Coping with Life Challenges

Toni Cade Bambara, born March 25, 1939 in New York City City; her mother was Helen Brent Henderson Cade. Bambara adopted that surname when she found it on a sketchbook her great-grandmother had. Bambara spent the very first 10 years of her life in Harlem, New York. In 1973, she published and essay in Redbook describing what she liked about her mom. Bambara is an activist, novelist, writer, essayist, and a filmmaker. Bambara was influenced by her work as a social employee in the 1960's.

Bambara knew how the black community had actually been overlooked and abused in the American society.

Bambara became dedicated to her neighborhood; she wrote mainly for her black neighborhood and in black dialect. Toni Cade Bambara composed a number of short stories, one particularly was "The Lesson," in this brief story; she speaks on how to conquer battles and stereotyping in the black neighborhood. In "The Lesson," Toni Cade Bambara, utilizes characterization, style of language and setting; she also reveals how she felt about how unreasonable the American society was through the eyes of a black woman.

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First, Bambara uses characterization.

In "The Lesson" Bambara developed a strong and positive character who might teach us about important lessons in life. This character was a strong black woman named Miss Moore, who taught all the kids in her neighborhood how to get rid of the battles in their community. Miss Moore initially took the kids to a shop on Fifth Opportunity, this shop was the most costly toy store the name of the shop was F.

A. O. Schwartz. The very first life lesson was an expensive handmade sailboat, "Hand-crafted sailboat of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred and ninety-five dollars.

" (Bambara) This lesson was to reveal the kids the value of cash, and how to value what they have and not what they desire. In the second trial Bambara uses style of language, Miss Moore questioned the kids on how they felt about the expensive sailboat. Among the characters in the story, Sylvia became upset with Miss Moore because out of all the children, she was the only one to get the point. Sylvia stated, "I seethe, but I won't provide her that fulfillment. So I slouch around bein really bored and say, Let's go.

”(Bambara) Sylvia realized that Miss Moore wanted them to see what type of environment they lived in and wanted them to think of ways to overcome those struggles in the future. Last, Bambara uses setting, Miss Moore, wanted the children to realize how unfair life was in the American society. Miss Moore wanted the children to see, that they had to overcome the stereotyping and become the opposite of what life was expected out of them. Miss Moore said, “Imagine for a minute what kind of society it is in which some people can spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of six or seven.

What do you think? ” (Bambara) Bambara’s main character knew what life expected out of them and she wanted the children to overcome the struggles, simply by experiencing them. In conclusion, the author felt that living within your society, you have to overcome the stereotyping and become the opposite of what life is expected of you. Toni Cade Bambara wanted her characters in “The Lesson,” to overcome society’s obstacles, cruelty, and devaluation and to discover their strengths, and to have pride within them. Toni Cade Bambara is universal and lives on in today’s society.