Authors express themselves in a variety of ways. The author's writing style is what separates and distinguishes the narrative from the others. The use of words, the fluency of sentences, and the author's voice all add to a piece's individuality. Another aspect of style that makes an essay fascinating is the sentence form that draws the reader's eye. Writing is intended to suit a meaning, inform a generation, and articulate an author's feelings, all in the service of conveying a message. The paper is a comparison of two essays: the Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara and the Clean by Edward Delaney to determine which of the two is better than the other.
The lesson by Toni Cade is narrated through the first person, Sylvia who is a protagonist. She has a cynical attitude and maintains the seriousness of the subject. The Lesson educates us of a group of children who live in a poor urban setting who are taken through a journey to discover the existence of another world. The theme of this story is economic inequality, lack of exposure through education for the African American children and lack of parental responsibility, which affects the perception of the children. Throughout the essay, Toni shows the audience how children are exposed to another economic spectrum of the society. The parents in this setting lack parental responsibility, talking behind the back of Miss Moore who is an educated black woman; a perfect role model for the kids, yet the children judge her based on what they hear from their parents (Bambara 3).
The clean by Edward Delaney is a story of a young man who committed a crime of passion in his teenage life and yearns to be set free from guilt. Delaney describes to us how it feels to carry a deadly secret for over forty years (Edward 1). The essay focuses on getting away with a crime, and the irony involved in choosing to hold on to the secret yet opening up would set the person free. The main theme of this story is remorse behind keeping a secret of murder. It proves that one never moves on because guilt pulls us behind and we can never be clean unless we open our mouth and tell it all regardless of the repercussions. The story is told in second-person prose and therefore gives the reader a true attachment to the story. It teaches that a secret may take away the right to be yourself and live a fulfilling life. Letting go is more liberating than holding on and living with it for the rest of the life.
In comparison, the authors of both essays reach out to their audience with different intentions. The format in which the story is given is also different in that The Lesson uses a narrator and The Clean uses the second person. The type of grammar used is also different, in the essay The Lesson; the author uses African American vernacular to depict the type of lifestyle in the African American community. In the essay, The Clean the language used is formal. Vulgar language is also used in The Lesson and is especially used by the young narrator, the vulgar is absent in The Clean. In The Lesson, the story is given in the record of one day, while in The Clean; the story is a record of over four decades.
After a comparison of the two essays, The Lesson is a better essay than The Clean. The first reason is due to the language that the author uses. In the Lesson, the author creates a conversational tone throughout the essay. The language is rich in culture and has a variety of tones and attitudes of the narrator, which are well brought out as compared to The Clean. An author produces the best work when the piece of writing is directed at a target audience. In the essay The Lesson, Toni knew the characteristics of her audience well and therefore used a language that they would understand and appreciate. Knowing that she was directing this piece to educate the African American community, she makes definite appeals to their ethics, emotions, and logic and in this captures their attention. This is the second reason why The Lesson is a better essay than The Clean. The third reason why The Lesson is better than The Clean is due to the general structure and flow of the essay. From the first paragraph, the prose is straightforward and depicts clarity. Due to the simplicity of the structure, the reader understands what the essay is all about from the very beginning. Toni finds the relevant hook, which arouses the interest of the reader and encourages the audience to continue reading when she describes everyone as being old and stupid or young and foolish except for her and her friend Sugar (Bambara 1).
In conclusion, Toni Cade and Edward Delaney have different ways of expressing themselves throughout the essays. The essays have different writing styles and different flows. The language used is completely different in both essays, one essay is formal, and the other is informal. The essays are directed at different audiences. However, The Lesson is better than The Clean because of a variety of language used, the structure and styling and the setting it reflects.
Works cited
Bambara, Toni Cade. The Lesson. New York: Random House, 1972. Print.
Delaney, Edward. Https://www.theatlantic.com/author/edward-j-delaney/. Accessed 17th jan 2017. Print.
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