Rebels in America
Introduction
A rebel is a person that stands up for their personal opinions regardless of what the society believes. Rebels stand up for what they believe is right instead of what is approved by society. There are distinct types of rebels. They are such as cultural rebels who disregard conventional social norms, minority rebels seek equality of race, gender, religion amongst others, and violent rebels that social rebels that have become violent. The main characteristics of rebels are that they live by their principles; they blend confidence with passion; they cultivate trust and connections; they are swift, and are committed to greater cumulative success. There are slight differences between male and female rebels, but the similarity supersedes the differences. There are numerous stories of people that have been rebels in America. People are mainly inspired to rebel by social-economic factors such as injustices, hatred, relative deprivation and economic greed. The article uses three stories to illustrate the presence of rebels in America. That is The Lesson, The Lottery, and Once More to the Lake.
The Lesson
Bambara, the writer, uses fiction writing art to teach people ways of improving their lives and demand for better. “The Lesson” evaluates the discovery of economic inequity in the United States in the 1960s through the view of a smart young girl. The story focuses on education and the results of acquiring knowledge. It demonstrates how learning something new results in discomfort, which is crucial for there to be a positive change. The author examines various kinds of pride, the operations of leadership, and how people perceive each other. The story depicts the economic inequality that exists between Blacks and Whites in America.
Sylvia is a natural leader that used to lead her group of friends. Automatically, Sylvia detests the presence of Miss Moore since she challenges how she uses her leadership skills and pushes her to make better use of the qualities. Miss Moore exposes the children to the world beyond their oppressed society. The children realized that toys at the toy-store cost almost more than the yearly income of their households. The prices shocked most of them. Through the trip, Miss Moore demonstrates how unjust social-economic systems establish unfair access to resources for the blacks. She opens up their minds to the other world. However, the children show contempt towards these well-intended lessons. It demonstrates how society perceives rebels attempt to alter their comfort zones.
The story emphasizes the differences in specific environments and how people have no idea about the outside world. Miss Moore is a unique black woman who defies all the cultural beliefs as she is unmarried, speaks eloquently, and has no children. She symbolizes uncomfortable and unpleasant changes that are coming to the society. Also, she is a rebel by nature. Even though her qualities and devotion to education intimated the parents of the children, the parents still sent them to her. The story illustrates how most of the societal rebels are received by society, with hesitance.
The Lottery
The lottery is a story concerning a town that holds an annual lottery for population control. During this lottery, people are stoned to death as a way of controlling the population. Most people realize that it is wrong, but are scared to rebel. Children are seen to imitate their parents as they believe that is what is acceptable. It is a norm that one random person is stoned annually. Most villagers conform because it is a tradition that has been practised by generations. When Mr Summer ridicules another town for surrendering lottery, no one contradicts him because it seems to be the safer option. The other town is already rebellious to traditions, as they have already given up on the lottery.
The narrator describes the initial props related to the lottery. They are lost to time. There is a newer black box that has been used longer than the age of the oldest person in town. The shabby lottery is managed by Mr Summers, who is always consulting on ways of improving it. However, no changes were made through the years as no one talks about it, yet it is just an ordinary box that did not carry any significant meaning. This illustrates conformity which is the opposite of rebellion.
However, Tessie is painted as an outlier in the story. She stands out a different and possible threat. Her arrival is different from that of other women. They are all calm and stand quietly next to their husbands while she is agitated and teasing her husband. Tessie is a free-spirit. She draws the black spot while protesting for fairness, thus signifying her death. Her rebellion highlights how the villagers followed the traditional practices blindly and how none of them ever considered revising them to suit the changing times. The lottery presents numerous examples of rebellion.
Once More to the Lake
“Once More to the Lake” is a narration of how the author would visit the lake with his family for many summers and camp there for about a month. This illustrates conformity. However, now that he is older, the author visits the lake to fish and introspect for a week. He goes with his son. There is a change in the duration with which he would visit the lake. Also, he visits with his son only. It is a rebellion of traditions. The visit is unique because, during the visit, he struggles with ageing, death and passing of time. He compares adulthood to his son’s youth.
There are numerous changes in the story. When White was young, he would travel to the lake by train, but his son got there using a car. His arrival was full of excitement, while Joel’s arrival was flat and boring. Previously, the lake was quieting while now the place had harsh noises. The narration highlights how times have changed and how Joel rebels some norms unconsciously. White’s happier times contradict with the present experience. Despite the passing of time, the lake holds its relevance. Well, some traditional activities that White did with his mates were done by Joel during the camping period. They were such as swimming in the lake with other campers, being delighted by dragonflies and fishing. Experiences are immortal.
Conclusion
The three stories present numerous situations of rebellion, either intentional or unintentional. In The Lesson, Miss Moore is the rebel. She is enthusiastic about exposing the children to the outside world, but they have already conformed to poverty. Her presence makes both the parents and the kids feel uncomfortable. However, they still send the children to her. In the Lottery, Tessie is pinpointed as the rebel. Her personality stands out from that of other women in the community. She expresses herself confidently and even dares to question traditions. In Once More to the Lake, Joel is the outlier. Well, this is attributed to the technology changes that have occurred over the years and his youthful age. In sum, rebels are significant and unavoidable in every society.
WORKS CITED
Bambara, Toni. “The Lesson”. Bookrags.Com, 2007, http://www.justanswer.com/uploads/willie1973/2007-03-22_152245_The_Lesson.pdf.
“The Lottery”. Americanliterature.Com, 2020, https://americanliterature.com/author/shirley-jackson/short-story/the-lottery.
White, E. B. “Once More To The Lake EB White.Pdf”. Docs.Google.Com, 2020, https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=YXNiLmFjLnRofG1zLWVtbWEtYXNiLTIwMTQtMjAxNXxneDoyYzQ1YjU5ODBlMDhkODk2.