Civil rights activist, Malcolm X, once said, “The American Negro never can be blamed for his racial animosities - he is only reacting to 400 years of the conscious racism of the American whites.” Malcolm X, like many others, saw the destruction the white majority can cause on an individual’s sense of identity. The aftermath of the civil rights movement left many African American communities feeling resentful towards those who had mistreated their people and left them without opportunity. This animosity shaped the identities of many discriminated people, including young children. In Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” Bambara exposes the ways in which awareness of social status and seclusion from society can shape a young girl’s identity.
To begin, Sylvia’s rancor towards Miss Moore displays the bitterness society has already implanted into Sylvia’s brain. The children of the neighborhood despised Miss Moore for attempting to act as though her social status and race did not trouble her. “This lady
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moved on our block with nappy hair and proper speech and no make up. And quite naturally we laughed at her. . . Miss Moore was her name. The only woman on the block with no first name. And she was black as hell” (Bambara, 1972. p1). Here, the reader can see that the children believe that a black person should act with a black identity and white person should act with a white identity. Sylvia is declaring that it is absolutely foolish for a black person to lose their black identity. Miss Moore, like many, had become aware of the disadvantages of being black and she seeks to reject them through acting as though they do not inhibit her; an act Sylvia sees as despicable. “During this era, African Americans were becoming increasingly aware of the consequences to blacks as a whole when individual blacks adhered to white middle-class values and declined to celebrate their heritage” (Champion, 2012, p,119). This idea can explain the reason Sylvia is equates losing one’s black identity to stupidity. Sylvia latches onto her own black identity and refuses to trust white people and black people who attempt to act like white people. Next, the neighborhood children’s deprivation of money causes them to dismiss white people’s behavior only resulting in more isolation from the white society.
Miss Moore attempts to teach the children the vast differences between the white and the black, the rich and the poor. “‘Who are these people that spend that much for performing clowns and $1000 for toy sailboats? What kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain’t in on it?’” (Bambara, 1972. p6). This rant highlights the tremendous gap between these children and white children. Due to the ingrained ideas that are passed down from one generation to the next, these children see that the identity of white people, as a whole, are completely separate from them. In calling them clowns, Sylvia shows the great antipathy she has towards a white person, just for being white. Sylvia refuses to accept that her black identity could overlap with a white person’s identity, therefore, separating herself from society
more. Lastly, In looking at the story’s entirety, Sylvia’s refusal to change after Miss Moore’s teaching shows that she completely accepts her own identity and is content with staying the way she is; a common theme amongst the black communities during the Harlem Renaissance. At the end of the story Sylvia states, “But ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin” (Bambara, 1972. p7). This idea encompasses the attitude of most in a black community: they could be just as good as the white people, if not better. The purpose of Bambara’s story was to stress the importance of the black identity. The reader can learn to accept the important idea that accepting one’s own identity can help one be the best version of themselves. This text encourages the readers, even in modern times, to accept and understand the role their identities play. To summarize, Toni Cade Bambara’s story, “The Lesson” teaches the ways in which awareness of social status and race can shape one’s appreciation for their own identity and express themselves accordingly. During the Harlem Renaissance, many black people developed a sense of pride in who they were and offended by those whom, like Miss Moore, rejected their black identity. Black identity was an essential part in shaping the lives of the young people, so much so, that black children separated the white race from themselves completely. From, “The Lesson” the readers feel encouraged to accept their own identity and to not deny who they are.
In this story, Bambara indicates the distance between Miss Moore and Sylvia, by showing the contrast of educational background between them. As Sylvia said, Miss Moore has “her goddamn college degree (330-331)”, but most of people around Sylvia did not go to the college because they were too poor to go. At the beginning of the story, everyone in the class looked like they did not like Miss Moore, as Sylvia said “we kinda hated her (330)”. She also said that “I’m really hating this nappy-head bitch and her goddamn college degree (330-331)”. As these words represent, she was insulting Miss Moore and the readers hear that the sarcasm in Sylvia’s tone most of the times in the story. She also called Miss Moore “lady”. This depicts Sylvia treated Miss Moore as an outsider. According to Naderi, “Miss Moore’s state of being called ‘lady’, her educational background, her ‘proper speech’ (195) make
Many of the stereotypes we encounter and hold today were formed because of events in the past, which were formed to rationalize and justify past social and political agendas. Many of the stereotypes that we now hold today were learned long ago and have been passed from one generation to the next. This book has forever inspired me to believe in the value of each child and discourage racist attitudes wherever I encounter them. Gregory Howard Williams encountered many hurdles growing up and successfully defeated them all. He could have easily confirmed the expectations of his negative peers and developed into a self-fulfilling prophecy, but instead he chose to shun his stereotypes and triumph over incredible odds.
