General Questions from Flamingo &
Vistas
1. /12 The
Last Lesson
Franz reached school late. He had not learnt the rules
about the use of participles. So he did not want to go to school that day. He
was also afraid of Mr. Hamel’s terrible iron ruler. One reaching there, Franz
could not understand as to why there was a dead silence in school. He could not
guess why Mr. Hamel was so polite to him and was in his special dress. He also
failed to understand the reason way the old people of the villager were present
in his class. Then Mr. Hamel told the audience that it would be his last lesson
in French language. He said that French would be taught no more in schools of
Alsace and Lorraine.
A new teacher to
teach Germany was coming the following day. He did not blame Franz for not
learning his mother tongue properly. He blamed his parents and himself for
that. He also praised French and called it a beautiful language. He advised
than to keep it alive. After that Mr. Hamel delivered his last lesson. Even
Franz listened to his teacher very patiently. His outlook on books changed.
Then the church bells struck twelve. The sounds of trumpets played by the
Prussian soldiers were also heard. Mr. Hamel felt choked. He could only write
“Vive La France!” (Long Live France)!”
2.Lost Spring
Q.1/12 How
does Anees Jung describe the life of Seemapuri ragpickers ?
Ans. Seemapuri ragpickers live a life of hell.
They cannot dream of living a normal life. They came from Bangladesh in 1971.
Since then, they are living in Seemapuri. Their houses are of mud, with roofs
of tin or tarpaulin. They have no basic facility of sewage, drainage and
running water. They are about 10,000. They are all rag pickers. Garbage is gold
mine for them. Their children help them in rag-pickers. They are unable to go
to school because of poverty. Food is more important to them than anything
else. Garbage is the only source of their livelihood. As identity cards, they
have only ration cards. They can buy grains with the help of them.
Q.2/12 Describe
the life of families engaged in making bangles in Ferozabad.
Ans. Many families in Ferozabad are engaged in
making bangles. These families have been doing this job for many years. They
work near furnaces. They weld glass and make bangles. Women of different parts
of India wear them. About 20,000 children work near these hot furnace. They
endanger their eyes while doing their work. The bangle-makers of Ferozabad are
very poor. They live in inhuman conditions. The streets are very narrow. There
are full of garbage. The walls and doors of their houses are in crumbling
(about to fall) condition. Mukesh’s family also lives in the same area. They
are the victims of middleman, police and politicians.
3. Deep Water by William Douglas
General Ans.
1/12The writer Douglas, had fear of water since childhood. But he had a
strong desire for swimming. The swimming pool of Y.M.C.A was safe for swimming.
So the writer bought a pair of water wings. He tried to swim into the pool for
three or four times. One day a misadventure happened. A boy of 18 threw him
into deep water just for fun. He was nearly drowned. That incident created
almost permanent fear in his mind. The terror for water became stranger in is
mind. Whenever he put his feet into water, the fear of water made him week. But
he wanted to conquer fear in order to enjoy swimming, bathing, fishing and
boating. He got training of swimming. After that, he practised swimming for
months alone. He swam alone in the Y.M.C.A. pool and in Wentworth lake. He swam
in the lake for two miles. Finally, he conquered fear in warm lake. Now he got
full confidence in swimming. Thus, his strong will-power and his instructor’s
training made him a perfect swimmer. (Notes made by Shish Pal Chauhan)
4. The Rattrap
Q.1/12 What
are the instances in the story that show the characters of the ironmaster and
that of his daughter different in many ways ?
OR Compare and contrast the characters of the iron master an that of
his daughter.
Ans. The characters of the ironmaster and his
daughter are quite different. But there is one similarity. Both of them are kind and generous. The iron
master mistakes the peddler for his old acquaintance. He is full of pity on his
miserable condition. So he wants to take him to his house. But the peddler does
not go with him. Then he sends his daughter to persuade him. He does so because
he really wants to help the person. But, when the truth about the peddler
becomes known, he orders him to go at once. Here, he is a practical man. He
does not want to keep a stranger in his house any more. On the other hand, his
daughter does not blame the peddler for that situation. Moreover, she is full
of human kindness. She wants to serve a hungry man on Christmas Eve. She does
not care for her father’s warnings to her. She behaves politely to the peddler.
