CBSE Class 12 English HOTs My Mother at Sixty Six Set 03

MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX - Kamala Das

About the Poet

Kamala Das (1934 - 2009) is recognised as one of India's foremost poets. Her works are known for their originality, versatility and the indigenous flavour of the soil. Kamala Das has published many novels and short stories in English and Malayalam under the name 'Madhavikutty'. She was also a widely read columnist and wrote on diverse topics including women's issues, childcare and politics. She won Kerala Sahitya Academy Award and Sahitya Academy Award.

Poem Outline

The poem has been written in lyrical idiom and it brings out the complexity of human relationships. The poet had gone to meet her mother and is now driving back to the airport. On the way, she notices the pale face of her mother and is struck with an instant realisation that her mother is very old. The poet is very upset. What is significant about the poem is that the whole poem is a single sentence, punctuated by commas.

Explanation of the Poem

Stanza 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”

Explanation: The poet had gone to visit her parents’ home near Cochin. On Friday morning, she was returning. On her way to the airport, she noticed her mother sleeping beside her in the car. Her mouth was open. Her face was pale and lifeless, just like a dead body. It perhaps expressed the pain she felt because of separation from her daughter.

Stanza 2
“And realised with pain that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought away and looked out at young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes”

Explanation: The poet was alarmed by the sudden realisation that old age had crept upon her mother. It was a reality she found hard to accept. The poet was pained to see her mother's colourless pale face. To take her attention away from the disturbing thought, she looked outside the car. Because the car was moving, the young green trees appeared to be running in the opposite direction. She also saw a group of children rushing out of their homes to play. All this probably reminded her of her childhood when her mother was young. The young sprinting trees represented how fast time had flown by. The children represented youth, which was full of life and energy. Both the young trees and the children presented a sharp contrast to the mother sitting beside her who was old and suffering from ill-health.

Stanza 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”

Explanation: The young children and trees were able to divert her thoughts away. But after reaching the airport and passing through security check, the poet again looked at her mother, who was standing a few yards away from her. Her mother looked lifeless and dull like a late winter’s moon, which cannot be seen clearly because of mist and fog.

Stanza 4
“And felt that old familiar ache, my childhood’s fear, but all I said was, see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile ...”

Explanation: Once again, she was pained to see her mother in this condition. As she was going away and leaving her mother, her old familiar pain, her childhood fear that she would lose her mother, suddenly came back to her. So she tried to hide her emotions behind her smile. She did not want to reveal her feelings to her old mother and bade her farewell with a smile. She gave hope to her mother and herself by saying that they would meet again and kept on smiling.

WORD MEANINGS

• doze — sleep lightly
• ashen — very pale with shock, fear or illness
• corpse — a dead body
• spilling out — rushing out
• wan — pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion
• ache — pain

NCERT FOLDER

Question. Ageing is a natural process; have you ever thought what our elderly parents expect from us?
Answer: Aged people usually undergo pangs of loneliness and need companionship. They long only for our love, care and attention. They expect their children to share the happenings in their lives with them and take their suggestions for making significant decisions. This will encourage them to live life enthusiastically.

Question. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels? or What familiar ache and childhood fear did Kamala Das feel?
Answer: The poet is pained to see her mother's dull and colourless face. She is hurt to see that her mother's face looks like that of a dead body. She is afraid of the fact that she may not see her mother alive next time.

Question. Why are the young trees described as 'sprinting'?
Answer: The car was moving when the poet looked outside at the trees. They appeared to be 'sprinting' because the car was speeding past them in the opposite direction. The 'young' trees represented life in contrast to her mother's approaching death.

Question. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children 'spilling out of their homes'?
Answer: The poet has used this imagery to bring out the contrast between children, who are energetic and full of life, and her mother, who is old, pale and lifeless.

Question. Why has the mother been compared to the 'late winter's moon'? or Why does Kamala Das compare her mother to a late winter's moon?
Answer: Just as a 'late winter's moon' looks hazy and appears to lack brightness and lustre due to mist and fog, similarly, the poet's mother, who is now old, looks pale and devoid of exuberance. Her face looks dull and colourless due to old age.

Question. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Answer: The poet's parting words, "See you soon, Amma", signify hope and assurance, not only to herself but to her mother also, that they will meet again.

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS

“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 ...”

Question. Where was the poet driving to? Who was sitting beside her?
(a) Parent's home, her daughter
(b) The airport, her mother
(c) In the city, her sister
(d) To Cochin, her mother
Answer: (b) The airport, her mother

Question. What did the poet notice about her mother?
(a) Mother face was pale
(b) She was not in good health
(c) Mother's face dark like a corpse
(d) Both (b) and (c)
Answer: (d) Both (b) and (c)

Question. Kamala Das realised that her mother had grown
(a) lifeless
(b) old
(c) full of energy
(d) very sick
Answer: (b) old

Question. Which figure of speech is used in these words, "her face ashen like that of a corpse"?
(a) Metaphor
(b) Simile
(c) Personification
(d) Hyperbole
Answer: (b) Simile

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

Question. Why was the realisation painful?
(a) Fear of mother's illness
(b) Fear of mother's death
(c) Fear of mother's loss of energy
(d) All of the options
Answer: (b) Fear of mother's death

Question. Why did the poet look out of window?
(a) To hide her fear and anxiety
(b) To avoid looking at mother
(c) Something interesting outside
(d) To divert her attention
Answer: (d) To divert her attention

Question. What does the phrase 'trees sprinting' signify?
(a) Running by trees
(b) Time passing very fast
(c) Running around trees
(d) Playing tricks
Answer: (b) Time passing very fast

Question. Which figure of speech has been used in the lines "merry children spilling out of their homes....?"
(a) Alliteration
(b) Simile
(c) Metaphor
(d) Personification
Answer: (c) Metaphor

“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.”