One of Miss Moore's defining qualities is her intelligence. Her academic skills and self-presentation is noticeable through her college degree and use of “proper speech” (Bambara, 385). Miss Moore also makes her intelligence evident from the methods she uses to teach Sylvia and the other children. Unlike planting them in classrooms, she takes them out on trips to show them the real world. Despite all the insults she receives from th...
Tatum’s book “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” (1997) analyses the development of racial identity and the influence of racism in American’s culture. She emphasizes the Black-White interactions by comparing the terminology in which racism perceived based on David Wellman’s definition of racism. Tatum also believes racism is not one person in particular but is a cultural situation in which ethnicity assigns some groups significantly privileged compared to others. She illustrates how engaging children in terms of interracial understanding will empower them to respond to racial stereotypes and systems of discrimination.
...siting F.A.O. Schwarz awakens in Sylvia an internal struggle she has never felt, and through criticizing Miss Moore, Sylvia distances herself from realizing her poverty. In her responses to the toys, their prices, and the unseen people who buy them, it is evident that Sylvia is confronting the truth of Miss Moore's lesson. As Sylvia begins to understand social inequality, the realization of her own disadvantage makes her angry. For Sylvia, achieving class consciousness is a painful enlightenment. For her to accept that she is underprivileged is shameful for her, and Sylvia would rather deny it than admit a wound to her pride: "ain't nobody gonna beat me at nuthin" (312).
Bambara gives the readers insight on the poverty and struggle minorities endured while living in the ghetto slums of New York. The goal of the author was coherent and exemplified throughout the story; Bambara had plenty of goals when writing this story. Although the fight for racial equalities were apparent in “The Lesson,” this was not the only aspect being fought for. Social and economic equalities were also fought for in this story. Bambara’s goal was set loud and clear throughout this story: the fight for racial and socioeconomic equalities is never
Sylvia’s being poor influences the way in which she sees other people and feels about them. Sylvia lives in the slums of New York; it is the only life she knows and can realistically relate to. She does not see herself as poor or underprivileged. Rather, she is content with her life, and therefore resistant to change. Sylvia always considered herself and her cousin as "the only ones just right" in the neighborhood, and when an educated woman, Miss Moore, moves into the neighborhood, Sylvia feels threatened. Ms. Moore is threatening to her because she wants Sylvia to look at her low social status as being a bad thing, and Sylvia "doesn’t feature that." This resistance to change leads Sylvia to be very defensive and in turn judgmental. Sylvia is quick to find fl...