Finally, it is her politeness which ultimately changes the poor person.
Q.2/12. How does the metaphor of the
rattrap serve to highlight the human predicament? How does the peddler succeeds in coming out
of the big rattrap of the world? Or ‘theme ’(Notes made by Shish Pal Chauhan)
Ans. The rattrap seller uses the metaphor of ‘rattrap’ to highlight the human
predicament. The peddler calls this world a rattrap. To catch rats, people put
cheese and park as bait in the rattraps. In the same way, this world is a big
rattrap. All attractions of the world are baits for human beings. Those
attractions are - all lands (countries), villages, cities, seas, joys, riches,
food, shelter, heat and clothing. The peddler always thinks ill of others. He
believes that he world has been very unkind to him. His business of selling rattraps is not profitable for
him. So he does begging and petty stealing to keep himself alive. It is his
past time to enjoy gloomy thoughts about the people whom he knows. He knows who
have already been caught or are about to be caught in this big trap. He steals
the crofter’s money. It puts him into a trouble. At last, Edla’s good nature
and his own raised status of a Captain enables him to escape from the big
rattrap.
5. Indigo
Q1/12. Why
did Gandhij consider the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life?
(Sample Paper and 2011)
Ans.
: In Champaran, Gandhi ji had a new
experience. He came to know the real problems of the peasants there. He became
the spokesperson of thousands of the sharecroppers at Champaran. He raised the
issue of injustice done to the poor farmers to the British high officials. He
was given the orders to leave the place Tirhut. But, he defied them. Again he
received the orders to leave Champaran immediately. But he wrote on the notice
that he would disobey the orders. In the court, in front of the judge, he gave
sound reasons as to why he disobeyed the orders. He said that he had to disobey
in protest of the injustice being done to the poor farmers of Champaran.
Thousands of the people assembled there in support of Gandhiji. The situation
became out of control for the British officials and they had to take Gandhiji’s
help in controlling them. The Govt. had to drop the case against Gandhiji as
they understood Gandhiji’s power. Thus, the whole episode of Champaran proved
to be a turning point because the dread of the Britishers started declining in
the minds of the Indians after it. Thus,
for the first time civil disobedience had won in modern India. (Notes made by Shish Pal
Chauhan)
Q2/12. What
did Gandhiji do in respect of the cultural and social backwardness in the
Champaran village?
Ans. Gandhiji saw cultural and political
backwardness in the villages of Champaran district. He wanted to do something
immediately. Several teachers like Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh and two
youngmen had joined Gandhiji as his disciples and their wives volunteered
(came forward themselves) for work. Several more came from the other parts of
the country. Gandhiji’s youngest son, Devadas, arrived from the Ashram and so
did Mrs. Gandhi. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba Gandhi
taught about the ashram rules about personal cleanliness and community
sanitation to the village folk.
In the villages of the district Champaran, the
health conditions were miserable. Gandhi ji engaged a doctor to volunteer his
services for six months. Three medicines like castor oil, quinine and sulphur
ointment were made available and distributed to the people suffering from
malaria and skin diseases.
The
women of the villages were not aware about their personal hygiene. Gandhi ji
told Kasturbai to talk to them about
washing clothes also. (Notes made by Shish Pal Chauhan)
6. Going Places
Q1/12.
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences
between them that show up in the story? Or Describe the contrast between these
two friends Sophie and Jansie?
Ans. Both the characters are poles
apart although both of them go to school and come back from there together. We
know that Sophie is a dreamer. She has dreamed of becoming an actress, a
fashion designer, a manager or the owner of a boutique. Her dreams are
impractical as she belongs to a lower middle class family. Jansie, on the other
hand, is a realist. She knows that she and her friend are destined to work in a
biscuit factory. She is sensible and wise. Therefore she discourages her.
