MY MOTHER AT
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SUMMARY
• Ageing is an inescapable phase of every human’s life. A person enters
their childhood, experiences adolescence when they are energetic and
have so many dreams. Finally, every person approaches their old age
and then they die. Relationships between people become much stronger
in every phase of life. No one can bear the separation from their loved
ones just because of ageing.
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• Firstly, when the author is going to the Cochin airport with her mother,
looks at her carefully and presents before us her image. As she looks at
her mother’s soft and whitish face, she fears losing her mother. Her
mother with a sleepy face and open mouth is compared to a corpse.
Here, the author shows love and affection between a mother and a
daughter.
• The poet is hurt and sad and shifts her attention outside the car for
driving out the undesirable feelings. She changes her bad mood. The
scene from the window of the car is of rising life and energy. The fast
sprinting green and huge trees alongside the cheerfully playing kids
represent life, youth, and vitality.
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• The poet here reminisces her own childhood. In her childhood, her
mother was young and beautiful. Whereas now her mother is
surrounded by the fear of losing her life and that made her insecure and
sad.
• She reaches the airport to take her flight. It shows departure and parting
which makes her sad. As she says goodbye to her mother, the image of
the old mother in the dusk of years strikes her. Here again, her mother is
compared to a late-night moon of the winters. The light of the moon is
an obstacle by the fog and haze as she appears older now.
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• The poet now feels the agony of getting separated from her mother. Her
childhood fear of losing her loving mother now became so terrifying.
Now her mother could die of old age anytime unexpectedly. She is so
sad that she starts crying slowly without control but keeping a brave
heart she hides her tears and starts smiling. Thus, she offers her farewell
to her old mother and keeps her hope of seeing her mother alive again.
She says “see you soon, Amma”. She hides her tears and sorrow as she
does not want to make a painful and emotional environment. Moreover,
she doesn’t want her mother to cry and shows her that she is enjoying
her life. She expects her mother to be happy and enjoy her life just like
her.
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• To conclude, my mother at sixty six summary revolves around the
beautiful relationship between the poet and her mother. The summary
shows the theme of the advancing age of the mother of the author and
the fear of separation. This apparently short poem touches upon the
theme of a beautiful bond between the mother and the daughter. It
shows how beautiful a relationship a mother and a daughter can have.
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THEME
Ageing and the bond between a mother and her child are the themes in
the poem “My Mother at Sixty-Six”. The poem reflects on their strong
bond and affection while describing the speaker’s observations of their
mother’s physical and emotional changes as she ages.
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POETIC DEVICES
Stanza 1
Drive from my parents
Home to cochin last friday
morning. I saw my mother, beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse
Poetic Devices:
Assonance: Prominent sound of 'o': i. Home to Cochin last Friday morning
ii. doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse.
Simile: The colour of the poetess' mothers face has been compared to that of a corpse
using like: her face ashen like that of a corpse.
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Stanza 2
And realised with pain
That she was old as she looked but soon
Put that thought away and looked out at young
Tree sprinting, the merry children spilling
Out of their homes.
Poetic Devices:
1. Consonance: i. Prominent sound of 't': Put that thought away and looked out at
young.
ii. Prominent sound of 's': That she was old as she looked but soon.
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2. Imagery: The description about children playing and sprinting trees is
given: Tree sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their home.
3. Repetition: The word looked has been repeated.
4. Personification: The trees are said to be sprinting (running): Tree
sprinting, the merry children spilling.
5. Contrast: The difference between poetess mother and the children is
shown by using the word old and young.
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Stanza 3
But after the airports
Security check, standing a few yards
Away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
As a late winters moon
Poetic Devices:
1. Simile: The poetess mothers face has been compared to the late winters moon using as: Pale as a
late winters moon.
2. Consonance: Prominent sound of s: Security check, standing a few yards.
3. Symbolism: Winters moon is a symbol of decay.
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Stanza 4
And felt that old
Familiar ache, my childhoods fear,
But all I said was see you soon, Amma,
All I did was smile and smile and smile
Poetic Devices:
1. Repetition: The word smile has been used thrice: All I did was smile and smile and smile.
2. Alliteration: Repetition of the letter s: But all I said was see you soon, Amma
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