Updated on 08/06/2026
*6. Memories of Childhood (Zitkala-Sa and Bama)*
Main Points of the chapter:
Part I: 'The Cutting of My Long Hair' (Zitkala-Sa):
In this chapter two women writers record their childhood memories.
These women belonged to the lower section of society.
They describe the partial treatment given to them by the so-called upper sections of society.
The first is titled ‘The Cutting of My Long Hair’ by Zitkala Sa, an American writer.
She describes an event in her school where her hair was cut down.
On her very first day, she felt deeply uncomfortable with the strict, mechanical school rules and the unfamiliar, tight clothes she was forced to wear.
Her friend Judewin warned her that the authorities planned to cut their long, heavy hair.
She came from a society where the hair was cut only when a warrior was captured by the enemy. .
To save her dignity, Zitkala hid under a bed in a dark room. However, she was dragged out, tied to a chair, and her long hair was forcefully cut despite her crying and resisting.
Part II: 'We Too Are Human Beings' (Bama):
The second one is titled ‘We Too Are Human Beings’ by Bama, a Tamil Dalit woman.
Bama was an innocent Tamil Dalit girl studying in Class 3. It used to take her 30 minutes to walk a 10-minute distance from school because she loved watching street performances, games, and shops.
One day, she witnessed a funny yet strange sight: an elderly man from her community carrying a small packet of snacks (Vadai) by a string, without touching the packet itself, to hand it over to a landlord.
When she jokingly narrated this to her elder brother, Annan, he explained the grim reality of untouchability. He told her that upper-caste people believed they would be polluted if low-caste people touched the food.
She found that the people of her community were considered untouchables.
Her brother advised her to rise in life so that she would not be insulted. He told her that they could only gain respect and equality through education.
She kept his advice in her mind. She worked hard, got higher education and became a famous writer and used her writing to fight social inequality.
Very Short Type Q-Ans.
1. Who is the writer of the lesson, ‘Memories of Childhood’?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa and Bama
2. Where does the first story 'The Cutting of My Long Hair' take place?
Ans. At the Carlisle Indian School in the United States.
3. Who warned Zitkala-Sa about the cutting of her hair?
Ans. Her friend, Judewin.
4. In Zitkala’s native culture, who kept short hair?
Ans. Short hair was kept by cowards, mourners (in grief), and captured warriors.
5. What were the feelings of Zitkala-Sa on her first day at school?
Ans. Fear and expectation
6. What incident does Zitkala-Sa describe?
Ans. Cutting of her long hair
7. Why were the children taken to a hall?
Ans. For breakfast
8. Who was staring at the writer during breakfast?
Ans. A pale faced woman
9. Why was the author fastened to a chair?
Ans. Her hair was cut
10. In the author’s society whose hair was cut?
Ans. Of the captured soldiers
11. Where did Zitkala-Sa hide to save her hair from being cut?
Ans. She hid in a large, dark room underneath a bed.
12.Who was Judewin?
Ans. A friend of Zitkala-Sa
13. Who is Bama?
Ans. Bama is a creative Tamil Dalit woman writer who highlighted caste discrimination through her autobiography.
14. How long did it take the writer to reach home from school?
Ans. The actual distance was only for 10 minutes but it took her about thirty minutes.
15. Why did it take Bama 30 minutes to reach home from school?
Ans. Because she would stop on the streets to enjoy various games, shows, stalls, and street activities.
16. Which tree was on the way to the author’s school?
Ans. An almond tree
17. What strange sight did Bama see near the landlord's house?
Ans. An elderly man carrying a food packet (Vadai) by a piece of string without touching the packet itself.
18.What snack was inside the packet carried by the village elder?
Ans. Green banana bhajji or vadai.
19.Where did the author’s elder brother study?
Ans. He was studying at a university away from home.
20. Who was Annan, and what did he explain to Bama?
Ans. Annan was Bama’s elder brother, and he explained the cruel reality of untouchability and caste discrimination to her.
21. What ultimate advice did Annan give to Bama to overcome discrimination?
Ans. He advised her to study hard, acquire knowledge, and excel in life to earn respect and equality.
