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NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Flamingo English My Mother at Sixty-six
IMPORTANT STANZAS FOR COMPREHENSION
Read the stanzas given below and answer the questions that follow each:
1. Driving from my parents home to Cochin last Friday morning, 1 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
Questions
(a)Where was the poet driving to? Who was sitting beside her?
(b)What did the poet notice about her mother?
(c)Why was her mother’s face looked like that of a corpse?
(d)Find words from the passage which mean :
(i) sleep lightly (ii) dead body (iii) felt.
Answers:
(a)The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. Her mother was sitting beside her.
(b)She noticed that her mother was dozing with her mouth open.
(c)Her mother’s face looked pale, faded and lifeless like a dead body because she had grown old.
(d)(i) doze (ii) corpse (iii) realised.
2.…………..She
looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes,
Questions
(a)What did the poet realise? How did she feel
(b) What did she do then?
(c)What did she notice in the world outside?
(d)Find words from the passage which mean: (ii) running fast (ii) happy (iii) moving out.
Answers:
(a)Her mother was lost somewhere else in thoughts. It pained her.
(b)The poet withdrew her thoughts from her mother and looked outside.
(c)The young trees growing outside went past as if they were sprinting. Happy children were coming out of their houses.
(d)(i) sprinting (ii) merry (iii) spilling.
3………………but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s mooft 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
Questions
(a)What did the poet do after the security check?
(b)Why did the poet compare her mother’s face to a late winter’s moon?
(c)What is her childhood fear ?
(d)How do the parting words of the poet and her smile present a contrast to her real feelings?
Answers:
(a)After the security check, the poet stood a few yards away from her mother and looked at her face again.
(b)The late winter moon lacks brightness as well as strength. The pale and colourless face of the mother resembles the late winter moon.
(c)The fear of ageing and ultimate death/separation.
(d)The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles present a stark contrast to the old familiar ache or childhood fear. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide what is going on inside.
QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED
Q1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Ans: When the poet sees the pale and corpse-like face of her mother, her old familiar pain or the ache returns. Perhaps she has entertained this fear since her childhood. Ageing is a natural process. Time and ageing spare none. Time and ageing have not spared the poet’s mother and may not spare her as well. With this ageing, separation and death become inevitable.
Q2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?
Ans: The poet is driving to the Cochin airport. When she looks outside, the young trees seem to be walking past them. With the speed of the car they seem to be running fast or sprinting. The poet presents a contrast—her ‘dozing’ old mother and the ‘sprinting’ young trees.
Q3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’ ?
Ans: The poet has brought in the image of merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’ to present a contrast. The merry children coming out of their homes in large numbers present an image of happiness and spontaneous overflow of life. This image is in stark contrast to the ‘dozing’ old mother, whose ‘ashen’ face looks lifeless and pale like a corpse. She is an image of ageing, decay and passivity. The contrast of the two images enhances the poetic effect.
Q4. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’ ?
Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. Her shrunken ‘ashen’ face resembles a corpse. She has lost her shine and strength of youth. Similarly the late winter’s moon looks hazy and obscure. It too lacks shine and strength. The comparison is quite natural and appropriate. The simile used here is apt as well as effective.
Q5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Ans: The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles provide a stark contrast to the old familiar ache or fear of the childhood. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide her real feelings. The parting words: “See you soon, Amma” give an assurance to the old lady whose ‘ashen face’ looks like a corpse. Similarly, her continuous smiles are an attempt to overcome the ache and fear inside her heart.
MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40 words)
Q1. Where was the poet going and who was with her?
Ans: The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. The poet’s mother had comfe to see her off. She was sitting beside her. She was dozing with her mouth open. The words ‘driving’ and ‘doze’ provide a contrast between images of dynamic activity and static passivity respectively.
Q2. What was the poet’s childhood fear? [All India 2014]
Ans: The child is always in fear of being separated from his parents. In the same way, the poet’s fear as a child was that of losing her mother or her company.
Q3. What does the poet’s mother look like? What kind of images has the poet used to signify her ageing decay?
Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. She is sitting beside the poet and dozing with her mouth open. This is a sign of old age. Usually old people keep their mouth open to overcome breathing problems. Her face looked pale and faded like ash. Actually, she is an image of death as her ‘ashen’ face looks like that of a corpse.
Q4. What does the poet realise with pain? Why does the poet ‘put that thought away’ and look outside?
Ans: The lifeless and faded face of the poet’s mother pains her heart. She looks lifeless like a corpse. She provides an image of passivity, decay and death. The old lady seems to be lost in her thoughts. The poet needs a distraction, a change. She puts that thought away and looks outside. There she gets a picture of life, happiness and activity.
Q5. Describe the world inside the car and compare it to the activities taking place outside?
Ans: The pale and faded face of the poet’s mother looks lifeless like a corpse. Her dozing with mouth wide open suggests passivity, decay and death. Outside the car, the poet watches young trees speeding past them. They seem to be running fast or sprinting. Happy children are moving out of their homes cheerfully. They present an image of life, dynamism and activity.
Q6. Why does the poet look outside? What does she see happening outside?
Ans: The thought of the ageing mother at sixty-six and her pale and ashen face looking like a corpse becomes too heavy for the poet to bear. She needs a distraction, a diversion and therefore she looks outside. She watches young trees. These trees speed past them and appear to be sprinting. Then she sees happy children moving out of their houses and making merry.
Q7. How has the poet contrasted the scene inside the car with the activities going on outside?
Ans: The poet has used beautiful images to highlight the stark contrast between the scene inside the car and the activities going on outside. The ‘ashen’ face of the poet’s mother is pale and lifeless. It looks like that of a corpse. She is dozing and lost to herself. The image of the ‘dozing’ mother is contrasted with the ‘spilling’ of children. The ‘ashen’ and ‘corpse¬like’ face is contrasted with the young trees sprinting outside.
Q8. What does the poet do after the security check-up? What does she notice?
Ans: They have to pass through a security check-up at the airport. After it, the poet stands a few yards away. Before saying parting words to her mother, she looks at her mother again. Her face looks pale and colourless like the late winter’s moon. She presents a picture of ageing and decay.
Q9. Why is the poet’s mother compared to the late winter’s moon?
Ans: The poet’s mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon to bring out the similarity of ageing and decay. The late winter moon looks hazy and obscure. It lacks shine and strength. The poet’s mother has an ‘ashen’ face resembling a corpse. She has lost her shine and strength of youth. The comparison reinforces the impact.
Q10. What is the poet’s familiar ache and why does it return?
Ans: The poet is pained at the ageing and decaying of her mother. The fear is that with ageing comes decay and death. The sight of her old mother’s ‘ashen’ and corpse-like face arouses “that old familiar ache” in her heart. Her childhood fear returns. She is also pained and frightened by the idea that she may have to face all these things herself.
Q11. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?[All India 2014]
Ans: Kamala Das was in much trouble after seeing the lifeless and faded face of her mother. The old lady seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. The poetess turned away her attention from her mother and looked outside. The outside world was full of life and activity. The young trees seemed to be running fast. The children looked happy while moving out of their homes.
Q12. Why does the poet smile and what does she say while bidding good bye to her mother ?
OR
With fear and ache inside her heart and words of assurance on lips and smile on the face, the poet presents two opposite and contrasting experiences. Why does the poet put on a smile?
Ans: The ‘wan’, ‘pale’, face of the poet’s mother at sixty-six brings an image of decay and death. It brings that old familiar fear of separation back. She fears the ultimate fate of human beings. But she has to put on a brave face. She regains self-control. She composes herself and tries to look normal. She utters the words of assurance that they will meet again soon. She tries to hide her ache and fear by smiling continuously.
Q13. What poetic devices have been used by Kamala Das in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’?
Ans: The poem ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ is rich in imagery. Kamala Das uses the devices of comparison and contrast. The use of simile is very effective. The face of the poet’s old mother is described as ‘ashen’. This ashen face is ‘like that of a corpse’. The poet uses another simile. The “wan, pale’ face of the mother is compared to ‘a late winter’s moon’.
