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 Moo

on a bar. Sylvia points out that "Thirty-five dollars could buy new bunk beds for

through the store really had no affect on Sugar. She is not confused and angered

afluence that they never knew existed. After entering the store the stories narrator,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Miss Moore, Miss Moore's, Fifth Avenue, Miss Moores, FAO Schwartz, Dream Sylvia, Granddaddy Nelson, Rosie Giraffe, Lesson Bambara, Pursuit Happiness, miss moore, miss moore's, moore's lesson, real money, miss moores, fao schwartz, miss moore's lesson, thirty-five dollars, fao schwartz children, toy store, sylvia begins, children real money, wrong society, $1000 toy sailboats, miss moore intends,
Approximate Word count = 1006
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)