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My Mother at Sixty-six | Poem 1 | Poetry | English 12th | Flamingo | Summary | Questions | Answers
My Mother at Sixty-six
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 but soon
put that thought away, 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, my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon,
Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and
smile......
sprinting: short fast race, running
wan: colourless
(Kamala Das)
Short Summary
The poem "My Mother at Sixty-six" by
Kamala Das is a poignant exploration of the themes of aging, separation, and
the inevitability of death. The poet shares her emotions as she observes her
aging mother and reflects on the fragility of human life.
While
driving to the airport with her mother, the poet looks at her and notices her
pale, ashen face that resembles a corpse, symbolizing the inevitability of
aging and death. This sight deeply distresses her, reminding her of her
mother's mortality.
To
divert her mind, the poet looks outside the car window at the vibrant, lively
world — the young trees and children playing. This contrast between the
vitality of nature and the frailty of her mother heightens her emotional
turmoil.
At the
airport, as she bids farewell, the poet is struck by the fear of losing her
mother, a fear she has harboured since childhood. Despite her inner grief, she
tries to mask her emotions with a smile and reassures her mother with the
hopeful words, "See you soon, Amma." The poem ends on a
bittersweet note, encapsulating the universal human experience of love and the
pain of parting.
The poem is marked by its simplicity, emotional depth, and vivid imagery, making it a heartfelt meditation on aging and familial bonds.
Think it Out
Question
1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Answer: The poet feels a deep emotional pain
and ache as she becomes acutely aware of her mother’s advancing age and
fragility. The sight of her mother’s pale, ashen face reminds her of her
mortality, evoking a childhood fear of losing her. This realization of the
inevitable separation causes her great anguish.
Question
2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?
Answer: The young trees are described as
‘sprinting’ to create a vivid contrast between the energy and vitality of the
outside world and the poet’s inner feelings of sorrow. The imagery of sprinting
trees symbolizes the ceaseless flow of life and movement, in stark contrast to
her mother’s stillness and aging.
Question
3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of
their homes’?
Answer: The image of merry children spilling
out of their homes is introduced to highlight the vibrancy and joy of youth,
which contrasts sharply with the poet’s somber realization of her mother’s
frailty. It reflects the cycle of life, where youthful exuberance exists
alongside the inevitable decline of old age.
Question
4. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?
Answer: The mother is compared to the ‘late
winter’s moon’ because, like the moon in late winter, she appears pale, wan,
and diminished. This metaphor captures her mother’s aging, fragility, and the
transient nature of life, evoking the inevitability of her eventual departure.
Question
5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Answer: The poet’s
parting words, "See you soon, Amma," and her smile signify an
attempt to mask her inner anguish and fear of losing her mother. They reflect
her effort to reassure both herself and her mother with hope and optimism, even
though she is deeply troubled by the thought of separation and mortality. Her
smile is a courageous facade to conceal her pain.
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