IV.

MAIN POINTSs
I. THE CUTTING OF MY
LONG HAIR
1.The narrator" first day in the land of apples was a bitter-cold one.
nlace was noisy and the people murmured in an unknown tongue
2 The plac
Indian girls were there in stiff shoes and closely clinging dresses.
S.
hefelt quite uncomfortable in the dining room.
Her friend Judewin gives her a terrible warning,
She overheard the paleiace woman. The woman talked about cutting their long and
heavy hair.
The narrator decided not to submit but to struggle.
disappeared and hid herself under the bed.
s. She
9. She was dragged, taken downstairs and tied fast in a chair.
cut. She was helpless. No one even tried to comfort her.
10. Her long hair was
II. WE TOO ARE HUMAN BEINGS
hour to
the distance from her school to home in half an an
1. The narrator used to cover

It could, however, be covered in ten minutes.

hour.
and sweet and snack stalls stopped her
2. Games, fun, shows, snake charmers, monkeys,
attention.
3. Everything stopped her and drew her
a food packet.
4. One day she s a w a n elder of her street carrying
5. He didn't touch it but held the packet by
its string.
started eating
6. Hebowed before the zamindar who took it and
Annan.
She narrated the funny story to her elder brother,
6. Annan told her that the m a n was not being
funny.
with his hand.
from a low caste and
couldn't touch the packet herself
110. Was provoked and wanted to touch that packet
She w a s
1ncident made her angry.
E
straightaway. consider others as human beings.
1 e wondered why the rich don't caste. They were never given honour
and
2. nnan told her to a low
that they belonged

13.
respect.
If they to them of their
own accord.
would come
people
14. Thew e r e learned, deep impression on her.
of Annan made a very
5.
15. Shrds
She the class.
studied hard and stood first in
16,
Many people became her1friends.
V. TEXTBOOK EXERCISES

EA the
What
ITH INSIGHT (Page
The twwo accour
100)
are based in
two d i s t a n t
cultures. is

read above
Commo counts that you
common ity of theme found in both ofthem?
 It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted, but the seeds of rebellion are
BOwed early in life. Do you agree that
injustice in any form cannot escape being noticed
yen by children ?
Bama'sexperience is that of a victim of the caste system. What kind of discrimination
doesjtkala-Sa's experience depict ? What are their responses to their respective
gtions ?
An
"Memories of Childhood' presents two autobiographical episodes. Both are from the
lives of women. The first account is by an American Indian woman. The second episode
18 narrated by a contemporary Tamil Dalit writer. The women belong to two different
cultures.
Both the women are from 'marginalised communities'. Native Indians don't get respect,
dignity and importance in America. They are marginalised. The white people sufer
from racial prejudices. They force others (the minorities) tofollow their traits, traditions
and whims. The poor Indian girl is dragged out and tied in a chair. Her long and heavy
hair is shingled. Similarly, the girl in We Too are Human Beings' is upset by the curse
of untouchability. The old man of a low' community has to carry the food packet by its
string without touching it.
Both the women fight and struggle against exploitation and oppression. The girl in
"The Cutting of My Hair' doesn't submit but struggles. She cries, kicks and fights till
she is overpowered. The girl in 'We Too are Human Beings' works hard and stands first
in the class. People now come to her of their own accord.
Memories of Childhood' a 3TFT5UTT fHi (3T5A13T) I aI i fTi

a fea arcn èi 37 st HTi aTA 12 f Td i SEi yaT We Too are Human Beings 1

f a i vT s zaa f a ast sitt u d The Cutting ofMy Hair' 1 E qT

TER&We Too are Human Beings'i a 5 E vfT4 t stt 7e4 3rt ê 3s4 em 3u

This world is full of inequalities. Inequalities give birth to repression. We are living
among horrors. Oppression and exploitation never go unchallenged. The seeds of rebellion
are always present in the exploited persons. Actually, they are sown early in life. Children
may look innocent but they have their own understanding of the world and its people.
Injustice in any torm can't escape being noticed by children.
In The Cutting of My Long Hair the ittle Native Indian girl can't take injustice and
oppression meekly. She wants to maintain her own identity. She wants to have long
and heavy hair. It is the tradition of her community. Only cowards have shingled hai
among them. She doesn't submit but resists. She fights till she is overpowered. Similarly
in
the girl in 'We Too are Human Beings' has a first hand experience of untouchability
castes dont consider the "low' castes human beings
India. The people of "high even as
 The girl is inspired by the words of her brother. She works hard and stands first in the
class. The people now come to her of their own accord.

