Question

Explain how the cutting of Zitkala-Ša's hair is an example of forcing her to assimilate to American culture:

Answer 1

Cutting her hair is forcing her as it takes away that part of her physical culture to make her “fit” American culture. She may then begin to hide her culture because people are pressuring her to or threatening her. Eventually, she might make her children cut their hair, and then their children cut their hair and long hair disappears from the culture completely.

Answer 2

I’ve never read the story but you can say that forcing her to cut her hair makes her “fit in” with the other people more and takes away from her original culture since she doesn’t physically have anything left to show about her true culture. she might try to start hiding her culture now because people are making her think that she needs to. in the future, she might make her kids cut their hair too and they might make their kids cut their hair etc. etc. which then makes the tradition of long hair eventually fade away.