Chapter 6: On the Face of It

Ans: The autobiographical accounts in "Memories of Childhood" are written by two women from socially excluded groups in two different civilizations. The one emphasizes racial discrimination, while the other discusses the hierarchical Indian caste structure and untouchability. The first section details how the author, a Native American, was victimized by her boarding school's European staff.

The second tale depicts the struggles and humiliations endured by a third-grade youngster from India's "Dalit" community. Even though they are set in distinct countries, both stories have a common subject. They depict the misery and injustice that their particular communities are subjected to. Both authors condemn the practice of social stratification. At the request of Europeans who thought themselves superior to the Native Americans, Zitkala-hair Sa's was "shingled." Untouchability was openly practiced in Bama, where people from the "lower castes" were considered impious and were not even allowed to touch people from the "upper castes." Both Zitkala-Sa and Bama began protesting and opposing in their ways at a young age. They did not give in but instead chose to demonstrate against injustice and discrimination.

Ans: At many levels, the world has been engulfed in a web of hierarchy, oppression, and discrimination. These are all man-made barriers, and while adults have gotten accustomed to them, children's innocence can not comprehend hostility and prejudice. Their keen perceptive eyes, on the other hand, are capable of detecting any type of unfairness or discrimination. Their sensitive brains and souls are greatly damaged when they are subjected to such immoral acts. They often oppose in their basic ways, perplexed.

The two girls relate their experiences with inequity in the lesson. In the first line, Zitkala-Sa describes her first day of school as "bitter-cold." It not only depicts the weather for her but also the atmosphere of the boarding school. The school's extremely disciplined students and European staff were rude or "cold" to her, and the futile battle to keep her hair from getting shingled was a "bitter" experience for her. Bama, on the other hand, followed in her brother's footsteps to demonstrate against untouchability through education. She put in a lot of effort in school to get to a point where people would forget about her "caste" and be pleased to befriend her.

Ans: Zitkala-Sa was a victim of racial prejudice, while Bama was exposed to caste discrimination and untouchability. Zitkala-Sa was sent to a European missionary school, where she was shunned since she was a local tribe. Her pride, her exquisite, long, and heavy hair, was shingled. She fought back with all her strength, but she was eventually compelled to give up her fight. Bama, on the other hand, after witnessing the practice of untouchability, chose to use education to blur the lines between classes. She used her rage and sense of rebellion to study hard and outwit any sort of prejudice under the leadership and supervision of her older brother. She realized that societal transformation would only be possible if the so-called lower castes made an attempt to study and, as a result, progressed. It's easy to see that, even though both heroes attempted to oppose the injustice they encountered, their paths were radically different. Zitkala-Sa is obliged to give in as a result of her disobedience; on the other hand, Bama successfully adopted her brother's advice to finally finish first in her class. While Zitkala-Sa continued to rebel by condemning the horrors of racial prejudice through her works, Bama chose a more subtly effective method of expressing her displeasure.