Jansie is really the voice of reason
in the story. It is she who warns Sophie not to dream of big things in her
life. She asks her to be practical. She reminds her of the poor condition of
her house. It is all because of her wisdom that she knows her limits as a
member of lower middle class family and never tries to cross them. Sophie is
disappointed at the end only because she does not listen to Jansie. Sophie
father also reads her minds clearly. That’s why he rebukes her from time to
time not to cook such stories as they may lead her to troubles.
7. The Interview
Q1/12
Why did Umberto start writing novels and
when? What does Eco say about the success of his novel, The Name of The Rose’
in spite of its being difficult and very serious novel? Ans. It was by
accident that Umberto Eco started writing novels. He was then of 50 years. He
had a talent of narrative skill in him. That’s why he wrote all of his essays
in narrative style. He also says that scholarly books also should be written in
by way of telling a story. It makes the contents more easy and interesting to
understand. The writer’s tendency of storytelling motivated him to start novel writing,
although he started very late in hi fifties. His novel ‘The Name of the Rose’
was very popular although It was very difficult and serious novel. It is a
detective novel at one level, but on the other, it is about metaphysics,
theology and medieval history. Eco says
that most of the journalists and publishers believe that people like trash and
do not like deep and difficult reading experiences. He says that there are
about six billion people on this earth. ‘The Name of the Rose’ was sold between
10 to 15 million of copies. It shows that people do like difficult and deep
reading experiences. It was about medieval history and it is not the only
reason for its popularity. Several people also wrote about medieval history
before him. The writer says that its popularity is still a mystery for him.
8. Poets & Pancakes
Q.1/12 Write
a note on Subbu (i.e. Kothamangalam
Subbu) and his importance in Gemini Studios.
Ans. Subbu was a cheerful tailor-made for films.
He was very loyal to his Boss. He was very talented. He was a poet and wrote
for people. He wrote several ‘story-poems’. He also wrote a novel ‘Thillana
Mohanbal’. He loved all he met. People used to stay at his house. He always
welcomed them. He was really very social and charitable. He was a great actor.
He never thought about great role. He performed small roles with full love and
devotion. In spite of his very good nature, he had some enemies. He was number
two in the studios. So he was very close to his Boss. Many people were jealous
of him. Some called him a psychophant. He was an amazing actor. Thus he was
very important person in the studios.
Q.2/12 Describe
the office boy’s work in the Gemini Studios - his aspirations and
disappointment.
Ans. The ‘office boy’ was a man of forty years.
Actually he was called the ‘office-boy’ He had high hopes, he wanted to be a
star actor, a director, a top screen writer or a lyric writer. But he could
become only an office boy. His work was to do the make-up work for the crowd.
It was a very small work for him. He would mix paint in a big vessel. Then he
would slap it on the crowd players. He could not find place according to his
wishes, so he was disappointed. Then, another boy joined the studios. His name
was Kothamangalam Subbu. Now he was able to release his anger against Subbu. It
was all jealousy for Subbu.
Summaries of the Poems
1 Mother at Sixty-six
The
poetess, Kamala Das was going to the Cochin airport. Her old mother was sitting
beside her. The poetess tells us that her mother’s face was pale like that of a
dead body. She was dozing and her mouth was open. It seemed to her that the old
lady might not live long. The painful thought was that her mother might not lie
long. It is because her face was as pale as it was that of a dead body. Then
she drove away the thought by watching outside.
The
poetess sees young trees running fast behind. She also sees children coming out
of their houses.
On
reaching the airport, she was checked by the security guards; then she looked
again at her mother from a distance. Her pale face made the poetess again sad.
She felt pained at hear. She did not express her concern to the old mother. She
could say only the words “See you soon, Amma.”
