Moore's Message To Sylvia example essay topic

Fran Pez 3/21/00 The idea in Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson " is that in our society (America) An unequal economic system is favor over a true democratic system The "Lesson " is a story by Toni Cade Barbara about a young African American Girl living in the slums of New York City. Sylvia, the main character of the story and Miss Moore the school teacher are the instruments that Bambara uses to convey her message about the unfairness of the economic system in New York. Miss Moore takes Sylvia and class mates to F.A.O. Schwarz toy stores on Fifth Avenue, in the hope that they might learn how undemocratic the economic system really is. In the middle of the story Sylvia unconsciously begins to understand what it means to be poor in a capitalist society, and on the last page of the story there is a good indication that Sylvia benefits from her experience at the toy store. At the toy store, Miss Moore uses high price toys to illustrate her idea of the immorality of the economic system to the students.

She instructs the students to contemplate the cost of a microscope priced at $300, a paperweight at $480, and a sailboat at $1000, so that they might better understand their position. Questions were raised when the students saw the prices and realized that only the privileged groups could afford to shop at Schwarz. There they realized the injustice of the economic system and were affected by the fact that the money spent on a single toy at Schwarz could feed a poor family for days. By Miss Moore's illustration the students came to the conclusion that the economic system is not so democratic after all. To the characters of the story, a democratic economic system meant an equal opportunity to pursue happiness and an equal opportunity for economic integration. Sylvia's learning experience left her confused and unhappy.

She wondered who were these people that could spend so much money on performing clown toys and sailboats. What type of work did they do, how did they lived, and why she was part of that system? At this point in the story she remembers Miss Moore's encouraging words: "Where we are is who we are, Miss Moore always point in out. but it don't necessarily have to be that way, she always adds then wait for somebody to say that poor people have to wake up demand their share of the pie and don't none of us know what kind of pie she was talking about on the first damm place". Miss Moore's message to Sylvia and to the students was that no matter how bad circumstances are they shouldn't let themselves be discouraged in persuading their goals for equality. Sylvia did not fully understand Miss Moore until her experience at the toy store.

The last page indicates that Sylvia will in time digests Miss Moore's teachings and put it to good practice. At the end of the story, Barbara portrays Sylvia to be a strong-minded individual that will stop at nothing to succeed. The first passage of the story indicates that Sylvia did manage to escape poverty. For example, Barbara writes, "Back in the days when everyone was old and stupid or young and foolish and me and sugar were just right". The passage is written in the past tense and that would indicate her awareness.

Sylvia maintained how foolish and ignorant she was in her youth, but it also shows that she learned a great deal from Miss Moore. In "The Lesson" Barbara uses a first person narrator which greatly adds to the story. The use of characters that have insight and knowledge of poverty helps the reader sympathize with the characters and appreciate the theme of the story more. The setting of a poor and rich environment further adds to the idea of the story. Barbara effectively expresses her political ideas with the use of literature..