Memories of Childhood

Memories of Childhood Part I and II

 

Analysis :

·      The chapter 'Memories of Childhood’ are the anecdotes from two writers' childhood. It is a compilation of two stories – ‘Cutting of My Long hair’ written by Zitkala Sa and ‘We Too are Human Beings’ written by Bama.

·      The first account is by an American Indian woman, Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. She was born in 1876. She struggled against the severe prejudice that prevailed towards Native American culture and women. She wrote under the pen-name 'Zitkala-Sa'.  She criticises dogma and oppression.

·      The second account is by a contemporary Tamil Dalit writer with the pen-name 'Bama'. She belongs to a Roman Catholic family. The second excerpt has been taken from her autobiography 'Karukku'.

·      This chapter depicts that various people in our society face harassment, bullying, ill-treatment and discrimination due their caste, colour, creed and community.

·      The story teaches us that one should not bully or harrass other people just because they are different from the rest. More importantly staying quiet and not speaking against such injustice or harrassment is even worse.

This unit presents autobiographical episodes from the lives of two women who belong to communities of secondary importance. They look back on their childhood and think about their relationship with the mainstream culture.

 

Synopsis / Summary 

Part I – The Cutting of My Long Hair by Zitkala Sa

On her first day at school Zitkala was in the dining hall. A large bell rang for breakfast. Shoes clattered on bare floors. The girls were marching in a line into the dining room. A paleface woman, with white hair also appeared. Zitkala walked noiselessly in her soft moccasins. She felt like sinking to the floor because her stoles had been removed from her shoulders. The Indian girls did not seem to care about being immodestly dressed in tight fitting clothes.

The boys entered from the opposite door. A small bell was tapped. The pupils drew a chair from under the table. The writer pulled out her chair and at once sat on it. But she was the only one seated. All the rest at their table remained standing. She began to rise. Then, second bell sounded and all were seated. She heard a man's voice at the end of the hall. She looked around to see him. All the others hung their heads over their plates. She found the paleface woman looking at her. The man stopped his mutterings. Then a third bell was tapped. Everyone picked up knife and fork and began eating. These eating norms and rules were a difficult experience.

Late, her friend, Judewin told her that she had overheard the paleface woman talk about cutting their long heavy hair. Among their people, short hair was worn by mourners and shingled hair by cowards. Judewin said that they had to submit because the school authorities were strong and they can’t fight. But, the writer decided to struggle before submitting.

When no one noticed, she disappeared and crept upstairs. She hid herself under the bed in a large room with three white beds in it. She heard loud voices in the hall calling her name. Even Judewin was searching for her. She did not open her mouth to answer. The sound of steps came nearer and nearer. Women and girls entered the room. They searched her everywhere. Someone threw up the curtains. The room was filled with sudden light. They stopped and looked under the bed. She was dragged out. She resisted by kicking and scratching wildly. She was carried downstairs and tied fast in a chair.

She cried aloud and shook her head. Then she felt the cold blade of scissors against her neck. One of her thick braids was removed. Her long hair was being shingled like a cowards. Since the day she had come here, she had suffered insults. People had stared at her. She had been tossed about in the air like a wooden puppet. She moaned for her mother, but no one came to comfort her. Now she was only one of many little animals driven by a herder.

 

Part II - We Too are Human Beings by Bama

When Bama was studying in the third class, she had not yet heard people speak openly of untouchability. But she had already seen, felt, experienced what it was.

One day she was walking home from school. It was possible to walk the distance in ten minutes, but it would usually take her at least thirty minutes as she witnessed all the fun and games, novelties and oddities in the streets, the shops and the bazaar. Each thing would pull her to a standstill and not allow her to go any further.

Speeches by leaders of political parties, street plays, puppet show, stunt performances and other entertaining things drew her attention on the way. She watched waiters pouring coffee, people chopping up onions, or almonds being blown down from the tree by the wind. She saw people selling snacks, payasam, halva and iced lollies.

One day she saw in her street, a threshing floor and the cattle crushing the grain from straw on the threshing floor. She saw the landlord who was seated on a piece of sack and watching the proceedings.

Just then, she saw an elder of their street coming from bazaar and holding out a packet by its string without touching it. Then he went to the landlord, bowed low and extended the packet towards him. The landlord opened the parcel and began to eat the vadais, the banana curry.

She found this whole scene funny and narrated her elder brother the story with its comic details. But, Annan was not amused. He told her that the elder was carrying the package for his upper caste landlord without touching it because these people believed that people of lower caste should not touch them. If they did, they would be polluted. She became sad on listening all this and felt angry towards the people of upper castes.

She thought that these miserly people, who had collected money somehow, had lost all human feelings. But the lower castes were also human beings. They should not do petty jobs for them.

Annan, her elder brother, was studying at a university. He had come home for the holidays. He would often go to the library in their neighbouring village in order to borrow books. One day, one of the landlord's men met him and addressed Annan respectfully. But, his manner changed on knowing his name and the street he lived in, that indicated their caste.

Annan told her that they were not given any honour, dignity or respect because they were born in a particular community. He advised her to study and make progress. Thus, she can gain respect. She studied hard and stood first in her class. Many people then became her friends.

Theme

Racial and caste discrimination is an injustice towards marginalised communities and this injustice can be erased through education and progress. Not raising voice against such injustice is even greater injustice.  

Message

The story teaches us a beautiful lesson that we should not discriminate or harrass other people just because they belong to different caste, religion or community. More importantly staying quiet and not speaking against any injustice or harrassment is even worse. Sometimes such bullying or harassment may result in grave issues such as suicides, mental trauma and psychological problems.

We must speak up and spread awareness against such injustice and educate ourselves and our children so that all become at par in the society.