The chapter contains two extracts from two different autobiographical episodes from the lives of two women – Zitkala Sa and Bama. Both are victims of social discriminations. Zitkala Sa is the victim of racial discrimination whereas Bama is the victim of caste discriminations. In both the extracts, the writers look back on their childhood and reflect on their relationship with mainstream culture which ill-treated them when they were child.
But both the accounts are not simple narratives of oppression. Rather they reveal how oppression was resisted by both the narrators in their own ways. Zitkala-Sa and Bama were very young but not so young that they would not understand the evil scheme of the mainstream culture. The injustice of their society did not escape their notice also. Their bitter childhood experience sowed the seeds of rebellion in them earlier on.
Both the accounts are based in two distant cultures. The first is that of Native Americans and the second is that of the Tamil Dalits. But the commonality that brings them closer is the fact that in both cases, the mainstream culture marginalized the underprivileged section of that society. This gave rise to the conflict between the mainstream culture and the marginalized community, which is exquisitely showcased in ‘Memories of Childhood’.
I. The Cutting of My Long Hair
By Zitkala-Sa
About the author
Zitkala-Sa is the pen name of Gertrude Simmons. She was an American writer and reformer who struggled hard to retain her cultural identity amid pressure to adapt to the dominant American culture.
She was born on February 22, 1876 at Yankton Sioux Agency, South Dakota, U.S. Gertrude Simmons was the daughter of a Yankton Sioux mother and a Euro-American father. She adopted the name Zitkala-Sa in her teens. When she was eight, she was sent to White’s Manual Labor Institute, a Quaker missionary school in Wabash, Indiana. At age 19, against her family’s wishes, she enrolled at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, also a Quaker school, and graduated in 1897. For two years she taught at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, but she was uncomfortable with the school’s harsh discipline and its curriculum, which was devised to teach Euro-American ways and history, thus eradicating students’ Native American cultural identities. She remained active as a spokesperson for Native American concerns until her death. She died on January 26, 1938 in Washington, D.C., United States.
Characters
1. Gertrude Simmons:the narrator of the story
2. Zudewin:a friend of Gertrude Simmons
3. A pale-faced woman: a teacher or a member of staff at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle.
Theme
It highlights the despise, racial discrimination and unhealthy treatment towards the humanity in general and women in particular.
Introduction
This account relates to an American Indian woman who becomes the victim of racial discrimination. She is admitted to a school where native Indians do not get respect, honour, dignity and due weightage in America. She is forced by the whites to follow their traditions and traits. Simmons is dragged out and tied to a chair to shingle out her long hair. She cries, struggles, kicks, resists, shows reluctance and she ultimately feels like one of the many animals driven by a herder.
Summary
This extract is a painful revelation of a particular period of the life which the writer had to suffer during her hostel days. It was the first day of her boarding school situated in the land of apples. The children were given the task of apple picking in the bitter and biting cold. They were taken to the breakfast hall and the girl was feeling stressed. She did not know the table manners. She was being watched very carefully by a strange pale-faced woman. The girl felt very fearful and insulted.
Her friend who could understand some English, told her that the pale strange woman intended to cut her long hair. Zitkala-Sa learned from her mother that hair would be shingled only for the unskilled warrior, cowards and mourners. She decided to fight back and got herself hidden in a dim room under the bed. Everybody looked for her and called her name but eventually caught. Her long hair was cut, although she resisted a lot. She spent her rest of the life there like a small animal being a part of a herd, which was driven by a herder.
Main Points
1. Zitkala-sa was a victim of social & cultural oppression by the victors who had overpowered them by their sheer strength. They were prejudiced towards Native American Culture & women.
2. Zitkala-sa was forced to cut her long hair compulsorily.
3. The cutting of the long hair of Zitkala-sa was a symbol of their oppression.
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. How were the Indian girls dressed?
Ans. The Indian girls were in stiff shoes and closely clinging dresses. The small girls wore sleeved aprons and shingled hair. It was Zitkala-Sa’s first day in school. She was not yet in the school dress. She was dressed in the modest dress of her tribe.
Q2. How did Zitkala-Sa compare her own dress with that of the other girls?
Ans. The other girls wore stiff shoes and closely clinging dresses. Zitkala-Sa thought it was immodest to dress like that. She was wearing soft flat shoes and the loose clothes of her tribe. Even without her blanket on her shoulders, she was feeling very shy.
Q3. “I felt like sinking to the floor,” says Zitkala-Sa. When did she feel so and why?
Ans. Native American girl traditionally wears a blanket on her shoulders. It is considered immodest if a girl is without a blanket on her shoulders. But when Zitkala-Sa was marching in a line to the dining room, her blanket was stripped from her shoulders. In her shame, Zitkala-Sa felt like sinking to the floor.
Q4. What were the indignities that the new girls were subjected to at Carlisle Indian School?
Ans. The girls were scrutinized thoroughly and supervised by a grey‐haired woman. They were made to wear tight fitting immodest clothes and stiff shoes. During breakfast a systematic and regimental discipline was observed. The girls with long hair had to get them shingled and they had to submit to the authorities who were strong, unfeeling and cruel.
Q5. Who was Judewin? What warning did she give to Zitkala-Sa?
Ans. All the girls were placed in a line before entering the dining room. While the girls entered from one door, the boys came in from the opposite door. Zitkala-Sa watched for the three boys of her tribe who had come in the same group. They were feeling as uncomfortable as Zitkala-Sa was.
Q6. What did Judewin tell Zitkala-Sa? How did she react to it?
Ans. Judewin who could understand a little English informed the narrator that the strange woman intended to cut their long hair. But the narrator had learnt from her mother that the enemy cut the hair of the unskilled warrior when they are captured and among their people mourners wear short hair and cowards shingled hair. So, she decided to resists. She hid herself under a bed in a dark room.
Q7. Why was Zitkala-Sa terrified When Judewin told her that her hair would be shingled?
