POEM: 1
My Mother At Sixty-Six Kamala Das
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INTERPRETATION
& ANALYSIS
The poem
speaks of the process of ageing; the poet’s love for her mother and her
concerns about her mother. It depicts the battle of emotions going in the
poet’s mind at the time of her departure from her mother.While travelling to
Cochin airport, the poet’s mind was flooded with love and concern for her
mother. It was Friday morning and her mother was sitting beside her with her
mouth wide open and dozing, signifying the tiredness and passivity that comes
with old age. The poet has used simile in comparing her mother’s face with a
corpse. In the old age a person loses all the glow and charm of one’s youth.
The skin becomes pale, faded and wrinkled like that of a corpse.
Looking at
the discolored face and inert figure, a painful realization came upon her that
her mother had become really very old. But she cast aside that thought and
looked out. Here the poet has tried to build a contrast with the images of
sprinting trees and merry children. The trees have been personified as if
running fast symbolizing the fleeting time and the merry children denote
vigour, youth, enthusiasm, vitality and freshness. The contrasting images
foreground the poet’s mental state very clearly that how poignantly she could
feel her mother’s miserable condition against such a backdrop.
At the
airport they got separated after the security check and she looked again at
her mother. Here again the poet has used a simile comparing her mother with
the late winter’s moon. In the winter season because of haze and fog, the
brightness of the moon appears to be dim and dull. Moreover, winter is
symbolic of death, decay and passivity and her mother’s condition also seemed
like that. The moment of separation revived the poet’s fears and worries
which she had already felt when she got a bit mature. She bade farewell to
her mother with a smile on her face and saying, “See you soon, Amma.” The
parting expression suggests that she was willing to give an assurance to her
mother that she shouldn’t be worried; that she would be back to her to look
after her and with her smile perhaps she was trying to hide the pain that was
lying buried somewhere in her heart.
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GLOSSARY
Corpse - Dead body, Carcass
Sprinting - Running, Fleeting
Doze - Drowse, Snooze
Wan - Weak, Pale
Read
the following stanzas carefully and answer the questions given below :
Driving from home to cochin last
Friday morning
I saw her beside me, doze, open
mouthed,
Ashen like that of a corpse.
1. Where was the poet going?
Ans: The poet was
going to Cochin airport.
2. Who was sitting beside her?
Ans: The poet’s
mother was sitting beside her.
3. Which is figure of speech used in this
stanza?
Ans: Simile
has been used by the poet.
4. Why has the mother been copared to a
corpse?
Ans: The
mother has been compared to a corpse because just as a corpse has no charm; it
loses all stiff and wrinkled; it is all dull; similarly the mother in her old
age had lost all the grace of her youth. Her face was full of wrinkles and her
beauty had faded.
And realized with pain that
She was as old as she looked
But soon put that thought away
1. What did Kamala Das realize with pain?
Ans: Kamala
Das realized that her mother had really become very old.
2. Why was the poet pained?
Ans: The
poet was pained when she saw her mother’s state. The mother was quite old,
exhausted and had lost all her charm. She was quite feeble as well.
3. Why did she put away the thought?
Ans: She
put away the thought as it was troubling her that she perhaps won’t be able to
see her again.
And looked at the young trees sprinting and
Merry children spilling out of their homes
1. What do the ‘young trees sprinting’
suggest?
Ans: When
one travel in a car or bus, one sees the trees running away in an opposite
direction. But apart from this literal meaning, it indicates that time flees
away very fast and doesn’t stop for anything and anybody. The sprinting trees
make her realize that her mother has become very old very soon.
2. What
are the children doing?
Ans: The
children are happy and rushing out of their homes.
3. What
does the image of merry children denote?
Ans: It
stands quite in contrast to the image of the poet’s mother who symbolizes old
age, passivity, lack of enthusiasm, loss of grace etc. The children stands for
just the opposite of all this. She sharply feels the dullness of her mother
against the background of lively children.
After the airport’s security check
Standing a few yards away, I looked
Again at her, wan, pale like a late winter’s moon.
1. What did happen at the airport?
Ans: There
was security checking at the airport after which they were separated.
2. What
did the poet notice about her mother at the airport?
Ans: She
noticed that her mother had become very weak and her charm had faded away.
3. Why
does the poet compares her mother with late winter’s moon?
Ans: Winter
is symbolic of death, decay and passivity. In this season the moon appears to
be dim in its brightness because of fog and haze. Moreover, the word ‘late’
attached to winter denotes that winter is approaching its end. In the same way,
the mother was approaching her end and had lost all her beauty and charm.
