The Lesson

The Lesson is a story about a girl who has grown up in a bad part of town and her reaction to a woman's attempt to show her and her friends that there is more to the world.

level one: What is the name of the main characters best friend?
level two: What is Miss Moore trying to teach the children?
level three: What is the significance of education to get rid of poverty? Is it effective?

The theme of this story is essentially the response that the characters have to an attempt to educate them about getting a better life for themselves.
I believe it is significant to educate to get rid of poverty, but the truth is, and the story shows, that it is extremely difficult. As shown in the story, the kids are very happy when they don't realize what they are "missing out" on. When we read Nickel and Dimed last summer, I remember that when Eihnreich (I am not sure how to spell her name) tried to talk to the other maids (when she worked in a maid service) about what she was trying to accomplish by writing the book, many of them were simply disinterested. However, the other thing that many people have to realize is that although being in poverty certainly isn't a good thing, what is important is being happy- and money certainly doesn't mean that (ok it's a little cliche but still far too many people fail to see it). Sometimes the people without all the money and the "things" are the people that need to be teaching the lesson to the people that do have everything- because people tend to put way to much value on their material possessions, and their money. Not only does having money not mean everything.... it hardly really means anything. Not that education isn't a great thing... of course the kids should be educated, and of course they should know what is out there beyond what they know- but it should be recognized that people can be happy in all walks of life if they learn to put less worth on their money and more worth on more important things.