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English
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Social standing in The Lesson
The essay aims to analyze the short story titled The Lesson written by Toni Cade
Bambara to understand the social standing or status explained in the story. A young black girl
narrates the story in which, one Miss Moore is the central character. The story is set in the 1970s
in a poor region of Harlem in New York City. Bambara portrays the inequality that was
prevalent in the American society during the 20th century especially against the black
community. The author chooses to narrate the story through a young girl to project the oblivion
people have about social and economic inequality. The thesis of the essay, therefore, is to present
the social standing in the story through the eyes of the young black girl Sylvia.
In the beginning of the story, Sylvia makes it clear with her introduction of Miss Moore
that she was not someone welcomed in her block while also giving a clear picture of the bad
condition of the place. She describes Miss Moore as some “lade with nappy hair and proper
speech and no makeup” (Bambara 85). Sylvia’s description of the place where she lived while
expresses the level of hatred she has for Miss Moore clearly shows the kind of place they lived
in. She states that she and her cousin hated Miss Moore like the drunkards who used to urinate
on their parks and hallways where they used to play and reside: “And we kinda hated her too,
hated the way we did the winos who cluttered up our parks and pissed on our handball walls and
stank up our hallways and stairs..”( Bambara 85). One of the descriptions from which the
readers could have an understanding of the poor condition of the place and the people living

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Social Standing in The Lesson - Analysis of Toni Cade Bambara's Short Story

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