And felt the old familiar ache
My childhood’s fear and all
I said was, see you soon Amma,
And all I did was, smile and smile and smile…
1. What was the poet’s childhood fear?
Ans: The
poet had feared right from her childhood that one day her mother would be very
old and weak, unable to look after herself. The poet would have to leave her
alone.
2. Why
is the ache familiar?
Ans: The
ache is familiar because since the time the poet became mature or started
understanding things, she feared that she would have to lose her mother one
day.
3. What
does the expression see you soon Amma suggest?
Ans: At
the moment of parting, the poet tries give an assurance to her mother that she
needn’t worry; that, she would be back to look after her mother.
4. Why
does the poet smile?
Ans: The
poet puts on a smile to hide the pain which was lying buried somewhere in her
heart. She didn’t want to bother her mother by showing her worries.
SHORT
ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. What
is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Ans: The
poet loves her mother a lot and is quite worried about her. She has already
felt that one day her mother would be very old and feeble she won’t be with her
to look after her. At the time of parting from her, she feels that the moment
has come.
2. Why are
the young trees described as sprinting?
Ans: The
young trees are described as sprinting as while moving ahead, the trees seem to
be running back fast. Moreover, the imagery also indicates the time fleeting
very fast making the poet realize how soon her mother reached the old age.
3. Why has the poet brought in the image
of merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?
Ans: The
poet has brought in the image of merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’
to contrast her mother’s condition symbolizing weakness, passivity, loss of
youth andvitality against the youthful and energetic surrounding full of merry
children.
4. Why
has the mother been compared to late winter’s moon?
Ans: Winter
is symbolic of death, decay and passivity and in winter because of fog the moon
appears in faded glory. Moreover, late
winter symbolize approaching end of season. The mother has all the similarities
with this. She also appears in her faded glory, old and weaksuggesting the
approaching end of her life.
Ans: The
parting words, “See you soon, Amma,” suggest that she is trying to give an
assurance to her mother that she needn’t worry, she would come back to look
after her. And through her smile, she is, perhaps, trying to hide her pain
which was lying buried somewhere in her heart.
6. What
does the poet mean by ‘old familiar ache’?
Ans: It
means that the poet has already felt the ache because right from the time, she
was a bit mature, she realized that one day she wouldn’t with her mother; she
would be all alone weak and old, unable to look after herself. At the time of
parting, the pain wells up again.
7. “Ashen like that of a corpse.” Which
figure of speech has been used by the poet in this line? What does it mean?
Ans: The
poet has used simile here. She is comparing her mother’s condition with a dead
body. Just as a dead body has no charm or glow and it is all stiff and
wrinkled, the poet’s mother also appears the same.
PREVIOUS YEARS' QUESTIONS
(2018) What does the poet’s smile in the poem
‘My Mother at Sixty Six’ show?
(2017) What kind of pain does Kamala Das feel
in ‘My Mother at Sixty Six’?
(2016) Read the extract given
below and answer the questions that follow: [4 Marks]
…
I saw my mother
Beside me
Doze,
open mouthed, her face
Her
face ashen like that
Of
a corpse and realized with
Pain…
(a) Who
is ‘I’?
(b) What
did ‘I’ realize with pain?
(c) Why
was the realization painful?
(d) Identify
and name the figure of speech used in this line.
(2015) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: [4 Marks]
and
looked out at young
trees
sprinting, the merry children spilling
out
of their homes, but after the airport's
security
check, standing a few yards
away,
I looked again at her, wan,
pale
as a late winter's moon and felt that
old
familiar ache .
(a) How can the trees sprint?
(b) Why did the
poet look at her mother again?
(c) What did she observe?
(d) Identify the
figure of speech used in these lines.
(2014) What was the poet's
childhood fear? [2
Marks]
(2013) Read the stanza given below: and answer the
questions that follow: [3 Marks]
Driving from my parent's
home
to Cochin last Friday
morning,
I saw my mother, beside me,
doze,
open mouthed, her face ashen like that
of
a corpse and realised with pain
that
she was as old as she looked ...
(a)
Where was the poet driving to ?
(b)
Why was her mother's face looking like that of a corpse?
(c)
What did the poet notice about her mother?
(2012) Why are the young trees
described as 'sprinting'? [2 Marks]
(2011) What were Kamala Das "fears as a child"? Why do they
surface when she is going to the airport? [2 Marks]
(2010) What is the significance
of the parting words of the poet and her smile? [2 Marks]
(2009) What do the poet's
parting words to her mother signify? [2 Marks]
(2008) Read the stanza given below: and answer the
questions that follow: [4 Marks]
............ and
looked but
soon
put that
thought away, and
looked out at young.
trees
sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of
their homes,
(a) Who looked out at young trees?
(b) Which
thought did she put away?
(c) What do young sprinting trees signify?
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