Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson Essay - 3186 Words

Toni Cade Bambara, a well known author and social activist, uses language and experience to incite change in a warped society that marginalizes its people based on language, race, and class. With the utilization of African American English (AAE), Bambara sheds light on some questionable prejudices and problems with capitalism in American society. Bambara’s works are noted for their use of traditional AAE and its support in teaching the overall â€Å"lesson† and the underlying message to the public. The majority of Bambara’s works were inspired by and written in response to her experiences of growing up a black woman, of lower class status, in Harlem. Her short story, â€Å"The Lesson,† is no exception. Bambara uses first person narrative,†¦show more content†¦Bambara’s work has been praised for its outstanding ability to capture the innocence of an adolescent voice; this is obviously done through the lighthearted and engaging black dia lect of youth. Suggested reasoning for this innocent, but strong voice is to help the reader come to similar realizations with the narrator or main characters; the language is obviously evidence of the characters’ race, class, education, and geographical whereabouts. Bambara wants the general public to be able to see life through the eyes of these innocent, yet insightful youths. Her style of narration is arguably one of the most distinctive aspects of her writing. In â€Å"The Lesson,† Bambara’s main character is an energetic, sarcastic, bossy, and strong little girl; through the language Sylvia uses throughout the story, the reader gets to see her grow and mature in her ideas about society and her place in it. The first few sentences of the story are quite revealing; the reader clearly sees two things. One characteristic being that the event he or she is about to read actually happened in the past, and secondly, the narrator is quite sassy: â€Å"Back in the days when everyone was old and stupid or young and foolish and me and Sugar were the only ones just right, this lady moved on our block with nappy hair and proper speech and no makeup† (Bambara 85). In addition to revealing the tense of the story and the frank nature ofShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson932 Words   |  4 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some experiences can change people as individuals and how they view things. The process of people growing up can take time but when a transformation occurs it   can be difficult to handle. Sylvia, the narrator in Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson, learns a lesson about social class how the rich are different from poor ,she realizes that the money rich people spend for their kids toys can feed a whole household of poor families.In the process, she loses some part of her pride that characterizesRead MoreToni Cade Bambaras The Lesson : Book Analysis1382 Words   |  6 PagesBrooks, â€Å"We Real Cool,† seven delinquents quit school to engage in rebellious behavior and in Toni Cade Bambara’s â€Å"The Lesson,† a teacher takes several underprivileged children to a high-class toy shop. By using point of view, diction, and symbolism, Gwendolyn Brooks and Tone Cade Bambara show the reader why it is important to learn and gain knowledge. The protagonists’ perspective in Brooks and Bambara’s stories come from people who have a lack of education. The protagonists in Brook’s poem are dropoutsRead MoreToni Cade Bambaras the Lesson: the Impact of Poverty on Education935 Words   |  4 PagesKatrina Nicholes-Shults Mrs. Livingston English 1102/S.E.1.3 February 6, 2014 Toni Cade Bambara’s The Lesson: The Impact of Poverty on Education Toni Cade Bambara’s short story The Lesson told in first person by a character named Sylvia. Sylvia is a poor student who resides in the ghetto of New York with her friends and family. The story begins in the summertime in New York, where the children are out of school, playing and having fun; but when a new neighbor Miss Moore move in, things changeRead MoreEssay about Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson543 Words   |  3 Pages Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson is a very well written piece of history. This is a story from yesterday, when Harlem children didnt have good education or the money to spring for it. Bambaras tale tells about a little girl who doesnt really know how to take it when a good teacher finally does come along. This girls whole life is within the poverty stricken area and she doesnt see why she must try hard. The teacher, Miss Moore, shows them what it is all about by taking them to a rich toy storeRead More The Power of Personality in Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesso n Essay1420 Words   |  6 PagesThe Power of Personality in Toni Cade Bambara’s The Lesson Developing character is something that comes with time. I believe that there are three major things that effect how people develop their character—where they are from, which includes their financial status; how they are raised; and the character of the people that   have had the most influence on their lives. Sylvia, in Toni Cade Bambara’s The Lesson, is very much influenced by all of these factors. Sylvia’s living in the slums andRead More Economic Inequality in Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson Essay1652 Words   |  7 PagesSylvia and The Struggle Against Class Consciousness in Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara is not just a spirited story about a poor girl out of place in an expensive toy store, it is a social commentary. The Lesson is a story about one African-American girls struggle with her growing awareness of class inequality. The character Miss Moore introduces the facts of social inequality to a distracted group of city kids, of whom Sylvia, the main character, is theRead MoreThe Use of Symbolism to Foreshadow the Future in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour and Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson1673 Words   |  7 PagesThe Use of Symbolism to Foreshadow the Future in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour and Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson Often authors use signs to foreshadow events that will happen in the future in their stories. For example an author might write As he was walking down the dark eerie path dark skies began to form . Here the writer uses a usually negative sign to foreshadow a negative future. This is the most common way for authors to foreshadow in a story, but it isnt the only way. In someRead MoreFrom Milton Mirkin to Toni Cade Essays967 Words   |  4 PagesMiltona Mirkin Cade is no different. Miltona Mirkin Cade was influenced by the black community and women’s organizations. (www.fembio.org) Milton Mirkin Cade was born on March 25, 1939 in New York City. As a child she spent most of her years with her mother, Helen Brent Henderson, and her brother, Walter. She and her family moved often but she came to call the communities of New York City and New Jersey home. (www.answers.com) Miltona Mirkin Cade would later change her name to Toni Cade Bambara.Read MoreRacial Discrimination Past, Present, And Future1191 Words   |  5 Pagesworkplace is concerned. In Toni Cade Bambara’s short story â€Å"The Lesson†, we see what social discrimination looks like through the eyes of children who are observing a wealthier part of town. In their eyes, they see and injustice and question why it is not being altered into something centered more on equality and equal opportunity. Toni Cade Bambara’s story â€Å"The Lesson† is written to make a point about racial discrimination in the workplace and social inequality. In Bambara’s short story, we are toldRead More Toni Cade Bambara’s Black Female Champions Essay1998 Words   |  8 PagesToni Cade Bambara’s Black Female Champions It is well known from historical accounts, novels, poems, movies, and other sources that blacks have been abused, neglected, and mistreated in American society. In addition, a great deal has been written about the lives, hardships, and obstacles of black men. Black women, however, have long been relegated to subordinate societal roles in relation to white men and women and black men. Black women have been viewed as monsters and suffered distortions