My Mother at Sixty-Six by Kamala Das

My Mother at Sixty Six

The poet is driving from her parents home to Cochin by car, her mother by her side—sleeping – open mouthed very pale, colourless and frail-like a dead body indicating that her end was near. The poet looks at her and feels intense pain and agony to realize that soon death will cast her mother from her. She tries to divert her mind, looks outside at the young trees and happy children bursting out of their homes in a playful mood.

After the security check at the airport she looks again at her mother’s face—pale and cold.

The poet has always had a very intimate and close relationship with her mother and she has always felt the fear of being separated from her mother hence it is familiar. The poet reassures her mother that they will meet again.

NCERT Book Solution

Page No: 91
Think it Out
1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

OR

What kind of pain does Kamala Das feel in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’? (2017 Delhi)

Answer: The childhood fear and pain about the aging and inevitability of death gripped the poet seeing her mother’s failing health. She realised soon her mother would die and she would be separated from her forever.
2. 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. The movement of the children and the trees is in stark contrast with the stillness associated with the mother.
3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children 'spilling out of their homes'?
Answer:  The poet highlights the helplessness and frailty of old age with the help of contrasts. The mother dozes off mouth open, whereas the children spilling out of their homes signify movement and energy, enthusiasm and vivacity, which the old people are bereft off.
4. Why has the mother been compared to the 'late winter's moon'?        2013, Delhi, SET I
Answer:  The mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon which is dull and shrouded. It symbolizes the ebbing of life. The moon brings to the poets mind night or the approaching end of life. The mother like the late winter’s moon is dull, dim and dismal.
5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Answer:  The parting words ‘see you soon Amma’ are used by the poet to reassure the mother and to infuse optimism in the poet herself. The poet accepts the reality yet keeps up the façade of smiling 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.

Additional Questions

Q. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each:

Q. What was the poet’s childhood fear?      2014, Outside Delhi, SET I

Answer: A child is always afraid of being separated from parents especially mother. Similarly, the poet’s childhood fear is that of losing her mother.

Q. What do the parting words of Kamala Das and her smile signify?         2014,Outside  Delhi, Comptt., SET I

Answer:  The poet says, “See you soon Amma” to reassure her mother that she would see her soon. But she knows the reality so to hide her fear of separation she smiles.

1. What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them?

OR

What does the poet’s smile in the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ show? (2018 Delhi)

Answer: The poet’s feelings at the airport were of fear of separation from her mother. She hid them by smiling again and again and before leaving promised her to meet soon.

2. What were Kamala Das’ fears as a child? Why do they surface when she is going to the Airport?            2011, OUTSIDE DELHI, SET I

Answer: Kamala Das, fears that her mother would leave her alone one day. They surface when she takes an intense look at her mother who is seated beside her while going to the Airport.

3. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother? 2014, Delhi, SET I

Answer: Kamala Das is troubled by the thoughts of her ageing mother and tries to console herself by looking outside the car. The sight is full of youthful whim and vigour. She watches the trees ‘sprinting’ past her speeding car and the children, full of life and activity, running out of their houses to play. Her ashen like mother irks her so much that for a moment she ponders over the past memories to feel solace.

Q. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

I looked again at her, wan, pale

as a late winter’s moon 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........             (2018 Comptt. Delhi)

(a) What was the poet’s childhood fear ?

Answer: The childhood fear that troubled the poet now was that her mother was growing old and sick. She was fearful for her death.

(b) Why is the mother compared to a late winter’s moon ?

Answer: The poet’s mother is old, frail and very pale like the moon in late winter.

(c) What were the poet’s parting words ?

Answer: The parting words of the poet were ‘see you soon,  Amma’.

(d) What does her smile signify ?

Answer: The poet smiles to hide her fear from her mother.

Q. familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,

but all I said was, see you soon,

Amma,

all I did was smile and smile and

smile…………….                                     2016 Delhi SET I

(a) What does the phrase, ‘familiar ache’ mean?

Answer: By the phrase ‘familiar ache’ the poet means the pain or fear that the poet has had since her childhood.

(b) What was the poet’s childhood fear?

Answer: The poet has always feared to get separated from her mother.

(c) What do the first two lines tell us about the poet’s feelings for her mother?

Answer:  The first two lines show the poet’s concern for her mother and her fear of separation from her mother.

(d) What does the repeated use of the word, ‘smile’ mean?

Answer:  The repeated use of the word ‘smile’ shows the poet’s desperate attempt to hide her fear from her mother.

Q. ……I saw my mother,

beside me,

doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that

of a corpse and realised with pain ………..                  2016 Outside Delhi SET I

(a) Who is’ I’?

Answer:  ‘I’is the poet Kamala Das in the above extract.

(b) What did ‘I’ realise with pain?

Answer: The poet realised  with pain that her mother had become rather old and looked like a corpse.