The poem excels in contrasts. The old ‘dozing’ lady inside is contrasted with the young trees “sprinting” and merry children “spilling” out of their homes.
My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type
Answer:
Kamala Das fears that her mother would leave her alone and go away. These fears surface now as she looks at her old mother doze with her mouth open in the car.
Question 2.
How can suspension of activities help?
Answer:
The poet wants to prove that there can be life under apparent stillness. The poet invokes the earth as a living symbol to prove his point. The earth never attains total inactivity. Nature remains at work even under apparent stillness.
Question 3.
How does the poet describe her mother?
Answer:
Kamala Das describes her mother as old, pale and senile. As she was asleep, the poet noticed that her mother looked as pale and colourless as a dead body. She seemed to have lost the vitality of life.
Question 4.
Explain ‘pale as a late winter’s moon.’
Answer:
This is an example of a simile. The poet has compared her mother’s face to a winter’s moon. Winter symbolises death and a waning moon symbolises decay. Just like winter loses its magnificence and beauty when covered with fog and mist, similarly the poet’s mother has lost her youth and vitality, and has become inactive and withered.
Question 5.
Why did the poet promise her mother of a meeting in the near future?
Answer:
The poet was doubtful of seeing her mother again. She knew that the mother was also aware of the same. Yet, to encourage her mother, to leave a hope in her mind, to make herself strong, the poet promised a futile reunion in the future.
Question 6.
The poet’s repeated smile seems out of the place in a way. In which way is that appropriate?
Answer:
The poet had no reason to smile at the time of separation from her aged mother. She was deeply distressed and pained to separate from her mother when she was so old. Yet, to make the mother feel ‘there is nothing to worry,’ the poet attempted to be glad, cheerful and reassured her by her extended smile.
Question 7.
Why does the poet look at her mother again?
Answer:
The poet looks at her mother again for the last time to reassure herself that her mother is well. She drove away her thoughts of pain and fear which had surfaced on seeing her mother. It was a look of reassurance to meet her again.
Question 8.
What different images does the poet use to convey the idea of her mother’s old age?
Answer:
Late winter’s moon. Her pale, bloodless and wrinkled face resembles that of a corpse. She has no vigour and energy left in her. She looks wan and pale. The sprinting trees and merry children are happy and young. They present a contrast to the mother’s pain and old age and the poet’s worry and fear. They symbolise youth, vigour and spring, whereas the mother is old, decaying and frail.
Question 9.
What kind of pain does Kamala Das feel in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’?
Answer:
Kamala Das has a childhood fear of her mother ageing and while going to the airport, she sees her ageing mother looking like a corpse as she slept open mouthed and pale.
Question 10.
Why are the youngsters described as springing?
Answer:
The youngsters are described as springing as they are full of life. Merry children were joyfully coming out in numbers from their houses and were a contrast to her ageing mother beside her in the car.
Question 11.
Having looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the young children?
Answer:
After having looked at her mother, Kamala Das was in pain. She had a fear of separation from her mother. The children outside were symbolic of dynamism, joy and life. Hence, she wanted to divert her thoughts of her ageing mother.
Question 12.
In the last line of the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’, why does the poet use the word ‘smile’ repeatedly?
Answer:
Kamala Das wanted to make her mother feel that everything was fine. She wanted her to believe that they would meet soon. She also wanted to hide her fears about not meeting her next time. In fact, she wanted to put a brave front.
Question 13.
Why does the poet look at ‘young tree’ and ‘merry children’?
Answer:
The poet looks at ‘young trees’ and ‘merry children’ to divert her attention from the
gloomy thoughts of losing her mother. Looking at them was a ray of hope distracting her mind from the negative thoughts.
Question 14.
What does the poet’s smile in the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ show?
Answer:
The smile on the poet’s face was an attempt to reassure her mother. She was masking the fear of separation. She was also trying to hide her concerns regarding the possibility of her mother’s demise. Besides, she was also trying to hide her guilt and sorrow for having to leave her mother at a time in her life when she needs the poet the most.
My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type
Question 1.
