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Themes in The Lesson

There are a number of themes illustrated in this fragment from Toni Cade BambaraÆs ôThe Lesson.ö One of the central themes illustrated is that the myth of the American Dream is more like the American Nightmare for poor minorities who have little access or opportunity to the income or luxuries of the white dominant majority in U.S. Society. Though Sylvia becomes angry with Miss Moore, Miss Moore realizes it is this injustice that Sylvia is irritated by, even though her friend Sugar seems to express it better. This analysis will discuss this and other themes in BamberaÆs ôThe Lesson.ö

Sylvia begrudges the intrusions of Miss Moore because it is summer and Miss Moore tries to educate her and her friends when Sylvia would rather be swimming or otherwise having carefree fun. Miss Moore, however, realizes Sylvia needs to discover how society and its social stratification operate if she or her friends will ever be free. Sylvia only resents Miss Moore for this initially, ôAnd Miss Moore asking us do we know what money is, like we a bunch of retardsö (Bambara 457). Miss Moore takes Sylvia and her friends into the city to go to F.A.O. Schwartz. The glaring discrepancies between wealthy white people and poor Black people are immediately apparent to Sylvia, ôThen we check out that we on Fifth Avenue and everybody dressed up in stockings. One lady in a fur coat, hot as it is. White folks crazyö (Bambara 458).

As the children view the different toys in F.A.O. Schwartz, they experience culture shock when they see the expensive cost of the items, from a $480 paperweight to a sailboat that costs $1,195.00 (Bambara 459). The item Sylvia really likes is a $35 clown that does tricks, but she knows even this cost is beyond her familyÆs means. She imagines her motherÆs response to requesting such an expensive toy, ôYou wanna who that costs what?...Thirty-five dollars would pay for the rent and the piano b

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Themes in The Lesson. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 11:45, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1709925.html