Memories of Childhood by Zitkala-Sa and Bama
Short Answer Type questions:Marks 2/3
1. Why did Zitkala-Sa feel uncomfortable in the dining-room? HS-2014, 2015
(OR) At the dining table, why did Zitkala-Sa begin to cry when others started eating?
Ans:-
Zitkala-Sa felt quite uncomfortable in the dining-room because she had
found herself in quite an awkward situation. It was difficult for her to
adjust to the practice of "eating by formula". Moreover she was afraid
of the 'pale faced woman' who was keeping a watchful look on her.
2. What was Zitkala-Sa's idea regarding short,shingled hair? HS-2012, 2016, 2017
Ans:-
Zitkala-Sa had a serious dislike for short, shingled hair because in
her community short hair was kept by mourners of a deceased person.
Besides, soldiers captured in the battle had their hair shingled by the
enemy. So, there was a negative implication of short, shingled hair.
3. When did Bama first come to know of the social discrimination faced by the people of her community?
(OR) When did Bama experience untouchability? HS-2012, 2013, 2015, 2017
Ans:-
Bama experienced untouchability when she was in the third standard.
While coming back from school she saw an elderly man carrying a food
packet. He held the packet by its strings without touching it and
offered it to the landlord who opened it and began to eat. The scene
amused her but her elder brother Annan made it clear that the man was
not being funny and he belonged to a low caste for which he couldn’t
touch the food packet.
4. How did Zitkala-Sa try to hide herself from "others"in the school? HS-2013
(OR) How did Zitkala-Sa try to prevent the shingling of her hair?
Ans:-
Zitkala-Sa left the dining room without anybody's knowledge and came to
a large room with three beds. Crawling under a bed, she huddled herself
in a dark comer. She could not succeed in hiding herself for long and
was soon dragged out. She tried to frustrate their attempt by kicking
and scratching wildly but she was tied fast in a chair and her long and
heavy hair was shingled.
5. Why was Zitkala-Sa terrified when Judewin told her that her hair would be cut short? HS-2022
Ans:-
Zitkala-Sa was terrified when Judewin told her that her hair would be
cut short. Short, shingled hair was a symbol of disrespect and sorrow in
her community. Only mourners and prisoners of war used to have short,
shingled hair. Therefore she made a violent but vain attempt to prevent
her hair from being shingled.
6. What was Zitkala-Sa's immediate reaction to the cutting of her hair? HS-2018
(OR) What did Zitkala-Sa feel when her long hair was cut?
(OR) How was Zitkala-Sa forced to part with her long and heavy hair?
Ans:-
Zitkala-Sa felt sad and humiliated when her long hair was cut. She
lost her spirit and felt as helpless as a puppet. She felt like an
animal being driven by a herder. She desperately needed someone to
comfort her. She moaned in anguish at the loss of her symbol of pride
and distinct cultural identity.
7. What advice did Annan offer Bama?
(OR) What did Annan say about his community to the narrator? HS-2016, 2018
Ans:-
It was customary for the upper caste people to look down upon the low
caste people. The only means of rising above this circumstance was to
make academic and economic progress. Annan advised Bama to study hard
and excel in the examinations as a tool of earning their admiration.
8. How long would it take Bama to walk home from her school and why?
(OR) **Why did it take Bama to reach home in 30 minutes instead of 10 minutes?
Ans:-
It took Bama half an hour to one hour to walk home from her school,
although it was possible to cover the distance in ten minutes. However
she was so captivated by the roadside attractions such as fun, games,
entertaining novelties and oddities in the streets, the shops and the
bazaar that she could not proceed without feasting her eyes on these.
9. What were the articles in the stalls and shops that fascinated Bama on her way back from school?
Ans:-
The articles in the stalls and shops that fascinated Bama on her way
back from school were; the dried fish stall, the stall selling fried
snacks, the stall of the hunter gypsy selling needles, clay beads and
instruments for cleaning ears. Everyday she used to see people selling
payasam, halwa, boiled tamarind seeds, iced lollies, etc.
