degree named Miss Moore. Miss Mo
Interestingly, however, not all the children react to the impact of Miss Moore's lesson in the same way. For example, Sugar's answer that "this is not much of a democracy....Equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough," (Bambara 181) is certainly correct but to facile. Sugar only partly understands what Miss Moore is trying to get the children to realize. The trip through the store really had no affect on Sugar. She is not confused and angered like Sylvia because Sylvia understands the lesson and the implications of it. The practical Rosie Giraffe observes that "Parents silly to buy something like that [sailboat] just to get all broke up"(Bambara 182). The prissy Mercedes does not perceive the fact that no matter how much birthday money she saves up, she will never be able to buy anything at F.A.O. Schwartz. However, Miss Moore's "lesson" is of such gargantuan proportions that Sylvia is overwhelmed by its implications; she has to escape from the group to "think this day through." This shows that Sylvia understands the implications of Miss Moore's lesson. She introduces the topic of her lesson by asking the children if they know what "real money" is; Sylvia wonders sarcastically if Miss Moore thinks "it's only poker chips or monopoly papers we lay on the grocer" (Bambara 180). This shows that Sylvia and her friends think of money as a necessary component of eking out a living; it is a consumable for them, consumed on plain food which is cooked and eaten, fuel which is burned, clothes which are worn out, a roof over their heads which becomes incresingly decrepit with each passi
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Approximate Word count = 1096
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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