CBSE Class 12 English Flamingo My Mother At Sixty Six Assignment Set C

About the Poet

Kamala Surayya (born Kamala) (1934–2009), also known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and Kamala Das, was an Indian English poet and littérateur besides being a leading Malayalam author from Kerala, India.Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in English, written under the name Kamala Das, is noted for the poems and explicit autobiography. She was also a widely read columnist and wrote on diverse topics including women’s issues, child care and politics among others.

Theme

‘My Mother at Sixty Six’ captures the fear of the narrator of losing her mother due to declining health and loss of energy which accompanies old age. The poet accepts this reality and is disturbed by her mother’s need for her on one hand, and her own duties and responsibilities on the other hand. This helplessness is poignantly brought out in this poem. The emotions experienced by the poet are essentially universal in nature. The fear of losing a loved one is a theme the reader can identify with.

Form

This poem is in the form of a narrative of fourteen lines written as a single sentence. This is called enjambment. The poem is written in a single sentence punctuated by commas. This highlights the stream of consciousness effect where one thought leads to another. The tone is reflective and the mood is one of resignation and acceptance.

Justification of the Title

The title is apt as the poem is about the narrator’s realisation that time has flown by and old age has crept up on her mother. The poem revolves around the theme of advancing age and the fear of loss and separation associated with it.

Message

Ageing is a natural process and it will affect each one of us. The complexity of life is that children are perturbed by the condition of their parents and wish to be with them.However, they have to leave their parents behind and move on with their commitments. The question arises how to strike a balance between looking after the ageing parents and attending to our duties and responsibilities.

Summary

Declining health and loss of energy accompanies old age. The narrator accepts this reality and is disturbed by her mother’s need for her on the one hand, and her own duties. In the poem the narrator is driving to the airport. The mother is with her. She realizes that her mother is old when the latter dozes off. The mother is pale and looks like a corpse. This disturbs the narrator, so she looks out of the window. She sees trees which seem to be running (when seen from a moving car) and children running out to play. These images of energy and vitality are a contrast to her mother who is dozing.

On reaching the airport, the narrator stood a few yards away and looked at her mother’s face again. The mother is old, pale and looks like the obscure winter moon. The narrator is pained at having to leave her frail and aged mother behind.

Kamala Das has beautifully balanced the contrast between old age and childhood or youth in the poem. Old age is shown as ‘ashen’ and compared to a corpse. This is contrasted with words and ideas expressing vitality, energy and movement. For example, ‘Trees sprinting’ and ‘children spilling out’. Old age is like a winter’s moon and the mother is ‘pale’ and ‘wan’. The narrator is pained, yet with a smile says, ‘See you soon.’ The separation is not merely of a daughter leaving, but there is pain and a fear of death, a permanent separation, yet the narrator must leave – probably to fulfil her commitments.

The poem ends with a tone of resignation. The narrator accepts the reality. She smiles as she parts from her mother. The repetition of the word ‘smile’ reiterates the façade the daughter puts up for the sake of the mother – the brave act, the cheerful parting – the resignation and finally the acceptance as she goes away that she may never see her mother alive again.

Poetic Devices

Simile
1. Her face ashen like that of a corpse: poet sees her mother dozing off with her mouth open, almost like a corpse – it seems to have lost all the vitality – the grey colour of ash is usually associated with a dead body - triggers the pain of losing her mother who is close to death.
2. Wan, pale as a late winter’s moon: reinforces the idea that the mother’s face was pale and lifeless like that of a fading winter moon. Winter is symbolic of the last cycle of season – hence waning moon-mother’s frail health misted by age is indicative of imminent death. Poet resorts to escapism to avoid the harsh realities that stares her in the face-dispels the horrifying thoughts by diverting her attention to the images of the young trees and merry children.

Imagery
The imagery used in the poem is suggestive of both death and youth. The image within the car contrasted with images outside car. Merry children spilling out of their home: represent youth and exuberance. This is a contrast to the morbid atmosphere inside the car where the old mother is weak, frail, inactive.

Personification
Young trees sprinting - the sprinting movement of the trees rushing past signify youth, life or passage of time. The mother, travelling in the car is decayed by age. The narrator’s instinctive awareness leads to the familiar ache-painful realization of helplessness cannot share her fears with her mother-fear stemmed out of unknown and she didn’t she want to face her fear of separation—the childhood fear-(inherent in all children) of losing one’s loved ones—the fear of death.