(c) Why was the realisation painful?

Answer: The realisation was painful because it brought a fear of separation from her mother and a sense of helplessness at her inability to do anything for her mother.

(d) Identify and name the figure of speech used in these lines.

Answer: The figure of speech used is a simile in the expression, ‘her face ashen like that of a corpse’.

Q. ... but soon

put that thought away, and

looked out at young

trees sprinting, the merry children spilling

out of their homes, ...                        2014, Delhi, Comptt., SET I

(a) What thought did the poet drive away from her mind?

Answer: The poet put away the thought of separation from her mother. Her mother had grown old and was approaching her death.

(b) What did she see when she looked out of the car?

Answer:  when she looked out of the car she saw young trees sprinting and merry children spilling out of their homes.

(c) How do you know that the joyful scene didn’t help her drive away the painful thought from her mind?

Answer: The joyful scene didn’t drive away the painful thought from her mind as she looked back at her mother she was gripped in the fear of separation from her mother.

Q.    ……………………… 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,                         2015, Outside Delhi, SET I

(a) How can the trees sprint?                 

Answer: When we look out of a moving vehicle, we see the objects moving in the opposite direction. This motion is referred to as ‘sprinting’ by the poet, who looked out of her moving car, felt as if the trees were running.

(b) Why did the poet look at her mother again?                  

Answer: The poet looked at her mother as she was feeling anxious and insecure. She looked at her mother to reassure herself about the well-being of her mother.

(c) What did she observe?                                             

Answer: The poet observed that her mother’s face is withered like the late winter’s moon. Her face had become pale and dull.

(d) Identify the figure of speech used in these lines.                  

Answer: figure of speech used in these lines:

(i) young Trees sprinting- Personification

(ii) wan, pale as a late winter’s moon- Simile

1. Driving from my parents

 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 …             2013, Outside Delhi, SET I

 (a) Where was the poet driving to?                                      

Answer: The poet was driving to Cochin from her parent’s home.

(b) Why was her mother’s face looking like that of a corpse?                  

Answer: Her mother’s face was looking like a corpse because she was old, weak, pale and lifeless.

(c) What did the poet notice about her mother?                        

Answer: The poet noticed that her mother’s mouth was open and her face looked like that of a corpse.

2. I saw my mother,

beside me,

doze, open mouthed, her face

ashen like that

of a corpse and realised with

pain

that she thought away, and

looked but soon

put that thought away,                     2015, Delhi, SET I

(a) What worried the poet when she looked at her mother?             

Answer: The poet was worried about her mother’s advancing age.                       

(b) Why was there pain in her realisation?                                            

Answer: There was a pain in her realisation because her mother now looked as old as she was, her bodily infirmities that come with her old age was visible on her face and she was approaching her death.

(c) Identify the figure of speech in these lines.                                          

Answer: A ‘Simile’ is used in the lines ‘ashen like that of a corpse’.

(d) Why did she put that thought away?                                                

Answer: She put that thought away otherwise it would give her immense pain and anxiety.

3. ……..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 the young trees?

Answer: The poet Kamala Das looked out at the young trees.

(b) Which thought did she put away?

Answer: The poet put away the thought of her mother passing away as she had grown old and her body was decaying.

(c) What do young sprinting trees signify?

Answer: The young trees signify the energy of the youth and continuity of life in contrast to her thoughts related to her old-aged mother.

(d) What are ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’, symbolic of?       

Answer: The merry children spilling out of their homes are symbolic of happiness, energy and playfulness. They are in stark contrast to the dull and sobre atmosphere inside the car.

(e) How do you know that the joyful scene didn’t help her drive away the painful thought from her mind?

Answer: The joyful scene didn’t drive away the painful thought from her mind as she looked back at her mother she was gripped in the fear of separation from her mother.

4. ….as a late winter’s moon and felt

that old

familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,

but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,

(a) What does the ‘Childhood fear’ refer to?                            

Answer: The poet’s childhood fear of losing a parent or fear of separation is the familiar ache being talked about.

(b) What is compared to a late winter’s moon and why?         

Answer: The poet’s ageing mother is compared to the late winter’s moon. The poet’s mother is old, frail and very pale like the moon in late winter. Hence, the comparison is apt.

(c) Why did the poet say ‘see you soon, Amma’?                    

Answer: The poet says this to reassure her mother that she would see her soon. After the pain, there is a mood of acceptance of reality.

5. ..... 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 ...

(a) What was the childhood fear that now troubled the poet?                 

Answer: The childhood fear that troubled the poet now was that her mother was growing old and sick. She was fearful for her death.

(b) What do the poet's parting words suggest?                                            

Answer: The parting words of the poet suggest her optimism to meet her mother again.

(c) Why did the poet smile and smile?                                                        

Answer: The poet smiled and smiled to hide her fear from her mother.