CBSE Class 12 English Memories Of Childhood Worksheet Set D

The Main Title:
No other title could have suited the two anecdotes better than “Memories of Childhood.” Both the girls belong to marginalized communities and in spite of the distance in terms of time and space ( the Native American Indian was born in 1876, and Bama, a Roman Catholic Tamilian, belongs to the late 20th century ) were victims of a common social stigma. Both suffered indignities in childhood which ignited the spark of revolt in them. Their memories of childhood get reflected in their autobiographical episodes.

Sub-Title : THE CUTTING OF MY LONG HAIR
“The Cutting of My Long Hair” is an aptly suited title for the episode by Zitkala-Sa. Before the child was inducted into the Carlisle Indian School she had cherished certain preferences and likings that were prevalent in her community. From what the child’s mother tells her, one gathers that the women of her marginalized community were very particular about their hair and were fond of keeping long hair. Cutting it short or getting it shingled was considered inauspicious. The prisoners of war were given the shingled cut in their community and the mourning women wore short hair. Obviously at the Carlisle School the little child missed her long hair the most and is thus not able to forget about the loss all through her life. This loss was the worst indignity that the child suffered. Hence “The Cutting of My Long Hair” is an apt title for the episode.

Sub-Title : WE TOO ARE HUMAN BEINGS
The sub-title “We Too Are Human Beings” by Bama is an extract from her autobiography ‘Karukku’. It is a loud piercing cry of a small child who cannot bear to see the people of her caste being segregated and ill-treated. She is shocked when she learns from her brother that there are two classes of people in their set up-the upper and lower-and that the upper caste people consider themselves to be superior and those of so called lower caste to be inferior. Sometimes the latter are given inhuman treatment, too. They have been taught from their childhood that if they touch the lower caste people, they will be polluted. The sensitive child is unable to digest it, because she feels that every human being is equal and her class justifiably deserves to be treated as human beings. Thus she takes her brother’s advice seriously and works very hard to stand first in the examinations.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. Why does the author feel “spirit tore itself in struggling for its lost freedom, all was useless”? Discuss.
Answer: Deprived of the warmth and freedom of home, the author finds herself shackled by strict discipline and dictatorial regimentation of the school authorities. Her spirit wants to break loose the barriers and win back her freedom, but unfortunately she’s helpless. Thus she feels she’s deprived of freedom.

Question. What are the views of the author about the dress code?
Answer: The author condemns the rigid school dress code. The Indian girls wore stiff squeaking shoes and ‘closely clinging dresses.’ The small girls donned sleeved aprons and shingled hair. According to the author, the girls were immodestly dressed.

Question. Comment on the author’s odd behaviour in the dining hall.
Answer: The students conduct during the meals was strictly regimented. They all stood up together, took their seats and began eating when the different bells rang, each indicating a different stage. Since the author was new to the school she didn’t know the rules . So when the first bell rang, she immediately sat down on a chair. Her behaviour was odd because all the other children still stood waiting for the second bell.

Question. Why did the author begin to cry in the dining hall?
Answer: The author felt embarrassed for her odd behaviour at the time of breakfast when she sat down at the first bell before the others. Then she noticed a white faced woman glowering at her. She felt more embarrassed and terrified. By the time everyone else began eating, she began to cry.

Question. In the words of the author “…eating by formula was not the hardest trial in that first day.” What other ordeal was in store for her?
Answer: “Eating by formula” itself was a tough trial for the author but she was in for a more brutal treatment. Her friend Judewin overheard that their long hair was going to be cut, which would be a greater tragedy because, ‘among her people short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair by mourners.”

Question. Why did the author not want her hair to be cut short?
Answer: In the author’s community long hair was a symbol of bravery and shingled hair a symbol of defeat or cowardice. That is why the author did not want her hair to be cut short. She also felt that cutting her hair was an indignity heaped upon her by the school authorities and a sort of cultural assault on her. Moreover, she loved her long braids.

Question. What idea do you form of about the author’s friend Judewin from her comment about hair cutting “We have to submit, because they are strong”?
Answer: On the face of it, Judewin’s comment reflects practical wisdom because it is foolish to fight a losing battle; but if one reads deep into the line, one gets to learn that she is cowardly and spineless because she chooses to surrender without any fight. The real spirit lies in fighting to the finish. It also points out to the rigid and regimental discipline imposed by Carlisle school authorities.

