| Title | : | The Lesson |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 13 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1972 |
The Lesson Reviews
-
i had to read this for uni. nice lesson, that is all
-
THIS WAS GREAT. I can totally see why it's such a popular short story on school curricula. It even made me go into a Toni Cade Bambara rabbit whole, only to realise that she is seriously UNDER-APPRECIATED and a lot of her work is hard to find/out of print. I'm definitely putting her short story collection Gorilla, My Love on my reading list.
"The Lesson" is told from the perspective of Sylvia, a young Black girl growing up in a poor district in Brooklyn (Bambara herself was born in New York and grew up in Harlem – which might have served as inspiration for this story). The story takes place on the day Miss Moore takes some of the neighborhood kids to the fancy FAO Schwarz Toy Store in Manhattan, where toys are aimed at white customers and are extremely expensive. The kids realise that some of these toys cost more than their households' yearly incomes.
The lesson on economic inequality is not lost on the kids, though some, Sylvia among them, refuse to acknowledge it. They're left with an uneasy feeling, but unwilling to truly contemplate and dissect how this unjust economic and social system disadvantages them and their people.
It was fascinating to see Sylvia's contempt of Miss Moore. She is too young (maybe even too uneducated) to blame the system. However, there is a shift in the story and toward the end, Sylvia seeks solitude to contemplate the events of the day. She becomes angry ("but I sure want to punch somebody in the mouth") – which is a natural reaction – as well as defensive: "ain't nobody gonna beat me at nuthin."
It's a very short short story and Toni Cade Bambara's intent is more than clear – I even understand people who complain that she beats you over the head with it. Nonetheless, I found the story extremely effective and also think I would've benefited had I read it in school. I love the narrative voice that Toni Cade Bambara implements – in the true tradition of Zora Neale Hurston, she opts for a very relaxed and informal tone, not caring about standard English but rather immortalising how these group of Black kids talk. And that means showing their rudeness and crassness as well as their more vulnerable and tender moments.
"The Lesson" is an outstanding story that feels a lot more realistic and authentic than the stuff one usually reads. "Ain't nobody gonna beat me at nuthin." – you tell 'em, Sylvia, you tell 'em! -
First and foremost, I must thank Julie Grippo, whose exquisite taste in books often inspires me, and whose very impressive review of
Toni Cade Bambara's Gorilla, My Love, piqued my interest in the author's work.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Lesson being on display in the aforementioned collection, and having decided to try the audio version available on YouTube, I proceeded with optimistic caution. In fact, I'd fully intended to tackle this one in 2019, but time is evasive, you know?
In hindsight, Bambara's tale was worth the wait...for me, at least. As with any story, it's not going to be for everyone, and I understand why it's not regarded higher by other readers. There wasn't really a clear plot. Some might say there was no plot, period. Bambara's aptly titled The Lesson was akin to a day in the life (not even a whole day,) of Sylvia, Sugar, Mercedes, and their ragtag group of ungrateful friends, and their teacher, Miss Moore, in FAO Schwarz, in Manhattan, New York.
The beauty of the tale was the direct juxtaposition in the classes (poor, middle class, upper-middle class, the elite,) and the oppressive state of American-Americans, particularly in the early 1970's, which seemed to be when the story took place. Not that African-Americans no longer feel oppressed, or that they aren't oppressed, but Bambara was writing from a very personal place, and I love that. I fully appreciate and respect her passion; her outcry, if you will.
The characters, though...they were hilarious. And pretentious. Obnoxious. Bambara imbued them with life, with values and opinions all their own, and she told the story in a long-winded, stream-of-consciousness, present tense fashion, with honesty and integrity intact.
The narrator, Michael DuBon, was spot-on with his numerous voice inflections. Listening to him was like I was right there alongside these memorable characters, if only for the twenty minute running time, and if only invisibly. His performance was divine.
This was my introduction to Toni Case Bambara. It won't be my last.
The YouTube version HERE:
https://youtu.be/7S8Va1gFpT4 -
This short story is amazing. Anyone who thinks this story isn't amazing is crazy. The message, the tone, the theme it all makes sense. The way the words are used and Slviya's perspective. The author is genius. The message is really eye opening for people who have so much but don't realize it. Great story. Great. Great. Great.
-
Sylvia is too obnoxious and pretentious for my liking (she reminds me of Holden Caulfield to be quite honest), but I think the book has a great measage to deliver overall.
-
The emergence of alternatives to socio-economic entrapment, poverty and racial divide begins with Bambara's Sylvia. A young quintessential icon of a sassy, cocky spirit is Sylvia's armour of choice -Perhaps a result of societal conditioning indicative of racial and gender biases but even so that is the drive of hope-In the racial divide of northern inequality and unrest -The emergence of a counterculturist future leader meant progress was possible .
-Sylvia, my favorite iconic metaphor of potential, is worth the risk of a day's failure of racial slurs, fights or clashes .-Apparently an ole black aunt is far more sage than the younger teachers in Sylvia's life-Meaningful progress means access to wealth, professionalism and power- Sylvia's aunt is no stranger to New York's alternative for the black American family-Self reliance, trust and a gradual release to autonomy . SAHNBCT
-
I must say this short essay was one of my best reads from my writing class. It was funny and educational. To me Miss Moore was positive, black power, feminist, teacher and a positive role model to a group of preteens that was bad ass kids that was trying to disrespect Miss Moore. She too strong for that and she is taking the time out her life even though she isn't "married or even their blood" as one of the kids said. She teaches economics which connected to sociology; Karl Marx's class struggle, psychology and science.
