"The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the short story, "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara, in which a group of African-American children goes with Miss Moore, a college-educated black woman, out of their New York City neighborhood to the FAO Schwartz store. The author points out that Sylvia, the narrator, demonstrates a general level of irritation throughout the story, which is a communicative device to allow the reader to quickly get to the heart of Sylvia's personality. The paper stresses that Sugar, who is more compliant and more of a follower than Sylvia, provides someone for Sylvia to interact with, so the story can be told as it unfolds rather than as a past-tense narrative.

From the Paper:

"Sylvia narrates the story. Her annoyance over having to go with Miss Moore on another one her trips that always include lectures is evident in her comments: "And the starch in my pinafore scratching the shit "outta" me and I'm really hating this nappy-head bitch and her goddamn college degree. I'd much rather go to the pool or to the show where it's cool." "

More papers on "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara:

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• Analytical Essay # 83834 : " Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson"
• Book Review # 100485 : "Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson"

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