Question. The author and her friend Judewin have contrasting views about shingling their hair. Do you think their reactions spell out the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary?
Answer: The attitude of an individual towards a given situation makes her an ordinary or extraordinary person. An ordinary person usually has an apathetic attitude towards life and has a tendency to give in without a fight, whereas an extraordinary person always gives a fight, like the author, even if it is a losing battle.

Question. At the time of taking breakfast the author wore moccasins; but later on they were changed to “squeaking shoes.” What reason do you assign to this change?
Answer: Moccasins are soft leather shoes. They are indigenous shoes of the Native Americans. That is why the author loved to put them on. Since moccasins were not part of the school dress, the author’s pair was forcibly taken away from her.

Question. How would you interpret the author’s statement, “…now I was only one of many little animals driven by a herder.”
Answer: The authorities of Carlisle Indian School refused to treat its students as human children and gave the same treatment to each and every child, forgetting the basic truth that each child had a unique personality. The children were so shabbily treated that the author felt they were not human beings, but animals. So the author rightly felt that she was being ‘driven by the herder.’

Question. “Inspite of myself, I was carried downstairs and tied fast in a chair.” Why do you think the author uses the expression “Inspite of myself…” here?
Answer: The author’s mother had advised her to be a fighter in life and never to submit. The child tried her best and used all weapons in her kitty to escape being shingled, but she was made helpless by brutal force, hence the use of this expression.

Question. How do you account for Bama’s statement, “I hadn’t yet heard people speak openly of untouchability” ?
Answer: The author was a student of class three and hence too young to recognize class distinction in society. The people around her also never discussed the topic of untouchability with her thinking that it might be beyond her comprehension.

Question. What lesson do you learn from the episode “ We Too Are Human Beings”?
Answer: It teaches us the lesson that all human beings are equal and each one of us has human dignity, honour and self-respect. It also emphasizes the need of eradicating such evils as untouchability and discrimination on the basis of caste through education, empowerment and economic growth.

Read the extracts given below and attempt the questions that follow:

1. But this eating by formula was not the hardest trial in that first day. Late in the morning, my friend Judewin gave me a terrible warning. Judewin knew a few words of English; and she had overheard the paleface woman talk about cutting our long, heavy hair. Our mothers had taught us that only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among our people, short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair by cowards! We discussed our fate some moments, and when Judewin said, “We have to submit, because they are strong,”

Questions

Question. What does ‘eating by formula’ signify?
Answer: ‘Eating by formula’ signifies special instructions issued for eating.

Question. Why was the warning terrible?
(a) Special arrangement was made for hair cutting.
(b) Only Judewin could keep long hair.
(c) Hair was to be shingled forcefully.
(d) The author would cut everyone’s hair.
Answer: Hair was to be shingled forcefully.

Question. According to the text what is the cultural drawback of having shingled hair?
(a) Mourning and cowardice had shingled hair.
(b) It was unholy.
(c) You were an untouchable.
(d) Slaves had shingled hair.
Answer: Mourning and cowardice had shingled hair.

Question. “We have to submit, because they are strong.”
What does the speaker mean here?
(a) helplessness to rebel against the system
(b) they were slaves
(c) they were untouchable
(d) tradition being the inseparable part of life
Answer:  helplessness to rebel against the system 

2. I cried aloud, shaking my head all the while until I felt the cold blades of the scissors against my neck, and heard them gnaw off one of my thick braids. Then I lost my spirit. Since the day I was taken from my mother I had suffered extreme indignities. People had stared at me. I had been tossed about in the air like a wooden puppet. And now my long hair was shingled like a coward’s! In my anguish I moaned for my mother, but no one came to comfort me. Not a soul reasoned quietly with me, as my own mother used to do; for now I was only one of many little animals driven by a herder.