Ans. It was a tradition with Zitkala-Sa’s tribe to keep long, heavy hair. Only unskilled warrior who were captured, had their hair shingled by the enemy. It was considered humiliating to have ones hair shingled. Naturally, Zitkala-Sa was terrified when she heard that her hair would be cut short.
Q8. How did Zitkala-Sa try to prevent the shingling of her hair?
Ans. She crept up the stairs when no one was noticing. She went into a room. The windows were covered with dark green curtains. It made the room very dim. Zitkala-Sa went down on her hands and knees and crawled under a bed. There she lay huddled in the dark corner.
Q9. How was Zitkala-Sa found from her hiding place?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa heard voices calling her name. She knew they were searching for her. Some women and girls entered her room. Someone threw back the curtains. The room was filled with light. She was found hiding under the bed. She was dragged out.
Q10. How did Zitkala-Sa feel after her long hair had been shingled?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa was terribly shocked. She was in tears. She moaned for her mother. But no one came to comfort her. No one came to reason with her as her mother used to do. Now she felt herself as one of many little animals driven by a herder.
Q11. On learning that her long hair would be cut, the author decided to struggle first. What does this tell us about the author?
Ans. The author knows that she could never prevail against the authorities, yet she struggles against the injustice. Her mother had told her that only cowards had their hair shingled and she firmly believed that she was not one. To prove her point as well as raise her voice against the indignity, she struggles.
Q12. How had Zitkala -Sa been subjected to extreme indignities?
Ans. Since the day she was taken from her mother Zitkala had suffered many indignities. She was stared at and tossed like a wooden puppet. Her long hair was shingled like a coward’s. In her pain when she cried for her mother no one came forward to comfort her. She was just like one of animals driven by a herder.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. Describe Zitkala-Sa’s experience of ‘eating by formula’ on the first day of her school.
Ans. There were tables and chairs arranged in the dining room. Boys and girls entered the hall from opposite doors. A small bell was tapped. Each of the pupils drew a chair from under the table. Zitkala-Sa, too, pulled her chair and slipped into it. But when she turned her head, all others were still standing. She shyly began to rise but then there was a second bell and all were seated. A man’s voice was heard at one end of the hall. Zitkala-Sa looked around to see him. But all others hung their heads over their plates. When the man stopped his mutterings, a third bell was tapped. Everyone picked up their knife and fork and began eating. Zitkala-Sa began crying instead. This ‘eating by formula’ was too hard a trial for her.
Q2. What did Zitkala-Sa do when she came to know that they were going to cut her hair?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa crept up the stairs quietly when no one was noticing. There she found a large room with three white beds in it. The windows were covered with dark green curtains. It made the room very dim. Zitkala-Sa went down on her hands and knees. She crawled under the bed that was farthest from the door. There, she lay huddled in the dark corner. Soon, she heard voices calling her name. Women and girls entered the room. Someone threw up the curtains. The room was filled with light. Zitkala-Sa was found under the bed and dragged out. She was carried downstairs and tied fast in a chair. She cried aloud, shaking her head all the while. She felt the blades of scissors against her neck. She heard them cut off one of her thick braids. Now she lost her spirit and stopped struggling. When her long hair was shingled, she moaned for her mother. But no one came to comfort her.
II. We too are Human Beings
By Bama
About the author
Bama is a Tamil Dalit Feminist and novelist. She is also known as Bama Faustina Soosairaj. Bama was born in 1958 as Faustina Mary Fatima Rani in a Roman Catholic family from Puthupatti in the then Madras State. Bama’s grandfather had converted from Hinduism to Christianity. Bama’s ancestors were from the Dalit community and worked as agricultural labourers. Her father was employed with the Indian Army. Bama had her early education in her village. On graduation, she served as a nun for seven years. After serving as a nun for seven years, Bama left the convent and began writing. With the encouragement of a friend, she wrote on her childhood experiences. These experiences formed the basis for her first novel, Karukku published in 1992.
She rose to fame with her autobiographical novel Karukku, which chronicles the joys and sorrows experienced by Dalit Christian women in Tamil Nadu. She subsequently wrote two more novels, Sangatiand Vanmam along with two collections of short stories – Kusumbukkaran and Oru Tattvum Erumaiyum. Bama’s novels focus on caste and gender discrimination. They portray caste-discrimination practised in Christianity and Hinduism. Bama’s works are seen as embodying Dalit feminism and are famed for celebrating the inner strength of the subaltern woman.
Characters
1. Bama: the narrator of the story.
2. Annan: elder brother of Bama.
Theme
It highlights the despise, racial discrimination and unhealthy treatment towards the humanity in general and women in particular.
Introduction
Bama is a girl from Tamil Dalit community. She is very upset to experience the curse of untouchability. The elders of her community have to bow low before the upper caste. They have to work hard for them. Such people do not get respect and honour. Her brother Annan inspires and advises her to work hard to attain quality. She acts upon his advice and people start coming to her of their own accord.
Summary
Bama was a student of third class. She never heard of the word untouchability during her childhood. Certain small events of her life made her feel that she was born in the marginalized caste. She was a happy peppy girl and once when she was in the third class, while going home she saw her people working hard for their land- lords. In spite of their hard work the landlords treated the workers very humiliatingly. She saw from the direction of the market an elder from their community was coming with a parcel in his hands. The manner he carried the poly bag, the manner he was carrying it with its strings, without touching the Vadas inside the parcel, really made him to be funny. He handed over the parcel to the landlord very sacredly too. She narrated the incident to her brother, taking the incident as humorous and funny. He told that it was not humorous but humiliating as the elderly person was not supposed to touch the item inside the parcel. On hearing that Bama felt infuriated.
She saw her people bowing, to the upper caste people. She was enraged why her elders work so hard for those people who despised them so much. She wanted her people to stop paying undue respect and reverences to these upper caste people. Her brother told her that if they study hard and make progress in their lives, it would help them in throwing away the indignities. Education is their weapon with which they fight back the society. Bama did the same and got many friends in her life. Education made her as double- sided sward to fight very sharply against the unjustified caste system.