-
Yeah, no. I didn't like it. I didn't see the point in any of that. The characters were obnoxious, the voice was unnecessarily difficult to read, and the paragraphs were super long. Also, I just hate things that are written in a dialect like that. Is that bad? Am I a bad person for liking correct grammar and spelling regardless of how uneducated a person may be? It frustrates me reading something that's incorrect on purpose.
-
2,5-3 stars.
The language was interesting to follow, but it was difficult to truly decipher what exactly the author wanted to portray. Other than, of course, the obvious between the line shimmer that shone through thanks to the teacher and how the narrator interpreted her.
Perhaps a closer reading might be of use, but that's all I have to say for now. -
Good short story. A bit didactic, but I bet this would be a good discussion in school. Teacher takes her students to FAO Schwartz.
Read online in a pdf. From a list of Best Short Stories -
i'm sorry i didn't like it okay??
-
Captures an idea very well
-
4,5 ⭐
-
what the hell did I just read?
Edit: Still a story about punk ass kids who think they're tough, and an annoying prissy school teacher that's "Progressive" It's just uncomfortable to read, even though I get it now. -
“‘Imagine for a minute what kind of a society it is in which some people can spend on a toy what it cost to feed a family of six or seven. What do you think?’”
-Miss Moore, “The Lesson”
——
This short story delivers an admirable theme and important perspective, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. -
Read this to help my son with an English assignment. Thought-provoking short story on income inequality--'haves' versus 'have nots'. Enjoyable read.
-
Great short story, really cool to delve into the slang and the mischievous, over-mature child from nyc slum pov narration. I read it in class, so I'm going to steal some words from my assignment about why I found Miss Moore's character significant.
Quote from story: "So we heading down the street and she’s boring us silly about what things cost and what our parents make and how much goes for rent and how money ain’t divided up right in this country. And then she gets to the part about we all poor and live in the slums, which I don’t feature."
my analysis: While this is a very irreverent description showing Sylvia doesn’t like to acknowledge these realities, it shows Ms. Moore’s awareness of socioeconomic conditions. I think this also influences Ms. Moore to realize why the children aren’t as receptive to formal education. They likely aren’t receiving the best quality education in New York City public schools that were historically underfunded, under resourced, and segregated by race until the ‘60s. Therefore, Ms. Moore really is passionate about providing these children with education and doing so in an accessible way.
Rather than forcing them to read books or do math sheets only, she takes them out into the real world, to an expensive toy store, and she gently encourages their curiosity and natural reactions. The story culminates with Sylvia’s friend asking questions about the exorbitant price of the toys and wealth inequality, which Miss Moore responds to.
Miss Moore reminds me of the character Miss Flowers from Maya Angelou’s autobiography “I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing.” I believe the Miss Moore archetype is actually a really important characterization in various stories about Black American women in the 20th century. They often represent a woman who is able to the beat the odds against poverty, systematic racism in the education space, and social customs that put them at a disadvantage. Despite this, they are hopeful mentors for youth to help their community."
I will definitely be reading more of Bambara's work, especially from the book this story was in. -
4 stars, because it makes such a good point in such a short amount of time. I love short stories with a wow factor. Like, "Wow, I never thought of it that way, but that's so true!" Not 5 stars, because it's not the best thing I've ever read or anything.
It's a bit hard to read because of the dialect, but it puts emphasis on the characters. I love/hate when authors do this. Love it because it's true to the characters and setting, and I hate it because it's hard to read and to understand in this day and age.
Overall, it only takes a few minutes to read and has a good lesson in there. If you don't mind the dialect, it's a great story to read for a short break. Even though it was written forever ago, the moral of the story is still true today. I like that. -
A thought provoking short story about the huge wealth gap we face and it’s consequences ... such as living in poverty and lacking access to a proper education.
My favorite line: “Imagine for a minute what kind of society it is in which some people can spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven... I think that this is not much of a democracy if you ask me. Equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough, don’t it?” -
I read this short story for my English class and if I'm being honest I really didn't apply myself too deeply to it because I read it right before the discussion (whoops). From what I did gather, this story offered strong themes and deeper meanings surrounding race and economic status which I found very interesting.
-
Such a good short story. Simple but there’s so much character and life within the few pages this takes up, and the message hurts so much when reading it through a child’s eyes. I definitely need to read more Bambara.
-
Read this short story for one of my modules for mg degree. I loved the incorporation of the setting and the duality of Manhattan to the slums of Bedford-Stuyvesant. It really captures African American struggles in 1930s America and the zeitgeist of the age. I would definitely recommend!
-
Had to read for my English course.
-
Interesting little story about kids expectations of other kids and political issues like systemic racism and income inequality.
-
Very funny, biting critique of poverty in the US, and deep psychological character study of a streetwise, defensive girl.
-
Simple and yet thought provoking
-
Important read.
-
had to read it for class 🦭
-
This story is hilarious
