Life at a boarding school
Having expectations of life's pleasures in the open fields, Zitkala-Sa soon learns that what she is to receive, is a life lesson. Being different in the eyes of other's, she is subjected to the cruelties and ridicule of the white man's world. She is looked upon as one of the outsiders.It all started as soon as she boarded the "Iron Horse". This was the beginning of a journey that would forever hold a memory of the rudeness and curiosity of people. While traveling on the train, she was stared at by men and women alike because she was different in their eyes. Having a style of clothing, not familiar to them caught their attention. Another thing that was noticed, she was traveling alone, with no parental presence. Because of the different style of clothing worn, the other young children pointed and glared
This was also mimicked in my time in the military, where you ate as a group, table by table, not sitting or leaving the table without your unit. While you ate, you never looked at anyone else. Just because we are using a piece of adaptive equipment, we still have the same rights as anyone else! In the society, we are sometimes looked upon as second class citizens. She was led to a row of narrow beds, where she cried herself to sleep. The other adults also stared with rude curiosity, at the blanket she was carrying. Your eyes were always straightforward, never wavering. All the boys wore the same type of uniform and had the same type of haircut. Surviving her journey was only the first part of this life lesson, arriving at the school started yet another chapter. To glance anywhere else would be subject to punishment. As described by Zitkala-Sa, it reminded me of the movie, Oliver twist. Standing in a room filled with bright lights and people scurrying around at the sight of the new arrivals, she hugged the wall for safety. I do recall one incident in my time at school that will not be forgotten. Similar to the scenario mentioned earlier, in 4th grade we had to comply with the same regulations of lunch time behavior as was mentioned in this story.
Common topics in this essay:
Iron Horse,
Boarding School,
life lesson,
style clothing,
|