Chapter 8 Memories of Childhood Solutions
Question - 21 : - Who was Zitkala-Sa ? How did she find her first day in the “land of apples”?
Answer - 21 : -
Zitkala-Sa was the pen-name of an extraordinarily talented and educated Native American Woman, Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. She found her first day as a bitter cold one. The snow still covered the ground, and the trees were bare. A large bell rang for breakfast.
There was clatter of shoes on bare floors and it seemed to her a noisy place within which she was securely tied. A pale-faced woman, with white hair, came up after the girls who were marching into the dinning room. These were Red Indian girls, in stiff shoes and dresses which were closely sticking to their bodies. The small girls wore sleeved aprons and their hair was cut close to the head.
Then a small bell was tapped, and each of the pupils drew a chair from under the table. Zitkala-Sa pulled out her chair and at once slipped into it from one side. But when she turned her head, she found that she was the only one seated. Just as she began to rise, a second bell was sounded. All were seated at last, and she had to crawl back into her chair again. Then a third bell was tapped and everybody picked up his knife and fork and began eating. But she began to cry because by this time she was afraid to undertake any more risk.
Why did Zitkala-Sa have to hide herself ?
Answer - 22 : -
Late in the morning Zitkala-Sa’s friend Judewin gave her a terrible warning. Judewin knew a few words of English. She had overheard the pale-face woman talking about cutting their long heavy hair. Their mothers had taught them that only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among their people, short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair by cowards. They discussed their fate for some moments.
Judewin said, “We have to submit, because they are strong.” But Zitkala-Sa rebelled. She said that when no one was noticing, she disappeared. She moved slowly and quietly up the stairs as far as she could. Along the hall she passed, without knowing where she was going.
Turning aside to an open door, she found a large room with three white beds in it. The windows were covered with dark green curtains, which made the room very dim. As there was nobody else, she directed her steps towards the corner farthest from the door. She crawled on her hands and knees under the bed and laid comfortably in the dark comer. Zitkala-Sa had to hide herself so that her hair was not shingled.
Question - 23 : - Was Bonnin successful in hiding herself? What did they do after finding her ?
Answer - 23 : -
Bonnin would tremble with fear at her hiding place whenever she heard footsteps nearby. In the hall loud voices were calling her name. She knew that even Judewin was searching for her. But she did not open her mouth to answer. Then the steps were quickened and the voices became excited. The sounds came nearer and nearer. Women and girls entered the room. Bonnin or Zitkala-Sa held her breath and watched them open closed doors and peep behind large trunks.
Someone then threw up the curtains, and the room was filled with sudden light. She did not know what caused them to look under the bed. She was caused them to look under the bed. She was dragged out though she resisted by kicking and scratching wildly. Thus she could not be successful in being remained hidden.
Then she was carried downstairs and tied fast in a chair. However, she cried aloud, shaking her head all the while until she felt the cold blades of scissors against her neck. She heard them gnaw off one of her thick strands of hair. But she had lost her spirit. Since the day she was taken from her mother, she had suffered extreme insults and humiliations. And now her long hair was shingled like a coward’s. In her severe suffering of mind, she moaned for her mother. She felt like one of many little animals driven by a herder.
Question - 24 : - Why did Bama take unusually long time while walking home from school ?
Answer - 24 : -
Bama was a little Dalit girl who was studying in the third class. She would walk home from school with an old bag hanging from her shoulder. It was actually possible to walk the distance in ten minutes. But usually it would take her half an hour to one hour to reach home.
On her way she would while away the time, watching all the fun and games that were going on in the streets, in the shops and in the bazaar. On her way, she would watch the performing monkey, the snake which the snake charmer kept in its box and displayed from time to time.
She would also watch the cyclist who had not got off his bicycle for three days and the maariyaata temple. She would watch the huge bells hanging in the temple, the pongal offerings being cooked in front of the temple, the dried fish stall by the statue of Gandhi. She would also see the sweets stall, the stall selling fried snacks and all the other shops next to each other. Each and everything would pull her to a stand-still and not allow her to go any further.
On her way back home, Bama would sometimes watch addresses by various political parties, or a street play or a puppet show or a stunt performance. All these would happen from time to time. But almost certainly there would be some sort of entertainment going on. All these and some other sights taken together would stop her from going further. That is why Bama would take unusually long time while walking home from school.
Question - 25 : - What did Bama find funny in an elder man of her street carrying a package ? Was it really funny ?
Answer - 25 : -
One day, while coming from school Bama saw an elder of her street coming from the direction of the bazaar. She wanted to laugh loudly at the sight of such a big man carrying a small packet in a funny way. She guessed that there was something like ‘vadai’ or green banana ‘bhajji’ in the packet because the wrapping paper was stained with oil. That elder man came along, holding out the packet by its string, without touching it.
She thought that if he held the packet like that, won’t the package come undone and the ‘vadais’ fall out. She saw the elderly man went straight up to the landlord, bowed low and extended the packet towards him, cupping the hand that held the string with his other hand. The landlord opened the parcel and began to eat the ‘vadais’.
Bama went home after watching all this. She narrated the whole story in all its “comic details” to her elder brother. But the brother was not amused like her. He told Bama that the man was not being funny when he carried the package like that. He told her that everybody believed that they were upper caste and, therefore, must not touch them. If they touched them, they would be polluted. That is why he had to carry the package by its string. But when Bama heard this, she did not want to laugh any more. Rather she felt terribly sad.
Question - 26 : - How did Bama react to her awareness of the first experience of untouchability ? How did her elder brother encourage her ?
Answer - 26 : -
When her elder brother told Bama that the elder man was carrying the packet in such a way that he would not touch ‘vadais’, she felt so angry and provoked that she wanted to touch those “wretched” ‘vadais’ herself straightway. Bama wondered why they should have to fetch and carry for these people.
The thought of an important elder of their bowing and bringing snacks to this fellow who just sits there and eats greedily, made Bama angry. She thought that they too were human beings. She thought that they should work in their fields, take home their wages, and leave it at that.
Bama’s elder brother, who was studying at a university, had come home for the holidays. Her elder brother told Bama that because they were born into the community of untouchables, they were never given any honour or dignity or respect. He told her that if they did study and make progress they could throw away these indignities. So he encouraged Bama to study with care and learn all she could.
He told her that if she did always ahead in her lessons people would come to her of their own accord and attach themselves to her. So her elder brother advised her to work hard and learn to the maximum extent. Her brother’s words made a very deep impression on her. She stood first in her class and many people became her friends.