Primary Lessons written by Judith Ortiz Cofer is an memoir/autobiography about the author’s life in her small town in Puerto Rico where she lived during part of 1st grade.Judith Ortiz is an ordinary girl living in Puerto Rico, and the U.S. requires Puerto Rico to be Americanized. Judith attends 1st grade, and meets her teacher, La Mrs. She meets weird traditions, like the kids putting shoes on the teacher's feet every day, and even though they don't understand the words, the teacher still forces them to sing along with her singing English songs. Judith and another boy, Lorenzo, are classified as teacher's pets, but Judith doesn't have to work and Lorenzo does. The teachers consider Lorenzo for the PTA show that year, but discriminate against him for his skin color and think that he doesn't have enough money to buy a suit, so Judith gets chosen instead. When Judith asks her mother what "A fly drowned in a glass of milk" means, her mother just laughs and tells her not to worry, which is when Judith learns her important lesson from the book.
Discrimination is caused by the bias of some and the innocence of others. When people have a bias, they start discriminating against people. When people are innocent, they don’t notice what happens. Then the discrimination continues. In the story, teachers discriminate against Lorenzo for his skin color. When school life is first introduced, Lorenzo is considered a teacher’s pet, but he has to work harder than Judith to earn the spot. One Difference between them is that Lorenzo is African American white Judith has an American background, having grown up in New York speaking English. This will make it harder for Lorenzo to earn a spot in the teacher’s favor. Also, when the teachers discuss which kid should host the PTA shows this year, the main candidates are Judith and Lorenzo, and even though the teachers consider Lorenzo, they do not choose him in the end because of his skin color and his lack of money. A small discrimination can make someone feel worse than you think. Bias never turn out to be equal, and they only rise, they don’t drop.
Lessons learned from reality can have a big impact on our lives. You never know what information you can learn from listening to someone’s conversation on a bus or just strolling through a park. People might not understand the power of their own words, but it should be easier to understand from an outsider. Judith learned an important lesson in this book. First, she learned to not discriminate because of size, appearance, or race. When she overhears “ a fly drowned in a glass of milk” she wonders what it means, but soon realizes when her mother says “different” and understands the impact of it on Lorenz; the teachers are making fun of his appearance. Judith also learns that the actions impact her, too. La Mrs, Judith’s teacher, has a bias for her because she ia white. This makes her feel privileged, when it is unfair to the other kids. A quick lesson can save you from embarrassment one day. Or it can let you know what is going on around you. A valuable lesson is one worth keeping. Lessons learned where one can tell someone the unfairness and fairness of life is a one where someone gets prized knowledge to ensure equality for all.
Education is the absorption of valuable knowledge that might come in handy any day. Education is always posed for anyone who will take the opportunity to take it, and the lucky person who does might reap a huge reward. The story is partly about the school life of a young girl named Judith, but is also about the education she receives. But it doesn’t mean education just from textbooks and classrooms, it means education from real life examples. Judith doesn’t just learn that pollito equals chicken or pluma equals pen, she also learns the reality of discrimination and racial injustice through a short and brief conversation of two La Mrs, or teachers. Judith receives many different forms of education throughout the book, and some of them are based on school curriculum, while others are for her own sake in the real world. If you always rely on textbooks and school resources, you probably won’t learn anything major that will help you in society. And to learn those things you have to interact with society. Education comes with a price. It comes with the price of acceptance and experience.
Primary Lessons written by Judith Ortiz Cofer is a really captivating short novel that recounts the extraordinary experience of young Judith when she was in 1st grade. From the teacher forcing kids to help her put on shoes, to being chosen to host the PTA show, Judith really realizes how life is different for everyone, and sometimes, people whose actions were aimed at someone else could affect her. Judith learns how teachers also discriminated against Lorenzo for his race, and wonders about the true meaning. Even her mother doesn’t take it seriously. Judith uncovered secrets in a world that is seemingly perfect and discovers for herself life lessons to always follow and remember. In the book Primary Lessons, Judith Ortiz Cofer really tells a story about finding oneself in a different world with different people.
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