The Lesson
Many children in school learn 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...". 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 women's attempt to show a group of poor black kids the inequalities that exists within our so called equal society. A group of black children are taken on a "field trip" to an upscale part of New York City, 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 Moore lives near the children and takes responsibility in the education of the children. On the trip Miss Moore takes the children to the very famous toy store F.A.O. Schwartz. There the children are exposed
For example, Sugar the other child that was brought along replies that "this is not much of a democracy. I believe Miss Moore's purpose is to help the children realize that there is a world outside of Harlem that they can aspire to and why education is so important. Sylvia, the narrator soon begins to have mix feelings and is upset by the fact of inequality. "Real money" pays for fur coats for white women to wear in August, collectable model sailboats that cost $1,195, $480 paperweights which do nothing except decorate desks, and a $35 "tricky clown" which does somersaults on a bar. In fact I believe that Miss Moore has brought the children to the store to teach them a lesson. To my opinion, I believe that Bambara uses this to expose the dark secret of the one sided American Dream. The trip through the store really had no affect on Sugar. Equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough," (Bambara 400) is certainly correct but to a point. I consider the fact that Bambara uses this story to make a point. " This shows that Sylvia understands the implications of Miss Moore's lesson. This angers her because she knows that "these" people are nearly all white. to rooms full of toys, which cost more than their parents' annual incomes and to all the trappings of luxury that they never knew, existed.
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Acceptance Essays
