Memories of Childhood

Cutting of my Long Hair Part I

By: Zitkala Sa
Theme:
The lesson ‘Memories of Childhood’ depicts the humiliation suffered by the
oppressed people of the society. Both Bama and Zitkala-Sa are from marginalized
communities. Bama suffers from the evil of untouchability prevailing in India.
The people of her caste have to bow low to the so-called upper caste people. They
have to work for the upper caste people and bear insults. Bama fights against this
situation by studying hard and attaining a high position.
Memories of Childhood’ also depicts the fact that children are extremely sensitive
to their surroundings and they react very strongly. Both the descriptions are about
the protest strongly against the discrimination and indignities faced by both of
them. Zitkala-Sa, representing the Native American woman, condemns the evil of
oppression. On the other hand, Bama criticizes the evil of untouchability and caste
discrimination.
This has a universal theme that highlights the reaction to the hatred and cruelty
against the downtrodden discrimination on the basis of caste, creed and social
hierarchy.

Q1. Who was `Zitkala Sa’?

Ans. Zitkala Sa is the pen-name of Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. She was an American-
Indian born in the late nineteenth century who suffered racial discrimination at the hands
of Christians.
Q2. What does Zitkala-Sa remember about her ‘first day in the land of apples’?
Ans. Zitkala recalls that it was a bitterly cold day and there was snow on the ground. The
trees were bare. There was a large bell that rang for breakfast and its loud metallic sound
crashed through the belfry overhead and penetrated through her sensitive ears.
Q4. What happened when Zitkala-Sa reached the hall for breakfast for the first time?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa did not know how to conduct herself in the dining hall. As the bell was
tapped, all the pupils pulled out their chairs and kept standing. Zitkala also pulled out hers
but sat on it. When a second bell rang and all the students were seated, she had to crawl
back to her chair. A man’s voice was heard and she noticed that all the pupils had bent
their heads over their plates.The third bell they picked up their forks and began eating.
Zitkala felt extremelyembarrassed and started crying.
Q5. What does ‘eating by the formula’ mean?
Ans.The ringing of the large bell was an indication on for all students to assemble in the
dining room. Then as the first bell was tapped, they drew out chairs from under the table.
As the second bell sounded loud, Everyonewas all seated. A man’s voice and mutterings
were heard at the end of the table. Everyone had to bend their heads over the plates. Then
a third bell tapped. Everyone picked up the knives and forks and started eating.
Q6. What was Zitkala’s first reaction to the missionary boarding school in the east?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa saw a line of Indian girls wearing closely clinging dresses and stiff shoes.
The crashing of the bell and the noise of shoes and voices were like a harsh bedlam for
her in which she was tied. The blanket had been taken off from her shoulders and bells
were used as instructions for students.She felt those girls were more immodestly
dressed up than her.
Q7. What warning was given by Judewin to Zitkala?
Ans. Judewin, her friend, who ‘mew a few words of English, told her that she had
overheard the pale-faced woman talk about cutting their long, heavy hair. Her mother had
told her that shingled hair was worn by cowards. This was a big blow to her.
Q8. What efforts did Zitkala-Sa make to save her hair from being cut?
Ans.As soon as Zitkala came to know about the decision of cutting her long hair, she
decided to struggle. Quietly, she crept up the stairs into a large empty room which was
dim due to the dark green curtains. She moved to the farthest corner from the door and
then crawled under a bed. She did not come out even when she heard Judewin calling her
name. They found her and dragged her out. Although she resented by kicking and
scratching wildly and shaking her head, they cut her long hair.
Q9. What happened after Zitkala-Sa was tied to a chair?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa was dragged out and she was carried down kicking and scratching and
then tied to a chair. She cried a lot shaking her head until she felt the scissors had
`gnawed’ off her thick braids. She then lost her spirit and moaned for her mother but
nobody came to comfort her. From then on she experienced extreme indignities.
Q10. Why do you think Zitkala was so opposed to cutting of her hair?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa had been made to believe by her mother that only unskilled warriors, who
had been captured, had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among their own native people,
only mourners kept short hair and shingled hair was kept by cowards. She was,therefore,
dead against cutting of her hair as she didn’t belong to any of the categories.
Q11. How was Zitkala-Sa treated on being traced from her hiding place?
Ans. Zitkala had hidden under the bed. She was found and dragged out. She tried to resist
by kicking and scratching wildly. She was overpowered and carried downstairs. She was
tied fast to a chair. She kept crying loudly and shaking her head continuously.
 We too are Human Beings Part II
By:Bama

Q1. Who was Bama?

