CBSE 2025, Set 3

Question

Answer in 120-150 words: (1x5=5 marks)
(a) How did Zitkala-Sa react to the cultural impositions at school?
(Memories of Childhood)

Edvaya · Accepted Answer

The correct answer is Subjective. Zitkala-Sa faced immense humiliation and trauma due to the strict cultural impositions at the Carlisle Indian School, but she reacted with fierce rebellion. - She felt a deep loss of identity and felt like sinking to the floor when forced to wear tight, "clinging" dresses instead of her traditional comfortable attire. - The strict dining room rules, which required eating by a precise formula (bells ringing for pulling chairs, sitting, and eating), left her crying and terrified. - Her strongest reaction was against the shingling (cutting) of her long, heavy hair. In her culture, short hair was worn only by mourners or cowards. - She resisted fiercely: she hid herself in a dark room under a bed, refused to submit silently, and when discovered, she had to be dragged out. She kicked, scratched, and shook her head wildly to prevent the cutting of her hair. - This painful experience sparked a lifelong determination to fight for the cause of Native Americans and highlight these injustices in her writing.

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English Core > Literature Class 12 > Vistas Prose

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