About the poet . Kamala Das (1934) was born in Malabar, Kerala. She is recognised as one of India's foremost poets. Her works are known for their originality, versatility and the indigenous flavour of the soil. Kamala Das has published many novels and short stories in English and Malayalam under the name ‘Madhavikutty’. Some of her works in English include the novel Alphabet of Lust (1977), a collection of short stories Padmavati the Harlot and Other Stories (1992), in addition to five books of poetry. She is a sensitive writer who captures the complex subtleties of human relationships in lyrical idiom, My Mother at Sixty-six is an example. Before you read Ageing is a natural process; have you ever thought what our elderly parents expect from us? —d “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 realised with pain that she thought away, and looked but soon put that thought away, and cant looked out at young trees sprinting, the merry children spilling . out of their homes, but after the airport's security check, standing a few yards| case away, I looked again at her, pale wan, Gl f, as a late winter's moon and felt that he old familiar ache, my childhood's fear, but all I said was, see you soon, Amma, , all I did was smile and smile and : short fast race, running rinting wan: colourless 1 kit out 1, What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels? 2, Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’? 4 Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes"? 4. Why has the mother been compared to the.'late winter's moon’? 5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify? |Notice that the whole poem is in a single sentence, punciuatca | i commas. il indicates a single thread of thought interspersed with |observations of the real world around and the way uiese are | (Qmnected to the main idea. JPoem 1 My Mother at Sixty-Six é Kam, | 4 1 kum Fyone v0 vet her parents, OF ane $V nf OATH She YH, F HH tas Bana D8 aT ay te Uh mart ah Cachun (With), On Ye we te) anit het fitter wae cannind Ie ea, Mier ti per 09 Por fun grt rather! Hor nother electing Hecoirte het I Wee i fate lenabod tbe a ea WOOYs uals anid frail cpeyrpepee i wt td ivativay was nied O10 vine unaccegianle 4, She Wap , Daa yy uiner ieee aserned 1 Hd nie in tye oper OiTeL NON, TH tn end aoa nw son tn Tal FaWe PY ees rmprecenited ite bile NEF MOAB Sera, Garay closer 10 fer Health i “4g \g 0H ines to play, This wane reminten r, fave naw anne terry fiidn Fushilid 0 it of their horn LOA Has rinnatvondt wviien het uotier was Yue Mie remembered her ovn sourn full of tury ne, Tier thoughts were 10 (otal ‘contiast to what her mother appeared non. 1 Arter rwaching the airport and finishing the security check, the poets IOOES Bt Die crop, pint agaltt she fell that she was as pate ae he winter's moan, Ae She bid GOOG tM, a, She experienc ot the old Familiar pal, Der ‘idhood fear that her mother (24 WR 16 kre, felt that may be she was seeing her mother for the last time, Ghe tried to hide her own a | I. eal her snail, he told her mother that she Would sexe her soon anid SinileB tO axtireen | self and her mother I Glossary ; Cochin = place in Kerala now called Koch! doze - sleep lightly corpse = dead body sprinting - running 2 spilling out = rushing out familiar ~ known Amma = word for mother merry - happy 3 III. A. Figures of Speech 4 1 priving from my parent’s home to Cochin last Friday morning, Repetition The word ‘my’ Is repeated for poetic effect. Remration = The sound of consonant 'm’ Is repeated in te words my’ and ‘morning’ 5. paternal Rhyme = The rhyming words ‘ériving’ and ‘morning’ are used in the same sé 2, _ Isawmy mother beside me doze, open mouthed Synecdoche ~ Part mouth stands for the poet. Alliteration - The sound ‘of consonant 'm’ is repeated in the words ‘my’, *mother’, ‘me’ 2° ‘mouthed’. % ‘ mouthed’. 3. Her face ashen like that of a corpse Simile - There is direct comparison between the poet’s mother and a corpse. The po’ comparison is to be pale. Synecdoche - The part ‘face’ stands for the mother. a i 7 es pain that she was as old as she looked but soon put that thought?) leeaton ste sound of consonant ‘pis repeated in the words ‘pain’ and ‘put’ . e worda ‘she’ and ‘that’ are repeated for poetic effect. 5. ‘And looked out at Young Trees sprinting 1 c Personification ~ Trees are gi are giving the human ‘sprinting’. Hy - quality of ‘spri \yperbole ~ An overstatement that the trees are Sa , English Comprehensive Study Book—_____ == ildren spilling out of their homes: fhe group of children coming out Is co mEpRar Taree saan wos ow ar nat her, wan, pate as alate winter's moon at merc comparison between the poet's mother and the en is to be pale. palof words wan’ and ‘pale’ which have the same meaning C esonant°w’ is repeated In the words ‘wan’ and ‘winter’. gas 3 childhood’s fear rift is repeated in the words ‘felt, ‘familiar’ and ‘fear’ the human quality of being old and familiar. ar ache, MY at old fami fe fe tone sound of consona aor ne Mnanimate vache’ is QIVEN id was, see YOu SOON” Amma putall said cond of consonant vz is repeated in the words ‘sald’ ‘sce’ and — alliteration ~ and smile and smile are repeated for poetic effect. 1did was smi Xe , %; " ik 40. aupeti ve The words ‘smile ‘and ‘and’ e | . § i f Speech — Multiple Choice Questions in a 8 Figuom oy parent’s home tO “holnin last Friday morning, 1saw mY mother beside _ ~ Internal Rhyme and Alliteration Faiiteration and Litotes . A Aiiteration and T2Utology D. Litotes and Tautoloay le i .n mouthed w my mother beside me doze, ope! , 2 on 'B. Metaphor ¢. simile __D. Synecdoche 5, Herface ashen ike that of 2 COrrre A. Personification B. Metaphor _ simile D. Apostrophe nd realised with pain that she Wir asold as she looked but soon put that thought away eA. Alteration B. Tautology . Apostrophe D. Personification 5. And looked out at Young Trees sprinting A yperbole and Metaphor B. Personification and Simile _& Hyperbole and Personification D. Litotes and Tautology , & Themerry children spilling out of their homes _A Metaphor B. Simile C. Personification D. Apostrophe 7, looked again at her, wan, 1. 