Main Points
1. Bama was a victim of caste system, she had seen, felt & experienced the evils of untouchability.
2. She struggled hard against this social discrimination.
3. She studied hard & topped in her class & many students became her friends.
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. Why was the narrator taking an hour or half to reach home instead of ten minute?
Ans. The narrator was taking an hour or half to reach home as she used to watch the roadside fun and games. The entertaining novelties like the performing monkey, snake charmer’s display of snake, marathon cycling, dried fish stall by the statue of Gandhi, street play or puppet show used to pull her stand still on her way back home.
Q2. What was going on at the opposite corner when Bama came to her street one day?
Ans. A threshing floor had been set up there. Some people of Bama’s community were hard work. They were driving cattle round and round in pairs. They were treading out the grain from the straw.
Q3. Why did Bama want to laugh on seeing an elder of her street?
Ans. The elder was carrying a small packet by its string. He was holding it out so as not to touch it. There seemed to be Vadais in the packet because it was stained with oil. Bama wanted to laugh because that way the packet could get undone and the Vadais could fall out.
Q4. How did Bama come to know about untouchability?
Ans. Bama saw an elder of her community carrying a packet of vadais by its string. The packet was for the landlord. For Bama, it was a funny sight. But her brother told her that they were not supposed to touch the upper caste people. Their touch could pollute them. It was only then that Bama knew of the social discrimination faced by their community.
Q5. How did Annan explain to Bama that there was nothing funny about the elder carrying the packet by its string?
Ans. Annan told Bama that the landlord and his people were believed to be of upper caste. The Dalits were not supposed to touch them. By their touch, the upper caste people thought they were polluted. That was why the elder had to carry the packet by its string.
Q6. What advice did Annan offer Bama?
Ans. Annan advised Bama to study hard with care and learn all she could. He said that only by studying and by making progress, could they throw away their indignities.
Q7. Why did Bama study so hard?
Ans. Bama’s brother who was studying at a University told her because they were born in a low caste they are deprived of honour and dignities. He advised her to study and make progress to throw away the indignities. The words of her brother left a deep impression in her mind and she studied hard.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. What was the scene that first amused Bama but then filled her with anger and revolt?
Ans. A threshing floor had been set up at a corner of the street. It was a street where the Dalits lived. Some men of the street were working hard to separate the grain from the straw. The landlord was sitting on a piece of sacking spread over a stone ledge. Bama saw an elder man of the street coming from the side of the bazaar. He was holding out a packet by its string. The packet was stained with oil. It had probably vadais in it. Bama thought it was funny to carry the packet in that manner, because the packet could get undone and the vadais could fall out. But Bama’s elder brother explained to her that there was nothing comic about it. The landlord and his people were believed to be of upper caste. The Dalits were not supposed to touch them. It could pollute the upper caste people. On hearing this, Bama was filled with anger and revolt. She said, “We too are human beings. Our people should never do these humiliating things for them. We should work in their fields, take home our wages, and leave it at that.”
Q2. What oppression and discrimination did Zitkala-Sa and Bama experience during their childhood? How did the respond to their respective situations?
Ans. Both Zitkala-Sa and Bama had a terrible experience of social oppression and discrimination during their childhood. Bama was filled with revolt when she saw how the elder of their community was humiliated by the village landlord. She said, “We too are human beings. We should never bow low before these fellows.” Zitkala-Sa was also a victim of social discrimination. She belonged to a tribe of native Americans. The white-skinned settlers from Europe looked down upon the local tribes. They treated them like animals. Both Bama and Zitkala-Sa refuse to bow to the injustice they are subjected to. Both of them protest in their own way. Zitkala-Sa does not want her hair to be shingled. Among her tribe, shingled hair is considered to be a sign of cowardice. She struggles with all her might when she is tied in a chair. But at last the little one has to give herself up. Bama, on her part, decides to work hard at her studies so that others realise her worth and come to her as friends.
Q3. What are the similarities in the lives Bama and Zitkala-Sa though they belong to different cultures?
Ans. Both Bama and Zitkala-Sa were the victims of social discrimination. Both of them protest in their own way. Bama belonged to an oppressed community. One day, she saw an elder of her community holding a packet of vadais by its string. This packet was for the landlord. Bama thought it was a funny sight. But Bama’s brother explained to her that the landlord and his people belonged to the upper caste. The touch of one from an oppressed class could pollute them. It filled Bama with anger and revolt. The experience of Zitkala-Sa was also of a similar one. She belonged to a tribe of native Americans. The white-skinned settlers from Europe looked down upon the local tribes. They treated them like animals. Zitkala-Sa did not want her hair to be shingled. Among her tribe, shingled hair was considered to be a sign of cowardice. She struggled with all her might when she was tied in a chair. But at last, the little one had to give herself up. Thus both Bama and Zitkala-Sa protested in their own way.
Q4. The two accounts that you read above are based in two distant cultures. What is the commonality of theme found in both of them?
Ans. The first account is that of Zitkala-Sa. She is a native American. She belongs to a tribe of people who were the original inhabitants of America. The white-skinned European settlers had a bitter prejudice against the native Americans. They treated them like herds of animals. The second account is that of Bama who was a Tamil Indian. She belonged to the Dalit community. She was pained to see how the upper caste people treated the Dalits in a humiliating manner. They thought that even the touch of Dalit would pollute them. Thus we see that though Zitkala-Sa and Bama belonged to different cultures, there was much commonality in their sufferings. Both the communities suffered from the racial prejudice of those who considered themselves to be superior to them.
Q5. It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted, but the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life. Do you agree that injustice in any form cannot escape being noticed even by children?
