It takes a caring individual to live amongst the poor and teach their young.

In the story "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara, one character stands

out and becomes the teacher of life's lessons. Miss Moore is a strong,

educated, African American woman who for her own reasons lives within the

slums and becomes, to an extent, a surrogate mother to children whose parents

seem not to care for. It is evident, within the story, that she takes the

initiative to try to broaden the horizons of five young children by

introducing them to new experiences.

As with any society or group there are conflicts between members and the

same holds true for the five children and Miss Moore. Sylvia, the main

character, sees Miss Moore not as a teacher or mentor but as an unwelcome

chaperone on their trip to FAO Schawarz. She would rather be doing anything

else then taking a trip with Miss. Moore to the toy store. According to the

author, the other children feel the same contempt, however, each of

the children perceive Miss Moore differently. This is evident throughout the

story by the inquisitiveness of Sugar. In taking Sylvia and her friends to the toy

evident when Sugar finally states "This is not much of a democracy if you ask me." Miss Moore was trying to teach the children to look beyond the life that they lived and see the world for what it really is. Even though the children seem young, Miss

different choices and decisions, which might affect the lives that they were

have. Before even getting to the toy store Miss Moore, in one sentence,

Moore was planting a seed and if the time came, the children might make

figure out the tip she is thinking about what else she could or would be

When the Miss Moore and the children finally arrive at the toy store

In my opinion, Sylvia is smart girl who excels in knowing about life on

doing if they weren't going the toy store.

store, Miss Moore is trying to introduce the children to a new side of life that maybe they weren't aware of before. She is trying to show them that there are beautiful things outside of the slums and the ghetto where they occupy their time. In the store, the children are exposed to things that, if the opportunity presented itself, they would probably like to

Sylvia is not responding in a positive manner. Instead of taking the time to

When you think of children growing up in society today you have to feel a

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 875
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)