Miss Moore Takes Sylvia and Her Friends to Downtown New York's Fifth Avenue Toy Store

Miss Moore takes Sylvia and her friends to downtown New York's Fifth Avenue toy store, F.A.O Shwartz. Sylvia describes Miss Moore as a well-spoken woman who is dressed "like she was going to church though she never did" (357). Miss Moore rounds up a taxi and

Miss Moore begins by asking the kids if they knew what money was while standing at the mailbox, and this irritates Sylvia. In the subway, Miss Moore talks to the kids about "what things cost and what the parents make and how much goes for rent and how we ain't divided up right in this country (358)." Sylvia was angry when Miss Moore says that they're "all poor and live in the slums (358)." They look at expensive toys such as the sailboat worth $1195 before they go inside the store. Sylvia says "unbelievable", and she was stunned and angry. She knew that toys were expensive and beyond her reach.

Education

The importance of children's education is to broaden their sense of surrounding and that

Class inequality

Lesson

"The Lesson," is a story narrated by Sylvia, a young, preteen black girl with a proud, tough, and know-it-all attitude.

The cultural influences that play

Sylvia and her friends come from the slums of Harlem where they all lived in the same apartment and play in pissy smelling ball courts. They live in poverty, low quality homes. They can't afford the toys.

Miss Moore moves into the neighborhood and wants to be responsible for the young one's education. Miss Moore plans a trip to go to downtown New York, and visit the Fifth Avenue F.A.O. Schwartz toy store. Miss Moore wears her hair nappy, proper clothes, talks different, and has a college degree.

Sylvia has a proud, tough, know-it-all attitude. She is young pre teen, smart, and leads the friends. She thinks the lesson is boring and rather do what she wants. She thinks she's better than everyone especially Sugar her friend.

The kids joke around and their language is a strong reflection of where they come from and how they were raised. They don't speak so proper, and there is use of slang and sarcasm.