Ans. Elders become used to the kind of life they have been living. They stop grumbling or protesting because they take it as their destiny. But children are far more sensitive than elders. They acutely feel whatever they think is wrong or unjust. They may be physically weak but are emotionally quite awake. They feel quite disturbed when they see injustice being done to someone. Thus the seeds of rebellion are sown early in life. And when they grow up, they stand in open rebellion against the oppressor.
Q6. Bama’s experience is that of a victim of the caste system. What kind of discrimination does Zitkala-Sa’s experience depict? What are their responses to their respective situations?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa was a victim of social discrimination. She belonged to a tribe of native Americans. The white-skinned settlers from Europe looked down upon the local tribes. They treated them like animals. Both Bama and Zitkala-Sa refuse to bow to the injustice they are subjected to. Both of them protest in their own way. Zitkala-Sa does not want her hair to be shingled. Among her tribe, shingled hair is considered to be a sign of cowardice. She struggles with all her might when she is tied in a chair. But at last the little one has to give herself up. Bama, on her part, decides to work hard in her studies so that others realise her worth and come to her as friends.
QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED
READING WITH INSIGHT
Q1.The two accounts that you have read above are based in two distant cultures. What is the commonality of theme found in both of them?
Ans. The two accounts given in the unit ‘Memories of Childhood’ are based in two distant cultures. Two grown up and celebrated writers from marginalised communities look back on their childhood. They reflect on their relationship with the mainstream.
The discrimination, oppression, humiliation, suffering and insults that they faced as young ,members of the marginalised communities are common to both. Zitkala-Sa highlights the severe prejudice that prevailed towards the Native American culture and women. Depriving her of her blanket that covered her shoulders made her look indecent in her own eyes. The cutting of her long hair reduces her to the status of a defeated warrior as in her culture shingled hair are worn only by cowards. The replacing of her moccasins by squeaking shoes and “eating by formula” at breakfast table are other signs of forcible erosion of their own culture and imposition of dogma on them.
Bama highlights the humiliations faced by the untouchables who were never given any honour, dignity or respect as they were bom in lower classes. They were made to live apart, run errands, and bow humbly to the masters. They scrupulously avoided direct contact with the people of higher classes or the things used by them.The sense of rebellion against the existing state of affairs and decision to improve them are also common themes.
Q2. It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted, but the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life. Do you agree that injustice in any form cannot escape being noticed even by children?
Ans. Children are more sensitive and observant than the adults. They see, hear, feel and experience whatever happens around them. They are quick to note any deviation from the normal or any aberration.
Bama at first, thinks the behaviour of the elder of her community is quite funny. He is holding the packet by string and running with it awkwardly. But when she learns the reason of his behaviour in that particular manner her ire is aroused against the cruel, rich people of upper castes who shamelessly exploit them and heap humiliations on them. She is ready to rebel against the oppression by snatching the packet of vadai from the landlord and eating them herself. Her elder brother channelises her anger. He tells her to study with care and make progress. We see the seeds of rebellion in her.
Zitkala-Sa too shows that she has the seeds of rebellion in her even at an early age. Her friend Judewin tells her that the authorities are going to cut their long, heavy hair. She says that they have to submit, because they (authorities) are strong. But Zitkala-Sa rebels. She declares that she will not submit. She will struggle first. And, she does carry out her resolution. She hides herself to foil their attempt. When she is detected hiding under the bed and dragged out, she resists by kicking and scratching wildly. She is overpowered and tied fast in a chair, but she does not take things lying down. The spark of rebellion in her is not put out by oppression.
Q3. Bama’s experience is that of a victim of the caste system. What kind of discrimination does Zitkala-Sa’s experience depict? What are their responses to their respective situations?
Ans. Bama is a victim of the caste system as she has been bom in a dalit community. Zitkala- Sa is a Native American who finds that the people who have overpowered the natives are out to destroy their culture. She notices the discrimination against Native American culture and women. The cutting of her long hair is a symbolic of subjection to the rulers. In their culture, only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy. She is deprived of her soft moccasins—the shoes worn by Native Americans. Her blanket has been removed from her shoulders and she feels shy and indecent. The rules observed at the breakfast table are alien to her.
Both of them rebel against the existing circumstances. They do not bow down to their situations. They struggle hard to remove the discrimination and other barriers raised by peeple in power. Their struggle is against oppression, prejudice, dogma, superstition and ignorance. The tool with which they carry out their struggle is education. Both Zitkala- Sa and Bama study hard and earn a name for themselves. They take to writing and distinguish themselves in their respective fields. Their works depict their viewpoints and carry on their struggle against the discrimation that constraint and binds the free flow of their spirits.
MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. What does Zitkala-Sa remember about her ‘first day in the land of apples’?
Ans. It was a bitter-cold day. The snow still covered the ground. The trees were bare. A large bell rang for breakfast. Its loud metallic sound crashed through the belfry overhead and penetrated into their sensitive ears.
Q2. How did Zitkala-Sa react to the various sounds that came when the large bell rang for breakfast?
Ans. The annoying clatter of shoes on bare floors disturbed the peace. There was a constant clash of harsh noises and an undercurrent of many voices murmuring an unknown tongue. All these sounds made a bedlam within which she was securely tied. Her spirit tore itself in struggling for its lost freedom.
Q3. Where were the girls taken and how ?
Ans. The girls were marching into the dining room in a line. The Indian girls were in stiff shoes and tightly sticking dresses. The small girls wore sleeved aprons and shingled hair. They did not seem to care that they were indecently dressed.
Q4. “I felt like sinking to the floor”, says Zitkala-Sa. When did she feel so and why ?
Ans. It was her first day at school. She was marching into the dining room with other girls in a line. She walked noiselessly in her soft moccasins. But she felt that she was immodestly dressed, as her blanket had been removed from her shoulders. So, she felt like sinking to the floor.
Q5. “But this eating by formula was not the hardest trial in that first day”, says Zitkala-Sa. What does she mean by ‘eating by formula’ ?