Repetition
Smile and smile and smile: emphases on the fact that she made a desperate effort to cover up her pain, anxiety and agonizing thought of her mother’s impending death by smiling while bidding her a cheerful goodbye.

Metaphor
Children spilling 

POEM IN A NUTSHELL

• Genre: Poetry (Through Narration) Universality of the Theme
Theme of inescapable decay, presentiment of
emotional susceptibility of fear of death, separationisolation.
The imagery used in the poem is suggestive of both death and youth. The daughter’s feelings and concern are portrayed in a sensitive manner. The image within the car is contrasted with images outside the car. One of the many childhood fears that distressed her was the fear of her mother’s death.

Stanza 1
Poem enumerates:
1. pain and anguish felt by the poet.
2. on seeing her ageing mother sitting in the car.
3. on her way – airport.
4. dozing – mouth open – visage pale, ashen, lifeless like that of a corpse
5. dismay – insecurity – triggered childhood fear.

Stanza 2
Escapism-looks outside-car to put–dreadful thought away–y
1. contrast between her mother’s weakness and frailty.
2. blossoming life-exuberance-young trees sprinting-racing past-grim reminder of lapse of time.
3. children sprinting-new hope-happiness-youthpoet drifted back to days of idyllic youth when mother – young-energetic.
4. grim reminder of lost youth-twilight-inching towards death.

Stanza 3 
After security check-standing few yards away
1. looks - mother’s face.
2. wan like winter moon - resembles foggy – misty - end of cycle.
3. feels twitch in heart-old familiar ache-childhood fear seizes her.
4. fear of loss & separation.
5. beset with sorrow-insecurity-agonizing thought of mother’s impending death.
6. bids goodbye-hides fear by smiling-telling ‘see you soon Amma’.
7. hiding her own grief she smiled and smiled and smiled-assurance.

Read the extracts given below and attempt the questions that follow:

1. 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 realized with pain that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought away…

Questions

(i) Where was the narrator driving to?
Answer: The narrator was driving to the airport on her way to Cochin.

(ii) Who was sitting beside her?
Answer: Her mother was sitting next to her.

(iii) What did the narrator notice about her mother?
Answer: The narrator noticed that her mother had dozed off and she was looking old, pale and weak.

(iv) Why did her mother’s face look like that of a corpse?
Answer: The mother looked old, pale and ashen. Since she had dozed off, with her mouth open, the narrator felt she looked like a corpse in that condition.

(v) Find a word from the extract which means ‘sleep lighty’.
(a) ashen
(b) doze
(c) open mouthed
(d) corpse

Answer: B

(vi) ‘ashen like a corpse’ is a
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) personification
(d) alliteration

Answer: A

2. ….looked but soon put that thought away, and looked out at young trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes

Questions

(i) What thought did the narrator put away?
Answer: The narrator realised that her mother had grown old and would not be around for very long. This thought pained her and she wanted to distract herself.

(ii) What did she see when she looked out of the car?
Answer: The narrator saw young trees sprinting and merry children running out of their houses.

(iii) What are the merry children symbolic of?
(a) pale and wan
(b) lack of energy
(c) youth and vitality
(d) sprinting

Answer: C

(iv) ‘sprinting trees’ is a
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) alliteration
(d) personification

Answer: D

(v) Find a word from the extract which means ‘running fast’.
(a) spilling
(b) sprinting
(c) out
(d) thought away

Answer: B

(vi) ‘spilling children’ is a _______.
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) alliteration
(d) personification

Answer: B

3. ….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

Questions

(i) Name the poem and the poet.
Answer: The poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty six’ and the poet is ‘Kamala Das’.

(ii) What did the narrator do after the security check?
Answer: The narrator stood a few yards away and looked at her mother’s face again.

(iii) Why did the narrator compare her mother’s face to a late winter’s moon?
Answer: The narrator’s mother is old, frail and pale like the moon in late winter. Hence, the comparison.

(iv) Find a word from the extract which means the same as ‘colourless’.
(a) pale
(b) ache
(c) yards
(d) check

Answer: A

(v) ‘as a late winter’s moon’ is a
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(b) alliteration
(d) personification

Answer: A

(vi) Who looked at whom?
Answer: The narrator looked at her aging mother.

