The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara

Children learn in school about famous Americans like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King who fought to make this the land of freedom, opportunity, and equality for all. They learn about famous documents like the Declaration of Independence which declares that “All Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” One of the most difficult …

…the ascendancy. Bambara uses the story to make a point. This point is Miss Moores lesson which is intended to instill not only awareness of how the other half lives, but anger at the fact that black people in America do not tend to live this way: and a passion to do something about it. Work Cited Bambara, Toni Cade “The Lesson.” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 1999. 179-184