Ans. The ringing of a large bell summoned the students to the dining room. Then a small bell tapped. Each pupil drew a chair from under the table. Then a second bell was sounded. All were seated. A man’s voice was heard at one end of the hall. They hung their heads over the plates. The man ended his mutterings. Then a third bell tapped. Everyone picked up his/her knife and fork and began eating.
Q6. How did Zitkala-Sa find the ‘eating by formula’ a hard trial?
Ans. She did not know what to do when the various bells were tapped and behaved unlike others. When the first bell rang, she pulled out her chair and sat in it. As she saw others standing, she began to rise. She looked shyly around to see how chairs were used. When the second bell was sounded, she had to crawl back into her chair. She looked around when a man was speaking at the end of the hall. She dropped her eyes when she found the paleface woman looking at her. After the third bell, others started eating, but she began to cry.
Q7. What did Judewin tell Zitkala-Sa? How did she react to it?
Ans. Judewin knew a few words of English. She had overheard the paleface woman. She was talking about cutting their long, heavy hair. Judewin said, “We have to submit, because they are strong.” Zitkala-Sa rebelled. She declared that she would not submit. She would struggle first.
Q8. ‘Why, do you think, was Zitkala-Sa so opposed to cutting of her hair?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa had heard from her mother that only unskilled warriors, who were captured, had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among their people, short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair by cowards. Since she was neither, she was dead against cutting of her long hair.
Q9. How did Zitkala-Sa try to avoid the inevitable loss of her long hair ?
Ans. She crept up the stairs and passed along the hall. She did not know where she was going. She turned aside to an open door. She found a large room with three white beds in it. The windows were covered with dark green curtains. She went to the comer farthest from the door and crawled under the bed in the darkest corner.
Q10. How was the search made for Zitkala-Sa?
Ans. First, they called out her name in the hall in loud voices. Then the steps were quickened. The voices became excited. The sounds came nearer. Women and girls entered the room. They opened closet doors. They peeped behind large trunks. Someone threw up the curtains. The room was filled with sudden light. Someone stooped, looked under the bed and found her there.
Q11. How was Zitkala-Sa treated on being traced from her hiding place ?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa was dragged out. She tried to resist by kicking and scratching wildly. But she was overpowered. She was carried downstairs and tied fast in a chair. She cried aloud and kept shaking her head.
Q12. What did Zitkala-Sa feel when her long hair was cut? ‘
Ans. When she heard them remove one of her thick braids, she lost her spirit. She had suffered utmost indignities there. People had stared at her. She had been tossed about in the air like a wooden puppet and now her long hair was shingled like a coward’s. In her anguish, she moaned for her mother. She felt herself as one of the many little animals driven by a herder.
Q13. Which words of her brother made a deep impression on Bama? [Delhi 2014]
Ans. While returning home, Bama’s elder brother told her that although people do not get to decide the family they are bom into, they can outwit the indignities inflicted upon them. It left a deep impression on her.
Q14. Name some of the novelties and oddities in the streets that attracted Bama?
Ans. These included the performing monkey, the snakecharmer’s snake, the cyclist who had kept on biking for three days, the spinning wheels, the Maariyaata temple and the huge bell hanging there. She also noticed the pongal offerings being cooked in front of the temple.
Q15. What were the articles in flit stalls and shops that fascinated Bama?
Ans. She saw the dried fish stall by the statue of Gandhiji; the sweet stall, and the stall selling fried snacks. There were many other shops next to each other. Then there was the narikkuravan huntergypsy. He had his wild lemur in cages. He sold needles, clay beads and instruments for cleaning out the ears.
Q16. What sort of shows or entertainments attracted the passers-by?
Ans. Sometimes various political parties put up a stage. They addressed people through their mikes. There might be a street play, a puppet show, or a “no magic, no miracle” stunt performance. There was some entertainment or the other happening there from time to time.
Q17. Which actions of the people would Bama watch keenly in the bazaar?
Ans. She watched how each waiter in the various coffee clubs would cool the coffee. He would lift a tumbler high up. Then he would pour its contents into another tumbler held in the other hand. She observed how the people, chopping up onion, would turn their eyes elsewhere to avoid irritation in their eyes.
Q18. Why was Zitkala-Sa in tears on the first day in the land of apples? [All India 2014]
Ans. On the first day in the land of apples, Zitkala-sa was in tears. The main reason of tears was that her hair was mercilessly cut. She had heard from her mother that only unskilled warriors, who were captured, had their hair shingled by the enemy. That is why she shook her head in resistance.
Q19. Which fruit or sweet delicacies did she observe in the bazaar?
Ans. There would be mango, cucumber, sugar-cane, sweet potato, palm-shoots, gram, palm- syrup, palm-fruit, guavas and jack-fruit, according to the season. She would see people selling sweet and savoury fried snacks, payasam, halva, boiled tamarind seeds and iced lollies each day.
Q20. How were the threshing proceedings going on in the corner of the street?
Ans. There was a threshing floor set up in the comer of the street. People were hard at work. They were driving cattle in pairs, round and round, to tread out the grain from the straw. The animals were muzzled so that they couldn’t eat the straw. Bama stood there watching for fun. The landlord was watching the proceedings. He was seated on a piece of sacking spread over a stone ledge.
Q21. What, do you think, made Bama want to double up and shriek with laughter?
Ans. Bama saw an elder of their street coming along from the direction of the bazaar. He was a big man. He was carrying a small packet, holding it out by its string. The manner in which he was walking along made Bama want to double up. She wanted to shriek with laughter at the funny sight.
Q22. How did the elder approach the landlord and offer him the packet?
Ans. The elder went straight up to the landlord. Then he bowed low and extended the packet towards him. He cupped the hand that held the string with his other hand. The landlord opened the parcel and began to eat the vadais.
Q23. What explanation did Bama’s elder brother Annan give her about the elder’s “funny” behaviour?
