MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX

KAMALA DAS

Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 1934 – 2009)

 popularly known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and married name Kamala
Das,
 was an Indian English poet as well as a leading Malayalam author from Kerala

LESSON OBJECTIVES
Justify the poet's feelings at the end of the poem
Examine the theme of lack of permanence of human life
Identify the poetic devices used by the poet

LITERARY ANALYSIS (Research work)

1. Lesson details (date of publication, selection from…, genre…)

2. Author (Country, Born & Died year, known for what kind of writing?)
3. Setting
4. Tone and mood
5. Purpose (instruct/entertain/inform/persuade/describe/apologize/…)
6. Theme

HOMEWORK
 1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
 Deals with the poet’s realization of her mother’s advancing age and the
consequent fear of loss and separation…(general intro)
 Driving towards the airport
 Poet struck by how old her mother looks
 The sight fills her with dread
 ….so overwhelming…she pushes the thought away
 However…again the sight of her mom’s face as pale as winter’s moon…brings
back the childhood fear of losing her
1. Why are the young trees described as sprinting?
 Driving towards the airport
 Poet struck by how old her mother looks
 Looks out of the car window…to distract…
 The trees rushed past her as she drove ahead
 Trees…personified
 “young” a sad contrast
 Seem to be running in the opposite direction when seen from the car window
 The movement of the young sprinting trees…in stark contrast …. aging and
sleeping mother

2. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘’ spilling out of their
homes’’?
 Driving towards the airport
 Poet struck by how old her mother looks
 Looks out of the car window…to distract…
 Sees young trees sprinting past
 Children rushing out of their homes
 Skillfully weaves this image
 To highlight the helplessness and frailty
 Children signify movement and vitality
 In stark contrast to the still and ashen faced mother
4.Why has the mother been compared to the ‘’late winter’s moon’’?

 Moon signifies end of a day…thereby death

 Moreover…
 Winter…cold, signifies inactivity
 Winter’s moon…dull and grey
 Covered with fog or mist
  The image of the winter moon that is waning and lost its sheen aptly describes….

5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
 Fear of losing her
 To reassure her mother and to infuse optimism in herself
 Masking her fear and smiling…not easy

6. The poem deals with the subtleties of human relationships, justify

 {use points from the first answer}
 Filled with dread, yet no melodrama
 Parting message as much a reassurance for her as well as for her mother
 Achieves the composure with effort
 The poem is thus a subtle statement of the intensity of a daughter’s love for her
mother