Chapter:8
Memories of Childhood Zitkala-Sa
& Bama
SUMMARY
1. The
Cutting of My Long Hair
This story is by Zitkala-Sa who narrates her own childhood experiences
when she was taken away from her mother to a boarding school. She led a
carefree life with her mother but when she was taken away by the missionaries
with the promise of good education, she suffered nightmares. There was a
pale-face woman at the boarding school who would supervise all their things.
The girls there were immodestly dressed but they didn’t mind it at all. There
was a system of bell for eating. With the first bell, children would pull
their chair out; with the second bell, they would sit and with the third
bell, they would start eating. It was a horrible experience for her because
she did wrong with all the bells and so when all started eating, she started
weeping. Her friend Judewin knew a bit of English. She told Zitkala that
their hair would be cut. This upset Zitkala. She remembered that in their
community short hair was worn by mourners and shingled by the cowards. She
told Judewin that she would struggle. As soon as she got chance, she
disappeared. She went upstairs and hid herself in a big room. It was dark and
there were three beds. She huddled herself in the farthest corner of the room
under a bed. Soon people came searching her. They dragged her out of the
room. She was tied to a chair downstairs and her thick braid was cut. She
protested and cried but it was useless. There was nobody to sympathize with
her. She felt herself like an animal driven by a herder.
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Theme
The story speaks of racial
discrimination against native Americans by White Americans.
Characters
1) Zitkala - Sa : She is the lead character
in the story. When she was eight, she was sent to a Quaker Missionary
School in Wabash, Indiana.
2) Judewin : She is
Zitakala-Sa’s friend at the boarding school.
3. Pale-faced Woman : She
is a teacher or a member of the school where Zitkala-Sa studied.
Main
Points
1. Zitkala-Sa’s
first day in the land of apples was bitter cold one.
2. In
her school, there were children from different backgrounds and their sounds created a bedlam there.
3. There
was a pale-face woman who took the children to the dining room.
4. The
girls were wearing stiff shoes and closely clinging dresses.
5. There
were three young boys who looked as uncomfortable as the narrator.
6. There
was a system of bell for eating.
7. With
the first bell all drew their chairs out from under the table; with the second bell, they were seated and with the
third bell, they started eating. Zitkala-Sa
made mistakes all the time and so she finally started crying.
8. Later
Judewin told her that their long hair was going to be cut.
9. In
Zitkala-Sa’s community shingled hair was worn by cowards and short hair by mourners.
10. Zitkala
watched her chance and disappeared.
11. She
hid herself in a room upstairs but she was found out, dragged down and her long hair was cut.
2. We
Too are Human Beings
When Bama was
three years old, she hadn’t heard people openly speak about untouchability.
But she had already seen, felt, experienced and been humiliated by it.
Though the
distance from her school to home could be covered only in ten minutes but she
would dawdle along the road watching all the novelties and oddities and
novelties and it would take her half an hour to an hour and a half to reach
home. There would be a lot of things along the road which would pull her to a
stand-still and not allow her to go any further.
One day while
returning from school, she saw that a threshing floor was set up in her
street. The landlord was sitting on a piece of ledge and the people of her
caste were hard at work. Cattle in pairs were going round and round to tread
out grain from the straw. Their faces were muzzled. Just then she noticed an
elder of their caste carrying a parcel in his hand. The way he was carrying
the parcel seemed so funny to her that she wanted to double up. But when she
came home and told all this to her brother, he said that the man was not
making a game out of carrying a parcel. He did so because everybody believed
that they were upper caste and therefore must not touch the lower caste
people. If they touched the lower caste people they would be polluted. This
revelation made Bama so angry that she wanted to go and touch the parcel
herself. She felt that her people should not run the petty errands for the
landlords. Her brother told her that as they are born into lower caste, they
are never given any honour or dignity or respect. But if they study with care
and are always ahead in their lessons, people will come to them of their own
accord. Her brother’s words had a deep impression upon her mind. She studied
hard with all her breath and being, and stood first in the class. Many people
became her friends because of that.
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Theme
It revolves around casteism
prevalent in Indian society.
Setting
The action takes place in an
unnamed Tamil locality.
