My Mother at Sixty Six Explanation With Reference to Context
My Mother at Sixty Six - Up CBSE board Class 12
Chapter 5 My Mother at Sixty Six Detailed Explanation of the lesson with summary and
meaning of difficult words. In addition, the explanation is followed by a
summary of the text. All questions and answers given in the lesson are covered
The name of the Lesson -My Mother at Sixty Six (छियासठ वर्ष की आयु में मेरी माँ )
Writer of this Chapter – Kamala
Das
Born – (March 31,1934 )
Dead - May 31, 2009)
About the Author
Kamala Das was born on 31 March 1934 in Malabar, Kerala. She is popularly known by her pen name Madhavikutty and married name Kamala Das. His work is known for his originality, versatility and earthy indigenous flavor. Kamala Das published several novels and short stories in English and Malayalam under her pen name. His important works are 'The Alphabet of Kama' and Padmavati the Prostitute and Other Stories. Kamala participated in literary events in Germany, Jamaica, London and Canada, where she was invited to read her poetry. He also held literary positions in his state of Kerala and for a national daily. In 2009, the Times called her "the mother of modern English poetry".
His many notable achievements include nominations for the Pen Asian Poetry Prize in 1963 and the Nobel Prize in 1984. She also became a syndicated columnist expressing her views on women, children and politics. Kamala lived all her life on her own terms, which is clearly visible in her writings.
He received many awards like Vayalar Award, Muttu Varkey Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award. He died on 31 May 2009 in Pune.
- Summary of the Poem
The poet was driving from her parents home to the cochin airport , her sixty six years old mother was sitting beside her . she looked at her mother ‘s face . her face was pale and gray like ash. She dozing with her open mouth . her face was appearing like a dead body . the poet was extremely sad and afraid at the thought of losing her . to come out of this negative thought she diverted her attention . she looked out side the car . the scene of seemingly fast running trees and merrily playing children was full of life and energy . after security check up at the airport , she again looked at her mother’s colorless and lifeless face . her heart was aching . she hid her tears . she smiled and said see you soon Amma .
- Central Idea of the poem
The central idea of the poem is the poet ‘s fear of losing her mother .her mother is in the last phase of her life . so the poet feels that she will pass away soon . she gets scared of this thought . to come out of this negative feelings. She diverted her attention and looked outside the car. The trees seemed to her sprint backside and children were making merry . after the security check up at the airport , she looked again at her pale and lifeless face . hiding her tears , she said , ‘see you soon Amma .
Poem with Vocabulary and comprehension Question
Stanza -1
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 , they merry children spilling
Out of their home .
- Difficult word
Beside-
निकट
में -by the
side of
Doze- ऊँघना - sleep lightly
Ashen-
पीला
- yellow
Corpse-
शव
-dead body
Put
that thought away- उस विचार को मन से निकल दिया -remove the thought from mind
Sprinting
-तेजी
सो दौड़ते हुए - running fast
Merry-खुश - happy
Spilling
out - बाहर
निकलते हुए -tumbling
out
Question 1- what was the
poet driving to why ?
Answer- The poet was
going from her parents' house to Cochin by car. she was going to catch a flight
there at the airport.
Question 2 – How did the
poet’s mother look during the journey ?
Answer -The poet's
mother was sixty-six years old. She looked weak and sick. She was sleeping with
her mouth open.
Question 3 –What did the
poet realize ? why did she ‘ put that thought .
Answer – The poet
felt that the end of his mother was near. It was a painful thought. She didn't
want to think about it. So he looked outside to divert his attention.
Question 4- What is
meant by ‘ was as old she looked ?
Answer – The color
of ash and the wan, the yellow face of the mother reveal the age and ill
condition of the mother.
Stanza – 2
… 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 ach, my childhood’s
fear,
but all I said was see
you soon Amma ,
all I did was smile
and smile and smile …
- Difficult word
Check- जाँच -examination
Yard - गज -a measure of length nearby a meter
long
Wan- फीका coloreless
Ache-पीड़ा – pain
Explanation - When the poet is going to Cochin with her old mother. So she looks at him closely and goes on to describe it.