Ans. Bama is the pen-name of a Tamil Dalit woman from a Roman Catholic family. She
published three main works, Kurukku, an autobiography, Sangati a novel and
Kisumbukkaaran a collection of short stories. Kurukku is an account of the discrimination
faced by Tamil Dalit women.

Q2. Bama watched keenly some of the actions of the people in the bazaar. What were
the actions she observed?
Ans. Bama would watch the waiter in coffee clubs cooling the coffee, with a lot of
interest. He would lift the tumbler high and pour the coffee into another tumbler held in
the other hand. She also observed how people would turn their eyes away to avoid
irritation in their eyes while chopping onions.
Q3. What was the funniest episode that Bama watched one day while going back home?
Ans. Bama saw an elderly man of her street walking with a small packet, holding it by its
strings without touching it. When she saw him she felt like laughing aloud. He went
straight to the landlord, bowed to him and extended the packet to him, cupping his hands
that held the string with his other hand.
Q4. Why was the elder of Bama’s street carrying the packet with its strings only?
Ans.The elder held the packet from its strings without touching the packet. Bama’s
brother explained that people believed that the landlord was of upper caste and the elder
belonged to the lower caste. The lower caste people could not touch the packet as the
material in it would become polluted. That is why he had to carry the packet by its strings.
Q5. How did the elderly man approach the landlord and offer him the packet?
Ans.The old man went straight up to the landlord. 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 packet and started eating the vadais.
Q6. How did Bama feel when her brother told her about Untouchability?
Ans. Bama felt sad and infuriated. She felt angry and wanted to touch those wretched
‘Vadais’ straightaway. It was disgusting to do the chores for those people who did not
even consider them as humans. She wondered why the upper caste people thought so
much of themselves only because they had collected money. Bama hated this
discrimination and felt that the lower caste people should never run errands for the upper
castes.
Q7. How did the landlord’s man behave with Annan?
Ans.The landlord’s man, not recognizing Annan, asked him his name with a lot of respect.
On getting the answer and realizing that he was from a lower caste and an untouchable,
his manner of talking changed. He got to know about Annan’s caste as soon as he knew
which street he lived in.
Q8. What did Annan tell Bama to do? What was the impact of his words on Bama?
Ans. Annan told Bama that being born in the low caste, they were stripped of all honour,
dignity and respect. He added that education could gain them respect in society. He
advised her ‘to study hard and leant’. If they studied and made progress, they would be
able to throw away the indignities. His words had a profound impact on Bama. She was
inspired to study hard and always stood first in her class and because of this, many
people became her friends.
Q9. Name some of the oddities and novelties in the street that attracted Bama.
Ans.The novelties were the performing monkey, the snake charmer’s snake, the cyclist
who had been cycling for three days. She enjoyed seeing the spinning wheels, the
Maariyaata temple with the huge bell hanging there. She also noticed the Pongal offerings
being cooked in front of the temple.
Q10. Which fruit or delicacies did Bama observe in the market?
Ans.There was mango, sugarcane, cucumber, sweet potato, palm-shoots, gram palm-
syrup, palm-fruit, guavas and jackfruit according to the season. She would also see the
selling of savoury and sweet snacks like payasam, halva, boiled tamarind seeds and iced
lollies.
Q11. Describe the threshing proceedings going on in the corner of the street?
Ans. There was a threshing floor set up in the corner of the sheet. People drove cattle in
pairs, round and round to tread out the grains from the straw. The animals were muzzled
so that they did not eat the straw. The landlord seated on a piece of sacking spread over
the stone ledge watched the proceedings.