The Lesson By Toni Bambara

Bambara, Toni Cade and Laurie Champion. "The Lesson." Introduction to Literary Context: American Short Fiction, Nov. 2014, pp. 117-122. Literary Reference Center search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=lkh&AN=101666185&site=lrc-plus. Accessed 4 Nov. 2017. In this work, Champion states that “The Lesson”, is packed with social implications. She believes one major point of the story is the criticism of society, in which wealth is not equally distributed. It is seen as one of the major lesson to be learned in the story. She states the story portrays the children as a social group, whom all live in the same area and engage in the same type of activities. They all come from the same impoverished living conditions. It is believed by Champion, that Miss. Moore’s character is presented as some sort of foil for the children. She represents an educated black woman who wants to prove to the children, that their …show more content…
She explains how Sylvia, one of the main characters and the use of African-American Vernacular English in the story symbolized the resistance of the Civil Rights Movement by the white people, and the rising tensions between ethnic groups. This language emphasizes the children's distance from the typical white middle-class culture and economic power. However, Bambara also celebrates African-American Vernacular English as a means for conveying black experience: Sylvia uses the language to express her self-confidence, assertiveness, and creativity as a young black woman. The characters in “The Lesson” written by Bambara; portray different socioeconomic and cultural differences. Heller also explains that highlighting the need to question society’s and one’s role within society may be part of “The Lesson.” Additionally, Heller implies that teaching the children about the society outside the ghetto was a lesson of wealth and poverty. In the story, most of the children use the same