Ans. Annan told Bama that the man was not being funny when he carried the package by the string for his landlord. The upper caste people believed that others must not touch them. If they did, they would be polluted. That was the reason why he (the elder man) had to carry the package by its string.
Q24. How did Bama react on learning about untouchability?
Ans. Bama became sad on listening how the upper caste people behaved towards low caste persons like them. She felt provoked and angry. She wanted to touch those vadais herself. She wondered why their elders should run errants for the miserly rich upper caste landlords and hand them over things reverently, bowing and shrinking all the while.
Q25. How did the landlord’s man behave with Annan?
Ans. The man thought that Annan looked unfamiliar, and asked his name respectfully. However, his manner changed as soon as Annan told his name. The man immediately asked the name of the street he lived in. The purpose was to identify his caste from the name of the street.
Q26. How, according to Annan, was the caste system discriminatory? How can one overcome the indignities?
Ans. Annan said that the lower caste people were never given any honour or dignity or respect. They were deprived of all that. Thus, the caste system was discriminatory. But, if they studied and made progress, they could throw away those indignities.
Q27. What advice did Annan offer Bama? What was the result?
Ans. Annan advised Bama to study with care and learn all that she could. If she was always ahead in her lessons, people would come to her of their own accord and attach themselves to her. Bama followed her brother’s advice and studied hard. She stood first in her class, and because of that, many people became her friends.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. Why did Zitkala-Sa feel oppressed in new establishment?
Ans. Since the day, the author was taken away from her mother, she had suffered extreme indignities. People had stared at her. She had been tossed about in the air like a wooden puppet. Her blanket had been removed from her shoulders. She felt that she was immodestly dressed. She was so shocked and oppressed that she felt like sinking to the floor. Later, her soft moccasins were taken away. These were the traditional footwear of the local Indian American. They were replaced by squeaking shoes. She saw other Indian girls in stiff shoes and tightly sticking dresses. The small girls wore sleeved aprons and shingled hair. The worst indignity she suffered was the cutting of her long hair. The coward’s shingled hair made her moan with anguish. She felt she was not a human being but one of the little animals driven by a herder. The systematic erosion of their culture and disrespect to women was quite oppressive.
Q2. “But this eating by formula was not the hardest trial in that first day”, says Zitkala-Sa.What do you understand by ‘eating by formula’ and how did she find it a hard trial?
Ans. There was a fixed procedure laid down for breakfast. Zitkala-Sa calls it ‘eating by formula’. The ringing of a large bell summoned the inmates to the dining room. Boys and girls entered the dining room in lines from separate doors. Then a small bell was tapped. Each of the pupil drew a chair from under the table. The writer also did so. She supposed this act meant they were to be seated. So she slipped into the chair. She found others standing. Just when she began to rise, looking shyly, the second bell sounded and all sat down. Then she heard a man’s voice at one end of the hall. She looked around to see him. But all the others hung their heads over their plates. She found the paleface woman watching her. When the man ceased his mutterings, a third bell was tapped. Everyone picked up his knife and fork and began eating. She began to cry. She was so afraid that she could not do anything further. Her discomfiture was caused by her unfamiliarity with the procedure. However, she found it a difficult experience—a sort of trial.
Q3.“I will not submit! I will struggle first!” says Zitkala-Sa. What was she going to resist and why? What efforts did she make and what was the outcome?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa had long, heavy hair. Her Mend Judewin had overheard the paleface woman talk that their hair was to be shingled. Zitkala-Sa decided to resist it. Among their people, short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair by cowards. Unskilled warriors captured by the enemy also got their hair shingled. Cutting a woman’s long hair was thus against their tradition and culture.
She tried to avoid it. She crept up the stairs quietly and hid herself under the bed in a room with dark green curtains. She had crawled to the comer farthest from the door and lay close in the darkest comer. Soon she heard her name shouted in the hall. Then the steps were quickened and voices became excited. Women and girls entered the room. They opened closet doors and peeped behind large trunks. Someone threw up the curtains. The room was filled with sudden light. Someone stooped, looked under the bed and saw her there. She was dragged out though she resisted by kicking and scratching wildly. She was carried downstairs and tied fast in a chair. She cried aloud and kept shaking her. head till the scissors cut her long hair.
Q4. What diversions in the streets, shops and the bazaar attracted Bama, tethered her legs and stopped her from going home?
Ans. There were many novelties and oddities that attracted Bama. These included the performing monkey, the snakecharmer’s snake, the narikkuravan huntergypsy’s wild lemur in cages, -the cyclist who had been pedalling for three days, the spinning wheels, the Maariyaata temple and its huge bell. She also noticed the pongal offerings being cooked in front of the temple. There was a dried fish stall near the statue of Gandhiji. There was a sweet stall and a stall selling Med snacks. There were many shops next to each other.
The public meetings of political parties, street plays, puppet shows, and stunts were other entertainments. She would watch how the waiters would pour coffee from a tumbler held high to another low down to cool it. Then she saw people who chopped onion kept their eyes to another side to avoid irritation. She admired the various fruits that came to the bazaar according to the season. She also noticed people selling sweet and savoury fried snacks. These were the usual scenes and sights that tethered her legs and stopped her from going home.
Q5. How did Bama react to the threshing proceedings in a corner of their street and the spectacle of a big man carrying a packet by its string ?
Ans. Bama watched the threshing floor, people working with cattle to tread out the grain and the muzzled animals with a child’s curiosity. She stood there watching the fun. The landlord was also watching the proceedings. He was seated on a piece of sacking spread over a ledge.
Then she saw a big man, an elder of her street, coming along from the direction of the market. The manner in which he was walking along made her want to double up. She wanted to shriek with laughter at the sight of such a big man carrying a small packet by its string, without touching. She thought that the package might come undone and its contents fall out. ‘
Then the elder went straight upto the landlord, bowed low and extended the packet towards him. He cupped the hand that held the string with his other hand. The landlord opened the parcel and began to eat the vadais. She found the whole scene quite funny and amusing. She related it to her brother in all its comic details.