Questions

Question. “Then I lost my spirit,” indicates that the speaker
(a) became adamant
(b) resigned
(c) became spirited
(d) resolved.
Answer: became adamant

Question. For the author mother was a source of:
(a) comfortable life style
(b) comfort and solace
(c) servitude
(d) depravity
Answer: comfort and solace

Question. The humiliation suffered by the author is reflected in the phrase
(a) my mother taken from
(b) not a soul reason
(c) treated her like a puppet
(d) no one comforted me
Answer: treated her like a puppet

Question. Identify the figure of speech used in the line “I was only one of many little animals driven by a herder.”
Answer: Metaphor 

3. After I had watched all this, at last I went home. My elder brother was there. I told him the story in all its comic detail. I fell about with laughter at the memory of a big man, and an elder at that, making such a game out of carrying the parcel. But Annan was not amused. Annan told me the man wasn’t being funny when he carried the package like that. He said everybody believed that they were upper caste and therefore must not touch us. If they did, they would be polluted. That’s why he had to carry the package by its string. When I heard this, I didn’t want to laugh any more, and I felt terribly sad. How could they believe that it was disgusting if one of us held that package in his hands, even though the vadai had been wrapped first in a banana leaf, and then parcelled in paper? I felt so provoked and angry that I wanted to touch those wretched vadais myself straightaway.

Questions

Question. What made the narrator laugh so much?
(a) The way she narrated it was comic.
(b) She saw a monkey dancing on her way home.
(c) The wares sold on the bigman making a game of carrying a parcel was funny.
(d) A big man making a game of carrying a parcel was funny.
Answer: A big man making a game of carrying a parcel was funny.

Question. How could the dalits throw away indignities being faced in the society?
(a) fighting for their sights
(b) vehemently showering indignities to the upper class people
(c) rebelling against the custodians of society.
(d) studying hard and making progress
Answer: studying hard and making progress

Question. What words of Annan made a deep impression on the narrator?
(a) avoiding such practices.
(b) getting education by hard work.
(c) fighting such practices tooth and nail.
(d) they were driven by the herder.
Answer: getting education by hard work.

Question. “I wanted to touch those wretched vadais...”
Why did Bama want to do so?
Answer: Bama was disgusted when she understood the impact of untouchability and what is was to be marginalised. She felt angry and provoked so she wanted to touch the vadais.

4. Annan told me all these things. And he added, “Because we are born into this community, we are never given any honour or dignity or respect; we are stripped of all that. But if we study and make progress, we can throw away these indignities. So study with care, learn all you can. If you are always ahead in your lessons, people will come to you of their own accord and attach themselves to you. Work hard and learn.” The words that Annan spoke to me that day made a very deep impression on me. And I studied hard, with all my breath and being, in a frenzy almost. As Annan had urged, I stood first in my class. And because of that, many people became my friends.

Questions

Question. Which community does ‘this community’ refer to here?
Answer: It refers to a dalit community.

Question. What characteristic of Annan is reflected in the above extract?
(a) maturity
(b) servitude
(c) patience
(d) honesty
Answer: maturity

Question. “And I studied hard,” indicates that the author was
(a) complacent
(b) very influencing
(c) strong willed
(d) submissive
Answer: strong willed

Question. What message can be taken from the above extract?
(a) Education and knowledge help us make progress.
(b) One must rebel.
(c) We must enjoy ourselves.
(d) It is prudent to submit to the powerful circumstance
Answer: Education and knowledge help us make progress.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. Who was ‘Zitkala Sa’?
Answer: Zitkala Sa is the pen-name of Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. She was an American- Indian born in the late nineteenth century who suffered racial discrimination at the hands of ChristiAnswer.

Question. What does Zitkala-Sa remember about her
‘first day in the land of apples’?
Answer: Zitkala recalls that it was a bitter cold day and there was snow on the ground. The trees were bare. There was a large bell that rang for breakfast and its loud metallic sound crashed through the belfry overhead and penetrated through her sensitive ears.

Question. Who was Bama?
Answer: ‘Bama is the pen-name of a Tamil Dalit woman from a Roman Catholic family. She published three main works, Kurukku, an autobiography, Sangati a novel and Kisumbukkaaran a collection of short stories. Kurukku is an account of the discrimination faced by Tamil Dalit women.

Question. What happened when Zitkala-Sa reached the hall for breakfast for the first time?
Answer: Zitkala-Sa did not know how to conduct herself in the dining hall. As the bell was tapped, all the pupils pulled out their chairs and kept standing. Zitkala also pulled out hers but sat on it. When, a second bell rang and all the students were seated, she had to crawl back to her chair. A man’s voice was heard and she noticed that all the pupils had bent their heads over their plates. The third bell was tapped and they picked up their forks and began eating. Zitkala felt extremely embarrassed and started crying.

