I Can Not Remember My Mother | Poem 5 | English 9th | Tulip Series | JKANSWERS |
Poem 5 – I Can Not Remember My Mother [Tulip Series] Free NCERT Solutions | JKANSWERS |
Rabindranath
Tagore (1861-1941), Indian poet, philosopher, and Nobel laureate, was born in Calcutta
(now Kolkata). He began to write poetry as a child; his first book appeared
when he was 17 years old. After a brief stay in England (1878) to study law, he
returned to India, where he rapidly became the most important and popular
author of the colonial era, writing poetry, short stories, novels, and plays.
He composed several hundred popular songs and in 1929 also began painting.
Tagore
wrote primarily in Bengali, but translated many of his works into English
himself; critics agree they are much more effective in the original. Tagore’s
writing is highly imagistic, deeply religious, and imbued with his love for
nature and his homeland. He was awarded the 1913 Nobel Prize in literature for his
work Geetanjali, and in 1915 he was knighted by the British King George V.
Tagore renounced his knighthood in 1919 following the Amritsar massacre of
nearly 400 Indian demonstrators by British troops. His Collected Poems and
Plays were published in 1966. He is also known for establishing Shanti Niketan,
a University at Calcutta (now Kolkata)
I
Can Not Remember My Mother(Rabindranath Tagore)
I
cannot remember my mother
only
sometimes in the midst of my play
a
tune seems to hover over my playthings,
the
tune of some song that she used to
hum
while rocking my cradle.
I
cannot remember my mother
but
when in the early autumn morning
the smell of shiuli flowers floats in the air,
the scent of the morning service in the temple
comes
to me as the scent of my mother.
I
cannot remember my mother
Only
when from my bedroom window I send
my
eyes into the blue of the distant sky,
I
feel that the stillness of my mother’s gaze on my face
has
spread all over the sky.
Central Idea of the Poem
Every child loves his mother. A child cannot live without his mother. He does not
want his mother to hide for a second. And mother, the most affectionate, kind, and
caring cannot leave her child for a second.
This poem shows the sensitive and intense feelings of a child, who remembers all the
things that his mother used to do.
Summary of the Poem
The poem “I Can Not Remember My Mother” has been written by Rabindranath Tagore. An
Indian poet Tagore was the lover of Nature and his homeland.
In this poem, he writes how much his mother loved him. He says that he remembers
his mother in the middle of the play when he hears a tune the same as his mother
used to sing while swaying his cradle to make him sleep well. He says that he
smells the scent of his mother when the scent of flowers floats in the air in the
morning service of the temple.
With
emotions, intense feelings, and sensitiveness, the poet remembers the gazing of
his mother on his face when he looks into the blue sky which is very far away from
him gazing at him, as his mother has gone, she is also very far away from him
now. His mother used to gaze on his whole face while standing still nearby him.
These lines in the poem are very emotional and heart touching lines.
The
title of the poem ‘I Can Not Remember My Mother’ does not mean that the poet
has stopped thinking about his mother, but he means to say that he remembers
his mother every time whenever he faces the situations when she used to make
him feel safe and free with her. He remembers all that valuable time, the
golden words, and advice when he was with his mother.
Understanding the Poem
Q1.
What is the poet doing when he remembers his mother?
Ans. First
time the poet remembers his mother when he is at play. The second time he remembers
his mother when he smells the scent of flowers of the temple that his mother used
to use. The third time he remembers his mother when he looks into the sky gazing at
him like his mother used to gaze at him.
Q2.
In what ways does the poet feel the presence of his mother?
Ans. The poet
feels the presence of his mother in music, in the scent of shiuli flowers, and
in the stillness of blue sky that gazes at him.
Q3.
What does the poet hear when he is at play?
Ans. The poet
hears the tune of a song that his mother used to hum while rocking his cradle.
Q4.
What word do we use for the cradle song?
Ans. The word
‘lullaby’ is used for the cradle song. In Hindi, we use ‘lori’ for the cradle song.
The ‘lori’ is sung as a cradle song for the baby to sleep.
Q5.
Is the poet’s mother dead or alive? How do you come to know about it?
Ans. The
poet’s mother is dead because a person is only remembered when he leaves us
forever and never to come back again. In the poem, the poet remembers his mother
many times. In the last lines, he feels the stillness of his mother’s gaze all over the sky. These feelings show that his mother is dead.
Q6.
What sights and smells remind the poet of his mother?
