"The Schooldays of an Indian Girl"
by Zitkala-Sa

and

"Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian"
by Sui Sin Far

While both characters are faced with oppression due to their race, Sui Sin Far deals with it from birth where Zitkala-Sa learns of it at a very young age. Still, both children come up with some similar experiences, for example, situations involving their physical appearance. Sui Sin Far's Chinese heritage was not always obvious to the people around her, but once they realized it, had a "Eureka!" type moment where they act as if they knew it all along; describing the shape of her eyes and the tone of her skin as if they noticed it from the start. Zitkala-Sa deals with much of the same, with her long hair being sliced off by a "paleface", most likely due to the fact that it was considered uncivilized, or unkempt. I noticed that Zitkala-Sa received almost harsher treatment from the 'palefaces' around her than Sui Sin Far did. Perhaps this was because Far was half-English, and could use that to her advantage when need be. It's ironic that including both of the main characters in this story and all the white people as well, Zitkala-Sa was the one who's people originated in North America; yet she receieved some of the worst treatment.

Another similarity I noticed, was how certain remarks about their heritage and history where inaccurately made by white people, with both Sui Sin Far and Zitkala-Sa both failing to correct the assumptions, even though they seemed to know better.

For example, in Zitkala-Sa's story, a white woman tells her this about the devil:

"Then I heard the paleface woman say that this terrible creature roamed loose in the world, and that little girls who disobeyed school regulations were to be tortured by him."

But before that, she wrote:

"Among the legends the old warriors used to tell me were many stories of evil spirits. But I was taught to fear them no more than those who stalked about in material guise."

Which are obviously two conflicting viewpoints. The difference is, Zitkala-Sa's own people had no reason to instill fear in her; they weren't afraid of her, and they weren't trying to control her. The "paleface" however, was trying to control her, so instead of giving the young girl peace of mind, she scared her into behaving in the way she thought she should.

In Sui Sin Far's story, a white man tells her this:

"They tell me that if I wish to succeed in literature in America I should dress in Chinese costume, carry a fan in my hand, wear a pair of scarlet beaded slippers, live in New York, and come of high birth. Instead of making myself familiar with the Chinese-Americans around me, I should discourse on my spirit acquaintance with Chinese ancestors and quote in between the "Good mornings" and "how d'ye dos" of editors."

And while this "suggestion" from her editor is not directly designed to instill fear in her, it still plays of a fear of her not being accepted the way that she is--- a fear all his own that he is trying to impress on Sui Sin Far.

I think the common link between these two passages is the occurrence of the white people in Zitkala-Sa and Sin Sui Far's lives insulting their intelligence. The oppressors automatically assume they know what's best for the girls, whether it's how to dress, how to behave, where to live, how to talk, etc. Even though Sin Sui Far isn't enrolled in a school aimed at "civilizing her" like Zitkala-Sa, it's apparent from this passage that their whole lives are filled with people trying to "educate" them on what they already know, and better.