The Lesson

The Lessons reflects a young lady named Sylvia who seems to have become a product of her environment. Her and her cousin Sugar lives in the same neighborhood of a lady named Miss Moore. Miss Moore happens to be college educated and devoted to teaching the youth in her community. However, it's evident that Sylvia is not fond of not only Miss Moore but people who are like her. Her attitude appears to be defensive as if she feels inferior to others who are not like her such as Miss Moore and one of her peers, Mercedes. The trip that Miss Moore take the children on is to a very expensive toy store where all the children are astonished at the prices of the toys. Bold and courageous Sylvia for once feels that she is out of place and immediately gets angered asking “Watcha bring us here for, Miss Moore?”. Miss Moore brought the children to the toy store to teach them the value of money and the socio-economic issues that these children and their families are facing. Miss Moore was once that child prior to becoming educated and she wants to spread knowledge to the children. Sylvia, however is wise and seems she already knows the value in the lesson that Miss Moore is providing but she's too prideful to really understand. However, toward the end of the story there seems to be a break through with Sylvia. The story began with Sylvia mentioning her and Sugar's close-knit relationship and describes the menacing things they do together. To avoid the lesson at the toy story, Sylvia suggests that her and Sugar could "go to the Sunset and terrorize the West Indian kids and take their hair ribbons and their money too." But at the end of the story when Sugar says “We could go to Hascombs and get half a chocolate layer and then go to the Sunset and still have plenty money for potato chips and ice-cream sodas.”, Sylvia instead goes to "the West End and then over to the Drive to think this day through." At this moment it seems Miss Moore has finally gotten through to her.