schulz-like essay
in case i forget it tomorrow:
In the short story, “The Lesson”, Miss Moore takes a group of kids on an outing to FAO Schwartz in order to impart a lesson to the children: think. Some characters in the story don’t learn the lesson, and others do. Bambara uses diction, syntax, repitition, and the plot triangle to illustrate that while some children, such as me and Sugar, understand the lesson, others, such as Flyboy and Mercedes, don’t.
Two characters in “The Lesson” learn what it is Miss Moore’s trying to teach: Sugar and me. At the end of the story when they are back at the mailbox, Sugar’s repetitive use of “I think” demonstrates that she has learned the lesson. She also switches from a more crude and vulgar form of speech to using words like “democracy” and “pursue happiness”, indicating a consciousness shift from carefree to thoughtful. However, me literally and figuratively stomps the thought out of Sugar when she steps on her foot. At the end of the book, Sugar is the same as she was at the beginning. She wants to spend the 4 dollars she’s gained on frivolity, much like me suggested in the beginning, instead of giving the concept more thought. Conversely, at the end of the story, me understands the lesson. She says, “I got a headache for thinkin so hard”, and also repeats the word think multiple times. She chooses not to follow Sugar into the world of frivolity. Instead, me goes off in the other direction to think the day over, because “ain't nobody gonna beat me at nuthin.”
Conversely, many characters in the story do not understand the lesson at all. Two examples are Flyboy and Mercedes. Both characters are flat, not changing from the beginning of the story to the end. When asked how they liked the toy store, Flyboy merely responds that he wants a shower because it has been a tiring day. No thought was involved with his reply, and the word choice does not reflect clear understanding. Similarly, Mercedes responds that she wants to go back to the store when she gets he birthday money. Mercedes is only concerned with the toys in the toy store and, like Flyboy, makes no attempt to understand Miss Moore’s point. Both characters do not think through the entire story.
In the short story, “The Lesson”, Miss Moore takes a group of kids on an outing to FAO Schwartz in order to impart a lesson to the children: think. Some characters in the story don’t learn the lesson, and others do. Bambara uses diction, syntax, repitition, and the plot triangle to illustrate that while some children, such as me and Sugar, understand the lesson, others, such as Flyboy and Mercedes, don’t.
Two characters in “The Lesson” learn what it is Miss Moore’s trying to teach: Sugar and me. At the end of the story when they are back at the mailbox, Sugar’s repetitive use of “I think” demonstrates that she has learned the lesson. She also switches from a more crude and vulgar form of speech to using words like “democracy” and “pursue happiness”, indicating a consciousness shift from carefree to thoughtful. However, me literally and figuratively stomps the thought out of Sugar when she steps on her foot. At the end of the book, Sugar is the same as she was at the beginning. She wants to spend the 4 dollars she’s gained on frivolity, much like me suggested in the beginning, instead of giving the concept more thought. Conversely, at the end of the story, me understands the lesson. She says, “I got a headache for thinkin so hard”, and also repeats the word think multiple times. She chooses not to follow Sugar into the world of frivolity. Instead, me goes off in the other direction to think the day over, because “ain't nobody gonna beat me at nuthin.”
Conversely, many characters in the story do not understand the lesson at all. Two examples are Flyboy and Mercedes. Both characters are flat, not changing from the beginning of the story to the end. When asked how they liked the toy store, Flyboy merely responds that he wants a shower because it has been a tiring day. No thought was involved with his reply, and the word choice does not reflect clear understanding. Similarly, Mercedes responds that she wants to go back to the store when she gets he birthday money. Mercedes is only concerned with the toys in the toy store and, like Flyboy, makes no attempt to understand Miss Moore’s point. Both characters do not think through the entire story.