2. An Elementary School Class-rrom in
a Slum
Summary: ‘An Elementary School classroom in a slum’
This
poem is a kind of satire on the countries who call themselves ‘civilized’ and
developed or developing. The children of the elementary school of a slum area
live a miserable life. Their faces are pale. Their bodies are weak and ill-fed.
They are victims of the monsters of poverty, hunger, filth and diseases. The
pictures hung on the walls of the classroom are meaningless to them. Their
world is small, limited one which they see through the windows of their
classroom. It is far from rivers, capes and stars of the world. The poet calls
Shakespeare’s bust as wicked and the map a bad example. These may corrupt them
and tempt them to steal. In the end, the poet makes an appeal to the
responsible citizens of the countries to improve the lot of those poor
children. They should be taken out of poverty and slum. Only then education
will be meaningful to them.
Summary of the poem:
3. ‘Keep Quiet’
Pablo
Neruda tells us about the importance of introspection in this poem. It needs
only counting from 1 to twelve to reach the state of great bliss. We become one
with all on this earth in this position. The introspection discards all greed,
cruelty and selfishness from our minds. We become more humane after doing
introspection. if a fisherman does
introspection, he would no more kill whales out of greed. The man gathering
salt will stop gathering more salt. The people who prepare green wars will also
become sympathetic to the innocent people who are killed in wars. The process
of introspection needs a few moments of silence and inactivity. Here, the poet
also clarifies that our silence and inactivity should not be attached to death.
The earth suspends its activities in winter season. It seems to us that the
surface of the earth is covered in the shroud of death. But the reality is
different. In spring season, the same earth is full of life and lively
activities. In the same way, after introspection, we are again full of energy
and enthusiasm.
4. A Thing o Beauty by John Keats
John
Keats says that a thing of beauty is a joy forever. It always remains in our
imagination. Our imagination adds to it when we view it again and again. Its
loveliness increases every time. This world is full of sorrows and sadness.
Life is full of sufferings and struggles. It is very difficult to bear the
bitter realities of life. It is the beautiful thing that makes our life
bearable. It gives us peace of mind and health of body. Our stay on this earth
becomes bearable because of beautiful things. Otherwise life is full of sorrows
and struggles. There is lack of noble human beings. There is a plenty of
evil-minded people in this world. Only beautiful objects of nature keep us
bound to the earth. John Keats loved beauty in life both
physical and spiritual. There are plenty of objects which are truly beautiful.
The poet calls it an endless fountain of immortal drink i.e. nectar. It is
always coming to us from heaven. The ‘grandeur’ is associated with the ‘mighty
dead’ when, on the Day of Judgment, God would reward them. The ‘mighty dead’
are now lying buried in their graves. That reward will be their life time
achievement.
5. Aunt
Jennifer’s Tigers by Adrienne Rich
Aunt Jennifer embroiders tigers on a screen.
They look very beautiful creatures of the green forest. They are not even
afraid of some men standing under some trees. They seem to be fearless, brave
and confident in their eyes and dignified when they walk. Aunt Jennifer has
become very old. It is very difficult for her to pull the ivory needle through
the wool. Her fingers tremble as she moves them through the wool. The duties of
a married life have a very adverse effect on her. Her whole life has become a
tale of continuous slavery and hard work in her own house without any rest.
Even after her death, aunt Jennifer would not
rest in peace. The bad effect of her painful and difficult experiences of lie
would have adverse effect on her even after her death. Such experiences had
always enslaved her. The tigers embroidered by her in the panel are still
prancing across the screen. They are proud and fearless. But aunt Jennifer
remained timid even in her grave after her death.
Vistas
Q1/12What
unusual Thing did Charlie notice at the Third Level?
