|| FLAMINGO || MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX || NCERT CLASS 12 SOLUTION ||
|| FLAMINGO || MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX || NCERT 12 SOLUTION ||
An Introduction to the poet :
KAMALA DAS: The poet Kamala das is an Indian poet. She was born in Malabar, Kerala in 1934. She wrote in Malayalam and English under the pen name Madhavikutty. She published many of her books like novels, short stories etc in English. Kamala das is a serious writer, who could delve into the character of her stories. Being herself a sensitive writer she could understand human relations better which we find in her writings. This poem is also not an exception.
Some of Kamala Das's notable works are :
1. Alphabet of Lust, Novel (1977)
2. Padmavati the Harlot and other stories (1992)
An Introduction to 'My Mother at Sixty Six'.
Considering herself a responsible daughter, the speaker Kamala Das observes her mother's face and state of health closely. Subsequently she finds that due to ageing she looks pale and ashen, which, for a conscious daughter is unbearable. Although ageing is a natural process, still it is not tolerable on the part of some exceptional people. The speaker is one of such persons. She feels so pain that instantly she looks outside through the window of the car with view to forgetting her mother's pathetic sight. Even at the last moment, she hides her pain showing her smiling face and bidding farewell.
THE POEM (TEXT)
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 realized 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 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 fear,
but all I said was, see you soon,
Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and
smile......
WORD NOTES:
Ashen - very pale with illness
corpse - a dead body
sprinting - to run fast
spilling - to scatter, move out
wan - weak, pale, colorless
LINE BY LINE SUMMARY OF THE POEM ' MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX'
As has been mentioned by the speaker, she, along with her mother, was going to the Cochin airport in order to travel somewhere. Her mother went just to see off her. But while going by car, the speaker happened to notice her mother's face very closely and she found that her mother looked very pale with her open mouth teeth etc. In an instant, the speaker compares her mother's face to that of a corpse or dead body.. As she considered it painful to see such a face even if it was her mother's. Hence to avoid the sight, she looked outside to observe the opposite scene, which was lively and energetic. That was the sight old young trees and also of the playing young children. Then, they reached the airport and after the security check, the speaker looked at her mother's face once again closely, but she finds no difference. Her mother's face looked like that of a fading moon. In fact, this was her childhood fear that old age is the period of deformed body, pale face and corpse like figure. Finally the poet assures herself that after coming back she will meet her mother again. So, with her smiling face she tells that she would see her mother after her short errand or journey.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE POEM:
Time is the ultimate destroyer, it spares none. This is applicable to human beings also. As one grows up, one comes across different stages of life. To some people it is a natural phenomenon and to some others it is a challenge. That is why very often, with the help of scientific devices and tools people who can afford, try to hide their age or defeat ageing. But the ultimate truth can not be hidden. hard time comes to everyone from an emperor to an ordinary human being. In this poem, the speaker tries to divert her attention from the reality, but she fails. She is not ready to accept that her mother has become older with the passage of time, but this truth is very rough or harsh for her. The lines......' but soon ...put that thought away' indicates that the poet is afraid of facing the truth. Similarly the poet had a fear of losing her dearest one since her childhood. She says: 'my childhood fear. 'is also an indication of her helplessness with regard to ageing and the subsequent stage of her mother. Her final lines indicate the poet's escapism. She says; 'see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile. Thus the poet seems to have escaped the reality.
Over all, this poem expresses the feelings of the poet about her mother from the very core of her heart
TEXTUAL QUESTION ANSWERS:
1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels ?
Answer:
The pain and the ache that the poet feels is her fear since her childhood. This has been reminded by her mother's pale face which looks like that of a corpse. This is, in fact the fear of decay and eventual death.
2. Why are the young trees described as 'sprinting' ?
Answer:
Whenever one travels by a fast moving vehicle, even the standing things or objects seem to be running backward fast. Such appearance has been termed a sprinting.
3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children 'spilling out of their homes?'
Answer:
The poet's mother is dozing. She looks lifeless as if a corpse. She is an image of decay and ageing. Comparing to her, the children who are coming out of home, are very happy. They symbolize vitality and energy.
4.Why has the mother been compared to the late winter's moon ?
Answer:
This is a comparison which is also known a 'simile'. The pale and bloodless appearance of the poet's mother resembles that of a corpse due to her ageing. She has lost her charm and strength of early life like that of the moon. Now both the moon and the poet's mother are at the same stage. Hence this is a suitable comparison.
5.What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify ?
Answer: The parting words "see you soon, Amma," is an assurance of life and encouragement to an old and infirm mother. The poet tries to hide her emotions and keeps smiling in order to overcome the ache and fear inside her heart.
EXTRA QUESTION AND ANSWERS:
1. How does the poet's mother look like? What kind of image has the poet used to signify her ageing and decay ?
Answer:
The poet's mother looks pale and shine less due to old age. She looks dozing as old people normally do while sitting or travelling.
The poet's mother's ashen face indicates that she is an image of death.
2. Why does the poet put that thought away and looks outside ?
Answer:
The thought that the poet's mother's face looks like that of a corpse due to over ageing. Seeing this, the poet feels pain and instantly, she put that thought away and looks outside with a view to diverting her attention.
3. What does the poet see happening outside ?
Answer:
The poet, seeking diversion from her mother's corpse like appearance, looks outside and enjoys young sprinting trees. Also she notices the happy children running out of their homes.
4. What was the poet's childhood fear ?
Answer:
The poet's childhood fear is that with the ageing her mother would come across decay and ultimate death, which is beyond her control. Hence she fears that she is going to lose her mother.
5. What does the expression 'looks at the outside world' mean ?
Answer:
This means the poet's looking outside through the window of the vehicle. She looks at the merry children coming out of their home and the young trees sprinting.
OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS:
1. Who is the poet of the poem 'My Mother at Sixty Six'?
Answer: Kamala Das.
2.Where airport were they driving to ?
answer: Cochin airport.
3.What was the poet's mother doing ?
Answer: The poet's mother was dozing with her open mouth.
4. Which thought did the poet put away ?
Answer: The poet put the thought of her aging mother away from her mind for a while.
5. What does 'security check' mean ?
Answer: Here security check means the routine security check up at the airport.