ASSIGNMENT

MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX
e b n e v i g t c a r t x e e h t d a e R

EXTRACT 1.
I saw 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 
but soon put that thought away....
 
1) What worried the poet when she looked at her mother?      
 The poet was worried as she realised that her mother has actually grown old and was inching towards
death. 
 
2) Why was there pain in her realisation?                   
  There was pain in her realisation as she was scared of losing her mother to death. 

3) Why did she put that thought away?                                    

 She put that thought away because she was pained to think about her mother’s old age. 

4) Identify the figure of speech used in these lines.              

 ‘Ashen like that of a corpse’ is a simile. Mother’s pale, dull , lifeless face has been compared to a dead
body. 
 
EXTRACT 2. 
put that thought away and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, …
 
1) Which thought did the poet put away?                                         
The poet realised that her mother has actually grown old and was inching
towards death. Thus, she tried to put this painful thought away. 

2) What do the ‘sprinting trees’ signify?            

Sprinting trees refer to the trees which appear to be moving due to the fast
movement of the car. This image is used as a contrast to the mother was old, dull
and inactive. It could also signify the quick passage of time.

3) What are ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’, symbolic of?    
         
Merry children are symbolic of youth, energy and activity in comparison to the
old, dull,  inactive mother who was inching towards death. 
EXTRACT 3. 
 
…and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood’s fear,
but all I said was, see you soon, Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile …

1) What does the phrase ‘familiar ache’ mean ? 

Familiar ache refers to the similar pain that the poet experienced in her childhood
because of the fear of separation from her mother. 

2 ) What was the poet’s childhood fear?                                                

The poet’s childhood fear was that she might get separated from her mother and lose
her. 

3) What do the first two lines tell us about the poet’s feelings for her mother?         
          
First two lines tell us that the poet loved her mother deeply and was scared of losing
her.
 
4) What does the repeated use of the word ‘smile’ mean? Or 
What does the poet’s smile show? 
The poet smiled as she wanted to leave on a positive note  and assure her mother that
they would meet again soon. She  smiled to hide her pain and fear  from her mother.
EXTRACT 4. 
 looked again at her, wan,
pale as a late winter’s moon and felt that old familiar ache,
my childhood’s fear  
1) How does the poet feel on looking at her?      
When the poet looked at her mother she remembers her
childhood fear and experiences the same pain.
2) What does the poet mean by ‘wan’ ?     
‘Wan’ means colourless.
3) What were the parting words of the poet? 
 ‘See you soon Amma’ were the parting words of the poet. 
4) Explain ‘as a late winter’s moon’?        
 ‘As a late winter’s moon’ is a simile which is used to compare
the old mother to late winter’s moon. Winter is symbolic of old
age and moon during late winter’s is cold, dull & hazy. 
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 Q1. What does the poet think while looking at her mother ?
Ans. When the poet looked her mother she realised that her
mother has actually grown old and was inching towards death.
She was disturbed at the thought of losing her mother. 
 
Q 2.How does the poet bring out the contrast between what
she watches inside and what she sees outside? 
Ans. Inside the car the poet saw her mother who was dozing
and her face looked pale, dull, ashen like that of a corpse. In
contrast to this when she looked outside she saw young trees
sprinting and merry children spilling out of their homes. Both
these images are full of energy, enthusiasm and vitality as
compared to the dull, inactive mother. 
Q 3.What does the poet do after the security check? 
Ans. After the airport’s security check, the poet looked at her
mother and said ‘see you soon Amma’. She wanted to assure
her that they would meet again soon. She smiled and kept a
cheerful appearance so as to hide her pain and fear.  
 
Q 4.How does Kamala Das try to put away the thought of
her ageing mother? 
Ans. She puts the thought away by looking outside the
window of the car. She saw young trees sprinting and merry
children spilling out of their homes. These images distract her
from the painful thought that her mother was ageing.