NCERT Solutions
for Class 12 English Vistas

Chapter 6 Memories of Childhood

 (featuring “The Cutting of My Long
Hair” by Zitkala-Sa and

“We Too
Are Human Beings” by Bama)

Updated
Syllabus for 2024-2025 Exams 

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

Answer:
The commonality of theme in both accounts is the discrimination and oppression
faced by marginalized communities. Zitkala-Sa, an American Indian, experiences
cultural suppression and the humiliation of being forced to conform to the
dominant white culture. Bama, a Tamil Dalit, witnesses the caste-based
discrimination prevalent in her society. Both narrators experience injustice
from the mainstream culture, which oppresses their communities based on race or
caste. Despite the geographical and cultural differences, both accounts share
the theme of resistance to this oppression.

Q.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:
Yes, injustice is often noticed by children, as seen in both stories. In
Zitkala-Sa’s account, even as a young girl, she feels the humiliation and loss
of identity when her hair is forcibly cut, symbolizing the loss of her cultural
heritage. In Bama’s account, she notices the caste-based discrimination when
she observes an elder from her community carrying food for a higher-caste man,
highlighting the indignities faced by the lower castes. Both children are
deeply affected by these experiences, which sow the seeds of rebellion and a
desire for change.

Q.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 experiences racial and cultural discrimination. She is forced to
abandon her Native American identity and conform to the ways of the dominant
white culture at the boarding school. Her hair, which is a symbol of her
cultural pride, is cut, and she is treated as a mere object rather than an
individual with her own rights and identity. In contrast, Bama faces
caste-based discrimination, where people from the Dalit community are treated
as inferior and untouchable by the upper castes. Both respond to their
situations with resistance. Zitkala-Sa internally rebels by holding on to her
cultural values, and Bama channels her anger into determination to study hard
and break free from the caste-based constraints placed on her.

Q.4. How does Zitkala-Sa resist the cutting
of her hair?

Answer:
Zitkala-Sa resists the cutting of her hair by attempting to hide and escape
from the authorities at the boarding school. She crawls under a bed, hiding in
the dark corner, trying to avoid the humiliation and the symbolic loss of her
cultural identity that the cutting of her hair represents. Despite her efforts,
she is eventually found, dragged out, and forced to have her hair cut. This act
of rebellion shows her deep connection to her Native American roots and her
refusal to submit easily to the oppressive practices imposed on her.

Q.5. What was Bama’s reaction when she
learned about the discrimination faced by her people?

Answer:
Bama was initially amused when she observed an elder from her community
carrying a food packet by its string for an upper-caste landlord. However, when
her elder brother explained that the man carried the food this way to avoid
“polluting” the upper-caste man by touching the food directly, Bama’s
amusement turned into anger and sadness. She felt outraged at the injustice and
the humiliation that her community faced. This experience fueled her desire to
fight against such caste-based discrimination, and she became determined to
study hard and overcome the barriers of oppression.