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Essay / The Lesson of Toni Cade Bambara: Sylvia's Character Analysis
“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, is a short story about a girl who discovers the economic inequalities that exist thanks to her teacher, Miss Moore, who tries to question his cynical view of life. This story focuses on the intense need for control of the main character, Sylvia. One of the major personality traits of this character is his strong-willed nature. She is determined to make her own decisions and listens to no one but herself. Sylvia also constantly displays this need for control through her surly attitude and fierce character throughout the short story. She can become very vulgar and rude to anyone above her and expresses this through her harsh words. Additionally, she is also very critical and judgmental towards her peers and the authority figure in her life. Overall, Sylvia's strong-willed, surly, and critical nature highlights her intense need to control her life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Disclosure of Sylvia's strong-willed character through the poem Sylvia is a very strong-willed character who constantly strives to make her own decisions. When Miss Moore asks the children if they know what real money is, Sylvia lets the teacher know that she has had enough. She says she prefers to wreak havoc on West Indian children and suggests they go to the metro where it's cooler. This shows Sylvia's independence and determination despite the teacher actually being in charge. She constantly resists authority because she wants to take the lead. This trait persists throughout the story. After a long day of looking at extremely overpriced toys, Sylvia declares, "Nobody's going to beat me for anything." By saying this, the main character expresses that she is not going to settle for being poor or considered inferior to people who can afford to shop at an overpriced store. In conclusion, Sylvia's strong determination and inability to follow authority makes her feel in control. Sylvia is also very surly throughout the story. She is constantly angry with her teacher, Miss Moore. For example, when she asks another student if she has school supplies at home, Sylvia becomes angry. She says to herself, “She knows very well what our houses look like because she snoops in them every chance she gets.” This shows that she is very sensitive to the idea of being judged by the amount of money her family and community have. Another example of her short temper is when she asks Miss Moore a question but says in her head, "I never talk to her, I wouldn't give that bitch that satisfaction." She's vulgar when it comes to what she really thinks of Miss Moore. To summarize, Sylvia's vulgarity and surly nature shows how she doesn't like being told what to do and doesn't allow others to make decisions for her. Finally, the main character is very judgmental towards the people around her because she doesn't. like change. For example, when Miss Moore first moves into town, Sylvia is upset. She said: “and quite naturally, we made fun of her, as we did of the thug who went about his business as if he were a great president and his poor horse, his secretary.” She also goes on to say, “And we kinda hated her too, hated the way we did the winos who cluttered our parks and pissed on our handball walls and stank up our hallways and..