Question. Why did the poet look her mother again?
(a) To see if she was sleeping
(b) To check if she was well
(c) To bid her good bye
(d) To say something to her
Answer: (c) To bid her good bye

Question. Mother's face has been compared to
(a) full moon brightness
(b) late winter's moon and its paleness
(c) young children
(d) young tree
Answer: (b) late winter's moon and its paleness

Question. What were the reason's of mother's pale face?
(a) Mother's old age
(b) Mother's depleting energy
(c) Mother's illness
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Answer: (d) Both (a) and (b)

Question. Which figure of speech has been used in the lines "the young trees sprinting........"?
(a) Personification
(b) Metaphor
(c) Simile
(d) Alliteration
Answer: (a) Personification

“And felt that old familiar ache, my childhood’s fear, but all I said was see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile........”

Question. What is poet's childhood fear?
(a) Mother's illness
(b) Mother growing old
(c) Loosing her mother forever
(d) All of the options
Answer: (c) Loosing her mother forever

Question. Which word in the stanza means "to suffer from a continuous dull pain"?
(a) Wan
(b) Familiar
(c) Pale
(d) Ache
Answer: (d) Ache

Question. Why did the poet say, "see you soon, Amma"?
(a) Bidding farewell
(b) Being hopeful to meet mother again
(c) To comfort her mother
(d) None of the options
Answer: (b) Being hopeful to meet mother again

Question. Why did the poet smile again and again?
(a) Pretending to smile
(b) Trying to hide her fear from mother
(c) To distract her mother
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Answer: (d) Both (a) and (b)

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question. What did Kamala Das think when she looked at her mother? or What were the poet's feelings as she drove to Kochi airport?
Answer: As the poet drove to Kochi airport, she watched her mother dozing open-mouthed. The poet thought that she looked old and withered, which disturbed the poet and she wondered whether her mother would still be alive on her return. Her childhood fear of losing her mother again haunted her.

Question. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
Answer: Kamala Das finds it hard to accept the fact of her mother growing old, as it brings back to her mind her childhood fear of losing her mother forever. She makes a deliberate effort to drive or put away such thoughts by looking outside the car at the sights passing by.

Question. Having looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the young children?
Answer: Kamala Das looked at the young children, as they represented youth, which is full of life and energy. She wanted to drive away the fearful and disturbing thought that her mother was getting old and weak and might die soon.

Question. What was the poet's childhood fear? or What were the poet's feelings at the airport? How did she hide them? or What were Kamala Das’ fears as a child? Why do they come back when she is going to the airport?
Answer: During her childhood, Kamala Das was insecure about losing her mother just as all young children often are. The same old feelings come back to haunt her when she sees her mother's pale and lifeless face. She is tortured by the fact that she may not see her alive again. She hides her feelings by smiling.

Question. What do the parting words of Kamala Das and her smile signify?
Answer: The parting words of the poet reflect the poet's feeling that she wants to meet her mother again. But she wears a smile on her face to mask her pain and to give hope, happiness and reassurance to her mother.

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 of the poem, the poet has repeatedly used the word 'smile' to mask her painful feeling of parting from her mother. She also wanted to reassure her mother of hope and happiness by smiling in front of her.

Question. What does the poet's smile in the poem, 'My Mother at Sixty-six' show?
Answer: The poet was very sad but didn't want to show her fears to her mother, so she was smiling. It was just a façade. In reality she was very sad and had fears of losing her mother soon.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question. Bring out the significance of the smile of the poet as she bade farewell to her mother.
Answer: The poet smiles as she bids farewell to her mother and assures her that they would meet again. As she looks at her mother, who looks pale and weak due to old age, her heart is pained to think that her mother might not live long. She smiles, but her smile is only an effort to cover up the hidden fear and pain in her heart. It is a smile put on deliberately to hide her tears. Her situation is quite ironical. Though she tells her mother that she'll see her soon, she doubts if she will ever see her alive again. The repetition of the word 'smile' shows that it is a long and cheerful one. The smile is also significant because it must have comforted both the mother and the daughter and kindled in them the hope that the mother would survive long enough for the two to meet again.

Question. Bring out the poetic devices used in the poem.
Answer: The poem 'My Mother at Sixty-Six' captures the complex subtleties of human relationships in a texture of symbols, imagery and other poetic devices. The entire poem is structured in the frame of a single sentence, punctuated by commas. It indicates a single string of thought that runs throughout. There is a simile in the explicit comparison of the ashen face of her mother to that of a corpse. We find another simile in the comparison between the pale visage of her mother and the late winter's moon, as her face has lost its brightness. There is the use of personification in the line 'Trees sprinting', where trees are attributed with the quality of running swiftly, for enhancing the poetic effect. The poet has used alliteration in the use of the words 'familiar' and 'fear' the repetition of the consonant sound |/|. It also suggests the poet's familiarity with her childhood fear and the sorrow of losing her mother to death.

Question. Analyse the concept of losing our dear ones on account of old age in the context of the poem.
Answer: The poem 'My Mother at Sixty-Six' brings out the natural complexities of the human mind and the natural fear of losing our parents, which is common to the hearts of all humans. Ageing is an indispensable part of human life which we have to accept, irrespective of the pain it cultivates in our hearts. The poet speaks about her mother who is growing old and has a pale and weak look on her face. Her mother sleeps while travelling, as we realise that she requires rest. The poet recalls how even as a child she has experienced the fear of losing her mother. Now her fear has changed into the fear of losing her mother to death. That is why she diverts her attention by looking outside the window at the trees passing by and the children coming out of their homes to play. Later, at the airport she smiles at the mother only with the hope of meeting her soon.