MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD( CLASS XII VISTAS)

Memories of Childhood

By Zitkala-Sa and Bama

THE CUTTING OF MY LONG HAIR

Glossary

·         Humiliated – insulted	·         Dawdle – moved slowly
·         Oddities – strange events or things	·         To spur – to encourage
·         Lemur – an animal similar to monkey	·         Harangue – long aggressive speech
·         Smart – (here) feel sharp pain	·         Tether – chain on tie up with rope
·         Savoury – tasty	·         Stone ledge – a narrow stone shelf
·         Muzzled – guard placed over an animal’s nose and mouth to prevent it from eating or biting people	·         Provoked – annoyed, incited, imitated
·         Infuriated – angered	·         Scraped – accumulated money
·         Indignities – humiliations	·         Frenzy – a state of extreme agitation or uncontrolled emotion

MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD

Zitkala-Sa'& Bama

The two autobiographical episodes are commemorative of struggle and triumph in the face of extreme prejudices, evils of oppression and a life lived in the shadow of being from a marginalised community.

Zitkala-Sa, the pen-name for G . Bonnin triumphed by surpassing all those barriers that were imposed upon the natural Americans. Although in her childhood' she had to surrender to the high handed attitude of her oppressors but not without expressing her resentment and rebellion against regimentation, bondage and dogmatic existence.

STORY I: Cutting of My Long Hair (by Zitkala-Sa)

v Regimentation at Carlisle Indian School:

·        Loud crashing breakfast bell.

·        Tapping of a small bell for pulling out a chair from under the table.

·        Second small bell sounded for being seated.

·        Third one sounded/rung for picking up cutlery and to start eating.

The author was not used to this 'eating by formula' but she had no other choice. Besides there were other things too that came as a surprise' to her. Students were forced to wear the same kind of dress and shoes. Things of comfort (blanket, moccasins) were taken away from them. The worst, however, was yet to come. This would prove to be the hardest trial but the author had planned to give a stiff resistance to it

v Cutting the author's hair, her resistance

The author had been told by her mother and other people of her community that shingled hair were of

·        Unskilled warriors or prisoners of war

·        Mourners and cowards

·        The author had planned to put up a fight. So she

·        Slipped out unnoticed

·        Entered a room in the dormitory and crawled under the bed in the farthest corner.

·        She did not open her mouth even when she was being hunted.

·        When finally she was located and dragged out, she resisted by kicking and scratching wildly.

v Unbearable/intolerable humiliation

The author was forcibly carried and tied in a chair. She opposed vehemently but in vain. Her thick braids were mercilessly chopped off. She lost the spirit to resist.

v Extreme indignities:

·        Spirit bound in a struggle for liberation

·        Comforts taken away

·        Regimentation while moving, eating sitting etc.

·        Uncomfortable stares by the people around

·        Dealt with as if she was a puppet or an animal herded around.

·        No one to comfort her.

WE TOO ARE HUMAN BEINGS

Memories of Childhood

By Zitkala-Sa and Bama

Glossary

·         Humiliated – insulted	·         Dawdle – moved slowly
·         Oddities – strange events or things	·         To spur – to encourage
·         Lemur – an animal similar to monkey	·         Harangue – long aggressive speech
·         Smart – (here) feel sharp pain	·         Tether – chain on tie up with rope
·         Savoury – tasty	·         Stone ledge – a narrow stone shelf
·         Muzzled – guard placed over an animal’s nose and mouth to prevent it from eating or biting people	·         Provoked – annoyed, incited, imitated
·         Infuriated – angered	·         Scraped – accumulated money
·         Indignities – humiliations	·         Frenzy – a state of extreme agitation or uncontrolled emotion

STORY 2 : We Too are Human Beings (by Bama)

The author got to see, feel and experience untouchability while still very young.

v Daily routine of the author

Although the distance between the author's school and home was a barely ten minute walk but quite conveniently she would take somewhere from half an hour to and hour and a half. Leisurely she would walls the distance taking in whatever came her way. As a little girl she would be interested in all the big and small things happening on route. She would be interested in

·        The performing monkey, the snake possessed by the snake charmer.

·        A cyclist pedaling continuously for days and the people pinning rupees onto his shirt egging him on.

·        The Maariyaata temple with its huge bell, the Pongal offerings.

·        Gandhi's statue

·        Shops, streetlights, stalls etc.

·        Political campaigns with their fiery speeches.

·        Street play, puppet show, magic show.

·        Fruits hanging on trees.

·        Coffee clubs in the market place

v Humorous sight leaves deep impression

·        Landlord seated on a stone ledge seeing farm labourers threshing. The peasants were hard at work as they drove their cattle round and round to tread out the grain from the straw.

·        An elderly man came along carrying a small packet with some eatables in it. He held it by the string, so that his hands would not touch the packet. He bowed low and offered the packet with both his hands.

v Author's Description: Realisation dawns

·        The author shared what she thought were comic details of the episode with her elder brother.

·        Annan, the brother, told her that the landlord was an upper caste and the worker, an untouchable was not supposed to touch the contents of the packet or even the packet lest it should be polluted.

·        Now the anecdote did not seem funny at all, she felt provoked and angry at why those people thought so much of themselves simply because they had put together some money. She felt that as human beings they too had self-respect and should not rum such petty errands for these people but only work for them and get wages in return.

·        The narrator's elder brother who was home for the holidays told her that they would have to work hard for their dignity and respect as they were born in such a community that these things did not come easily for them. Struggle, hard work and education would earn them dignity. He told her to study with care and to learn all that she could. His advice left a deep impact on her mind. She studied hard as her elder brother had urged, stood first in her class and thus made many friends and finally rose to become, a writer.

Share :

Tweet

✚

Related Post