Textual Questions
Q.1. How did Zitkala-Sa behave in the breakfast hall?
Ans. The children gathered round a table. The first bell rang and they took out chairs. Zitkala-Sa also took out the chair and sat on it. But everyone was still standing. So she got up. Then the second bell rang and all of them sat on the chairs. Now she also sat down. Then the third bell rang. Now every one picked up his knife and fork and began eating. She found a pale-faced woman who was staring at her, which made her burst into tears.
Q.2. Why did Zitkala-Sa object to her hair being cut short?
Ans. In her native American culture, long hair was a symbol of pride, freedom, and identity. Her mother had taught her that only captured warriors were cut. The cutting of hair was considered a sign of cowardice. So she did not like her hair to be cut.
Q.3. How was Zitkala-Sa’s hair finally cut?
Ans. To escape the authorities, Zitkala-Sa crawled into a dark room and hid under a bed. She heard voices calling her name. But she did not come out. Then she heard the sound of footsteps. They dragged her out and fastened to a chair. She started crying and her hair was cut down.
Q.4. How did Zitkala-Sa try to escape from having her hair cut?
Ans. Zitkala-Sa did not like that her hair should be cut. She decided to protest against it. She tried to save her hair. So she went into a dark room. There she hid under a bed. But she was found out and her hair was cut.
Q.5. What scenes did Bama see one day while coming home from school?
Ans. One day, she saw a performing monkey. She also saw a snakecharmer with a snake. There was a cyclist who had been performing the cycling feat for three days. She saw the Maariyaata temple. There was a sweets stall by the statue of Gandhi. There was a hawker selling clay beads and instruments for cleaning out the ears.
Q.6. What did Bama have to say about untouchability?
Ans. Bama saw an important village elder holding a small packet by the strings. There was vadai and bhajji in it. The man seemed funny. Then he came to the landlord, bowed low and gave the packet to him. He folded his hands while still holding the strings. The landlord opened the packet and started eating the vadais.
Q.7. What did Bama's brother tell her about their caste and untouchability?
Ans. Her brother told her that the elder man was untouchable. The upper caste men did not allow the dalits to touch the packet. So he held it by the strings. When the author heard it she felt very sad. An important elder of her community had to bring snacks for the landlord and bow before him.
Q.8. What advice did Bama's brother give her for getting respect from society?
Ans. Annan told the author that they were born into a low caste, they were never given any honour or respect. But if they could make progress, they could throw away all those insults. He advised the author to study hard and learn things. If she forges ahead in life, people would respect her. The author never forgot those words of her brother.
Long-Answer
1. How did Bama learn about untouchability? How did she feel about it?
Ans. One day, when she was coming from school. She saw that a landlord sat in one corner and watched the proceeding. The people were doing hard work. They were driving cattle in pairs round and round, and the grain was being threshed. Suddenly, the writer saw a big man holding a paper bag by the string and carrying it high. There was vadai or bhajji in it. Then he came to the landlord, bowed low and extended the packet to him. He folded his hands while still holding the strings. The landlord opened the packet and started eating the vadais. Seeing all this Bama was amused. When she came home, she told her elder brother, this funny incident. But her brother said that it was not funny. The big man was untouchable. The upper caste men did not allow the dalits to touch the packet. So he held it by the strings. When the author heard it she felt very sad and angry. An important elder of her community had to bring snacks for the landlord and bow before him.
Important Spellings
Zitkala-Sa
Autobiographical
Discrimination
Marginalized
Humiliation
Shingled
Judewin
Mourners
Untouchability
Prejudice
Threshed
Amused
Submissive
Fastened
Fluttering
Scraping
Clattered
Indignity
Resistance
Tirelessly
Word-meanings
Shingled- Hair cut very short
Prejudice-Preconceived opinion not based on reasonपूर्वाग्रह / भेदभाव
Thrashing-Separating grain from corn or straw
Amused-Finding something funny or entertaining
Taboo-Prohibited or restricted by social custom
Gazing-Looking steadily and intently
Submissive-Ready to conform to the authority or will of others
Dignity-The state or quality of being worthy of respectआत्मसम्मान / गौरव