"The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara

     The other day in AP Lit. we were supposed to take a short story assigned to us and determine whether or not a certain critical approach worked for that story or not. I read "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara. While presenting my critical approach and how it worked, I commented that this story made me think of my favorite childhood cartoon, Ed, Edd, N Eddy. This may seem like an unusual comparison, but bare with me. In "The Lesson", the main characters are a group of young girls that are rough around the edges and don't have a lot of money. Some readers may mistake them for boys for the first few paragraphs because of the crude remarks and explicit language used. Now Ed, Edd, N Eddy does not have explicit language because it is a kid's television program, but all that have seen it can agree the characters are crude and sometimes ruthless towards one another. Both character sets don't have a lot of money, as most of the episodes of Ed, Edd, N Eddy are about the kids of the cul-de-sac trying to make a few bucks on scams just to buy jawbreakers from the town candy store. "The Lesson" is similar in the aspect that the kids do not have a lot of money but are trying to figure out how they can get more to buy toys. They are in awe of how much certain things cost and want to find a way to beat the system. One lady, Miss Moore, found a way out of the bad area they live and made money, but she returned to teach the kids they can make it out just like she did. This is where Ed, Edd, N Eddy differs. The Eds and their neighbors aren't looking for a way out of their living situations, they just don't make an allowance because there is a small hint of a moral in every episode due to the scams the Eds set up against their neighbors. I felt the tone and set up were very similar and even the POV. One could argue that Eddy (the leader of the Eds) may be holding back Edd, also known as Double D, which is certainly prevalent in "The Lesson" as the narrator seems to be holding back her friend Sugar. This is an odd comparison and perhaps a very unique one, but I found that it worked and got a chuckle out of the class.