The Cutting of My Long Hair ct 3rifr fvea T q

4 7TT , r i sat 77, We Too are Human Beings'i T Ta

Bama and Zitkala-Sa highlight exploitation and humiliation ofthe suppressed people.
They write about women from 'marginalised communities'. The first episode describes
the humiliations suffered by the Native Indians living in America. The white people
impose their own culture and values over other communities. In her community only
the cowards wear shingled hair. The poor girl fights and struggles till she is overpowered.
Her long and heavy hair is shingled.
Bama's experience is based on the age long curse of 'untouchability' in India. The
people of low castes have to bow low and work for their masters. They have to carry
even a food packet by its thread without touching it. The girl fights against the evil of
untouchability in her own way. She is inspired by the words of her elder brother. She
works hard and stands first in the class. She attains equality with others.

VI. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

I. THE CUTTING OF MY LONG HAIR
Q. 1. How did the narrator find her new place ?
Ans. The first day of the narrator in the land of apples bitter cold one. The snow
was a
oll covered the ground; the trees were bare. Noise and other disturbances irmtated ner
for peace ana
sitive ears. People muttered in a n unknown tongue. Her spirit struggled
freedo
What did she notice about the Indian girls in the school?
Ans. The narrator was placed in a line of girls who were marching into the dining roo
in stiffshoes and closely clinging dresses.
Small girs wO
ere Indian girls. They were
teeveri aprons and shingled hair.
 Q.3. How did Zitkala-Sa react to the various sounds that came when the large
bell rang for breakfast ? (CBSE 2012
Ans. Always a long bell rang for breakfast. Its loud metallic sound erashed into Zitka
Sas sensitive ears. The clattering sound of shoes on the floor annoyed her. It disturbed thes

''hen she would hear constant clash of harsh voices.

All these bedla
voices created a

peace. and all her struggle to free herself fro

t k a l a - S a found herself trapped in such a bedlam
was useless?
says Zitkala-Sa. What
by formula was the hardest trial that first day,
in
A.Eat1ng (CBSE 20o12
does she mean by 'eating by formula? the first day. First, a
was the hardest
trial on
Ans. For Zitkala-Sa 'eating by formula' table. Zitkala-Sa did the
the
The students drew their chairs from under
small bell rung.
was
A man's voice w a s heard at oDe
Then second bell was sounded. All w e r e seated at last.
same. a
The man ceased his muttering
their heads over their plates.
end of the hall. All others hung and fork, and began eating
Then a third bell was sounded. Everyone
picked up his knife her hair would
Zitkala-Sa terrified when
Judewin told her that
5 . Why was A.I. CBSE 2008
be cut short ? Or
react to it ? (CBSE 2011
Judewin tell Zitkala-Sa ? How did she
What did her long, heavy
w o m a n talk about cutting
Ans. Judewin had overheard the paleface unskilled warnos
terrified. Their mothers had taught them that only
hair. Zitkala-Sa was short hair was
her people
had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among
who captured
were

worn by m o u r n e r s
and shingled hair by cowards.
hide herself Did she succeed
?
Q.6. How/Why did she ? three white
unnoticed. She c a m e to a large room with
Ans. The narrator disappeared her hiding
cuddled herself in the dark cormer.
From
beds in it. She crawled under the bed and She couldn't succeed in hiding herself for long
out. She shuddered
with fear.
place shepeered
room and dragged
her out.
They stormed into the ?
w a s the girl tied to
the chair in Memories of Childhood
9 Why (CBSE Sample Paper

friend, Judewin. She had overheard

warned by her paletac the
Ans. Zitkala-Sa was
worn
hair. Among her people short hair
w a s

woman talk about cutting her long and heavy She

u

hair by cowards. She decided not to submit

but to struggle
and shingled But
"

and scratching wildly.

mourners,
under the bed but was caught. She resisted by kicking
herself
last she dragged and tied to a chair.
was CBSE 20
Q.8What did Zitkala-Sa feel
when her long hair was cut ?
Or
hair 2
How was she forced to part with her long and heavy
w a s found out. She was dragged out. She
resisted by kicklilg The
Ans. The narrator
a chal,
she was carried downstairs and tied fast in
Scratching wildly. Inspite of herself,
And so her long and heavy hair was shing
cold blades of scissors
ran across her hair. bitterly

