Summary of Memories of Childhood
Memories of Childhood is a collection of two autobiographical episodes written by Native American writer Zitkala – Sa and Tamil writer Bama. Both these writers belong to marginalised communities and talk about their experiences of discrimination in their childhood. Zitkala – Sa relates how she was taken away from her mother to be introduced into a school run by white Americans. She remembers her first day at Carlisle Indian school when the people who run the school force her to cut her hair. She feels anguish and helplessness as she is completely opposed to that action. Long hair is considered a symbol of courage and well-being in her culture. The other autobiographical episode is written by Bama who learns about the social injustice imposed upon her community through the practice of untouchability. A simple funny event that she experiences turns out to be an ugly form of discrimination. Read Memories of Childhood given below to understand the chapter in detail. Students can also visit CBSE Summary and CBSE Notes to gain access to more information and learning materials on CBSE Class 12 English syllabus.
CBSE Class 12 English Memories of Childhood Summary
The Cutting of My Long Hair
Zitkala – Sa narrates the experience of her first day at school, which is a residential establishment. It is winter when she first joins the school. On her very first day, the bell rang loudly for breakfast, and there was a constant clamour of noises around her. She found the noises annoying, and her soul craved to be free, but it was all in vain. The blanket she wore was stripped down off her, and she was made to join a line of girls going to the dining room. A pale-faced woman followed the line. The girls were made to wear stiff shoes and tight dresses. The smaller girls wore sleeved aprons and had shingled hair. The narrator felt that the girls were immodestly dressed, but they did not care about it at all.
As they entered the dining room, three boys entered through an opposite door. The narrator observed that a small bell was tapped, and the three boys drew chairs from under the dining table. The narrator imitated them only to find out that the rest were still standing. She started to rise when a second bell rang, and everyone else took out their chairs from under the table. As they sat at the table, the narrator turned to look at a man who was talking. However, when she felt the gaze of a pale-faced woman upon her, she lowered her eyes. Everyone at the table hung their heads over their plates at the table. A third bell rang, and everyone picked up their knives and forks to eat. The narrator felt like crying but did not dare to.
To make matters worse, the narrator’s friend Judewin informed her about a plan to cut their long, heavy hair. The narrator’s mother had taught her that only unskilled warriors whom the enemy captured were subjected to their hair shingles by the enemy. In the narrator’s culture, short hair was worn by mourners and shingled hair by cowards. The narrator rebelled when Judewin told her they would have to submit to having haircuts as the people running the school were strong. The narrator escaped from the room when no one was looking and entered a room with three beds in it. She hid under a bed. She shuddered with fear whenever she heard footsteps nearby. Everyone, including her friend, Judewin, was looking for her.
Finally, when she was found under the bed, the narrator remembers being dragged out despite her vehement resistance. She was carried downstairs and tied securely to a chair. She cried until she felt the scissors cutting one of her thick braids. She lost her spirit after that. The narrator recalls facing numerous indignities after being taken away from her mother. She cried for her mother as her hair was cut, but no one listened to her as she was similar to one of the many little animals driven by a herder.
We Too are Human Beings
Bama narrates her experience growing up as a child in her native place. She cites an event that took place when she was three years old. People at that time did not discuss untouchability openly. The narrator used to walk back from school every day. The narrator enjoyed her walk so much that she covered the distance in thirty minutes, which could actually be covered in ten minutes. She used to find delight in watching every small establishment and event on her way home from school. There were shops, street vendors, political gatherings, etc. The narrator was mesmerised by the sight of these things.
One day the narrator was returning home from school as usual. When she reached her street, she saw that a threshing floor was set up, and the landlord was watching over the work done by his men. The people working on the threshing floor belonged to the narrator’s community. The narrator was enjoying the view of these activities when she noticed an elder from her community carrying a small packet funnily. The man carefully held the strings of the packet without touching it. She guessed the packet would have some vadai or green banana bhajji. She reasoned that the package could come undone and the food might fall if it was carried that way. The whole act looked silly to her. The man approached the landlord and offered him the package cupped in his hands. The landlord then took it out of the man’s hand and started eating the vadais.
The narrator went home and told the humorous story to her brother. However, her brother did not find the story funny and explained to her that the landlord and his likes were considered upper-caste people. Since touching people who belonged to Bama’s community could pollute the upper caste people, that is why the elderly man had to carry the packet by its strings. The narrator was infuriated to hear this and did not find the incident funny anymore. The food was first wrapped in a banana leaf followed by the wrapping paper. She could not believe how food wrapped under two layers could look disgusting to someone. She felt so angry that she wanted to go and touch those vadais herself.
The narrator wondered if it was the money that these upper caste people had that made them behave this way. She felt that people from her community should never run errands for the upper caste people. They should just do their work, collect their salaries and leave it at that.
When the narrator’s elder brother, who studied at a university, returned home for the holidays, he often went to the library in the nearby village to borrow books. One day, he was walking along the banks of an irrigation tank when one of the landlord’s men came behind him and enquired about him. The man first asked his name and then the street where he lived to determine his caste. The narrator’s brother explained to her that because they were born in this community of untouchables, they were deprived of dignity and respect. The only way to counter that was to educate themselves. That way, they would receive recognition and people would engage in meaningful relationships with them.
The words that her brother spoke that day made a profound impact on the narrator’s mind. She studied very hard and stood first in her class. As a result, many people became her friends.
Conclusion of Memories of Childhood
Summary of Memories of Childhood demonstrates how discrimination can scar people’s minds when exposed to it at a very early age. It robs the opportunity to have a happy childhood for children from marginalised communities. We can see how Zitkala – Sa faced gender discrimination on her first day at her school during breakfast when the boys were permitted to sit down first. She experienced a bigger kind of discrimination – racial when regardless of her cultural values, her hair was cut by the school authorities. This act was a direct attack on her identity and cultural values. The second author Bama faces discrimination based on her caste. As an innocent child, she felt completely disgusted to learn that people could be so inhumane towards others only because they considered themselves superior to them.
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