When she sees her
mother's pale and pale face, she compares it to a corpse. So she is tormented
by the fear and pain of losing him. A mother with a dozen faces and an open
mouth is compared to a corpse.
The poet is distressed
and shifts his attention outside the car to take out the negative emotions. She
changes her sad mood. The view outside the window is of growing life and
energy. Trees running fast along with children playing with fun are symbols of
life, youth and vitality. The poetess here remembers her childhood when her
mother was young, while now she is surrounded by the fear of losing her and
this has made her insecure.
He is at the airport to
take the flight. It indicates departure and separation which creates sadness.
As she says goodbye to her mother, the image of the old, wan, tired mother in
the twilight of the years strikes her again. Here again a simile is used to
compare her mother to a late winter moon whose light is hindered by fog and
haze as she now looks old, her personality affected by it.
The poet is feeling the
pain of leaving his mother. Also, his childhood fear of losing his mother which
he feels was temporary but may now be forever as she may die of old age, is
haunting him. She is in so much pain that it is natural for her to cry but bravely
she hides her tears and smiles.
She bids farewell to her mother and says, "See you soon, Amma", hoping to see her alive again. She hides her grief as she does not want to create a painful environment for her mother and tells her that just as she is enjoying her life, her mother should also be happy and enjoy her life.
Question 1` How was the scene outside different ?
Answer- The scene
outside was full of joy and activity. Even the trees were seen running. The
children were jumping with joy. This was in stark contrast to the old mother
who was like a corpse.
Question 2- The poet
described her mother with a smile . point out the smile and explain ?
Answer- Mother seemed
ill. The poet describes him as Van, pale because the late winter moon looks
very weak and dim.
Question 3- What do you
think was her childhood fear ? why did say ,’ see soon Amma ?
Answer- As a
child, the poetess was afraid of separation from her mother. Again the same
fear was haunting. He also felt that his mother would be alone. That is his
moral support. She smiled and assured him that she would be with him soon.
Question 4- which poetic
device has the poet used in the last two lines ? why ?
Answer- The word
'repetition' is used in the last two lines. It expresses the poet's intense
feeling for the well being of his mother .
Explanation reference to the context -
1. Explanation reference to the context of the following stanzas:
(a).Driving from
my…. that of a corpse.
Reference - These lines are taken from the poem ' My Mother
at Sixty Six ' by Kamala Das.
Context - The lines make
the poet feel about his mother..
Explanation: The poet was driving a vehicle from his parents' house to
Cochin last Friday morning and during the journey, the poet saw his mother
sitting beside him. She (mother) was asleep (half asleep), her mouth was opened
(this happens because of old age), her face was turned to ashes like a corpse
(dead body). Actually, due to increasing age, the color (redness) of the skin
gradually starts to fade, the softness and brightness of the skin becomes yellow,
colorless.
(b).And realized
with…that thought away.
Reference : These lines are taken from the poem 'My Mother at Sixty
Six' by Kamala Das.
Context-In this verse the
poet comes to know about the old age of his mother
Explanation: When the poet was going to Cochin by car, on the way
he saw that his mother was old. She looked so old that she could be recognized
by her face. His face gave the colors of his old age. But the poet realized
that those thoughts were not conducive and soon removed those thoughts from him
to make himself positive.
(c). And looked out…Looked again at her.
Reference :These lines are taken from the poem 'My Mother at Sixty Six'
by Kamala Das.
Context - In these
lines the poet talks about the movement of trees and children and the
happenings at the airport.
Explanation: . :During a visit to Cochin, the poet looked outside to
clear his negative thoughts, where he saw trees running (running) in the poet's
poetic language but in reality it was an illusion and in the moving vehicle,
everything outside shakes It seems that the poet saw the children jumping out
of their houses, in fact they were very happy to come out to play. And then
when they reached the airport, they had to pass a regular security check, there
after that security check, the poet was standing a few steps away from his
mother and then shage again looked at his mother and asked her See the
feelings.
