Psychological Torture and the Fairness of Poverty in “The Lesson, by Toni Cade Bambara

Toni Cade Bambara addresses how knowledge is the means by which one can escape out of poverty in her story The Lesson. In her story she identifies with race, economic inequality, and literary epiphany during the early 1970’s. In this story children of African American progeny come face to face with their own poverty and reality. This realism of society’s social standard was made known to them on a sunny afternoon field trip to a toy store on Fifth Avenue. Through the use of an African American protagonist Miss Moore and antagonist Sylvia who later becomes the sub protagonist and White society the antagonist “the lesson” was ironically taught. Sylvia belong to a lower economic class, which affects her views of herself within highlights the

"The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara is a short story set in the inner part of New York City that gives the reader an opportunity to briefly see into the lives of children living devoid of wealth and education. It takes place in the early seventies, following the civil rights movement and during a time when the imbalance of wealth in terms of race was immense. Bamabara, through the use of narrative point of tone, symbols, setting and characterization, brings out and develops what I believe to be the two main themes of the story: materialism and social inequality.

In “The Torture Myth”, the author, Anne Applebaum successfully uses logos by including quotes from various sources to support her main claim. Her main claim is the following: “Perhaps it's reassuring to tell ourselves tales about the new forms of "toughness" we need, or to talk about the special rules we will create to defeat this special enemy. Unfortunately, that toughness is self-deceptive and self-destructive. Ultimately it will be self-defeating as well.”(Applebaum) Throughout the piece, she provides several expert testimonies to enforce her claim. The situation of this writing is to clarify what society thinks the effectiveness of torture is compared to the reality. The target audience of this piece is educated people that read the Washington Post, but more specifically law enforcement personnel and or agencies that can possibly use this information in the field. The purpose of this article is to inform society about the misconceptions regarding torture. Although people think that torture is an effective method, because of Applebaum's successful use of logos, diction, and repetition, it is understood that torture is ultimately self-defeating and self-destructive.

Joyce’s “Araby” and Bambara’s “Lesson” pose surprising similarities to each other. Despite the narrators’ strikingly clear differences, such as time period, ethnicity, social class, and gender the characters have important similarities. Both narrators are at crucial developmental stages in their lives, are faced with severe adversities, and have a point of clarity that affects their future.

Furthermore, another major influence that surrounded Bambara’s short story was poverty. During this time, in which Bambara’s story was written, Americans experienced the rise in prices on market goods, oil and much more, better known as the Stagflation Era. This specific economic event was reflected in Bambara’s story when Sylvia is about to pay the cab driver, “Sugar say give him a dime. And I decide he don’t need it as bad as I do, so later for him” (Bambara 137). And in addition, Sylvia mentions how thirty-five dollars can get her a long way, “thirty-five dollars could buy new bunk beds… the whole household could go visit granddaddy nelson in the country… would pay for the rent and the piano bill too” (Bambara 140). Although poverty was the first thing learned, it was a way of life for Sylvia and her friends and they didn’t seem to have a problem with it since everyone around them is on the same level as one another- Poor! We can see this when the children are in the store, having a discussion about a paperweight, “We don’t keep paper on top of the desk in my class… I don’t even have a desk at home… and I don’t get no homework either” (Bambara 138).

Over the course of the semester, we have read many short stories that have shared very similar themes. The two stories that stood out the most to me were You Want Me White and The Youngest Doll. Not only were the stories both very compelling they share parallel themes such a social issues concerning women and form of gender disparity. Both authors Alfosina Storni and Rosario Ferre wrote during a time male dominance was an issue, women were looked at as objects that needed to devote themselves to their men.

