Brief Comparison Between 'Ragged Dick And The Lesson'

Comparison of “Ragged Dick” and “ The Lesson.”
In both excerpts “ Ragged Dick” by Horatio Alger and “ The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the authors describe the life stories of their main characters and how they were trying to find a better life and achieve a good place in society. Both characters, Ragged Dick and Sylvia came from a very low class. They wanted to achieve success and feel confident about themselves. But it’s easy to notice that both characters are not doing anything for it, even though they dream about live changes.
Ragged Dick is a grown man, who wasn’t determined enough to go and look for a better job who was looking for a job because he didn’t want to lose his state of comfort, so he decided to keep his position blacking
boots. Dick is very benevolent, responsive and faithful to his friend. He has a desire to get more educated and asked Fosdick to help him with that, so that in the future he could get a position in a counting room. Meanwhile, Sylvia is an arrogant girl who is about 14-15 years of age. She was a leader of her friends from a poor neighborhood. Her confidence was made apparent by her statement “Back in the days when everyone was old and stupid or young and foolish and me and Sugar were the only ones just right.” (page 265). She is a child who does not have a job. She has discovered for the first time in her life an existence of an upper class people and their wealth. Sylvia is unaware of the financial problems of her and her friends’ families. She does not like to study and curses her teacher for the fact that she is trying to teach them manners and proper language. The teacher, Miss Moore, always asks kids questions in order for them to think critically and learn a lesson from it. Once, the teacher took her class to Fifth Avenue, to the place where New Yorkers go out and shop for their luxuries. The kids were taken to the toy store where their gaze dropped down on the price of a sailboat. They don’t believe their eyes that this toy can cost so much money and starting from here, kids begin to think what kind of people buy those toys and how rich you should be and what kind of jobs they have. They are shocked. The author notices Sylvia’s reaction on what she sees around herself. When she enters the store, she becomes very angry that these people can buy all these things she can’t. She feels shame and uncomfortable in that environment. She is confused with her place in her life and thinks that’s she will never be like one of those people -- rich, successful or even famous. Looking at the life of upper class people got her mad at her teacher because she took them to the toy store, where Sylvia feels like a fish out of water. It is understandable that she is feeling awkward. There are such a great variety of toys, electronic devices and etc., and lots of people who cannot afford them or even very basis things. A child who never saw a good life and then your eyes are staring at something very beautiful, you start thinking why you can’t have it and why life is so unequal and you can only dream about those stuff. “Where we are is Who we are” (page 270), this phrase Miss Moore always told the kids. Even being a poor kid, you can attain as much as you wish for. But in order to get it, you have to start with your education and do little steps toward your goals. I think Sylvia did not really understand what the teacher tried to tell them. She thinks that if you were born in poverty then you belong there and stay there forever.
Dick, from the “ Ragged Dick story, is trying to find a better place but is never jealous of others who are richer than him.
He is living a poor life, sharing the rented room with his friend. I would say he is not an optimist, but not a pessimist either. Dick could not find a better job, so decided to keep his position and work only half day so the rest of the day he would have time for himself. He is working hard learning how to speak better so that slang words would not come out in his speech. Likely, because Dick was a good person, he gets luck. He saved a little boy’s life rescuing him from the water when that boy fell from the ferry and almost drowned. “ My Child! Who will save my child? A thousand- ten thousand to any one who will save my him!” ( page 259) the Boy’s father screamed when a child fell out of boat. Thus Horatio Alger points out to the reader that Ragged Dick did not hear when boy’s father said something about reward of $10,000 to the one who would safe his son’s life. It means Dick did it because he wanted to help and not because he wanted to take advantage of it. Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” (Albert Einstein). This quote exactly represents Dick as a person, he was not running for money but remained a warm hearted man. It also tells about his brave personality, he is ready to take risks for others. He did not get money from the father as the father had promised but he gets an opportunity to change his life completely and gets a job with a good
salary. Was Ragged Dick lucky or did he “win the lottery” for being virtuous? In my opinion, he gets the life changes because he is a good character, selfless and thinks of others. And good deeds are always repaid with a good feedback in our life. Meanwhile, Sylvia is an aggressive selfish girl, with her eyes closed on reality and shows her ignorance to us. The stories are different. The author of “ Ragged Dick” tell that in order to be successful you have to be in the right place, know certain people and have some kind of luck. In the story “ The Lesson”, Bambara expresses that you should be who you are, don’t change yourself and if something is lacking in your personality, work on it. People should work very hard to be able to get something back -- whether it is success or confidence or just happiness and a feeling of security in your life.