My Mother at Sixty Six

My Mother at Sixty Six

Kamala Das

THEME

Ageing is a natural process. Time and ageing spare none. With this ageing separation/death becomes unavoidable.

MOOD

The poem portrays an agonizing experience. It is a portrayal of a daughter's feelings and concern for her old mother.

Summary & Explanation

• My Mother at Sixty Six by Kamala Das is a moving poem.

• Kamala Das laments her mother’s ageing and feels extremely sad at the time her separation from her ageing mother at the airport.

• In the car, she notices that her mother had grown terribly old and that the two would not probably meet again.

• She compares her mother with a late winter’s moon.

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• In this poem, Kamala Das presents a daughter’s anguish (pain) as she is leaving her ageing mother behind her for a while.

• She is going to board a flight and is not sure about her timely return in case something happened to her mother.

Summary & Explanation (CONT........)

• She pretends to be happy to make her mother happy and departs with a heavy heart.

• In this poem, Kamala Das presents a daughter’s anguish (pain) as she is leaving her ageing mother behind her for a while.

• She is going to board a flight and is not sure about her timely return in case something happened to her mother.

Vocabulary

• Beside: alongside

• Doze: nap

• Ashen: pale

• Corpse: dead body

• Spilling: let out

• Sprinting: Moving fast

• Wan: dim, weak, Pale: dull, colourless

Poetic Devices

• ´face ashen like a corpse – Simile 

  (dull face compared to dead body)  -- indicative of imminent death.

  wan pale as a late winter’s moon- Simile 

  (lusterless face compared to hazy winter moon)

• Young trees sprinting – Personification

  (sprinting movement of the trees rushing past signify youth, life or passage of time.)

• Merry children spilling out of their homes- Metaphor, Imagery

  (spring of life-contrast to the morbid atmosphere inside the car & the old & weak mother)

Poetic Devices (CONT......)

• smile and smile and smile- Repetition

  (a desperate effort to cover up her fear of losing her mother to death)

• “I looked again at her wan, pale” – Tautology (saying the same thing twice over in different words – ‘wan’ and ‘pale’ means the same)

• The green trees racing (inanimate) while the mother like a corpse – Irony

• The words ‘drive’ and ‘doze’ provide a good contrast dynamic activity and passivity respectively. -- Contrast

Open Ended

What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

Open Ended

Why are the young trees describes as 'sprinting'?

Open Ended

Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children 'spilling out of their homes'?

Open Ended

Why has the mother been compared to the 'late winter's moon'?

Open Ended

What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

Open Ended

What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them?

Open Ended

How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?

Multiple Choice

as a late winter’s moon

• Metaphor

• Personification

• Alliteration

• Simile

Multiple Choice

the merry children spilling

• Transferred epithet

• Chremamorphism

• Onomatopoeia

• Personification

Multiple Choice

the merry children spilling out of their homes

• Irony

• Hyperbole

• Oxymoron

• Metaphor

Multiple Choice

Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes

• Hyperbole

• Onomatopoeia

• Imagery

• Irony

Multiple Choice

doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that

of a corpse

• Pun

• Metaphor

• Personification

• Assonance

Multiple Choice

What question arises from the complexity of the situation in the poem?

• How to overcome fears

• How to do one's duties

• How to take better care of our parents

• how to strike a balance between duties and responsibilities

Multiple Choice

What does the narrative single sentence style of the poem highlight?

• Poet's fearful mind

• Poet's insecurities

• Poet's thoughts

• Conscience of the poet where one thought is leading to another

Multiple Choice

What is the tone of the poem towards the end?

• Sad

• Hopeless

• Cheerful

• resignation with acceptance

Multiple Choice

What form does the poet use in the poem?

• Free verse

• Sonnet style

• Single sentence

• Couplet

Multiple Choice

What do the parting words "See you soon Amma" signify?

• Poet's helplessness

• Poet's optimism and faith

• The intermingled emotions of helplessness, nostalgia, love, faith, and hope

• Poet's cheerfulness

Multiple Choice

Why are the tress described as sprinting?

• To show the speed of the car

• To add visual effect to the poem

• To add transition from the stillness of dozing mother to movement outside the car

• To show the fast moving change of human life

Multiple Choice

What is the familiar ache mentioned in the poem?

• Mother's declining health

• Poet's childhood fear of losing her mother

• Poet's helplessness

• Poet's failure to fulfil her duties towards her mother

Multiple Choice

What is the main idea of the poem?

• Old age and its fears

• Mother and daughter love

• Helplessness of a daughter

• Lack of strength to accept reality of parents' ageing

Multiple Choice

What does this narrative style of the poem signify?

• Different thoughts

• Poet's dilemma

• Contrast between young trees sprinting and mother's face

• A single thread of thought mixed with harsh realities

Multiple Choice

What would happen if the poet did not see her mother again?

• The poet would feel relaxed

• The poet would be heart broken

• The poet would feel confused

• The poet would be smiling

Multiple Choice

What does the old age symbolize?

• Health and happiness

• carefree life

• Approaching death

• Freedom from responsibility

Multiple Choice

Why does the poet look out of the window?

• to look out at the trees

• to distract herself

• to look at the children

• to cure her boredom

Multiple Choice

What thought did the poet try to put away?

• mother would not live long

• mother would continue sleeping

• mother would wake up

• mother would live long

Multiple Choice

What was the poet’s childhood fear?

• flying in a plane

• unable to join merry children

• separation from her mother

• driving in a car

Multiple Choice

Name the literary device used in the line ‘ her face ashen like that of a corpse

• metaphor

• simile

• alliteration

• personification

Multiple Choice

From where were the children spilling out?

• home

• neighbourhood

• school

• car

Multiple Choice

From where were the children spilling out?

• home

• neighbourhood

• school

• car