Toni Cade Bambara’s "The Lesson" revolves around a young black girl’s struggle to come to terms with the role that economic injustice, and the larger social injustice that it constitutes, plays in her life. Sylvia, the story’s protagonist, initially is reluctant to acknowledge that she is a victim of poverty. Far from being oblivious of the disparity between the rich and the poor, however, one might say that on some subconscious level, she is in fact aware of the inequity that permeates society and which contributes to her inexorably disadvantaged economic situation. That she relates poverty to shame—"But I feel funny, shame. But what I got to be

Toni Cade Bambara addresses how knowledge is the means by which one can escape out of poverty in her story The Lesson. In her story she identifies with race, economic inequality, and literary epiphany during the early 1970’s. In this story children of African American progeny come face to face with their own poverty and reality. This realism of society’s social standard was made known to them on a sunny afternoon field trip to a toy store on Fifth Avenue. Through the use of an African American protagonist Miss Moore and antagonist Sylvia who later becomes the sub protagonist and White society the antagonist “the lesson” was ironically taught.

“Incidents of the Life of a Slave Girl” not only looks as women suffering to keep protect their families but also how they had to suffer both mental and physical abuse from slave owners. Linda Brent received inappropriate corrupt passes from Dr. Flint, although during this time he had every right to have his way with her being that slaves had no rights and he owned her. He was very abusive to her so being punched and kicked wasn’t uncommon for her. On a rare occasion when her master wasn’t being abusive he was

In the poem "Oppression" by Jimmy Santiago Baca, the author gives readers an understanding of oppression, its psychological impact upon endurance, and one's ability to seek emancipation. Within the first stanza of the poem, Baca defines oppression as "being trampled under" and expresses that those who endure oppression "are human". Baca continues to explain that the act oppression "[i]s a question of strength" of the oppressor, and a question "of unshed tears" of the individual enduring oppression. In this stanza, the author is stating that oppression is a fight for power in which the oppressor uses fear through the form of violence or terror to oppress individuals, while the individuals being oppressed show their strength by remaining calm

“The Lesson’’ by Toni Cade Bambara compared the life between poor and rich people. The action was “Back in the days when everyone was old and stupid’’ (317). The society was divided in two parts. Some of them were so rich, they could “spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven‘’ (325). Many people were upset because of high prices and separation between classes. Some people would say “This is not much of a democracy’’ (325).

Toni Cade Bambara’s short story The Lesson told in first person by a character named Sylvia. Sylvia is a poor student who resides in the ghetto of New York with her friends and family. The story begins in the summertime in New York, where the children are out of school, playing and having fun; but when a new neighbor Miss Moore move in, things change. Miss Moore is an educated African American woman, who embarks on an educational journey with the children. She realizes that the children lack experience and knowledge of a world outside of poverty, so she takes them on a trip outside their

To Sylvia, being educated means seeing things as they are. Sylvia and Miss Moore both have a considerable amount of pride. Sylvia thinks Miss Moore shows disrespect when she describes their neighborhood as a slum and their families as poor. Bambara has indicated that Sylvia 's family is striving for better conditions through the mention of the piano rental. Miss Moore views the children 's acceptance of their economic condition as ignorance and their ignorance as disrespect for their race. Miss Moore wants to change this attitude and encourages the children to demand more from the society that keeps them down. By the end of the story, both of these characters have made their points. Sylvia realizes

Sylvia’s life in the story “The Lesson” brings me back to my own childhood in many ways. As a young girl I grew up in an uneducated, low income household. I too, knew as a young girl, we were poor. I never let it bother me, I never thought there was something wrong with being poor. Living in low income apartment housing with many children just like myself was the norm in my world. We ran the neighborhood, had tons of adventures, and yet we were content with our lives just the way they were. As I grew older and began spending time with my Aunt Julie, she helped me realized there was a whole other world out there I knew nothing about.

In Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson,” she encourages Sylvia to look society in the eye and change what is expected of her. She exposes the inequality present within the United States’s society through the perspective of young African American children. Often, many are unwilling to acknowledge that they are a victim of poverty, leaving them in a state of ignorance, that will not promote any change. The story revolves around Sylvia, a young black girl, who finally has her eyes opened to her disadvantaged economic status. Real learning often occurs after a state of discomfort and confusion. Bambara takes Sylvia through a journey enlightening her through an uncomfortable juxtaposition of Harlem and Manhattan, her and her friends, and who she actually is and who she wants to be.