Without details, the words on a page would just simply be words, instead of gateways to a different time or place. Details help promote these obstacles, but the use of tone helps pull in personal feelings to the text, further helping develop the point of view. Point of view is developed through the story through descriptive details and tone, giving the reader insight to the lives of each author and personal experiences they work through and overcome. Issa Rae’s “The Struggle” fully emplefies the theme of misplaced expectations placed on African Americans, but includes a far more contemporary analysis than Staples. Rae grapples as a young African-American woman that also struggles to prove her “blackness” and herself to society’s standards, “I feel obligated to write about race...I slip in and out of my black consciousness...sometimes I’m so deep in my anger….I can’t see anything outside of my lens of race” (Rae, 174). The delicate balance between conformity and non-conformity in society is a battle fought daily, yet Rae maintains an upbeat, empowering solution, to find the strength to accept yourself before looking for society’s approval and to be happy in your own skin. With a conversational, authoritative, humorous, confident and self-deprecating tone, Rae explains “For the majority of my life, I cared too much about my blackness was perceived, but now?... I couldn’t care less. Call it maturation or denial or self-hatred- I give no f%^&s.” (Rae 176), and taking the point of view that you need to stand up to racism, and be who you want to be not who others want you to be by accepting yourself for who you are. Rae discusses strength and empowerment in her point of view so the tone is centered around that. Her details all contribute to the perspectives as well as describing specific examples of racism she has encountered and how she has learned from those
She leaves behind her family in order to pursue what she believes is the greater good. She leaves behind a family of nine, living in extreme poverty, to live with her biological father—who runs out on her at a young age to satisfy his need to feel big and important, simply based on anxieties about the hardships around him. Moody comes from a highly difficult and stressful situation, but she stands as the only hope for her starving family and leaves them behind for a life of scholarship and opportunity. This memoir leaves the reader with a sense of guilt for Moody’s decisions, and one may even argue that these decisions happened in vain, as the movement never made a massive impact on race relations. Unfortunately for Moody, she would continue to witness atrocious hate crimes up until the year of her
This brings us to the Toni Morrison short story “Recitatif”. This short story encourages an African American or ethnically minded style of understanding. The driving force for the thoughts and actions of both Twyla, Roberta, and the other characters is race and race relations. Those two events may seem like nothing, but it shows how even at the early age of 8, children are taught to spot the differences in race instead of judging people by their character.
In public schools, students are subjected to acts of institutional racism that may change how they interact with other students. In the short story “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” by Packer, readers are allowed to view firsthand how institutionalized racism affects Dina, who is the main character in the story. Packer states “As a person of color, you shouldn’t have to fit in any white, patriarchal system” (Drinking Coffee Elsewhere 117). The article “Disguised Racism in Public Schools” by Brodbelt states “first, the attitudes of teachers toward minority group pupils” (Brodbelt 699). Like the ideas in the article “Disguised Racism in Public Schools” Dina encounters institutionalized oppression on orientation day at Yale.
Racism, stereotypes, and white privilege are all concepts that affect all of us whether we believe it or not. If an adolescent of a minority can distinguish these concepts in his society then we all should be aware of them. These concepts are all clearly demonstrated in “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”. Anyone and everyone could clearly understand this novel but the intended audience is middle school to college level students. The novel’s goal is to help white students understand the effects of white privilege in an easier, more understandable way. Concepts are easier to understand when someone feels like they are connecting to someone they have things in common with, which is exactly what this novel does. I, for one, was always
To begin with, the reader gets a sense of Sylvia's personality in the beginning of the story as she talks about Miss Moore. Miss Moore is not the typical black woman in the neighborhood. She is well educated and speaks well. She has climbed up against the odds in a time where it was almost unheard of for a black woman to go to college. She is a role model for the children who encourages them to get more out of life. Sylvia's opinion of her is not one of fondness. She says that she hates Miss Moore as much as the "winos who pissed on our handball walls and stand up on our hallways and stairs so you couldn't halfway play hide and seek without a god damn mask”(357). By comparing the hatred with something she enjoys, we get to see what a child does in the slums for amusement. Sylvia feels t...
A main theme in this novel is the influence of family relationships in the quest for individual identity. Our family or lack thereof, as children, ultimately influences the way we feel as adults, about ourselves and about others. The effects on us mold our personalities and as a result influence our identities. This story shows us the efforts of struggling black families who transmit patterns and problems that have a negative impact on their family relationships. These patterns continue to go unresolved and are eventually inherited by their children who will also accept this way of life as this vicious circle continues.
Sylvia displays her bitterness and hate towards anyone, or any situation that aims to make her come to terms with reality. Instead of being receptive to Miss Moore’s lesson that “poor people have to wake up and demand their share of the pie” (Bambara 461), Sylvia uses her pessimistic attitude, “I’m really hating this nappy-head bitch and her goddamn college degree” (Bambara 457), as a way to escape from dealing with the present situation. Furthermore, Bambara’s use of her character’s dialogue and diction throughout the story symbolizes the lack of education that exists within poor black communities; for instance, the intentional words and statements such as “it’s purdee hot” (457), and “the somethinorother in a speck of blood” (458) indicates the set back that Sylvia suffers from because she is poorly