Read the given extracts and answer the questions for ANY ONE of the two, given.

How does Zitkala-Sa use the metaphor of the blanket to describe her culture and identity? How does the removal of the blanket affect her sense of self? Give examples from the text to support your answer.

Answer as written by the student:

• Zitkala-Sa uses the metaphor of the blanket to describe her culture and identity as a Native American woman . The blanket represents her connection to her traditions, values, and beliefs that she learned from her mother and tribe. The removal of the blanket affects her sense of self by making her feel exposed, ashamed, and alienated from her own people.
• For example, in the text, she writes: “I remember being dragged out, though I resisted by kicking and scratching wildly. In spite of myself, I was carried downstairs and tied fast in a chair. I cried aloud, shaking my head all the while until I felt the cold blades of the scissors against my neck, and heard them gnaw off one of my thick braids. Then I lost my spirit. Since the day I was taken from my mother I had suffered extreme indignities. People had stared at me. I had been tossed about in the air like a wooden puppet. And now my long hair was shingled like a coward’s! In my anguish I moaned for my mother, but no one came to comfort me. Not a soul reasoned quietly with me, as my own mother used to do; for now I was only one of many little animals driven by a herder.” (Zitkala-Sa, American Indian Stories)
• In this passage, Zitkala-Sa compares herself to a wild animal that is captured and tamed by a herder. She feels that cutting her hair is a violation of her dignity and identity , as long hair is a symbol of pride and honor for Native Americans . She also feels that she has no voice or agency in this situation , as no one listens to her or respects her feelings. She longs for her mother, who represents her culture and home.

Step by step explanation of the answer:

To answer this question, we need to understand what a metaphor is, and how it is used in literature.

• A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two non-similar things for dramatic or poetic effect. A metaphor has two parts: a tenor (the object or concept being described) and a vehicle (what the object or concept is compared to). For example, in the sentence “She is my rock,” she is the tenor and rock is the vehicle. The metaphor implies that she is a solid, dependable, and strong person.
• Zitkala-Sa is a Native American writer who wrote about her experiences of assimilation and resistance in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was born on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, but was sent to a boarding school in Indiana when she was eight years old. There, she faced discrimination, abuse, and cultural erasure from the white teachers and students.
• By using the metaphor of the blanket, Zitkala-Sa shows how her culture and identity are threatened and violated by the boarding school system. She also shows how she struggles to maintain her dignity and pride as a Native American woman. She uses the metaphor to appeal to the reader’s emotions and empathy, and to challenge the stereotypes and prejudices of the dominant culture. 🙌