Knowledge and Poverty in The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara Essay example

Toni Cade Bambara addresses how knowledge is the nub by which 1 can escape off of poverty in her story The Lesson. In her story she identifies with fly the coop, economic inequality, and literary epiphany during the early 1970s. In this story children of African American progeny move into acquaint to face with their own poverty and reality. This realism of societys social timeworn was made known to them on a sunny afternoon field of study actuate to a toy computer memory on Fifth Avenue. finished the use of an African American protagonist Miss Moore and antagonist Sylvia who afterwards becomes the sub protagonist and White society the antagonist the lesson was ironically taught. Bambara identifies with race through class and demographics in her story The Lesson. The African American children come to terms with their classed society while visiting a pricey, Manhattan toy store. Sylvia states thusly we checked out that we on Fifth Avenue and everybody dressed up in stock ings. One lady in fur coat, hot as it is. White folks crazy (643). Sylvia discovers that White great deal dont dress like African Americans, even if they share the same caseful of weather condition. She recognizes that they have money and they have a tendency to bestow you an idea about how wealthy they are. Must be rich people shop here, say Q.T.(645). One of the children on the trip was able to chance on with the demographic of the area. He acknowledged that people who had status and wealth were the one most likely to buy toys and things that expensive. Bambara give readers an insight about the 1970s and what life was like for those of status in white society. How Whites could afford high-priced toys while those of African American society could not. Sylvia also recognized carriage patterns in a White atmos... ...he refused to let white society baulk in her way. Sylvia made up her mind and would strive to get what she wanted.throughout The Lesson Toni Cade Bambara illustra ted how education is the means by which one can escape out of poverty. This was not done in a classroom structured environs it took place on a sunny afternoon field trip in which the children on the trip was confronted with their own deficiency. There was resistance still as apiece individual longed for a toy in the store the apparent realism displayed itself. The extremely high price for the toys was an amount that their families could merry on for a while. Each child was put in a place where he/ she had to examine themselves, their social conditions and their future. Bambara used race through social status, economic inequality, and literary epiphany to identify the hidden realities in each child life.