My Mother At Sixty Six By Kamala Das for Class 12 English CBSE (Summary, poetic devices, word meaning and stanza based question-answer)
MY MOTHER AT SIXTY
By Kamala Das
(31 March 1934 - 31 May 2009)
DETAILED SUMMARY, EXPLANATION, EXTRACT-BASED QUESTIONS, AND THEIR ANSWER, WORD MEANINGS, AND POETIC DEVICES USED IN “MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX”.
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About the poet
The poem "My Mother at Sixty Six" highlights ageing problems. Here the experience is personal but the theme is universal.
Poetic Devices used.
SIMILE.
Her face ashen like that of a corpse.
The poetess has expressed that her mother's face lacks energy and vitality. Her face is pale and greyish.
Wan, pale as a late winter's moon.
The words pale and wan indicate lifelessness.
2. REPETITION
Smile and smile and smile
3. PERSONIFICATION
trees sprinting
4. METAPHOR
merry children spilling
5. SYMBOLS AND IMAGES.
Trees sprinting symbolises vigour and youth
"Merry children" is symbolic of a carefree and cheerful life.
Winter's moon symbolises decay and death.
WORD MEANINGS.
Doze: feeling sleepy
Ashen: pale or grey.lifeless
Corpse: dead body
Sprinting: running fast
Spilling out: coming out
Wan: colourless
Ache: pain
DETAILED SUMMARY AND VERY SHORT QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWER
Driving from my parent’s home to Cochin …………….. ashen like that of a corpse.
One day the poetess was returning from her parents’ home and going to the Cochin airport. It was Friday. The poet's mother was also sitting beside her. When the poet looks at her mother, she notices that she is dozing off, i.e. feeling sleepy. Her mouth is open and her face is like that of a corpse (dead body). It means she looks bloodless. Just as the intensity of the fire is gone it turns into ashes, the poet's mother has lost her energy and stamina and has become weak. She seems to be moving towards the end of her life.
Q. Where was the poet returning from?
Ans. Her parents' home.
Q. Where was the poet going?
Ans. Kochin airport
Q. Who accompanied the poet?
Ans. Her mother
Q. How did the poet find her mother?
Ans. Doze and open-mouthed.
Q. Which poetic device has been used in the line "ashen like that of a corpse"?
Ans. Simile
Q. The poet compares her mother's face to…..
Ans. That of a corpse
Q. What does the expression "ashen like that of a corpse" mean?
Ans. Without strength and intensity.
Q. Which word in the extract means the same as the dead body?
Ans. Corpse
…………… and realised with pain…………… merry children spilling out of their homes.
The poet realises with pain that her mother has grown old and that she is leaving her mother in old age.
"That thought" refers to the thought about her mother that she has grown old and she is leaving her mother in old age.
The poet here expresses that when she starts thinking about her mother, she gets disturbed, and therefore, to distract herself, she looks outside the window of the car at young trees which appear to be sprinting and those happy children coming out of their homes.
Trees cannot sprint or move. But as the poet is sitting in a running car. Thus she has an illusion that trees are sprinting.
The poet has created the images of “young trees sprinting” and” merry children spilling out of their homes” to present a contrast with her mother as well as to complete the life cycle.
Young trees represent young age. On the other hand, merry children represent childhood, and the mother represents old age..
Q. Which poetic devices have been used in the expression
"Young trees sprinting"?
Ans. Imagery or image as well as Personification
Q. Which poetic device has been used in the expression "Merry children"?
Ans. It is imagery and metaphor.
Q. Which thought has been referred to here?
Ans. Thought about mother who has grown old and that she is leaving her when she (her mother) requires her company.
Q. Why has the poet created the images of young trees sprinting and merry children spilling out of their homes?
Ans. Present a contrast with her mother and complete the life cycle.
Q. What does “the young trees sprinting" signify?
Ans. The Poet’s illusion, energy, and stamina of young age and how fast young age passes.
…….. But after the airport’s security check……………. and smile, and smile.
The poetess goes through the security check because she has to board a plane.
After that, she looks at her mother again and finds her colourless and pale like the late winter's moon. The poet has compared her mother to "late winter's moon" and the comparison is apt. "Late winter's moon" is the symbol of deterioration and death. It means the moon in winter, which is about to set and does not have brightness due to fog, etc. The poet's mother is also weak and she is heading towards her end.
Since her childhood, the poet fears that one day she will be separated from her mother. This fear has been constantly with her and has always been so painful. It surfaces when she is going away from her mother and boarding a plane at Cochin airport.
There is no doubt that the poet is very much disturbed but she doesn't try to show her emotions before her mother. She tells her mother "See you soon Amma'' because she wants to give hope to her. Moreover, she continues to smile. Her smile is fake. She wants to conceal her emotions by smiling.
Q. Why does the poetess look at her mother again?
Ans. To comfort herself as she is disturbed.
Q. What does the poet compare her mother to?
Ans. Late winter's moon
Q. What does late winter's moon symbolise?
Ans. Decay and deterioration
Q. What is the poet's "childhood fear"?
Ans. Losing her mother.
Q. Why does the childhood fear surface again?
Ans. As she is getting separated from her mother.
Q. What does "familiar ache" refer to?
Ans. The pain of separation from her mother.
Q. Which poetic device has been used in the line,” I looked again at her, wan, pale as late winter’s moon.”?
Ans. Simile
Q. Which poetic device has been used in the last line of the stanza?
Ans.Repetition (smile and smile and smile)
Q. Why does the poet smile?
Ans. To conceal her pain and emotions.
Q. What were the parting words of the poet?
Ans. See you soon Amma
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