Characters
1. Bama : She
is the protagonist of this story who fight against casteism and wins
over.
2. Annan : He
is Bama’s elder brother who studies in a university. His name is Thambi.
Main
Points
1. The
distance of Bama’s school and home could be covered in ten minutes but Bama would take half an hour to an hour
to cover the distance.
2. She
would enjoy all the novelties and oddities in the street.
3. One
day while returning from school when she reached her street, she saw a threshing floor had been set up.
4. The
people of Bama’s community were hard at work and the landlord was watching the process.
5. Bama
saw an elderly man of their caste was coming from bazaar.
6. The
way he was walking made Bama want to double up.
7. At
home she narrated the whole incidence to her brother who told her that the elderly man was not making a game out of
carrying a parcel rather it was so because
they belonged to the lower caste and the upper caste people believed that their touch would pollute the things.
8. This
made Bama angry. She felt it disgusting.
9. She
thought that her people should not run petty errands for the landlords rather they should work on the field and take
home their wages.
10. Annan
told her that since they were born in the lower caste, they would never be given any honour or respect but if
she studies hard, that barrier could
be overcome.
11. She
followed her brother’s advice, studied with all her might and main and stood first in the class. As a result
many children became her friends.
GLOSSARY
Belfry - Bell tower
Undercurrent - Undertone
Shingled - Cropped, Closely cut
Moccasins - Soft leather slippers
Immodestly - Indecently
Spied - Watch, Descry
Shyly - Bashfully, Timidly
Venture - Set out, Move
Whither - Where, To what place
Huddle - Crouch, Draw close
Trunk - Box, Chest
Stoop - Bend, Bow
Gnaw - Bite, Nibble
Braids - Plait, A hairdo
Indignities - Humiliations, Insults
Puppet - Doll, Marionett
Herder - Someone who drives a herd
Dawdle - To waste time, Dally
Harangue - A long pompous speech
Smart - Hurt, Ache
Tether - Leash, Tie
Savoury - Spicy, Tasty
Ledge - A horizontal projection of wall or
rock
Tread - Walk, Move
Provoke - Incited, Instigated
Meekly - Politely, Humbly
Reverently - Respectfully, Honourably
Errands - A short trip taken to perform a specified task
Infuriated - Made angry, Enraged
Frenzy - Wild excitement, Madness
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS:
1. How
was the first day of Zitkala-Sa at the boarding school?
Ans: To her it was bitter cold. The land was covered with snow and
the trees were bare. Her soul was struggling for its lost freedom but it was
all useless.
2. What, according to Zitkala-Sa, was
eating by formula?
Ans: According to Zitkala , there was a system of
bell for eating. With the first bell, children would pull out the chair from
under the table; with the second bell, they would sit and with the third bell, they would start
eating.
3. What was the custom related to hair in
Zitkala-Sa’s community?
Ans: In Zitkala-Sa’s community, there was a
special custom about hair. There short hair was worn by mourners and shingled
hair was worn by cowards.
4. Who was Judewin? What did she inform
Zitkala-Sa about?
Ans: Judewin was Zitala-Sa’s friend at the
boarding school. She knew a few words of English and she overheard the paleface
woman about cutting their long hair.
5. How did Zitkala-Sa protested?
Ans: Zitkala- Sa told Judewin that she would
struggle. She waited for a chance and as soon as she got the chance, she
disappeared. She went upstairs into a big room and huddled herself in a corner.
When she was dragged out, she kicked and scratched but it was all useless.
6. What indignities did Zitkala-Sa suffer
at the new place?
Ans: Zitkala-Sa suffered extreme indignities.
People stared at her. She had been tossed about in the air like a wooden puppet
and even her long hair was shingled like a coward’s. She felt herself like an animal driven by a
herder.
7. Why would it take unusually long time
for Bama to reach home from school?
Ans: Bama would take half an hour to an hour to
reach home from school because she would watch
all the fun and games going on, all the entertaining novelties and oddities in
the street, the shops and the
bazaar.
8. Why did Bama want to double up with
laughter?
Ans: Bama wanted to double up with laughter
because she saw an elderly man of their caste carrying a parcel by string. The
manner he was carrying the parcel, trying not to touch it appeared to her very funny as if making a game
of it.
