My Mother at Sixty Six- Notes

 

My Mother at Sixty Six

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

STYLE OF THE POEM - The poem is confessional and a first-person monologue. It is in the form of a narrative of fourteen lines written as a single sentence punctuated by commas. This is called enjambment. This highlights the stream-of-consciousness effect where one thought leads to another.

1. What do the poet’s parting words to her mother signify? (All India 2009)
Answer: The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smile provide a stark contrast to the old familiar fear of childhood. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide her real feelings. She is trying to hide her fear about her mother’s frail and deteriorating health which might separate her from her mother.

2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’? (Delhi 2010)
Answer: The young trees are ‘sprinting’ that is rushing past the poet as she is travelling in a very fast-moving car. While travelling in a speeding vehicle, the objects outside appear to be rushing past us in the opposite direction. These sprinting trees are in stark contrast to the passive old lady sitting inside the car.

3. How did Kamala Das put away the thought of her mother’s old age? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer: The poet started looking out of the window because she wanted to drive away the pain and agony she was experiencing by looking at her aged mother. She looked outside at the world which was full of life and activity. She saw young trees running past her and merry children sprinting out of their homes to play.

4. Why did Kamala Das add the image of merry children to her poem? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer: The merry children symbolise the spring of life, its energy, vigor and happiness. Their image presents a sharp contrast to the poet’s limp and ageing mother. This image is also imperative for the understanding of the process of old age which is associated with decay. The spontaneous outpouring of life symbolised by these children is in contrast to the poet’s mother’s passive and inactive life.

5. What were Kamala Das’ fears as a child? Why do they surface when she is going to the airport? (All India 2011)
Answer: Since her childhood perhaps Kamala Das always feared that she would lose her mother or in some way be separated from her. Now that her mother is old and her health has deteriorated, the poet’s fear surfaces again when she is going to the airport.

6. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’? (Comptt. Delhi 2011)
Answer: The mother looked pale and ashen faced like a corpse. During late winter, the moon is under the threat of being hidden by cloud, fog and mist. Moreover, it loses its brightness and looks rather pale and colourless like an ill and haggard old person who has become worn-out and tired due to the ravages of time.

7. What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them? (All India 2012)
Answer: At the airport the poet, Kamala Das, feels fearful of leaving her pale, ageing mother alone and unattended. She has an ache and fear inside her heart and is not sure if she will be able to see her mother again. She hides her feelings of anxiety by giving a long and cheerful smile to her mother.

COMPETENCY BASED LONG ANSWER QUESTION

1. The poet brings out the irony of human relationships in the poem 'My mother at sixty-six'. Give a pen-picture.

Ans. The poem 'My Mother at Sixty-Six' portrays that death is inevitable. The poet in the poem is deeply melancholic about her mother and experiences the pain of losing her mother. She is under the dread that she may not be able to meet her mother the next time she comes. She constantly gazes at her mother but tries to conceal the pain by smiling. She tries to be optimistic.

Irony of human relationships lies in the fact that intimate relationships can at times become a burden, but we still have the need to carry such relationships.