Ans. Charley found many things unusual on reaching
the third level. The room was small and there were fewer booking windows. The
lights were dim. They flickered because they were open-flame gas lights. There
were brass spittoons on the floor. Everything was in the style of the old time
that was 1890-something. Men seemed to be fashionable about keeping beards,
side whiskers and even mustaches. The trains were driven by the locomotives
having funnel shaped chimneys. A news-boy was carrying some copies of the
newspaper ‘The World.’ Its edition was of June 11, 1894. Charley was unable to
purchase tickets from the window because he had modern currency. It was invalid
as old style bills were accepted at the booking window.
Q1./12‘The
modern consumerist world is full of fear, insecurities, stress and wars.’ What
are the ways in which we try to combat them? Answer with reference to The Third
Level.
This is a fact that we live in a world that is
full of fear, insecurities, stress and wars. Charley is the product of the same
kind of world. Charley must have been a victim of stress and anxiety. That’s
why, unknowingly he developed a habit of slipping in to the
world of the third level. He must have had a dormant (hidden) desire of such a
platform from where one could go anywhere in the U.S.A. That was the reason he
wished to purchase two tickets for Galesberg. So one day his waking dream
wishful thinking got materialized.
There are many ways to combat (fight) these
types of stress. People can do creative writing and lose themselves in
imagination. They can enjoy the beauties of nature. They can make several
hobbies like listening to music, dancing, painting and gardening. But they
should not become habitual of non-desirable habits like drinking wine and
taking drugs or intoxicants.
2.
The Tiger King
Q1./12How
did the Maharaja come in the danger of losing his throne and how did he avert
this danger? 2010
The king did not allow a British officer to
kill a tiger because he did not want to open the way for other British officers
to reach his forests and kill the tigers. He wanted to kill them himself to
falsify the astrologer’s prediction. The Maharaja and the Dewan held a meeting.
They thought seriously on the issue of the danger on the throne. It was because
the king had refused a British officer to fulfil his desire. So they decided to
please the officer. They arranged for fifty expensive samples of diamond rings
of different designs from a famous British company of jewellery in Calcutta. As
the samples of the rings arrived, the king sent them all to the British
officer’s good lady. The king had expected that the good lady would select a
few of the samples and return the rest of them. The officer’s wife kept all the
fifty samples of the rings with her. She sent a letter of thanks to the tiger
King who had to pay the bill for three lakh rupees. However the Maharaja was
happy as his throne was secured.
Q2./12 How
did the hundredth tiger take its revenge upon the Tiger King? What is ironical
about his fate? 2009 Or How did the Tiger King meet
his end? What is ironical about his fate?
The king wished to give a very special gift to
his son on his third birth day. So he went to the shopping centre and searched
almost every shop to buy such gift. Finally he came to a toy shop where he saw
a wooden tiger. The king purchased it for three hundred rupees and presented it
to his son. On that day the king and his son played with the wooden tiger for a
long time. The toy was not smoothly carved. Its surface was rough and some tiny
slivers stood up like quills all over it. So, while playing with It, one of the
slivers pierced Maharaja’s hand. He pulled it out with the help of his left
hand. But slowly infection spread all over his arm. At last there was no way out
but operation. It was performed by three famous surgeons. But the Maharaja died
after the operation. The irony was that the Maharaj was called the Tiger King
and he was not afraid of the living tigers. They could not harm his life at
all. But a wooden tiger became the cause of his death. Nature also takes its
revenge. Thus the hundredth tiger took the revenge on the king of
Pratibandapuram.
Although the prediction of the astrologer came
to be true, yet we do not agree with that. It was by chance that the king’s
hand got infected. In those days life saving medicines and modern operation
techniques were not available. So the king died in the absence of medical
facilities.