9. What did Annan advise Bama? How did it
affect her?
Ans: Annan told Bama that as they are born in
lower caste, they are never given any honour or dignity or respect. They are
deprived of all that. But if they study hard and make progress, they can throw
away their indignities. These words had a deep impression upon Bama. She
studied with all her breath and being and stood first in the class.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. 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: Everybody in his or her life may face injustice at point of
time. This injustice is not always resisted but it never goes unnoticed.
Resistance depends upon age, position, power and knowledge but anybody can
notice injustice in any form. Every oppressionentails resistance whether sooner
or later. Both stories are apt examples to prove this fact. In “The Cutting of
My Long Hair” Zitkala-Sa tries to resist the racial discriminationbut suppressed
and later it comes out in the form of her novels and stories. In the same way,
in “We Too Are Human Beings” Bama protests against class and caste discrimination
and comes out successful. The important and common thing about both the writers
is, they could never forget their humiliation and oppression and expressed it more dominantly years later.
Therefore it can be said that even children notice injustice and react in their
own way.
2. 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’s experience depicts racial
discrimination and discrimination based on colour. The colonial masters treated
their subjects very badly and Zitkala-Sa’s experience is not an exception to
this. She had lived a free life and to her the life within the compound walls
of her boarding school was no less than an imprisonment .She didn’t like the
dress code which seemed to her quite immodest. In Zitkala-Sa’s community there
was a custom about hair that short hair was worn by mourners and shingled hair
by cowards. She tried to escape from there as a measure of protest.But her hair
was cut against her will which was sacrilegious and intolerable for her.Bama,
on the other hand, was the victim of caste and class discrimination. She
belonged to the poor class and inferior caste. The people of their caste were
never given any respect or honour. Therefore, following her brother’s advice,
she studied hard and stood first in the class.
PREVIOUS YEARS' QUESTIONS
(2018 It may take a long time for oppression
to be resisted but the seeds of rebellion are sown early in life. How did
Zitkala- Sa face oppression as a child and how did she overcome it? [6 Marks]
(2017) Untouchability is not only a crime, it
is inhuman too. Why and how did Bama decide to fight against it? [6 Marks]
(2016) At the dining table, why did Zitkala-Sa
begin to cry when others started eating? [3
Marks]
(2015) What were Zitkala-Sa’s experiences on
her first day in the land of apples? [6 Marks]
(2014) Why was Zitkala-Sa in
tears on the first day in the land of apples? [2 Marks]
(2013) What were the articles in
the stalls and shops that fascinated Bama on her way back from school?
[2 Marks]
(2012) Which activities of the
people would Bama watch keenly in the bazaar? [2 Marks]
(2011) What advice did Annan
give Bama ? [2
Marks]
(2010) Why was Zitkala-Sa
terrified when Judewin told her that her hair would be cut short? [2
Marks]
(2009) What are the similarities
in the lives of Bama and Zitkala though they belong to different cultures?
[7
Marks]
DOS
&DON’TS
1. The
question should be answered in the same tense in which it is asked. If the
question is in past, the answer should also be in the past and if it is in
present, the answer should bein present and so on.
e.g. Who was Judewin? What did she inform
Zitkala-Sa about?
Ans: Judewin is
Zitala-Sa’s friend at the boarding school. She knows a few words of English and she overhears the paleface woman about cutting their long hair.
. In the above
mentioned answer, the words in Bold should be in the past.
e.g. Do
you agree that between crime and punishment it is mainly a battle of wits?
Ans: Yes, I agree that between crime and punishment
it was mainly the battle of wits. A
witty person went scot free even
after committing heinous crimes whereas the innocent person was caught and punished even for a
trifle thing. The laws have used by
witty people for their own interests. They knowsthat
the goddess of law is blindfolded and she believes only evidences. In “Evans
Tries an O-Level” Evans tries to pull a
wool over the authorities’ eyes and even succeeds in that. His wit is too much
for the Governor to understand. The prison officers themselves carry him out of
the prison and later even when caught by the Governor, he easily escapes before
his eyes, without giving him any clue that he is doing so.
All the words in Bold should be
corrected as per tense and number.
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