Topic > The Lesson of Toni Cade Bambara: Character Analysis of Sylvia

“The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, is a short story about a girl who learns about the economic inequality that exists through her teacher, Miss Moore, who tries to challenge his cynical perspective on life. This story emphasizes the intense need for control of the main character, Sylvia. One of the main personality traits of this character is his strong-willed nature. She is determined to make her own decisions and is unwilling to listen to anyone but herself. Sylvia also constantly shows this need for control with her grumpy attitude and ferocious nature throughout the entire story. She can become very vulgar and rude to anyone above her and expresses this through her harsh words. Additionally, she is also very critical and judgmental of her peers and the authority figure in her life. Overall, Sylvia's strong-willed, grumpy, and judgmental disposition highlights her intense need to be in control of her life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Disclosure of Sylvia's strong-willed character through poetry Sylvia is a very strong-willed character who constantly strives to make her own decisions. When Miss Moore asks the children if they know what real money is, Sylvia lets the teacher know that she is tired of it. He says he'd rather wreak havoc on West Indian children and suggests they go to the subway where it's cooler. This demonstrates Sylvia's independence and determination despite the fact that the teacher is actually in charge. He constantly resists authority because he wants to make all the decisions. This characteristic persists throughout the story. After a long day of looking at grossly overpriced toys, Sylvia says, "Nobody's going to beat me at anything." By saying this, the protagonist expresses that she will not be content with being poor or considered inferior to the people who can afford to shop at the overpriced store. In conclusion, Sylvia's strong determination and inability to follow authority makes her feel like she is in control. Sylvia is also very grumpy throughout the story. She is constantly furious with her teacher, Miss Moore. For example, when she asks another student if he has any school supplies at home, Sylvia becomes angry. He thinks to himself, “She knows damn well what our houses look like because she snoops on us every chance she gets.” This shows that she is very sensitive to the idea of ​​being judged based on how much money her family and community have. Another example of his short-tempered behavior is when he asks Miss Moore a question but in his head he says, "I never talk to her, I wouldn't give that satisfaction to that bitch." He is vulgar when it comes to what he really thinks of Miss Moore. To summarize, Sylvia's vulgarity and grumpy nature show how she resents being told what to do and will not allow others to make decisions for her. Finally, the main character is very critical of the people around her because she doesn't. like change. For example, when Miss Moore first moves to town, Sylvia is irritated. He says, "and quite naturally we laughed at her, we laughed as we did at the junk dealer who went about his business as if he were a great president and his sorry ass horse his secretary." And he also goes on to say, "and in a way we hated it too, we hated the way we hated the alcoholics who littered our parks and pissed on our handball walls and stinked in our.