4. ….as a late winter’s moon and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,

Questions

(i) What has been compared to a late winter’s moon?
Answer: The narrator’s ageing mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon.

(ii) Why has the comparison been made?
Answer: The narrator’s mother looked old, frail and pale like the moon in late winter. Hence, the
comparison.

(iii) Identify the poetic device in the lines. 
Answer: The poetic device used in the line ‘as a late winter’s moon’ is a simile.

(iv) What is the ‘familiar ache’ mentioned in these lines?
Answer: It refers to the narrator’s childhood fear of losing her parent or fear of separation from her.

(v) Find a word in the extract that means ‘pain’.
(a) familiar
(b) felt
(c) ache
(d) fear

Answer: C

(vi) What made the narrator feel the ‘familiar ache’?
(a) winter moon
(b) late moon
(c) mother growing old
(d) returning back home

Answer: C

5. but all I said was, see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile…

Questions

(i) Why did the narrator say ‘see you soon, Amma’?
Answer: The narrator said this to reassure her mother and herself that she would see her soon. After the pain of realizing that her mother had grown old, there is a mood of acceptance of reality

(ii) Why did the narrator smile and smile?
Answer: The narrator tries to put up a brave in front of her mother in order to hide her true feelings of pain on seeing the old and weak condition of her mother.

(iii) ‘Smile and smile and smile’ has a poetic device. Identify it.
(a) simile
(b) metaphor
(c) alliteration
(d) repetition

Answer: D

(iv) Amma is the fond way of addressing someone. Who is being addressed as ‘Amma’ here?
Answer: The narrator’s mother is being addressed as ‘Amma’.

(v) The name of the poet is
(a) Keats
(b) Robert Frost
(c) Kamala Das
(d) Adrienne Rich

Answer: C

(vi) What is the emotion of the narrator in this extract?
(a) happy and cheerful
(b) a feeling of vitality
(c) a feeling of lack of energy
(d) a feeling of resignation and acceptance

Answer: D

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. What is the kind of pain that the narrator feels?
Answer: The emotional pain that the narrator feels is the realization that her mother has grown old and is frail and pale like a corpse.

Question. Why has the mother been compared to ‘late winter’s moon’?
Answer: The mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon which is dull and shrouded. It symbolizes the ebbing away of life. The moon brings to the narrator’s mind, the night or the approaching end of life.

Question. What does the narrator mean by ‘all I did was smile and smile and smile…’?
Answer: The narrator realizes the pain she would feel on leaving her mother. It was her childhood fear that she was experiencing once again. She was trying to hide her true emotions from her mother by smiling and smiling.

Question. What does the narrator do after the security check-up? What does she notice?
Answer: Immediately after the security check-up at the airport, and standing a few yards away from her mother, the narrator observes her mother once again and compares her to the pale, colourless winter’s moon, marking the last phase of her life, i.e. her old age. She is pained to see her in such a condition and the fear of separation returns in her, once again.

Question. Why are the youngsters described as spilling? (My Mother at Sixty-six)
Answer: The narrator is in the car on her way to the Cochin airport. She looks outside. Some children were running about and playing. The poet seems to contrast her aging mother with this image.

Question. What was Kamala Das’s childhood fear?
Answer: After seeing her ageing mother her childhood fear of separation from her mother, returns. She is deeply pained lest she should not find her mother alive on her return. This thought is painful and distressing to her.

Question​​​​​​​. What childhood fears do you think the narrator is referring to in the poem ‘My Mother at Sixty Six’?
Answer: The narrator refers to the fears a child has of losing a parent or getting lost somewhere and thus getting separated from them or even one’s own process of ageing. The narrator felt this kind of fear while looking at her mother’s aged and pale face. She was afraid that she might never see her alive again.

Question​​​​​​​. What were the activities that the narrator saw outside the car window?
Answer: The narrator saw young trees speeding past which seemed as if they were sprinting or running fast. Happy, enthusiastic and energetic children could be seen running out of their homes. They present an image of youth and energy in contrast to the lack of energy of the narrator’s mother.

Question​​​​​​​. Why does the narrator smile and what does she say while bidding goodbye to her mother?
Answer: The narrator smiles in order to put up a brave front so that her mother does not observe her pained and frightened look. She smiles in order to reassure her mother and says that she would see her again soon.

