`` The Lesson `` By Tony Cade Bambara - 1987 Words

If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? Throughout the ages, how many times have parents bellowed these words? Although the question is dreadfully annoying to most children, it is designed to make them think about their individuality and the dangers of conforming. Today, more than ever, with the use of social media, our society is under pressure to conform. With the creation of Facebook and Twitter, our goals are to be friended, liked, followed, and accepted. Is our nation in danger of becoming lemmings? According to an entry in Urban Dictionary written by Aegis Kleais, a lemming is [a] derogatory term used to reference a person who seemingly does not possess any form of individual thought and instead mindlessly follows the behaviors and actions of the masses. Fortunately, short stories such as Tony Cade Bambara s The Lesson (1972) and Langston Hughes Salvation (1940) remind us of both the positive and negative effects of how an individual deals with group conformity and social pressure. The Lesson is a story of a close-knit group of children from impoverished Harlem, New York who are taken on a field trip to learn about economic inequality. In Salvation, Hughes recalls his experience of religion as a young child, particularly an intense religious revival. Through the use of setting, characterization, and irony, both authors show the importance of standing up for one s self regardless of social pressure. In eachShow MoreRelatedThe Use of Symbolism to Foreshadow the Future in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour and Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson1673 Words   |  7 PagesThe Use of Symbolism to Foreshadow the Future in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour and Toni Cade Bambaras The Lesson Often authors use signs to foreshadow events that will happen in the future in their stories. For example an author might write As he was walking down the dark eerie path dark skies began to form . Here the writer uses a usually negative sign to foreshadow a negative future. This is the most common way for authors to foreshadow in a story, but it isnt the only way. In someRead MoreThe Lesson Essay1114 Words   |  5 Pageshas become merely a starting point in life, and where somebody ends up is decided by his or her determination. Through its plot, characters, and use of certain symbols, Tony Cade Bambaras short story The Lesson suggests this same idea—that a person can break free of the inequality of a social class. The plot of â€Å"The Lesson† contributes to its theme of freeing ones self from a social class. A group of New York City kids, but particularly the narrator, Sylvia, believe that they are better