Memories of Childhood NCERT Solutions Class 12 PDF Download 2026

Ans: Both accounts describe the painful experience of social discrimination faced during childhood. Zitkala-Sa faced racial discrimination and cultural suppression as a Native American in a white-run school. Bama faced caste-based discrimination (untouchability) in India. Both narrators felt humiliated and rebelled against the injustice, refusing to submit to the oppressive systems.

Ans: Yes, children are very sensitive to their environment. Zitkala-Sa, even as a child, understood that cutting her hair was a violation of her culture and dignity. Similarly, Bama, though initially amused by the sight of the elder carrying the packet, felt intense fury when she understood the reason behind it. These childhood experiences planted the seeds of rebellion that defined their adult lives as writers and activists.

Ans: Zitkala-Sa’s experience depicts racial and cultural discrimination against Native Americans. Her response is immediate physical resistance; she hides under the bed, kicks, and scratches when dragged out. Bama depicts caste discrimination. Her response is constructive rebellion; inspired by her brother, she studies hard to top her class, thereby forcing others to respect her.

Ans: She was uncomfortable because she felt the "paleface" woman staring at her. Also, the ritual of "eating by formula" (waiting for bells to pull chairs, sit, and eat) was confusing and alien to her, making her feel embarrassed when she sat down too early.

Ans: Judewin, who knew a little English, overheard the authorities saying that they were going to cut the girls' long, heavy hair. She advised Zitkala-Sa to submit because "they are strong," but Zitkala-Sa rebelled.

Ans: In her culture, short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair was worn by cowards. Only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair cut. Therefore, losing her hair made her feel like a captured animal and a coward.

Ans: She slipped away from the group and went upstairs into a large room. She crawled under a bed in the corner and huddled in the dark shadows to escape the scissors.

Ans: Zitkala-Sa was stripped of her moccasins and blanket, which were part of her identity. Wearing tight western clothes made her feel exposed and immodest. When her blanket was taken, she felt vulnerable, as if her cultural shield had been removed, contributing to her feeling of sinking.

Ans: Bama was fascinated by the sights in the bazaar: the performing monkeys, the snake charmer, the cyclist, the Maariyaata temple rituals, the political street plays, and the food stalls. She would stop to watch all the fun and games, delaying her walk home.

Ans: She saw an elder from her community carrying a small packet of vadai or green banana bhajji by its string, holding it away from his body so as not to touch it. She found his manner of walking and holding the packet hilarious at the time.

Ans: Annan explained that it wasn't funny. The elder was carrying it that way because they belonged to a "lower caste." The upper-caste landlord believed that if a lower-caste person touched the food packet, it would become "polluted." This realization shocked Bama.

Ans: Annan told her, "Because we are born into this community, we are never given any honour or dignity... 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."

Ans: Bama’s laughter turned to rage. She felt provoked and angry that a fellow human being had to humiliate himself for a landlord who merely scraped four coins together. She felt an urge to touch the wretched vadais herself to break the superstition. She realized the cruelty of untouchability and decided to follow Annan's advice to study hard.

Ans: For Zitkala-Sa, the "education" at the mission school was a tool of oppression to strip her identity. For Bama, education was a tool of liberation to gain dignity. This shows that education can either suppress culture or empower the marginalized, depending on how it is administered.

Ans: The title signifies that the impressions formed in childhood are deep and lasting. Both narrators recall specific events from their youth that shaped their understanding of the world's injustice and their own identity.

Ans: After being dragged out, tied to a chair, and having her hair shingled (cut), Zitkala-Sa felt defeated. The physical act of cutting her hair broke her resistance. She realized no one came to help her, and she was now just one of many "little animals driven by a herder."

Ans: It conveys the power dynamic. The landlord sits relaxed, watching his "subjects" work for him, while the elder from Bama's community has to bow and offer food without touching it. It visualizes the hierarchy of the caste system.

Ans: Zitkala-Sa's story reflects racial/cultural discrimination in the USA (imposing English, cutting hair, Christianizing). Bama's story reflects caste discrimination in India (untouchability, purity/pollution). Despite the geographic distance, the core theme is the same: the dominant group trying to dehumanize the marginalized group.