Answer any four of the following questions in 30 – 40 words each:

(a) ‘Garbage to them is gold.’ Why does the author say so about the rag pickers of Seemapuri?

(b) Which two incidents in Douglas’s early life made him scared of water?

(c) Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?

(d) ‘‘It ate my face up. It ate me up.’’ Who said these words? Why?

(e) Why did Evans not take off his hat when Jackson ordered him to do so?

(f) Why did Zitkala-Sa resist the shingling of her hair?

(a) The author states that garbage was like gold to the rag pickers of Seemapuri because it was their only source of income. It gave them their daily bread and helped them earn to sustain their lives. Sometimes, the rag pickers would find a coin or a note in the garbage which would be equivalent to gold. For them the garbage was like gold wrapped in wonder. Saheb was also a young rag picker who had migrated from their native village in Dhaka, Bangladesh to Seemapuri in Delhi. For his parents, the garbage was the only means of survival as they were trapped in the vicious circle of the sahukars, middlemen, bureaucrats, policemen and politicians who wouldn’t take any action on their condition.

(b) The first incident that made Douglas scared of water in his early life was being knocked down by the waves at a beach in California where he went with his father. The other mishap took place at the YMCA pool that he had joined to learn swimming. He was 10-11 years old and had just started to learn swimming. He was sitting in the deep corner of the pool when suddenly an elder boy pushed him into the pool. He barely knew swimming and he started drowning in the pool. Although he was frightened, he did not lose his wits and planned his way back to the surface.

(c) The crofter had misunderstood the peddler to be someone he was not. He thought it was some old friend of his because he had seen him in the dark. Later he realised that it was not the man he thought he was but yet he invited him to stay up with them until Christmas. It was so because he was lonely and wanted someone to be with him. Therefore, he was quite talkative and friendly with the peddler and also called his daughter so that he could be convinced to accompany them. At his home too, he acted as a generous host and offered the peddler porridge and tobacco.

(d) These words are spoken by Derry in the story ‘On the face of it’. In this story, Derry was a symbol of pessimism whereas Mr. Lamb reflected optimism. Δερρψηαδαφαχεδισφιγυρεδβψαχιδ.Ηεηαδαβυρντφαχεανδβελιεϖεδτηατηεωασδιφφερεντ.Ηεωασφιλλεδωιτηποορσελφ−εστεεμανδφελτϖιχτιμιζεδινεϖερψσιτυατιον.Ηεδιδνâττρυστπεοπλεασαρεσυλτοφωηιχηηεωασλονελψμοστοφτηετιμε.Μρ.ΛαμβηελπεδΔερρψχηανγεηισουτλοοκ.ΗετολδΔερρψτηατιννερβεαυτψωασμορειμπορτανττηαναππεαρανχε.Μρ.ΛαμβισφριενδλψτοωαρδσπεοπλεανδπροϖιδεσχονφιδενχετοΔερρψ.ΗετριεστοτεαχηΔερρψηοωτοενϕοψλιφεινεϖερψσιτυατιον.Ηεγιϖεσηιμεξαμπλεσοφτηεβυζζοφβεεσ,ωεεδσιντηεγαρδενανδηοωαμανωασαφραιδοφδεατηανδλοχκεδηιμσελφυπιναροομανδυλτιματελψδιεδτηερε.Αττηεενδοφτηεστορψ,ωεσεεΔερρψâστρανσφορματιονασηεδεφιεσηισμοτηερανδγοεσβαχκτοΜρ.Λαμβâσγαρδεν.

(e) Evans had cut his hair short like McLeery’s hair and wore a hat to hide it. He didn’t take off his hat even when asked to do so by Jackson because he feared getting caught. He had planned his escape from the prison by impersonating McLeery after the exam was over and leave in his place. The prison authorities were aware that Evans would try to escape and took several precautions beforehand. Stephens was responsible for checking the exam proceedings. He peeped inside the cell in every two minutes. Even the invigilator, a parson, was frisked thoroughly before the examination. The exam ended peacefully, but when Stephens rechecked the examination cell, he was surprised to see McLeery bleeding there.

(f) The story ‘Memories of Childhood’ show sufferings and oppression faced by people from marginalized community. Both the authors had to face social stratification. Zitkala Sa had been stared at, her blanket and moccasins had been taken from her; she had to wear tight fitting clothes. Zitkala Sa resisted the shingling of her hair because from the place she came from; short hair was worn by mourners and shingled hair by unskilled warriors who were captured by the enemies. It was a symbol of cowards.