to her None comforted her. She felt helpless, humiliated and wept
help.
one came
II. WE TO0 ARE HUMAN BEINGS
the narrator experience untouchability ?
Q.9. When did
was in the third class, she hadn't yet heard people speu
Ans. When the narrator had alta
But the curse of untouchability did exist inthe society. She
untouchability.
of it. There w e r e occasions when she felt humiliated by it.
seen, felt and experienced
 0.10 Mention any two reasons because of which it would take thirty minutes
to an hour for Bama to reach home ? (Memories of Childhood-We Too are Human
Beings) (CBSE 2012)
Or
The distance from the narrator's school to her home could be covered in ten minutes.
Why did she then cover it usually in half an hour to an hour ? What were the
things that stopped her ?
Ans. The narrator took about half an hour to an hour to cover the distance from her
school to home. She used to watch all the fun, entertainment and games on the way. All
Bovelties and oddities in the streets and shops attracted her attention. Performing monkeys,
anake charmers and sweet stalls attracted and stopped her from going home.
Q.11. What made the narrator double up and shriek with laughter ?
Ans. The narrator stood at a threshing floor near her house. Just then, an elder of her
street came along from the bazaar. He was carrying a small packet. It contained vadai or
green banana bhajji in it. He was holding out the packet by its string, without touching it. 'The
mapner in wliich he was walking made her double up and shriek with laughter.
12. Why wasn't the narrator's elder brother amused when she told
him the
story in all its comic detail ?
Ans. The narrator's elder brother was not amused He told
her that the man was not
being funny. He belonged toa 'low' caste. The people of his community couldn't touch the food
packet. Therefore, he was holding it out by its string Had he touched it, the landlord would
never accept such a thing.
Q. 13. Why did the narrator feel terribly sad and
Ans. The narrator came to know provoked ?
why the elder carried the packet with a string. She
didn't want to laugh any more. She felt terribly sad. She felt so
wanted to touch those wretched vadais herself. She felt bad thatprovoked hadand angry that she
Work so hard for their masters. people to bow low and

Q. 14. What advice did Annan offer Bama ?

CBSE 2011)
Or
What did Annan say about his
Ans. Annan advised and community to the narrator ?
encouraged his younger sister. He told the narrator that they
Delonged to a 'low' caste. The people of his
ny importance. The members of their communitycould attain
were not
respected, honoured or given
community
Led and prosper. If they became learned. people would come tohonour and dignity if they
them of their own accord.
Q15,
and his
How was the narrator
inspired by the words of her elder brother (Annan)
advice ?
Ans. The narrator was
highly inspired by
the words of her elder brother. There was
One hope for the people of her caste.
They could attain dignity and honour if they were
ned. Then people would
come to them of their own
stood first n her class. She made a lot of accord. The narrator studied very hard
friends.
G. What are common
features present in both the episodes ?
Ans.
"Memories of Childhood' contains the
oinunities', "The Cutting of My
Indians of America
Amer suffering at theLongHair'
writings of two women writers of 'marginaliseed
shin
sh
highlights the racial discrimination, the Native
hands of the white people. The girl's long and
and S gAnst her wish. In We Too are Human Beings' the narrator heavy hair is
and fights
against attains equality, dignity
untouchability.
 VIL. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1.Both the units ofMemories of Childhood'present autobiographical episodes from
the lives from 'marginalised communities'. Describe the main issues
of two women

raised aswell as the common features highlighted in them.

Ans. The lesson Memories of Childhood' presents autobiographical episodes
from the
The people of
lives of two women. They highlight the plight of 'the marginalised communities.
these communities never receive honour and dignity due to them. In
"The Cutting of My Long
She tried to maintain
Hair Bonnin describes how an Indian girl suffered extreme indignities.
thick hair. But the 'paleface
her identity and her distinct culture. She liked to wear, long and
chair and gnawed off her long hair.
woman and others dragged her out. They tied her fast in a the struggle of a girl of a
In We Too a r e Human Beings' Bama, a Tamil Dalit writer, presents
honoured. They have to carry a
low caste. The people of low castes are never respected and
food packet by its string without touching it. The girl in 'We Too Are Human Beings' struggles,
and stands first in the class. She attains equality, and honour.
The most common feature of both these episodes is the struggle and fight against racial
and social discrimination. They don't take oppression, exploitation and injustice meekly.
MmOios of Childbood' àiai à Sita À 3HASTa iy ee13 I aufa TI ÈIa'INT R AT
 Q The narrator in We Too are Human Beings' is amused at the way the elder of her
street carried the food packet by its without
string touching it. But the same girl is provoked
and becomes angry when Annan makes her aware
of the social inequality and
untouchability prevalent the social system. Describe how the narrator attains
in
honour and dignity in spite of her humble birth.
Ans. The narrator in "We Too are Human
Beings passes through different phases of
mental and physical development. The role of her elder
brother (Annan) in
personality can't be minimized. He inspired her to fight against inequality and shaping
her
The narrator saw a threshing floor set
untouchability.
up at one corner of her street. An old man of her street
attracted her attention. The elder came
along from the direction of the bazaar. He was a big
man
carrying small packet of food by its string without
a
touching it. She thought it quite
funny.
She narrated the incident to her elder brother but he was
not amused. The man belonged
to a low caste'. He couldn't
touch the food packet. She felt terribly sad. She felt so much
provoked and angry that she wanted to touch those vadais herself
described that the people of their caste were not straightaway. Annan
respected and given importance to. Education,
learning and prosperity bring honour and dignity. The narrator was
She studied hard and stood first in inspired by his words.
the class.