(d) Wan, pale as a… smile and smile.
Reference - These lines are taken from the poem 'My Mother at Sixty Six' by Kamala Das.
Context - The poet compares his mother and describes the parting movement with his mother
Explanation: The poet found his mother colorless and pale. Its redness,
the attractiveness and luster of the face fades and this is due to old age. The
poet compared these impressions to the late winter moon, the setting moon. And
immediately he felt his old familiar pain, the pain that had been in his heart
since childhood, the fear of losing his mother sometime in childhood, the fear
of being separated from his mother. Told his mother that he would soon see
parting time with his mother.
Think it Out -
Question 1- What is the
kind of pain and ache that the poet feels ?
Answer- The poet feels
the pain that her mother looked like and that old familiar pain, her childhood
'fear of losing her mother'.
Question2 – why are the
young trees described as ‘sprinting?
Answer – The young tree
is said to be running as the poet and his mother were in a moving vehicle and
constantly looking outside gives the illusion of the tree running.
Question 3- why has the
poet brought in the image of the merry children’ spilling out of there homes ?
Answer- The poet has
shown the children splashing out of the house with laughter as the children
were running and jumping with great joy from there. Coming out to play brings
them joy so they were quick to reach out.
Question-4 Why has the
mother been compared to the “late winter ‘moon’?
Answer- Maa has been
compared to the late moon as the moon sets in the winter season, some yellow,
wan and so on that was the form of Maa at that time..
Question -5 what do the
parting words of the poet and the smile signify ?
Answer- The parting words
of the poetess and her smile indicate that she was completely positive that she
would meet her mother very soon in the same situation as when she returned from
abroad .
Before you read
Question 6 - Ageing is
a natural process ; have ever thought what our elderly parents expect from us ?
Answer- People become
weak in old age. Their movements and activities become restricted. They feel
lonely. They expect us to give them company. We should take the time to sit
with them, talk to them and cater to their needs.
Shorts Answer Type
Question
Question 1- what did
the poet realize looking at her mother in the car ?
Answer- When the
poetess saw her mother's face pale, lifeless ashes like a corpse in the car,
she felt with pain that her mother had grown old, that she would soon die.
Question 2- How does
the poet describe her mother ?
Answer- Compares
her sixty-year-old mother to a late winter moon. Due to her old age she looks
pale and dim like a late winter moon. The journey of his life will end soon.
Question 3- what does
the poet mean by ‘ all I did was smile and smile and smile ?
Answer- At the
time of departure, the poet again looks at his mother. The poet experiences the
childhood fear of losing his mother again to see the condition of his mother.
He tried to hide his feelings. In this effort, she smiles and smiles. The smile
here is a forced smile, not a natural one.।
Question 4- what were
the activities that the poet saw out saw outside the car window ?
Answer- The poet looked at the young trees. It was as if they
were running fast. He also noticed that happy, enthusiastic and energetic
children were coming out of his house.
Question 5- why does
the poet look outside ?
Answer- The thought of
being separated from his old mother haunts and depresses the poet. She
experiences the fear that she may never meet her mother again. To overcome this
negative thought, she steps out of the window of her car.
Question 6- what is
the poet familiar ache and why does it returns?
Answer- The poet
is saddened to see the ashes-like face of his old mother. His weak and pale
face resembles a dead body. It awakens in her heart the familiar pain of her
childhood. The poet's fear returns because of the realization of reality. is
his mother in the last stage of her life.
Question 7- what does
the poet do after the security check up?
Answer Immediately
after the security check at the airport, the poet stands a few yards away from
his mother. From there observe his mother's face once again. She compares her
mother to the dull and shrinking moon of winter.
Question 8- what
poetic devices has the poet used in the poem?
Answer- The poem is
full of imagination. The poet has used the tool of comparing and contrasting
the difference between youth and old age.
Question 9- why does
the poet say ,’ see you soon Amma?
Answer- On departure
from the airport, the poet also feels the pain of his old mother. She says that
it makes her reassure herself who will see her soon. Although her heart aches,
she is feeling the ultimate reality of
life.
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