Question

(Answer in 120 – 150 words.) ‘It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted, but the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life.’ Justify the statement with reference to the extracts in ‘Memories of Childhood’.

Hint:

Use Zitkala-Sa's hair incident and Bama's experience of caste, then link education and later writing.

Answer 1

Step 1: Plan the answer:
Show the childhood experiences of both writers, their early resistance, and how they fought oppression as adults.

Step 2: Model answer:
Both extracts show that children can sense injustice and begin to resist it. Zitkala-Sa, a young Native American girl, is told that her hair will be cut. She resists by hiding under a bed, but she is dragged out and shorn against her will. Bama, as a child, first finds it funny to see an elderly man of her community carrying a packet of food by its string, but when her brother explains that this is because of untouchability, she feels angry and upset. Their resistance may seem small, but it shows an unwillingness to accept humiliation. Both girls witness discrimination while they are young. Both realise that education can give them courage and confidence. As adults, they fight oppression through their writing, which shows that the seeds sown in childhood grew into lifelong resistance.

Final Answer:
The childhood protests of Zitkala-Sa and Bama grew into adult resistance, so the statement is justified.