The Lesson Essay Research Paper Symbolism and
The Lesson Essay, Research Paper
Symbolism and Theme in Bambara & # 8217 ; s & # 8220 ; The Lesson & # 8221 ;
Toni Cade Bambara wrote the short narrative, The Lesson, in 1972. The Lesson is considered by the Literary Canon to be a fantastic work of fiction because of its usage of linguistic communication, humanistic subject, symbolism, and non-genre secret plan. Two indispensable elements that add to the deepness and heighten a reader & # 8217 ; s comprehension of The Lesson are Bambara & # 8217 ; s usage of symbolism and subject.
The Lesson takes topographic point in New York & # 8217 ; s interior metropolis. The fictional narrative begins with a group of hapless, uneducated, lower category metropolis childs standing in forepart of a letter box, fixing themselves for another twenty-four hours of being taught by Mrs. Moore. Mrs. Moore felt that it was her responsibility to assist underprivileged kids learn because she was one of the lone adult females in the vicinity to gain a grade. The chief character is Sylvia, who tells the narrative in a first individual narrative. Sylvia is a immature African American miss, likely around 14 old ages old, who is really judgmental about the universe around her. By Bambara & # 8217 ; s pick of words, the reader can state that she is highly opinionated, presents a really tough, hostile outside and non at all happy about holding to be taught anything by Mrs. Moore. For case, she states & # 8220 ; we kinda hated her excessively, hated the manner we did the drunkard who cluttered up our Parkss and pissed on our manus ball walls & # 8221 ; ( Bambara 121 ) . On this hot summer twenty-four hours, Mrs. Moore felt that there was a lesson to larn at FAO Schwartz, a really expensive, upper category plaything shop in downtown Manhattan. After stepping out of the cab and peering into the window, Sylvia knows that this is non merely any toy shop and they are non merely at that place for any ground.
The ground Mrs. Moore brought the kids to FAO Schwartz is captured in Bambara & # 8217 ; s utilize symbolism. Outside of the toyshop the kids glare at a figure of really expensive plaything. Some of them include a paperweight and a sailing boat. Initially, none of the kids, particularly Sylvia, knew what the paperweight was. She says to herself that & # 8220 ; my eyes tell me it & # 8217 ; s a ball of glass cracked with something heavy, and different-color inks dripped into the splits, so the whole thing put into a oven or something. But for $ 480 it don & # 8217 ; Ts make sense & # 8221 ; ( Bambara 123 ) . After Mrs. Moore explains what it is, the kids still can non grok its usage or the monetary value. Bambara uses the paperweight to typify importance. A paperweight is used to keep something that is of value, something that person wishes non to lose. The kids have ne’er known or owned something that is cherished. At the same clip, the paperweight can typify that their life in the slums and ne’er making out for something more can be keeping them down. They are the of import 1s under that paperweight. A better life, one in which their basic demands are met, costs a price- 1 that they are non use to. To them, $ 400 is a life & # 8217 ; s worth of work and unfa
thomable. The monetary value of their hereafter is traveling to hold be something that they will hold to endeavor for and open their heads past their current homes. Similarly, the sailing boat is besides used by Bambara to stand for freedom and the journey that lies in forepart of them.
The journey into Manhattan was merely a cab drive off. However, it was merely a impermanent opportunity for the kids to see this type of life. If Sylvia or the other kids wished to for good get away the universe of poorness they came from, they would hold to recognize that it wasn & # 8217 ; t traveling to be easy. There are many stairss along the manner and to finish them, they would hold to be educated. It would be merely the same for person who wanted to sail, they would hold to first larn how. Sylvia, astonished by the monetary value, can non understand why person would pay that much when & # 8220 ; my sailing boat cost me about 50 cents & # 8221 ; ( Bambara 124 ) . The inquiry is then- would she ever be happy settling for less? Or did she even realize that she might be settling? Bambara raises interesting ideas with the usage of symbolism.
Another component of literature that Bambara gracefully incorporates in The Lesson is the subject. The subject is that life is non ever just and that if you want something, you have to work for it. The subject can be recognized by her usage of symbolism, but besides by the manner she establishes a difference between societal and cultural categories. Sylvia wants to propose that her and the other kids & # 8220 ; travel to the Sunset and terrorise the West Indian Kids and take their hair threads and their money excessively & # 8221 ; ( Bambara 122 ) . From this statement, the reader can state that stealing doesn & # 8217 ; t do much of a moral quandary as it would most. Possessions are things to be taken by the strongest person- a endurance of the fittest attitude. Then when the kids arrive in Manhattan, they see all the white people with their wealths and claim & # 8220 ; white folks crazy & # 8221 ; ( Bambara 122 ) . The inquiries becomes- why wouldn & # 8217 ; t they take their properties like the West Indian childs? One could propose that they do non experience that they are superior plenty to take them. Where you are born on the societal ladder is non a pick and might non be considered to be just. Although it is easy to take from those beneath you, to travel up, one must take a much longer, more hard attack. Bambara incorporates the subject of The Lesson into the narrative with really precise wisdom.
The Lesson is a superb piece of fiction. The subject and symbolic elements will hopefully assist this short narrative, stand the trial of clip. Bambara was able to show and demo different positions on life by conveying a few hapless metropolis childs into a ritzy plaything shop. This is a short narrative that should be read by all in hopes to educate today & # 8217 ; s kids.
Bambara, Toni. & # 8220 ; The Lesson & # 8221 ; . Literature: Reading and Writing the Human Experience. Shorter 7th erectile dysfunction. Ed. Richard Abacian and Marvin Koltz. Boston: Bedford/St. St. martins, 2000. 121-126.