Q6. How did Bama’s brother explain the elder’s behaviour to her? What was her immediate reaction?
Ans. Bama’s elder brother, Annan, told her that the big man was not being funny when he carried the package by the string for his landlord. The upper caste people believed that others must not touch them. If they did so, they (people belonging to upper caste) would be polluted. That was why he did not touch the contents but held the packet by its string. Bama didn’t want to laugh any more now. She felt terribly sad. She could not understand how the vadai, first wrapped in a banana leaf and then parcelled in a paper, would become disgusting if one of them held that package in his hands. She felt so provoked and angry that she wanted to touch those vadais herself straightaway. She wondered why they had to fetch and carry for these people. She was infuriated that an important elder of theirs went meekly to the shops to fetch snacks and then handed them over reverently, bowing and shrinking to the fellow who sat there and stuffed them in his mouth. She felt that they too were human beings. Their people should not do petty jobs for the miserly rich upper castes. They should work in their fields, take home their wages and leave it at that.
Q7. What indignities did the caste system heap on the lower castes? How could they end the discrimination? How did Bama react to her brother’s advice?
Ans. According to Annan, the caste system was highly discriminatory. It put the lower castes in a very disadvantageous position. They were never given any honour, dignity or respect. They were deprived of all that. The only way to end this social discrimination was self¬improvement. They should study hard and make progress. Then they could throw away all those indignities.
He advised Bama to study with care and learn all that she could. If she was always ahead in her lessons, people would come to her of their own accord and attach themselves to her. The words “work hard and learn” became the guiding principles of Bama’s life. She studied hard with all her breath and being. She was almost in a frenzy. She stood first in her class and, because of that, many people became her friends. This was the beginning of her illustrious career.
Q8. What oppression and discrimination did Zitkala-Sa and Bama experience during their childhood? How did they respond to their respective situations?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa was a victim of social and cultural oppression by the victors who had overpowered them by their sheer strength. They were prejudiced towards Native American culture and women.
They adopted force and oppression to compel the natives to shed their age-old traditions and customs. The cutting of the long hair of Zitkala-Sa is a symbol of their oppression. She opposed this prejudice and oppression by rebelling against it. She protested with all her strength.
Bama was a victim of caste system. She had seen, felt and experienced the evils of untouchability when she was studying in the third standard. She felt humiliated by what it was. She struggled hard against this social discrimination. She studied hard and topped in her class. Many students became her friends.
Thus, both Zitkala-Sa and Bama fought the existing circumstances with courage and determination and ended the prejudice, discrimination and oppression.
MCQ Questions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 8 Memories of Childhood with Answers
Question 1.
Bama’s brother told her that if she wanted to make progress, she had to
(a) learn to cook
(b) study
(c) learn to stitch and knit
(d) learn to drive
Answer
Answer: (b) study
Question 2.
Bama was very rebellious and the thought of oppression at the hands of upper castes
(a) infuriated her
(b) provoked her to slap someone
(c) made her abusive
(d) made her want to murder someone
Answer
Answer: (a) infuriated her
Question 3.
Bama’s elder brother was studying at
(a) school
(b) college
(c) university
(d) medical college
Answer
Answer: (c) university
Question 4.
She had thought that the man carrying the bag was only
(a) making a game out of carrying the parcel
(b) trying to make her laugh
(c) obeying orders
(d) not touching it because it was hot
Answer
Answer: (a) making a game out of carrying the parcel
Question 5.
The man was carrying
(a) pakoras
(b) samosas
(c) jalebis
(d) vadai or green banana bhaji
Answer
Answer: (d) vadai or green banana bhaji
Question 6.
One day the author was attracted by the sight of
(a) two riders on a horse
(b) a monkey performing tricks
(c) cattle treading out the grain from straw
(d) dogs fighting with cats
Answer
Answer: (c) cattle treading out the grain from straw
Question 7.
There would always be some kind of entertainment
(a) in the school
(b) in the church
(c) in the bazaar
(d) in the house
Answer
Answer: (c) in the bazaar
Question 8.
Bama used to dawdle along from school because she was
(a) too slow
(b) crippled
(c) distracted by lots of things on the way
(d) unable to wait for the school bus
Answer
Answer: (c) distracted by lots of things on the way
Question 9.
The author Bama felt she already had experienced the humiliation due to
(a) dark skin
(b) short height
(c) poverty
(d) untouchability
Answer
Answer: (d) untouchability
Question 10.
The author was being stared at by people and she felt she
(a) looked pretty
(b) looked terrible
(c) had suffered extreme indignities
(d) looked like a model
Answer
Answer: (c) had suffered extreme indignities
Question 11.
We have to submit because they are strong’. These words were said by
(a) Zitkala-Sa
(b) Judewin
(c) Marry-Ann
(d) Christine
Answer
Answer: (b) Judewin
Question 12.
Short hair, in the author’s tribe, was worn only by
(a) mourners
(b) old people
(c) young kids
(d) elderly women
Answer
Answer: (a) mourners
Question 13.
While others ate, the author
(a) laughed
(b) watched them
(c) cried
(d) frowned
Answer
Answer: (c) cried
Question 14.
Everyone kept standing except
(a) the teacher
(b) the matron
(c) the caretaker
(d) the author
Answer
Answer: (d) the author
Question 15.
As the bell rang, the whole group of pupils
(a) sat on the floor
(b) drew a chair from under the table
(c) sat on the stools
(d) knelt down on the ground
Answer
Answer: (b) drew a chair from under the table
Question 16.
The Indian girls wore
(a) clinging dresses
(b) nightgowns
(c) trousers
(d) skirts
Answer
Answer: (a) clinging dresses
Question 17.
Zitkala was being constantly observed by a woman who had
(a) a pale face
(b) fair complexion
(c) dark complexion
(d) angry look
Answer
Answer: (a) a pale face
Question 18.