10. Which activities of the people would Bama watch keenly in the bazaar?
Ans:-
Bama would watch how each waiter used to cool the coffee in the coffee
clubs and how some people sat in front of the shops chopping up onion
and turning eyes elsewhere. Sometimes she would watch people from
various political parties put up a street play or a puppet show.
11. Which words of her brother made a deep impression on Bama? HS-2024
Ans:-
According to Bama’s brother, people of his community were deprived of
dignity and respect for being born into a low caste. The only way to get
rid of this stigma was making academic and economic progress. These
words made a deep impression on Bama.
12. Why was Zitkala-Sa in tears on the first day in the land of apples?
(OR) How did Zitkala feel on the first day in the land of apple? (What did she do to escape the plight?) HS-2024
Ans:-
Zitkala-Sa was in tears on the first day in the land of apples because
she felt alienated in her new surrounding where boarders spoke in an
unfamiliar language. One of the hardest tasks was the practice of "eating
by formula". She was also worried over the certainty of losing her
long, heavy hair.
13. What is common between Zitkala-Sa and Bama?
Ans:-
Both Zitkala-Sa and Bama Zitkala-Sa belonged to marginalized
communities of the society. Zitkala-Sa was a victim of cultural
aggression where she was in danger of losing her distinct cultural
identity. Similarly Bama's low caste entity made her face the challenges
of untouchability.
14. According to Zitkala-Sa what does ‘eating by formula’ mean?
Ans:-
According to Zitkala-Sa ‘eating by formula’ means maintaining
discipline and decorum in the dining room. The instructions of eating
are conveyed through a bell which is rung first for drawing a chair,
then for granting permission to sit and finally for eating with forks
and knives.
Long Answer Type Questions( 7 marks)
15. What kind of discrimination did Bama and Zitkala experience? How did they respond to their respective situations?
(OR)
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? HS-2013, 2017
(OR) Discuss the forms of discrimination projected in the narrations of Zitkala-Sa and Bama. HS-2018
Ans:-
Both Bama and Zitkala were victims of social oppression for their
socio-cultural background. Zitkala was an American Indian woman who was
forcefully made to surrender the values of her culture. It reflects how
the whites humiliated the natives and put pressure on them to shed their
age old customs. Zitkala-Sa suffered extreme pain and anguish when her
long and beautiful hair washcut after she was dragged out. This was
totally against the established custom of her community. She cried and
resisted by kicking and scratching wildly. But she was tied fast in a
chair. There was no one to console and comfort her. Bama was a low caste
woman determined to eliminate the challenges of the caste system. She
was upset by the inhuman attitude of the people belonging to the
‘higher’ caste towards the ‘lower’ caste. She had experienced the evils
of untouchability when she was a student of class three. Both these
women tried to rise above their circumstance and struggled against
exploitation and oppression. Zitkala does not submit but struggles when
her hair is being shingled. She fought as long as her strength allowed.
Bama fights against the evils of untouchability in a unique way. She
works hard and stands first in her class. People then come to her of
their own accord.
19. Describe the experience that Bama had on her way back home which made her feel sad. HS-2013
(Or) How did the scene she saw in the market place change Bama’s life?
Ans:-
Bama is a keen observer of the roadside attractions and so she usually
reaches home late from school. She stops whenever her eyes catch sight
of anything that is attractive. One day on her way back, she notices the
harvest being threshed in presence of the landlord. The landlord stood
watching the work being done. At that moment Bama saw one of the elders
coming down the street and holding a food packet by a string. The packet
contained vadais for the landlord. For Bama, the sight of the man
carrying the packet appeared to be amusing. But later her brother told
her that the elder man belonged to a low caste and so he was not allowed
to touch the vadais brought for the landlord. She was vexed at the
humiliating treatment meted out to the elderly person in the name of
caste. This experience brought about a ‘change in her life. She decided
to study well and make a position for herself in life and rebel against
caste inequalities.
Syllabus of HS Second year English (Prose)
Syllabus of HS Second year English (Poetry)
Syllabus of HS Second year English (Supplementary Reader : Vistas)
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