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Ch 19Memories of Childhood — Class 12 English (Core), concept-first.

"Memories of Childhood" is not a single story but a lesson made of two short autobiographical accounts, each written by a woman who grew up in a community pushed to the margins of society.

16

Q&A

1

Concept

40m

Section weightage

Section C · Literature Textbooks (Flamingo & Vistas) · across all 19 lessons

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Key concepts

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Text Connection Analysis

Think about the last time you watched a movie and said, "This reminds me of that other film." Or when you read a news article and thought, "This is exactly what the poet was talking about." That instinct — that sense of…

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Chapter contents

The NCERT structure, section by section. Open a section to see its questions, then read the concept-first solution.

About the Authors and the Text

"Memories of Childhood" is not a single story but a lesson made of two short autobiographical accounts, each written by a woman who grew up in a community pushed to the margins of society.

1.1

Part I: Zitkala-Sa — The Cutting of My Long Hair

In the first account, Zitkala-Sa remembers a bitterly cold winter morning that marked her early days at a boarding school run by people of the dominant white culture — "the land of apples," where the…

1.2

Part II: Bama — We Too are Human Beings

The second account, by Bama, recalls how she first came to understand the reality of untouchability, when she was studying in the third class.

1.3

Themes

The two accounts in this lesson, though separated by continent and culture, are bound by a single, brutal truth: that power can strip a person of their very self.

1.4

Character Sketches

The lesson turns on its two child narrators looking back on their younger selves — Zitkala-Sa, the Native American girl who resists the cutting of her hair, and Bama, the Dalit girl who awakens to the…

1.4.1

Zitkala-Sa

Zitkala-Sa, the narrator of the first part, is a Native American girl remembering her early days at a boarding school that sought to erase her culture.

1.4.2

Bama

Bama, the narrator of the second part, is a lively, curious Dalit child with a sharp eye for the world around her.

1.5

Title and Message

The lesson gathers two separate autobiographical accounts under a single, deliberately simple title. Both writers are women from communities that were historically pushed to the margins of society, an…

1.5.1

The Significance of the Title

On the surface the phrase 'Memories of Childhood' promises the sweet, nostalgic recollections most people associate with being young. The irony is deliberate.

1.5.2

The Message of the Accounts

Several connected ideas emerge from putting these two childhoods together.

Summary

- Two accounts, one theme: The chapter pairs Zitkala-Sa's The Cutting of My Long Hair (forced assimilation at a Native American boarding school) and Bama's We Too Are Human Beings (caste-based humilia…

Reading with Insight

+Reading with Insighti3 questions
  1. Q1The two accounts that you read above are based in two distant cultures. What is the commonality of theme found in both of them?Free
  2. Q2It may take a long time for oppression to be resisted, but the seeds of rebellion are sowed early in life. Do you agree that injustice in an…Preview
  3. Q3Bama’s experience is that of a victim of the caste system. What kind of discrimination does Zitkala-Sa’s experience depict? What are their r…Preview

Additional Practice

Extra exam-style practice questions written by us on this lesson — beyond the NCERT textbook's own exercises — for more CBSE board-exam preparation.

+Additional Practicei13 questions
  1. Q1What happened to Zitkala-Sa's long hair, and why was the experience so distressing to her? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
  2. Q2Why did Zitkala-Sa resist the cutting of her hair? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
  3. Q3What incident first made Bama aware of untouchability? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
  4. Q4What advice did Bama's brother give her, and how did it affect her? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  5. Q5How are the two autobiographical accounts in the lesson connected? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  6. Q6What does the cutting of hair symbolise for Zitkala-Sa? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  7. Q7How did Bama respond to the discrimination she witnessed as a child? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  8. Q8Discuss the theme of oppression and marginalisation in 'Memories of Childhood'. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  9. Q9Compare the childhood experiences of Zitkala-Sa and Bama. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  10. Q10How does the lesson present education and self-respect as a means of empowerment? (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  11. Q11Attempt a character sketch of Bama as she appears in 'We Too are Human Beings'. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  12. Q12What forms of discrimination do the two writers describe, and how do they resist them? (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  13. Q13What is the significance of the title 'Memories of Childhood'? (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview