MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD
Main Character
Zitkale Sa Indian American Girl faced racial discrimination.
Bama Girl from lower cast, faced untouchablity in early ages.
First Part
Writer Zitkla - So recalls her first day in her boarding school when it was bitter cold. Zitkala-so was an American Indian girl. She was troubled and embarrassed in her school. She was admitted there with other native American boys and girls. She heard the ring for 1.for The sound of the shoes made her deakfast, Everybody moved towards the breakfast table in the dining hall. annoy.
A white woman arranged all the children in line. Her blankets were taken off from her shoulders, she felt embarrassed. She was not comfortable in tightly fitting clothes. A small bell was rung and all the students pulled out a chair from under the chair. Zitkla Sa also pulled out the chair and sat down. But besides her no one sat. To see other she stood. By the time second bell rang and everybody sat. She was still standing. It made her embarrassed. From one end of the hall one man started praying. During pray all students bow their heads over the The narrator was not getting and looked surroundings. The white woman was staring at her. The man plates. The stopped muttering, third bell rang and everybody started eating with knife and fork. She was not comfortable because she had never eaten with knives & forks,
One thing made her afraid when her friend Judewin informed her about cutting her long and heavy hair. Her mother used to tell her, in their society, short hair was kept by mourners and cowards. Zitkalla so a so did not want her hair cut at any cost. She told her friend that she would struggle first and not accept the oppression. She hid on. first floor in a large room. It was dark room as it was covered with curtains. After sometime, people started searching her. Soon she heard an announcement of her name. Some women entered into the room. The room was filled with light.
They found zitkala under the bed and dragged her to downstairs. They lied her to a chair forcefully. She much but no one helped her. She heard a scissor's sound on her neck back. They cut off her thick braids. She stopped struggling and lost her sprit. She was deeply sad but nobody came to console her. At this moment she missed her mother a lot. Actually she was the victim of racial discrimination.
Second Part
The second part of the unit is all about Bama's childhood experience. Bama was a school going girl. Her school was situated hardly 10 minute walking distance far from her home. But usually it took her thirty minutes or more than this to reach home. While coming home she used to watch each & everything on the way. Sometimes she watched the performance of monkey. She loved to see snake charmer with his snakes. She liked the cyclist. Apart from these things she liked street play, puppet show and magic show. The market was full of seasonal fruits and stalls which the narrator liked a lot.
At the end of the street there was a threshing floor. In this street Dalits lived. Some person of the street was working hard to separate the grain from the straw. The landlord was sitting over a stone. One day, Bama noticed an elder man coming from the side of the bazaar. He was holding a food packet with string. Bama thought del funny to carry the packet in that manner, because that packet could get open. After returning home she told her brother Annan about the incident and started laughing. Bama's elder brother was explained to her that there was nothing funny about it. The landlord and his people belonged to the upper cast.
The Dalits were not allowed to touch them. It could pollute the upper caste. After hearing this she did not laugh anymore. Bama was filled with anger and revalt, She said, "We too are human beings. People should never do such a humiliating act. According to Annan, they were never given honor as they were born in low caste community. ised her sister to study hard, because education could help them to uproot caste discrimination. These words made great impact on Bama, she stood, first in her class. Due to her good performance, many people became her friend.
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