The
astrologer’s prediction about the death of the Tiger King came to be true. Do
you agree with this statement? Explain why or why not? 2008
(See the
above answer)
Q3./12: Describe
the efforts made by the Tiger King to achieve his target of killing a hundred
tigers? 2009
The Tiger King made every effort to achieve
the target of killing hundred tigers. In the beginning, he stared killing
comfortably because his state forests had many tigers. But slowly the number
fell down and he was able to achieve the target of only seventy tigers. Then he
married the daughter of a king whose forest had several tigers. Thus he got the
freedom to hunt tigers in his father-in-law’s state. In every visit he killed
five to six tigers. He could make the number of ninety-nine only. He made every
effort to find out the hundredth tiger. He was worried and anxious to kill the
last one. Many officers lost their jobs as they failed to trace the 100th
tiger. Finally he threatened the Dewan of losing his job if he could not find
out the last tiger. Anyway the Dewan arranged an old tiger from the People’s
Park in Madras. In reality that tiger was not killed by the king.
3.Journey to
the end of the World by Tishani Joshi
Q.1./12 How
can we say that Antarctica is the best place to study and understand about
Earth’s present, past and future? Answer with reference to ‘Journey to the end
of the Earth’ Or
‘The world’s
geographical history is trapped in Antarctica.’ How is the study of the region
useful to us?
Ans. Antarctica and its understanding is very much
important for us. The future of our planet earth is in great danger. If global
warming continues, all the islands and coastal areas will be under water one
day. The slow change in climate of the earth will pose danger to the life of
living beings. It will affect all on the earth. Life on the earth may become a
matter of the past. If we go to Antarctica, we can see the dangerous impact of
the global warming there from our own eyes. Glaciers are melting down. The
solid ice is becoming water there. That water is increasing the sea level. One
day it may cause floods on the earth. It helps us to know that in past some
dangerous changes took place and the continent of Antarctica was separated. It
can be studied how other continents took place. The melting of the polar caps
tells our future on the earth.
4.The Enemy
Q1./12 There
are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as
private and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with
reference to the story ‘The Enemy.’
Ans. Yes, there come such situations in our
life when we are caught between two extreme points of our private life and our
life as a responsible citizen of our country. We have to maintain a balance and
sometimes we have to sacrifice the interests of our private life. This happens
in emergent situations like that of a war or any other crisis when there is a
dire need to serve the country first.
Dr. Sadao and his wife were caught in that
situation. On one side, they had the option to leave the American soldier to
his fate and another option was to respect the laws of his country. It was a
crime to shelter any enemy soldier and Dr. Sadao knew very well the
consequences he could have faced in case of having been caught. But he followed
the voice of his conscience and what his duty told him to do. So saved the American
soldier and performed his duty towards human beings irrespective of his
nationality.
5. Should
the Wizard Hit Mommy
Q1./12 What
was Roger Skunk’s problem? How did he got it solved? What was his mother’s
reaction to it?
Ans. Roger Skunk’s problem was that he smelt badly.
Whenever he wanted to play with the small animals of the jungle, they would run
away to leave him alone. He felt it badly. Someone told him to go to a wise owl
to get his problem solved. He went to him and was told to meet a wizard. So Roger
Skunk reached the wizard place. He told the wizard that he wanted to smell like Roses. The wizard chanted
some magical words. After sometime, Roger Skunk began to smell like roses. Then
the wizard asked for seven pennies for his work. Skunk had to manage for seven pennies with the
magician’s help. On the way while returning, he also played with other animals.
In the evening, he reached home. His mother reacted angrily at the new smell. Roger
had to go to the wizard with his mother. She hit the wizard by an umbrella and got
Roger’s old smell back.
6. On the
face of It
Q.1./12 How
did Mr. Lamb’s meeting with Derry become a turning point in Derry’s
life? Or How did Mr. Lamb encourage and remove Derry’s
doubts and fill his mind with courage and confidence.
Ans. Mr. Lamb’s meeting with Derry really brings about
a sea change in his thinking. So we may say that it brings a turning point in
his life. Before meeting Mr. Lamb, Derry did not like meeting people. He was a
victim of inferiority complex. He always thought that people did not like to
talk to him. They avoided being near him. He said that people showed sympathy
only to console him. He had no faith in his mother also. He had no charm in
life. But Mr. Lamb made him think and feel that life is a glorious gift. If God
has snatched one thing, he gives many other things to us. Mr. Lamb tells him
that he has one leg, but he has two legs. His burnt face should not be a hurdle
in his life. People may stare at him for once, twice and thrice. But they would
get fed up very soon. They have other things to do. He advises him to wait,
listen and think. There is music in nature. The four walls of the house make us
captive. At last, Derry’s thinking is changed.
