The Lesson Group

Question:

missmiza
missmiza
Student
High School - 12th Grade

Why does  the narrator Sylvia keep the $4 of the five dollar bill given to her by Miss Moore?

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Posted by missmiza on Monday April 7, 2008 at 4:02 PM and tagged with characters, the lesson.

Answers:

  1. cnuzzolo
    cnuzzolo Teacher
    College - Junior

         I think to fully umderstand the relationship between Miss Moore and Sylvia in the "Lesson", one has to view Sylvia as the protagonist in the story and Miss Moore as tha antagonist.

         Written from the perspective of Sylvia, she views Miss Moore as an ignorant "do gooder" who is clueless about the reality of their impoverished lives.  That is not the case.  Sylvia wants all of her friends to think that she is so street smart and clever, that is how she maintains her standing in her neighborhood.  She wants to be perceived as smarter than Miss Moore.

         Ironically, that is not the case.  Miss Moore is a woman who has risen above poverty through education.  She knows that Sylvia would never take a hand out, she is too proud for that, even though she needs the money.

          Miss Moore's role is to show these children a life they could have by taking them to the city and showing them what true money and culture is and it is attainable through leaving their comfortable surroundings.   For Sylvia's sake, she thinks she can reach her, she has potential.  By allowing Sylvia to keep the change, it may encourage her to go on another field trip with Miss Moore. 

          Miss Moore is simply using the tactic of fignorance to insure that Sylvia will travel again with her.  With impoverished children like Sylvia, Miss Moore knows that you need toenticed them through tactics such as keeping the $4.00

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    Posted by cnuzzolo on Monday May 12, 2008 at 6:48 PM