Question. What does ‘eating by formula’ mean?
Answer: The ringing of the large bell was an indication for all students to assemble in the dining room. Then as the first bell was tapped, they drew out chairs from under the table. As the second bell sounded loudly, they were all seated. A man’s voice and mutterings were heard at the end of the table. Everyone had to bend their heads over the plates. Then a third bell tapped. Everyone picked up the knives and forks and started eating.

Question. What was Zitkala’s first reaction to the missionary boarding school in the east?
Answer: Zitkala-Sa saw a line of Indian girls wearing closely clinging dresses and stiff shoes. The crashing of the bell and the noise of shoes and voices were like a harsh bedlam for her in which she was tied. The blanket had been taken off from her shoulders and bells were used as instructions for students.

Question. What warning was given by Judewin to Zitkala?
Answer: Judewin, her friend, who knew a few words of English, told her that she had overheard the pale-faced woman talk about cutting their long, heavy hair. Her mother had told her that shingled hair were worn by cowards. This was a big blow to her.

Question. What efforts did Zitkala-Sa make to save her hair from being cut?
Answer: As soon as Zitkala came to know about the decision of cutting her long hair, she decided to struggle. Quietly, she crept up the stairs into a large empty room which was dim due to the dark green curtains. She moved to the farthest corner from the door and then crawled under a bed. She did not come out even when she heard Judewin calling her name. They found her and dragged her out. Although she resented by kicking and scratching wildly and shaking her head, they cut her long hair.

Question. What happened after Zitkala-Sa was tied to a chair?
Answer:Zitkala-Sa was dragged out and she was carried down kicking and scratching and then tied to a chair. She cried a lot shaking her head until she felt the scissors had ‘gnawed’ off her thick braids. She then lost her spirit and moaned for her mother but nobody came to comfort her. From then on she experienced extreme indignities.

Question. Why do you think Zitkala was so opposed to cutting of her hair?
Answer: Zitkala-Sa had been made to believe by her mother that only unskilled warriors, who had been captured, had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among their own native people, only mourners kept short hair and shingled hair was kept by cowards. She was therefore, dead against cutting of her hair as she didn’t belong to any of the categories.

Question. How was Zitkala-Sa treated on being traced from her hiding place?
Answer: Zitkala had hidden under the bed. She was found, and dragged out. She tried to resist by kicking and scratching wildly. She was overpowered and carried downstairs. She was tied fast to a chair. She kept crying loudly and shaking her head continuously.

Question. What are the things that fascinated Bama as she passed the stalls in the market?
Answer: Bama was fascinated by the dried fish stall near the statue of Gandhiji. The sweet shop and the fried snacks shops also attracted her. There were many shops and the huntergypsy narikkuravan fascinated her too. He had his wild lemur in cages. He sold needles, clay, beads and instruments for cleaning out the ears.

Question. What sort of shows or entertainments attracted the passers-by?
Answer: The passers-by were attracted by various political parties who would put up a stage and addresses people through their mikes. There would also be a street play, a puppet show, or a ‘no magic, no miracle’ stunt performance. There were other happenings there also, from time to time.

Question. Bama watched keenly some of the actions of the people in the bazaar. What were the actions she observed?
Answer: Bama would watch the waiter in coffee clubs cooling the coffee, with a lot of interest. He would lift the tumbler high and pour the coffee into another tumbler held in the other hand. She also observed how people would turn their eyes away to avoid irritation in their eyes, while chopping onions.

Question. What was the funniest episode that Bama watched one day while going back home?
Answer: Bama saw an elderly man of her street walking with a small packet, holding it by its strings without touching it. When she saw him she felt like laughing aloud. He went straight to the landlord, bowed to him and extended the packet to him, cupping his hands that held the string with his other hand.

Question. Why was the elder of Bama’s street carrying the packet with its strings only?
Answer: The elder held the packet from its strings without touching the packet. Bama’s brother explained that people believed that the landlord was of upper caste and the elder belonged to the lower caste. The lower caste people could not touch the packet as the material in it would become polluted. That is why he had to carry the packet by its strings.

