Hands-on learning is a form of education in which children learn something by actually doing it themselves. Instead of lecturing students on a certain topic or taking boring notes, children engage in the topic and try to understand it on their own using their hands or experiencing it firsthand. Hands-on learning has proven to be very beneficial for students. In “The Lesson” the author uses the literary device of characterization, through the character of Sylvia, to further develop the central idea that hands-on learning is beneficial to students. Throughout the story it is shown how her character develops further and she becomes more mature by learning the lesson Miss Moore tries to teach her. Ms. Moore teaches her this lesson through hands-on learning, bringing children to FAO Schwartz to experience inequality firsthand. At the end of the story readers can see how Miss Moore has opened her mind to the inequalities in life and how Sylvia's character has changed because of this, proving that rote learning is beneficial. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The author develops this central idea when Miss Moore takes the children to FAO Schwartz, a toy store to teach them a lesson. There, Sylvia and the other children see other families able to purchase $1,000 sailboats when, in contrast, they cannot afford anything in the store and even have difficulty meeting the necessities of life. In the store, they see a $1,000 sailboat that wealthy people can afford, whereas if they wanted a sailboat, "they'd buy a set of sailboats for a quarter at Pop's, a tube of glue for a dime, and a ball of yarn of twine for eight cents." ”. Sylvia sees what life is like outside of their poor neighborhood and how wealthy people live. He is able to compare his life to that of others, as seen in the previous quote. Miss Moore takes the children into the city so they can experience the outside world firsthand and see it for themselves, learning firsthand. The use of this literary device, characterization, helps develop the central idea of ​​the story because it shows how Sylvia learns/understands this lesson. It shows how she becomes more mature and aware of the world around her and opens her mind to the world outside her neighborhood. When Sylvia first sees how wealthy people live, she feels a sense of shame for living in poverty and not being able to. afford what the rich can so easily afford. She says: “But I feel strange, ashamed. But what should I be ashamed of? I have the right to enter like anyone else. Initially, Sylvia refuses to recognize her inferior position in society and that she is a victim of poverty. She is furious at seeing how wealthy people live and is resistant to change. Sylvia is satisfied with her life and refers to herself and the other children as "the only right ones" in the neighborhood. Miss Moore takes the children to the toy store so that Sylvia can experience and see for herself how other people live. He tries to teach children the lesson of inequality that exists in the world and if they want to be more than their parents in life, they must work hard and strive to become educated. Miss Moore wants Sylvia to see her low social status as a bad thing, something she should want to get out of, and Sylvia "doesn't present it." Sylvia sees nothing wrong with the way she lives now and doesn't describe herself as poor or.