Dr. Pezzulich

EN 101

The Myth of Education and Empowerment and

The Myth of Individual Opportunity Essay

Jean Anyon in the excerpt from Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work, makes the connection between social class and the type of education a person receives.  In  “Class in America :  Myths and Realities,” Gregory Mantsios goes a step further by asserting that “From cradle to grave, class standing has a significant impact on our chances for survival.”  These truths are played out in the short story, “The Lesson,” by Toni Cade Bambara.   

Using the two essays referred to above, write a 500 to 750 word essay on what the lesson is that Miss Moore is trying to teach in Bambara’s short story.  I am not interested in a literary analysis of the story but rather in the relationship between education, social class, and individual opportunity that is being made.  Be sure to include quotes from the two texts by Anyon and Mantsios as well as from “The Lesson.”  You may also incorporate examples from the film, “Social Class in America ,” and from your own schooling and personal experience of social class as long as the main focus is on the three texts listed above.