Question. How did the elderly man approach the landlord and offer him the packet?
Answer: The old man went straight up to the landlord. He bowed low and extended the packet towards him. He cupped the hand that held the string with his other hand. The landlord opened the packet and started eating the vadais.

Question. How did Bama feel when her brother told her about Untouchability?
Answer: Bama felt sad and infuriated. She felt angry and wanted to touch those wretched ‘Vadais’ straightaway. It was disgusting to do the chores for those people who did not even consider them as humAnswer. She wondered why the upper caste people thought so much of themselves only because they had collected money. Bama hated this discrimination and felt that the lower caste people should never run errands for the upper castes.

Question. How did the landlord’s man behave with Annan?
Answer: The landlord’s man, not recognizing Annan, asked him his name with a lot of respect. On getting the answer and realizing that he was from a lower caste and an untouchable, his manner of talking changed. He got to know about Annan’s caste as soon as he knew which street he lived in.

Question. What did Annan tell Bama to do? What was the impact of his words on Bama?
Answer: Annan told Bama that being born in the low caste, they were stripped of all honour, dignity and respect. He added that education could gain them respect in society. He advised her ‘to study hard and learn’. If they studied and made progress, they would be able to throw away the indignities. His words had a profound impact on Bama. She was inspired to study hard and always stood first in her class and because of this, many people became her friends.

Question. Name some of the oddities and novelties in the street that attracted Bama.
Answer: The novelties were the performing monkey, the snake charmer’s snake, the cyclist who had been cycling for three days. She enjoyed seeing the spinning wheels, the Maariyaata temple with the huge bell hanging there. She also noticed the pongal offerings being cooked in front of the temple.

Question. Which fruit or delicacies did Bama observe in the market?
Answer: There was mango, sugarcane, cucumber, sweet potato, palm-shoots, gram palm-syrup, palm-fruit, guavas and jackfruit according to the season. She would also see the selling of savoury and sweet snacks like payasam, halva, boiled tamarind seeds and iced lollies.

Question. Describe the threshing proceedings going on in the corner of the street.
Answer: There was a threshing floor set up in the corner of the sheet. People drove cattle in pairs, round and round to tread out the grains from the straw. The animals were muzzled so that they did not eat the straw. The landlord seated on a piece of sacking spread over the stone ledge watched the proceedings. 

Long Answer Questions

Question. The two accounts that you read above are based on two distant cultures. What is the commonality of the theme found in both of them?
Answer: Both of the accounts are based upon on the distant cultures and of two educated women from marginalized communities who look back on their childhood and reflect on their relationship with the mainstream culture. Gertrude Simmons was an extraordinary talented Native American who struggled and was successful at a time when severe prejudice prevailed towards the Native Americans and women. Bama is a Tamil Dalit woman from a Roman Catholic family. She was disgusted as the lower caste people were stripped of all honour, dignity and respect which she managed to regain through her education.
Both these women have pains inflicted upon them by their societies and cultures. They fought against this social and cultural discrimination and their efforts got recognition. Gertrude Simmons wrote under the penname of Zitkala-Sa and criticized dogma and oppression. Similarly, Bama is a pen-name and in her autobiography she recreates her childhood and its painful memories. Both these women have used writing as an effective means of battling discrimination and evils of oppression. Even the usage of pen-names is common to both these writers.

Question. Why did it take Bama half an hour and not ten minutes to reach home?
Answer: When Bama was in class III, she walked home from school each day. She would loiter along, watching all the fun and games and the entertaining novelties that would attract her innocent eyes. She usually took thirty minutes as she would watch performing monkeys, the snake of the snake charmer or the cyclist to continue his performance of the past two or three days. The Maariyaata temple with the huge bell hanging there and the pongal offerings being cooked in front of the temple fascinated her. She would sometimes look at the dried fish stall by the statue of Gandhi and other stalls selling snacks, sweets, etc.
She paused to look with wonder at the stage put up by people of political parties. She would pause for a street play or puppet shop or a ‘no magic no miracle’ stunt performance. In fact there was always something attractive which caught her attention even if it were the coffee clubs and the way in which the waiters cooled the coffee or the people who cut onions. She even gazed in wonder at the people selling sweet and savoury snacks, payasam or iced lollies. Her account presents a child like joy in simple activities which is brought alive to the readers.