1, pale as a late winter’s me of 1 Tautsiogy end Personification 8. Litotes Pane tentae Litotes and Alliteration ne D. Metaphor and Metonymy . And fel it se * dette tonoraengmy agnor (78. Personification _C. Transferred Epithet D. Litotes °. Buta we utall said was, see you soon, Amma B. Alliteration 2 i C. Internal Rh ‘ yme . Personifi Ault did was smile and smite and smile _“— 8. Metaphor C. Transferred Epithet. Repetition English Com, prehensive Stud) ty Book [65]Answers: 18 20 3c 4A 5.c 6.A 7c 8.8 9.8 10.0 Poem Extract-Comprehension Driving from my parent's home to Cochin last Friday morning, Isaw my mother beside me, doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised with pain that she was as old as she looked 1. Name the poem and the poetess? 2! Where was the poetess and where was going? 3. What worried the poetess when she looked at her mother? ‘4. What poetic device has been used in the 4" line? But soon put that thought away and looked out at Young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes. 1. Which thought did the poetess put away from her mind? 2! What did the poetess notice about the trees? 3. What does the poetess see about the children? ‘4, What is the poetic device in the 2™ line? But after the airport's security check, standing a few yards away, T looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter's moon 1. Who is‘I’ in the verse? 2. Who does she look at? 3. Why is the person compared to the I 4, Which poetic device has been use e winter’s moon? the verse? ‘And felt that old familiar ache, my childhood’s fear, but ail I said was, see you soon, Amma, all did was smile and smile and smile. 1. What was the childhood fear of the poetess? 2. Why does the poetess repeat the word ‘smile’ 3. What is meant by ‘old familiar ache’? What is the poetic device used in the 1* line? Answers: A. 1, The poem is ‘My mother at sixty-six’ by Kamala Das. 2. The poetess was going to the airport from her parent's home in Cochin. 3. When the poetess looked at her mother she realised that her mother looked old and may’ live long. She was worried that she would lose her mother. 4. The poetic device used in the 4" line is Simile. Direct comparison is made between the poetess’s mother and a corpse. The point of comparison is to be very pale. . The poetess put the thought of her mother’s approaching death away. The trees seemed to be running as she was moving in the car. . The poetess saw the children rushing out of their home to play. The poetic device in the 2” line is Metaphor. The children are compared to something sili Bune ‘Vin the verse is the poetess Kamala Das. . The poetess looks at her mother who is looking very pale. ne [661 —_— English Comprehensive Study BookyO v mother is compared with the later winter‘ > Tne old age has brought paleness ia ina ‘= moon which looks pale due to the surrounding gine poetic device used in verse is Simile, There is direct comparison between mother and * winter’s MOON. childhood fear of the poetess was bein 7 € a 1g Separated from her mother. * rhe poetess repeats the word ‘smile’ because she tries to smile again and again at her mother as she is Pretending to be happy. = otwords “old familiar ache’ means the pain wl ine rol for pain which she has felt before and it has been corgetic device in the first line is Personfication. The inanimate ‘ache’ fs said to have the “+ juman quality of being ‘old and familiar’ 3, The m Based Answers nt what our elderly parents expect Poel tural process: have you ever thous! ageing isa nat dare not able to do many activities independently. fromus? from jgerty people go through loneliness an Most fong for company and they need love, attention ‘and a lot of care. They have spent their They W pringing up their children and looking after thei needs and now they wish their children land take care of them. They look for family bonds and whatever time they have left is well ant in the presence of their loved ones. childhood fear did Kamala Das feel? ‘ays had a fear that she would be separated from mother since she he of her childhood was felt again when she saw her mother ‘er mouth open. Her mother looked like a dead body, pale was now old. She was pained by the xt time she came to what familiar ache and Asa child Kamala Das alw wras a child, this familiar act Seeping next to her in the car with h seefrail, The poetess couldn't accept that her mothe anmugnt she might be seeing her mother for the last time and the ne fer parent's home, her mother would not be there. es described as ‘sprinting’? Why ore te jooked at her mother sleeping Deside her on the car sot with her mouth open. She tated like 2 dead body very pale and frail. The poetess was disturbed by the thought so she took ade where she saw young green trees which seemed to De (nnd in the opposite reasen This made her realise how time had flown by and the trece represented life as they deesetio be sprinting while her mother seemed to be going closer to her death. Why has the poet brought in the image of merry children piling out of their homes’? Fenn tne poet oc of the window of the car as she was disturbed By the pale and frail look Fare eas odo oet to her, She saw children happily coming out oF thelr homes. They seemed to he energetic and full of life. She could fee! the contrast with their full of life state 2nd her mother’s pale and frail condition. Why are the young tre her to a later winter’s moon? Why has Kamala Das compared her mot! ‘dull and without lustre because of the mist and . She f eens ‘same way Kamala Das felt that of tobe quite lifeless. her smile signify? ‘eatedly smiled at her mother before she went into the poem to hide the pain she Betas time by che was afraid she might be seeing her mother for re ie Dut she wanted to give herself hope ‘and reassurance that her mother would be Mother so yen’ came the next time. She ‘didn’t want to show that she was disturbed to her Just smiled at her. English Comprehensive Study Book [67] What mai oe Parting words of the poet and Pe ‘amma’ and repé . The poet has repeated the word ‘smile’ at the end of