Rama was a
(a) Bengali writer
(b) a Tamil Dalit
(c) an NRI
(d) a politician
Answer
Answer: (b) a Tamil Dalit
Question 19.
Zitkala-Sa was a victim of
(a) racial prejudice
(b) serious crime
(c) rape
(d) a car accident
Answer
Answer: (a) racial prejudice
Question 20.
The lesson ‘Memories of Childhood’ is
(a) an autobiographical episode
(b) a fable
(c) a legend
(d) a play
Answer
Answer: (a) an autobiographical episode
Question 21.
Which family did Bama belog to?
(a) A jewish family
(b) a rich family
(c) a poor catholic family
(d) all
Answer
Answer: (c) a poor catholic family
Question 22.
What was the name of the school where Zitkala studied?
(a) Carlisle Indian school
(b) Carlisle Western school
(c) Carlisle Indonesian school
(d) Carlisle American school
Answer
Answer: (a) Carlisle Indian school
Question 23.
What was the author’s original name?
(a) Zitkala
(b) Zitkala sa
(c) Zitkala Bama
(d) Gertrude Simmons Bonnin
Answer
Answer: (d) Gertrude Simmons Bonnin
Question 24.
Why did Zitkala hide herself?
(a) to save herself
(b) to save herself from a woman
(c) to save herself from other children
(d) to stop people from cutting her hair
Answer
Answer: (d) to stop people from cutting her hair
Question 25.
What was common between Bama and Zitkala?
(a) belonged to minority
(b) victims of cultural differences
(c) were struggling because of class
(d) all these
Answer
Answer: (d) all these
Question 26.
What sort of shows attracted Bama?
(a) shows by jugglers
(b) shows by monkeys
(c) shows by shopkeepers
(d) shows by political people
Answer
Answer: (d) shows by political people
Question 27.
What did Judewin tell Zitkala?
(a) A new dress is comming
(b) she will meet her mother
(c) she will go to a new place
(d) her hair would be cut
Answer
Answer: (d) her hair would be cut
Question 28.
Why did the Landlord’s man ask Bama’s brother on which street did they live?
(a) to know his class
(b) to know his background
(c) to know his work
(d) to know his caste
Answer
Answer: (d) to know his caste
Question 29.
Why did Zitkala feel oppressed in her new establishment?
(a) because of indignities shown to her
(b) because she didn’t like the place
(c) she wanted to be with her mother
(d) none
Answer
Answer: (a) because of indignities shown to her
Question 30.
Why did Zitkala find Eating by formula a hard trial?
(a) because of her inability to follow the bell taps
(b) because of too many rules
(c) because of restrictions
(d) none
Answer
Answer: (a) because of her inability to follow the bell taps
Question 31.
Which community does Bama belong to?
(a) rich
(b) Brahmins
(c) Untouchable low caste
(d) None
Answer
Answer: (c) Untouchable low caste
Question 32.
Who told Bama that untouchability is a crime?
(a) her mother
(b) Zitkala and Sa
(c) her sister
(d) Her brother Annan
Answer
Answer: (d) Her brother Annan
Question 33.
What did Zitkala mean by Eating By Formula?
(a) Set pattern of sitting
(b) set pattern of standing in lines
(c) set pattern of rules
(d) set pattern of eating decorum
Answer
Answer: (d) set pattern of eating decorum
Question 34.
What was Bama victim of?
(a) gender prejudice
(b) violence
(c) child abuse
(d) caste system
Answer
Answer: (d) caste system
Question 35.
Why did Bama reach home in one hour in place of 10 minutes?
(a) she was watching shows on the road
(b) she was stopping at every shop
(c) she was enjoying all fun on the roads
(d) all these
Answer
Answer: (d) all these
Question 36.
How much time did Bama take to reach home?
(a) 2 hours
(b) 3hours
(c) 4hours
(d) 1 hour
Answer
Answer: (d) 1 hour
Question 37.
What did the cutting of long hair of Zitkala Sa symbolise in the lesson?
(a) subjection to the rulers
(b) her wish to dominate
(c) her wish to get justice
(d) her wish to look modern
Answer
Answer: (a) subjection to the rulers
Question 38.
Who was Zitkala Sa?
(a) A tamilian
(b) A protester
(c) A native American
(d) None
Answer
Answer: (c) A native American
Question 39.
What are the names of the two women?
(a) Zitkala Sa a Native American and Bama Tamilian Dalit
(b) Zitkala and Sa
(c) Ba and Ma
(d) Annan and Bama
Answer
Answer: (a) Zitkala Sa a Native American and Bama Tamilian Dalit
Question 40.
Who is the author of the lesson Memories of childhood?
(a) Zitkala-Sa and Bama
(b) Emily Brontë
(c) Charles Dickens
(d) None
Answer
Answer: (a) Zitkala-Sa and Bama
Question 41.
What had hurt Bama in the society?
(a) Political plays
(b) class students
(c) Road shows
(d) Practice of untouchability
Answer
Answer: (d) Practice of untouchability
Question 42.
What is Belfry?
(a) part of a bell tower
(b) part of a tower
(c) part of a music tower
(d) part of a silver tower
Answer
Answer: (a) part of a bell tower
Question 43.
What did the story showcase?
(a) Discrimination on the basis of casteism specially with Indians in western culture
(b) difference of Indian and Western culture
(c) views of minorities
(d) none
Answer
Answer: (a) Discrimination on the basis of casteism specially with Indians in western culture
Question 44.
How did the scene in the market change Bama’s life?
(a) because of that she decided to study hard and stand against discrimination
(b) she became fearful
(c) she became stubborn
(d) she was irritated
Answer
Answer: (a) because of that she decided to study hard and stand against discrimination
Question 45.
Why did Zitkala start crying at the dining table ?
(a) she didn’t like the food
(b) she was a stranger
(c) because of eating by formula
(d) all these
Answer
Answer: (c) because of eating by formula