Q.1.How does the text reflect oppression against the
Red Indians?
~ The author
didn’t understand the language spoken and the culture followed as she detested
the way in
which the
teachers seemed to be ruthless against the red Indians. As she was marching to
the dining room with the other Indians girls, she could see the girls who were
immodestly dressed and even didn’t care about it. The small girls wore sleeved
aprons and had shingled hairs which made them look more indecently dressed in
their tight-fitting clothes.
Q.2. How did the narrator reflect the first day in the
institution? How was she affected by different sounds in there?
~ It was a
bitter-cold day. The snow still covered the ground. The trees were bare. A
large bell rang for breakfast. Its loud metallic sound crashed through the
belfry overhead and penetrated into their sensitive ears. The annoying clatter
of shoes on bare floor disturbed the peace. There was a constant clash of harsh
noises and an undercurrent of many voices murmuring an unknown language which
made chaos within her. Her spirit tore itself in struggling for its lost
freedom.
Q.3. What did the narrator reflect on the Indian
girls and their dress-up?
~ As
Zitkala-Sa was marching along with the Indian girls to the dining room, she
could understand that the hostel authorities were ruthless against the red
Indians as they were discriminated. Moreover, they had to dress as immodestly as
they could and even didn’t care about it. The small girls wore sleeved aprons
and had shingled hairs which made them look indecent in their tight-fitting
clothes.
Q.4. How was narrator a mess at the dining place?
~ The ringing
of a large bell summoned the students to the dining room. Then a small bell
tapped. Each pupil drew a chair from under the table. Then a second bell was
sounded. All were seated. She did not know what to do when the various bells
were tapped and behave, unlike others. When the first bell rang, she pulled a
chair and sat on it. As she saw others standing, she began to rise and looked
shyly around to see how chairs were used. When the second bell was sounded, she
had to crawl back into her chair. She looked around when a man was speaking at
the end of the hall. She dropped her eyes when she found the paleface woman
looking at her. After the third bell, others started eating but she began to
cry.
Q.5. What news did Judewin give to the narrator? What
did the narrator think and resolve about that?
~ The author
was embarrassed with whatever had happened at the dining hall though it wasn’t
the hardest thing she had to face that day. She had got a terrible warning from
her friend Judewin who overheard the pale-faced woman who was discussing cutting their long heavy hairs. The author decided not to submit easily as she
wanted to struggle first. Her mother taught her that only the unskilled
warriors had to shingle their hairs by the enemy, moreover, it was the cowards
whose hairs had to be cut. Therefore the author resisted others from cutting
her hair.
Q.6. How did the narrator hide herself from impending indignity?
~ As
Zitkala-Sa learnt from her mother that mourners had to cut their hairs, therefore she did not want to cut her hair and was opposed to it. She tried her best to avoid the inevitable loss of her long heavy hair. She crept up the stairs and passed along the hall. She did not know where she was going. She found an open door and found a large room with three white beds in it. She went to the farthest corner from the door and crawled under the bed and peered out shuddering with fear.
Q.7. How at last narrator had to face the indignity of
shingling her hair?
~ From her
hiding place, she peered out and shuddered with fear whenever she could hear
footsteps nearby. She did not open her mouth though she could hear her friend
Judewin calling her name. It wasn’t long as the steps became clearer and she was
dragged out of the bed though she opposed by kicking and scratching as wildly
as she could. She was tied tight to a chair and her thick braids were cut off.
Her spirit was lost as she had to face extreme insults from the day she was
taken away from her mother.
Q.8. How was the narrator caught by others?
~ They called
out her name in the hall in loud voices. As the steps quicked, the voices
became clearer and excited and sounded nearer. Women and girls entered the room
in which she was hiding herself. They opened the closet doors and peeped behind
the large trunks. Somehow threw the green curtains and the room was filled with
sudden light. It was someone who stooped and looked under the bed and had
spotted her there. She tried to resist by kicking and scratching until she was dragged out and overpowered.
Q.9. What was the idea of the narrator about the
reasons behind the shingling of hair in her community?
~ It was hard for her to resist as she was tied tight to a chair though
she shook her head all the while until she had felt the cold blades of the
scissors against the neck. She lost her spirit when she had heard one of her
braids being cut off. She had suffered utmost indignities and insults there.
She could feel that she was tossed like a wooden puppet and had moaned for her
mother who had always taught her that short hair was worn by mourners and
cowards. Unskilled warriors were captured by the enemy and had their hair shingled by them.
Therefore she had to be strong and did not submit to them easily.
Q.10. How is the world
forgetful about a human being human and rather tangled with narrow thoughts of
racism?
of subjection to the rulers. She is deprived of her soft moccasins, her blanket
has been removed from her shoulders and she feels shy and indecent. The rules
at the breakfast table are alien to her. Though she had to face the
circumstances, she didn’t bow her head down to them and continued to rebel
against oppression, prejudice, superstition and ignorance.