Toni Cade Bambara, The Lesson
Toni Cade Bambara's The Lesson was a story told through the thoughts and wisdom of Sylvia, a young girl who lives in a lower class city. Throughout the story, Bambara used a combination of symbolism and reality techniques. While a young girl tells the story, he demonstrates how smart Sylvia is in the world she lives in - having to tell strong languages she has come to learn from her environment, and yet being able to show depth of wisdom about the societal conditions people faces (specifically, when Sylvia was brought to a shop of expensive toys).
The Lesson is a literary piece perhaps intended to build good comprehension and perception to the readers. Through the character of Sylvia, Bambara was able to achieve this. Sylvia was characterized as a girl who may be young and living in a quite unpleasant setting, but has the awareness about the truth of how a life is lived in a society of challenges and trials.
Bambara used symbolism and reality when Mrs. Moore brought the children in an expensive toyshop: symbolism, in a sense that the expensive toys symbolize things in our life - may be our dreams and goals in life to succeed; and reality, in a sense that Sylvia and the other children see the reality of their living conditions as compared to the rich people. Bambara used a technique to grasp the story's audience by characterizing Sylvia as a girl who embraces anger to society. This character of Sylvia made the readers wonder about her feelings until the story slowly insinuated the presence of inequalities Sylvia sees in society.
Finally, as the title of the story implies, Bambara used thematic approach to provide the readers with lessons in life. He made use of Sylvia's character as someone who has an understanding of life's challenges, and as someone who has the will to succeed.
Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson" Theme in Bambara's "The Lesson" Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson" is a short work of fiction about a group of children in a working class African-American neighborhood who learn a valuable lesson. Through her descriptions and use of dialect, Bambara establishes the nature of her characters, especially the narrator, Sylvia, and the outsider, Miss Moore. Bambara then places the characters in a situation that showcases the chasm
For example, Sylvia takes offense when Miss Moore says they live in the slums. Bambara writes, "And then she gets to the part about we all poor and live in the slums which I don't feature. And I'm ready to speak on that, but she steps out in the street and hails two cabs just like that" (Bambara). Sylvia and her friends are not afraid to talk back to
Bambara, 1981) the author Toni Cade Bambara presents, at the superficial level, from a child's perspective, a visit to the F.A. O Schwarz Toy Emporium in Manhattan, of the protagonist and her friends led by the resident gadfly, busboy and self-appointed educator Miss Moore. The protagonist Sylvia, and her comrades -- Sugar, Junior, Rosie Giraffe, Mercedes, Flyboy, Big Butt, Q.T. And Junebug are African-American children growing up in the
Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara tells the story of a college-educated woman who moves to the African-American neighborhood of the unnamed story-teller, her friend Sugar, and her friends and cousins. To the children it seems that Miss Moore puts on air, speaking "proper" English, always dressed as if she were going to church, and taking the children on educational field trips. The children resent it; school is out, and
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