NCERT English Class 12 | Chapter 8 | Memories of Childhood | Question Answer |

READING WITH INSIGHT                                                                            PAGE 100

1. The two accounts that you read above are based in two distant cultures. What is the commonality of themes found in both of them?

Answer: Both narratives are presented by two women from socially underprivileged groups in two different civilizations. The author depicts the racism she suffered as a Native American in her school in the first part. In the other portion, it depicts the author's treatment in India as untouchable.

They were both following their respective cultures. They both displayed all of the hardships they had endured as a result of their community. Zitkala's hair was shaved at the request of Europeans who believe they are superior to Native Americans. Bama, on the other hand, suffered from untouchability because she was of a lower caste. She had observed that people from lower castes were not permitted to touch those from higher castes.

2. 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?

Answer: Even in today's world, many people endure racism and caste discrimination in some sections of the country. Adults have also grown up seeing such things; the innocence of kids does not understand hatred or prejudice, but experiencing such things influences the minds of tiny children. However, it can be resisted in a variety of ways.

The narrative of Zitkala-sa and Bama is told in this chapter. They had experienced many hardships as children as a result of prejudice, racism, and untouchability. That was Zitkala-first Sa’s day, which she described as "very cold." It not only describes the weather, but also her experiences at boarding school. The European staff was rude to her, and she struggled to keep her hair from being shingled, which she described as a "bitter" experience. Bama, on the other hand, was untouchable. Bama followed in her brother's footsteps to demonstrate against untouchability in education. As a result, she studied diligently in order to arrive at a point when her caste would be irrelevant and she would be proud.

3. 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?

Answer: Zitkala-sa was a victim of racial discrimination. Zitkala-sa was a student at a European boarding school where the entire staff was hostile to her. She belonged to a nearby tribe. She wore her hair long and proudly, yet it was shingled. She tried but failed to resist, and her hairs were hacked off forcibly. Bama, on the other hand, suffered discrimination based on caste and untouchability, so she chose to use the light of education to eradicate the germs of discrimination. She believed that only study and progress could help lower caste people overcome their prejudices and bigotry. As a result, both of them attempted to protest the injustice in their own unique ways.


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