Question​​​​​​​. Having looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the young children?
Answer: While driving her car, the mother was sitting with her. She was dozing with her mouth open. Her face was pale and ashen. She looked like a corpse. She was deeply depressed and pain started troubling her mind. In order to put these troubled thoughts away, she looked at the outside world which was full of life, activity and energy. This distraction made her feel happy.

Question​​​​​​​. Why has the narrator brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?
Answer: The narrator highlights the helplessness and frailty of old age with the help of contrasts. The listless mother dozes off open-mouthed, whereas the children spill out of their homes signifying movement and energy, which the old people are bereft of. The image of the children spilling out of their homes and trees sprinting provides a contrast to the lack of vitality in the mother.

Question​​​​​​​. What poetic devices has the poet used in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’?
Answer: The poem is rich in imagery. Devices of comparisons and contrasts are also used by the poet to draw out the difference between youth and old age. She describes the mother’s face using similes ‘ashen like a corpse’, and ‘late winter’s moon’. The merry children playing happily are contrasted with the old, weak and pale mother and the trees are personified as sprinting.

Question​​​​​​​. Why does the narrator look outside? What does she perceive?
Answer: The very thought of separation from her mother upsets and depresses the narrator. She experiences the fear that she may never meet her mother again. In order to drive away such negative thoughts, she looks out of the window and her mind gets diverted when she sees trees moving rapidly and children playing merrily.

Question​​​​​​​. Why does Kamala Das compare her mother to ‘a late winter’s moon’?
Answer: The late winter’s moon is calm and hazy with a dim lustre; it loses its vitality and power. So the poet compares her mother’s calm, colourless and withered face to the late winter’s moon. She has become weak and wan due to her age of sixty six.

Question​​​​​​​. What do the parting words of the narrator and her smile signify?
Answer: The parting words ‘see you soon, Amma’ are used by the narrator to reassure the mother and to infuse optimism in the narrator herself. She accepts the reality of her mother’s approaching death, yet keeps up the façade of a smiling, happy face in order to put up a brave front. It requires a lot of effort and hence the poet has used the poetic device of repetition to emphasize this.

Question​​​​​​​. What kind of pain does Kamala Das feel in ‘My Mother at Sixty Six’?
Answer: The pain that Kamala Das feels is the pain of separation from her mother by death. She had also felt it in her childhood.

Question​​​​​​​. Why are the young trees described as sprinting?
Answer: The young trees are personified in the poem. They seem to be running in the opposite direction when seen through the window of the moving car. The movement is juxtaposed with the expression on the mother’s face i.e. ashen like a corpse.

Question​​​​​​​. What does the narrator’s mother look like? What kind of images have been used to signify her ageing ?
Answer: The narrator’s mother is sixty-six years old, looks pale like a corpse. The imagery of lack of energy and vitality has been created by this comparison.

Question​​​​​​​. What is the narrator’s familiar ache and why does it return?
Answer: The narrator is pained to see her mother old and pale. This arouses the ‘familiar ache’ in her heart which she used to experience in her childhood.

Question​​​​​​​. In the last line of the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’, why does the poet use the word ‘smile’ repeatedly?
Answer: In the last line the poet repeats the word ‘smile’. This repetition brings out the poet’s need to hide her pain from the mother and pretends that all was well and they would meet again. The smile heightens the contrast between her inner pain and outward behavior.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question​​​​​​​. The poem, ‘My Mother At Sixty Six’, brings home the theme that ageing is a natural process and is going to envelop one and all. Comment.
Answer: The narrator sees her mother dozing and looking pale like a corpse. The mother’s pale face arouses the narrator’s childhood fears of losing her mother but she cannot stay on. She accepts her mother’s ageing as a natural process. She hides her pain and guilt under a smile. The narrator delves on the complexities of life in which we have to strike a balance and sometimes part with our dear ones as we have other commitments. Ageing is the law of nature. Every child goes through the fear of losing the parents. When the narrator sees her mother dozing, her childhood fear is revived. The daughter is disturbed by the fact that her mother is growing old and looks out of the car to distract herself. The images outside the car of movement and energy, highlight the weakness of the mother. The poet has brought out the emotions of a daughter. When she bids farewell to her mother. The pain of the narrator is brought out when she talks of her childhood fears. The relationship of the mother and daughter is explored and the concern is portrayed in a sensitive manner. The daughter smiles to hide her pain and also to reassure herself that everything will be alright