Difficult days, difficult years

Q1) the child narrator is surprised when she begins to attend a high school in a neighboring town.

What are the occurrences that cause her to be surprised ?

Ans:

       The child was used to her village, so she found the school in town surprising with its size, the number of children and the cloths they wore.

   Q2) there are many instances in the story when the child narrator feels humiliated and is treated unfairly by the people around her.

Enumerate some of these occasions?

Ans:

       The narrator feels humiliated when the warden sister comments on the way in which the children eat and grow fat at the hostel while they live in poverty and hunger at home. She also feels humiliated when the Harigan children are asked are asked to stand up in front of the entire school or college.

Q3) in the text, the speaker gives a few examples of the humiliation suffered by her during her childhood and youth. What caused this humiliation- poverty or caste? Give reasons for your answer?

Ans:

       The reason the narrator feels embarrassed is primarily because of the fact that on each occasion her caste is referred to by the warden, class teacher or the lecturer. She is also bothered by the fact that each time they are singled out as poor and of a lower caste.

Q4) Why do you think the speaker does not take her mother’s advice. And pretend to be from another caste? What kind of a person do you think the speaker is?

Ans:

       The narrator prefers to be honest and speak the truth about her caste as she does not believe she is polluting and one by sitting next to them. she also demonstrates through the narration that she believes in her own worth , so then saying that she belongs to another caste is not an option for her.

Q5) What is the only way by which the speaker is able to gain self- respect as well as some respect from others?

Ans:

       By studying well and excelling at her studies, the narrator gains some measures of self respect and the respect of the community especially as she is asked to help those students who are not so good at their studies.