Question. Both Bama and Zitkala-Sa rebel against the existing circumstances. Comment.
Answer: Both Bama and Zitkala-Sa are sensitive and observant. Zitkala-Sa is a Native American who finds the people are out to destroy the Native American culture. In their culture, only unskilled warriors who are captured had their hair shingled by the enemy. The soft maccasins – worn by Native Americans and the blanket over her shoulder was removed. This makes her feel indecent. The rules observed at breakfast baffled her.Bama at first thinks the behaviour of the elder of her community is quite funny. He is holding a packet by the string and running with it awkwardly. She becomes angry when she learns the reason of his behaviour. The landlords and people of the upper caste exploit and humiliate them. Her elder brother channelised her anger.
Both the girls sow the seeds of rebellion at an early age. Both of them rebel and do not want to bow down to their situation. They struggle against dogma, oppression and prejudice. They both use education as a vehicle to combat this menace. They write and distinguish themselves. Their works depict their viewpoints.

Question. Untouchability is not only a crime, it is inhuman too. Why and how did Bama decide to fight against it? 
Answer: In India the lower castes have suffered untouchability since ages. It is inhuman to take away their fundamental rights and render them powerless and force to lead an undignified life of poverty and misery. In the chapter ‘Memories of Childhood’, a strange scene amused Bama. An old man came from the side of the bazaar carrying a food packet holding it by its string, without touching it. He gave it to a landlord who supervised the threshing of a crop. The strange manner of his, amused Bama.Bama’s elder brother informed her that the landlord belonged to a high caste. The old man belonged to a low caste. He couldn’t even touch the food packet, else the landlord would not have accepted it. He told her that the people of their caste had no respect and dignity. They could earn honour and dignity if only they got education and knowledge. The words of her brother touched her deeply. She worked hard and stood first in the class. With education as a weapon she became a writer who is spreading awareness about discrimination.

Question. In India, the so-called lower castes have been treated cruelly for a long time. Who advised Bana to fight against this prejudice, when and how?
Answer: In India the lower castes have suffered untold discrimination and cruelty since ages. This has taken away their fundamental rights and rendered them powerless and they are forced to lead an undignified life of poverty and misery.
In the chapter Memories of Childhood,a strange scene amused little Bama. A threshing floor had been set up at a corner of her street. Men were working and the landlord was watching the proceedings. An old man came from the side of the bazaar carrying a food packet holding it by its string, without touching it. The strange manner of his, amused Bama.
Her elder brother informed her that the landlord belonged to a high caste and the old man belonged to a low caste. He couldn’t even touch the food packet. The landlord would not have accepted it. Her elder brother told her that the people of their caste had no respect and dignity. They could earn honour and dignity if they get education and knowledge. The words of her brother touched her deeply and she worked hard and stood first in the class.

ADDITIONAL SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:

1. Why did it take Bama nearly one hour to cover a distance needing just ten minutes?

2. While describing the activities going on under the supervision of the landlord, the girl adds”our people were hard at work…” How would you interpret the expression “our people”?

3. What made the little girl want to double up with laughter at the sight of the strange man?

4. The little girl told her brother that the grown up man made such a game out of carrying the parcel. Can you spell out the real reason for carrying the packet in that manner?

5. Who was Annan? How did he justify the strange behaviour of the elder?

6. What episode of discrimination did Annan narrate to Bama? Why?

7. What advice did Annan give Bama? How did his words of advice affect her life?

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS:

1. The two accounts are based in two distant cultures. What is the commanality of theme found in both of them?

2. It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted , but the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life. Do you agree that injustice in any form cannot escape being noticed even by children?

3. Do you think that sincerity of purpose and staunch determination are the true pillars of success in life? Answer on the basis of your reading of the two anecdotes in Memories of Childhood.

4. Had Bama not been guided properly by her elder brother regarding untouchability, she would have grown up into a complex-torn woman. Do you agree? Support your answer.

5. Justify that Bama has a keen sense of observation and is capable of giving the minutest of details.

6. Bama’s experience is that of a victim of the caste system. What kind of discrimination does Zitkala-Sa’s experience depict? What are their responses to their respective situations?