Ans. The sight
of stillness of blue sky and the smell of shiuli flowers of temple remind the
poet of his mother.
Q7.
What are the feelings that this poem arouses in you?
Ans.
The
poem arouses the feelings of the presence of our mother with us. We feel the love
of our mother that she used to when we were in the childhood stage. She used to
say, “wal lagai balai, bochi aasi lejmech, wal khay bate – Kashmiri”, “means –
come my dear, you might be hungry, come have boiled rice.” How can her child be
out of her sight, she used to call ……, again, and again till the child would
appear before her.
‘May Almighty Allah bless all
mothers who are alive and reward Jannat-ul-Firdous to those who left for
heavenly abode, including my mother – Ameen!’
اللہ ربُ العزت میری ماں کو جنت الفردوس عطا کرے ۔ آمیٖن!
Learning about the literary device
Q8.
Imagery: imagery gives sensory impressions and lends clarity to a poem. In this, the poem the poet creates beautiful images that relate to sight, sound, and smell.
Pick
out the visual and aural images related to smell which appeal to our senses
directly.
Ans. Images of flowers
which are put in a plate for temple service in the morning, the image of the temple,
images of people going to the temple service in the morning are visual images,
and the ring of temple bell and the bhajans are aural images related to the smell which appeals to our senses directly.
Q9.
The poem does not have a rhyme scheme or a fixed length for each line. Did you
enjoy the poem? If yes, why?
Ans. Although
the poem has no rhyme scheme or fixed length for each line, still, I enjoyed the
poem because it reminded me about my mother and the days I was playing with my
mother. She used to call me for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and always
whenever there was any special occasion, she used to take me with her. While
reading this poem I felt my mother’s presence with me. An image my mother
wobbled in my mind throughout the poem.
Structure of the Poem
The poem has no rhyme scheme and the lines have no fixed length. The poem consists
of three stanzas and each stanza contains five lines each. The poem is
imagistic. Many images are used which seem to be real in life. The poem takes
every reader to the childhood age.
Discussion
Q1.
Do you help your mother while she performs her household chores?
Ans.
Since
my mother has left for heavenly abode but when she was alive, I used to help
her in many household works. I helped her in the kitchen for making bread, curry,
cooking, washing, and many more works.
If your mother is alive, don’t let
her alone in her work. She always prays for you. Help her so that she could
feel that she has gained a lot by giving you the birth and feeding you all the
time from prenatal to adulthood. Do remember, “Paradise lies beneath the feet
of your mother.”
Q2.
How does your mother inspire you?
Ans. My mother
inspired me a lot she was a good mother she was from a family where all members
are pious Muslims who used to pray all the five times a day. She taught me how
to pray Salah when I was a child. She was good at cooking. I learned a lot from
her. She liked the cleanliness, so I learned washing clothes and utensils from her.
She used to teach me whenever I had a problem with learning. She was sympathetic,
kind-hearted, and helping-mother.
Q3.
How is your mother different from your father?
Ans. Ho can a
child differ his mother from his father. Father and mother are the parents of a
child. They care about their children. In some cases, the father differs from the mother. Whenever the father scolds his children, the mother shows her sympathy.
Although she knows that the father has no wrong intentions towards children,
still she resists back in favour of her children
Q4.
Write an account of any memorable moment that you have shared with your mother.
Ans. Memories
of moments with a mother can never be forgotten. I have many memorable moments
with my mother that I have shared with my mother. I was very much fond of my
mother. I remember when she went to get the vegetables, I used to ask her what
she has brought for me. Once I went with her to the garden, I was a child then,
I fell ill and she wrapped her Phiran to me and went on work. May Almighty
Allah reward my mother with a high place in heaven – Ameen!
Q5.
When we are small kids our parents take care of us when we grow older and our
parents become old, do you think we should care for them in the same way as they
did when we were small babies? Why do you think we should do so.?
Ans. Our
parents do a lot for us. Our parents take care of us when we small kids. They
never let us go hungry. They take care of our daily needs. We should never let
our parents alone when they are old instead, we should do more than that they
did for us when were kids. They are our parents. We should take care of them as
they did for us. We should remember, as we sow so shall we reap. If we leave
our parents alone, our children will also leave us alone when we will be old.
So always take care of your old parents. Do not leave them out of your sight
when they are sick. Always try to make them happy and take their blessings.
Suggested Reading
Leave
this Chanting by Tagore
They are very useful answers
ReplyDelete