The first thing that stuck out to me is how young the authors were when they first encountered prejudices against them. Yeah kids make fun of each other, but some of the things they were told were outrageous. I felt like they both were running from the problem at some point. In The School Days of an Indian Girl, she ran and hid under the bed when she learned they were going to cut her hair. In Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian, she kept moving. Even though Far seemed to be constantly moving, I was so happy when she admitted to being half Chinese at the table in front of the people who were making rude comments. While she may not have felt like she fit in with any race or parts of society, she didn't deny who she was.
One thing I was curious about was if the Zitkala-Sa was taken from her family and forced to go to school, or if her mother sent her there by choice.
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In response to your question, I would doubt that her mother sent her there by choice. The mother seemed very resistant to white culture and did not support her daughter going to college. She seemed as though she only wanted her daughter to come home and act the way an Indian girl "should" act.
ReplyDeleteI really liked that you mentioned movement. It is interesting to note that the Chinese girl was constantly moving, which I think added to her confusion in the beginning. The Indian girl was allowed to stay within one school, which I think made assimilation into the dominant culture easier for her.