Q2./12 The lesson ‘On the Face of It’ is an
apt depiction of the loneliness and sense of alienation experienced by people
on account of a disability.
Ans. The lesson ‘On the Face of It’ raises
very important issue of loneliness and alienation faced by physically
handicapped people. They want to make friendship and talk to them, but the
able-bodied people dislike talking to them. This makes them all them sadder and
cut off from society. Mr. Lamb and Derry face the same type of problem in their
life. Mr. Lamb had lost his leg in war. He has a tin leg now. He lives in a
house built in a garden. He wants to talk to people. People do come to meet
him, but only for once. While departing, they promise to return to visit him,
but never come back. To remove his loneliness, he keeps windows and doors of
his house opened. He likes to hear the sound of the wind blowing outside. Bees
do not buzz but hum for him. Plants, leaves, flowers and trees, all are living
beings for him.
Derry’s face has a one burnt side. It looks
very ugly and shocking to the people of his neighbourhood. That is why he lives
alone in his house with his mother. One day, Derry meets Mr. Lamb in his
garden. He encourages Derry so much that there comes a turning point in his
life. He decides to face life boldly.
7. Evans
Tries O’Level
Q1./12 What were the
precautions taken for the smooth conduct of the examination for Evan?
Ans. Evans was appearing
for his O-level exam in German language. So, all the arrangements were done for
the smooth running of the exam. The Board sent an invigilator with all
necessary things that were needed while conducting the board Exam. Even
Stephens was made to sit outside the gate of the cell on Evans’ objection.
But the Governor already
knew that Evans was adept in breaking the tight security of jails and could
escape. He had already escaped three times. But the governor did not want that
Evans could bring disgrace to Oxford
Prison by escaping for the fourth time. So he was personally monitoring all
security arrangements. He had deployed police personnel near the Recreational
Block. The cell was also scrutinized for every possibility of providing advantage
to Evans. His nail‐scissors, nail‐file and razor were taken away from him. Even McLeery, along with his
suitcase, was checked. Stephens was peeping through the peep-hole every now and
then. The Governor also kept listening through his phone the conversation that
took place inside the cell. In this way, all precautions were taken in view to
conduct Evans’ exam smoothly.
8. Memories of Childhood
Q1./12 What oppression and
discrimination did Zitkala-sa and Bama experience during their childhood? How
did they respond to their respective situations?
Or
What kind of discrimination did Bama and Zitkala experience? How did
they respond to their respective situations? Or
What are the similarities in the lives
of Bama and Zitkala though they belong to different cultures?
Ans.
Bama and Zitkala-sa were the victims of social discrimination, though at
different places. Zitkala-Sa was a native of America. The European settlers
treated the natives of America very badly. They had made set rules which the
natives had to follow. Zitkala-Sa was forced to get her hair cut. The blanket
from her shoulders was also removed. She was not allowed to wear loose dress.
In Zitkala-Sa’s tribe, it was a part of their culture to have long and heavy
hair, to wear loose dress and to cover shoulders with some cloth. She was
helpless when her long and heavy hair were cut. She resisted hard, but of no
use.
Bama
was a victim of untouchabitlity in Tamil Nadu. The people of her community were
not allowed to touch the food of the upper caste people. They were not allowed
to take water from their well, to enter the temple also. One day, she saw an
elder of her community carrying food packet holding it by its strings. She was
amused to see that, but her brother told her that the people of the upper caste
believed that the food packet would be polluted if it was touched by them. He
also told her that they belonged to lower caste. That was the incident when she
came to know about untouchability.
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