12th std. Memories of Childhood

 12th std. Memories of Childhood

Central Idea of the Lesson

Theme: The lesson ‘Memories of Childhood’ majorly displays the social discrimination which prevails in the society.

It's a portrayal of two autobiographical accounts. One by Native American Indian woman, Zitkala-Sa and the second by a Tamil Dalit writer, Bama. Both stories highlight the women’s oppression, class barriers, racialism, discrimination and exploitation that tend to pull them down. Both the stories advocate the statement that seeds of rebellion are sown early in life.

Children may be young and innocent but they cannot tolerate injustice if they are determined.

 Question and Answers

Q1 Bama’s innocence was lost when she came face to face with the ugly truth of racial discrimination. Do you think children who have a difficult childhood become even more resolute than children who have a comfortable one? 

Ans Currently, racial prejudice is a topic of frequent discussion. This type of component does not portend well for the future of a child. Children who experience a difficult childhood become even more determined because they must overcome obstacles and make up their minds to do so. But, kids who grow up in comfort are unable to comprehend how serious the threats to human existence are. Because they are unable to overcome the obstacle, they are unable to do so for the rest of their lives.

Q2 What did she see one day when she came from school?

Ans One day, when she arrived at her street, she noticed that a threshing floor had been put up at the opposite corner, and the landlord was sitting on a piece of sacking spread out on a stone ledge, watching the proceedings. In order to separate the grain from the straw, the residents of her hamlet were hard at work driving cattle in pairs around and around.

Q3 What scene made Bama laugh loudly?

Ans Bama noticed a neighbourhood elder walking towards her from the direction of the bazaar. In his hands, he had a little packet. Bama surmised that the packet contained something resembling vadas. When Bama noticed this, she wanted to laugh out loud. Without touching it, he was holding out the packet by its cord. She reasoned that if the packet were opened in this way, the entire contents would spill out.

Q4 When did Bama come to know about the social discrimination towards her community?

Ans When Bama was still a schoolgirl, she first learned about it. She observed a village elder removing a package of vadais from its string. She reasoned that by doing this, the packet could be opened completely and its contents would be separated. The individual for whom the snacks were delivered belonged to a high caste, and her brother believed that the mere touch of anyone from their community would taint him, she was told by her brother. 

Q5 What advise did Annan give to Bama?

Ans Bama was instructed by Annan to study carefully and retain everything. Then the populace would approach her voluntarily and affix themselves to her. She was profoundly affected by Annan’s words.

Q6 Why did the landlord’s man ask Bara’s brother on which street he lived? What was the significance?

Ans The segregated neighbourhood that Bama yearned for had residents who lived on a specific street. The landlord’s guy was interested in learning Bama’s brother’s caste. Thus, he inquired as to his street of residence.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1 How long did Bama take to reach home from school and why? Write briefly what she did on her way?

Ans Although she could have covered the distance in ten minutes, it generally took her at least thirty minutes to get home. Her feet would be anchored to the ground by many intriguing things. There might be a monkey show. A snake charmer who keeps his snake in a basket might be present. A biker who hadn’t ridden for three days might exist.

She would observe the large bell hanging in the temple. She would observe the preparation of the Pongal offerings. Afterwards entertainment might be provided in the form of a street play, a puppet performance, or a magic show. These were the obstructions in her path that frequently caused her to pause.

Q2 When did Bama come to know about the social discrimination towards her community?

Ans Bama thought it was amusing how her community’s elders carried their snacks. Without touching the packet, he was holding it out by its string. She reasoned that if the packet were opened in this way, the entire contents would spill out. But, her brother informed her that it wasn’t amusing at all.

The upper caste individuals believed that they would become contaminated by their community members’ physical touch. Bama learned about the social prejudice against her community at that point. She was furious when she had this thinking. She pondered why their people should perform menial tasks for members of the upper caste. All they needed to do was grab their pay.

Q3 The two accounts that you read above are based in two distant cultures. What is the commonality of themes found in both of them?

Ans Zitkala-Sa, a young Native American woman, is mentioned in the first narrative. The European settlers were prejudiced against the aboriginal people. Native Indians are nothing more than enemies to them. Somewhat against Zitkala’s wishes, they shingled her hair. They were not interested in honouring their culture.

Bama’s account is the second. She came from a community that was struggling. The upper caste individuals regarded them with contempt. They believed that the simple act of interacting with members of her community would contaminate them. Hence, it is clear that Zitkala and Bama belonged to various societies and cultures. Nonetheless, the essential themes of both stories are the same: racial prejudice exists practically everywhere in the globe and people from oppressed communities are treated like animals.

Q4 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?

Ans Elders in oppressed groups grow accustomed to the injustice. They do not raise a fuss over any tyranny since they see it as a part of their destiny. Children’s minds, however, are incredibly impressionable. They are aware of all forms of repression and humiliation. They generally revolt against any oppression. When they witness injustice being done to someone, they become quite upset. When they become adults, they make every effort to eradicate any customs that view them as less human. Hence we might argue that the seeds of revolt are sowed early in life.

Q5 Barna’s experience is that of a victim of the caste system. What kind of discrimination does ZitkalaSa’s experience depict? What are their responses to their respective situations?

Ans Native American was named Zitkala-Sa. Native Indians are greatly despised by the European colonisers. They view them as lower beings. They show no regard for their customs. Zitkala was shingled for this reason. Bama, on the other hand, comes from a community that is underprivileged. They are viewed as inferior beings by those of high caste. They believe that even their slightest touch would contaminate Both Zitkala and Bama responded differently to their unique circumstances.

To avoid having her hair shingled, Zitkala hid herself in a space. But, she was exposed, and her hair started to flake. Bama was enraged when she learned about the elder of their street’s humiliation. She put a lot of effort into her studies so that other people would respect her and want to be her friends.