My Mother at Sixty Six – KAMALA DAS
Textual Questions:
Q1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Ans: When the poet sees the pale and corpse-like face of her mother, her old familiar pain
or the ache returns. Perhaps she has entertained this fear since her childhood. Ageing is a
natural process. Time and ageing spare none. Time and ageing have not spared the poet’s
mother and may not spare her as well. With this ageing, separation and death become
inevitable.
Q2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?
Ans: The poet is driving to the Cochin airport. When she looks outside, the young trees
seem to be walking past them. With the speed of the car, they seem to be running fast or
sprinting. The poet presents a contrast—her ‘dozing’ old mother and the ‘sprinting’ young
trees.
Q3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their
homes’?
Ans: The poet has brought in the image of merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’ to
present a contrast. The merry children coming out of their homes in large numbers present
an image of happiness and spontaneous overflow of life. This image is in stark contrast to
the ‘dozing’ old mother, whose ‘ashen’ face looks lifeless and pale like a corpse. She is an
image of ageing, decay and passivity. The contrast of the two images enhances the poetic
effect.
Q4. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?
Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. Her shrunken ‘ashen’ face resembles a
corpse. She has lost her shine and strength of youth. Similarly, the late winter’s moon looks
hazy and obscure. It too lacks shine and strength. The comparison is quite natural and
appropriate. The simile used here is apt as well as effective.
Q5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Ans: The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles provide a stark contrast to the
old familiar ache or fear of the childhood. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to
hide her real feelings. The parting words: “See you soon, Amma” give an assurance to the
old lady whose ‘ashen face’ looks like a corpse. Similarly, her continuous smiles are an
attempt to overcome the ache and fear inside her heart.
Additional Questions:
1. Where was the poet going and who was with her?
Ans: The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. The poet’s mother
had comfort to see her off. She was sitting beside her. She was dozing with her mouth
open. The words ‘driving’ and ‘doze’ provide a contrast between images of dynamic activity
and static passivity respectively.
Q2. What was the poet’s childhood fear?
Ans: The child is always in fear of being separated from his parents. In the same way, the
poet’s fear as a child was that of losing her mother or her company.
Q3. What does the poet’s mother look like? What kind of images has the poet used to
signify her ageing decay?
Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. She is sitting beside the poet and dozing with
her mouth open. This is a sign of old age. Usually, old people keep their mouth open to
overcome breathing problems. Her face looked pale and faded like ash. Actually, she is an
image of death as her ‘ashen’ face looks like that of a corpse.
Q4. What does the poet realise with pain? Why does the poet ‘put that thought away’
and look outside?
Ans: The lifeless and faded face of the poet’s mother pains her heart. She looks lifeless like
a corpse. She provides an image of passivity, decay and death. The old lady seems to be
lost in her thoughts. The poet needs a distraction, a change. She puts that thought away
and looks outside. There she gets a picture of life, happiness and activity.
Q5. What does the poet do after the security check-up? What does she notice?
Ans: They have to pass through a security check-up at the airport. After it, the poet stands
a few yards away. Before saying parting words to her mother, she looks at her mother
again. Her face looks pale and colourless like the late winter’s moon. She presents a
picture of ageing and decay.
Long Answer Questions:
Q1. Discuss mother- daughter relationship as described in the poem.
Ans. Mother- daughter relationship as described in the poem is very sensitive and full of
love, care and emotions. Mother has a deep emotional link to her children and does not
want them to be away. In particular, when the mother reaches her old age, she becomes
more concerned and worried about her children. Daughter also tends to bear a specific kind
of emotional link to her mother. She tries to remain close to her mother and feels very bad
and worried when separated from her. In this poem, the mother does not want her daughter
to leave her; similarly, the daughter gives a mysterious and indefinable smile which is to
show unwillingness and anxiety of leaving her mother.
Q2. “My Mother at sixty six” is an emotional account of the poet about her old mother. Discuss.
Ans. “My Mother at sixty six” is an emotional account of the poet about her old mother. She
feels very sad and depressed on seeing her pale, weak and worn out. She tries her best to
divert her thought but remains unsuccessful and this thought haunts her mind every now
and then. Till the end of the poem, she feels very sad and disappointed about the declining
age of her mother. She is unable to express her fears and emotions to her mother with the
thought of disheartening her. She bids goodbye to her mother by just smiling in order to
hide her hurt feelings and encourage her mother.
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