Ageing is a natural process; have you ever thought what our elderly parents expect from us ?
Answer:
Ageing is a natural process. When the person be-comes old he becomes weak, he needs support .both emotional and physical. Thus, it becomes our duty to provide our old parents the love-, emotional support and respect they deserve. Our parents usually give us their best period of life to bring us up. Therefore it becomes our moral duty to reciprocate the same when they become old.
But unfortunately, due to rank materialism and nuclear family system the old people are treated as an unnecessary commodity. They are harassed and sometimes even beaten up. Many a time the old people are sent to old age homes, where they lack emotional support which the family can provide. It is very shameful for the younger generation. Our parents do not deserve such shabby treatment in their old age.
Question 2.
Write in brief the summary of the poem.
Answer:
One Friday morning the poet was driving in her car to the Cochin Airport from her parent’s home. Her old mother was sitting beside her. She had a glance at her mother. Her heart was full of pain to realize that her mother had grown very old. The poet’s mother was dozing, her mouth was opened and her face was as white as of a dead body. The poet realised
Question 3.
What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify ?
Answer:
The parting words of the poet were, ‘See you soon, Amma.’ And then she smiled and smiled only. These words show that the poet do feel for her mother but she could not express her feelings properly in words. Her smile signifies that she wants to hide her feelings for her mother under the garb of artificial smile.
Question 4.
Having looked at her mother the poet looked at her mother, why does Kamala Das look at the children ?
Answer:
The poet is full of pain and ache when she looks at her ageing mother. She has grown so old that she might not grow older. This means her days on this earth are numbered. The poet looks at the children outside to divert her attention from the sad thoughts she has about her old mother.
Questions Of My Mother at Sixty Six
How does the poet describe her mother in the poem?
Answer: The poet describes her mother as an elderly woman who has become dull, inactive and worn out due to old age. She is often dosing and unconscious of herself as a dead person.
Why does the poet look outside? What activities does the poet see outside the car window?
Answer: The poet realises that her mother is about to die. The thought of her mother’s numbered days makes her anxious, and she looks outside to distract her attention from her mother. Outside the car window, the poet sees young trees sprinting. She also finds very active, energetic and lively children coming out of their homes.
[lockercat]
Why are young trees described as sprinting?
Answer: The young trees are described as sprinting with respect to the car because the movement of the racing car makes the trees look as if they are running along. It has also a deeper meaning. By sprinting young trees, the poet means that the youth passes quickly out of human life and that a person enters his old age and approaches his death.
Why is the mother compared to the late winter’s moon?
Answer: The mother is compared to the late winter moon because, like the moon of the winter season, the mother of the poet also looks dull, greyish, pale, and her strength is waning.
What childhood fears do you think the poet is referring to in the poem “My Mother at Sixty Six”?
Answer: The fear of childhood to which the poet refers is the anxious feeling of losing her mother. The poet feels uncomfortable and unprotected when she thinks she is losing her mother. She doesn’t expect to see her mother again. She, therefore, shows a childish reluctance to leave her mother.
What does Kamala Das do after the security checkup? What does she notice?
Answer: The poet stands a few steps away from her mother and looks at her after the security checkup. She notices that her mother looks pale, wrinkled and worn out than ever before. This makes her realise that her mother is living her final days of life.
a) What does the poet actually feel at this moment?
Answer: In fact, the poet feels very depressed and dismayed at the sight of her old mother.
b) Why did the poet say “see you soon Amma”? What does the poet actually mean by „smile and smile and smile….”? What kind of smile is it?
Answer: The poet said, ” See you soon Amma, ” to give moral support and encouragement to her mother. She said so that she would give her mother hope to see her daughter again.
By ” smile and smile and smile… “, she means to make herself and her mother hope to see each other again. In fact, it’s a painful smile. The poet tries to hide his swelling emotions with a smile. By using this poetic device of repetition, the poet has enriched the poetic language by depicting many hidden emotions through ” smile ”
Cite an example of one device of contrast that the poet uses in the poem.
Answer: The device of contrast that the poet uses in the poem is between her mother’ s old age, and the young trees and children playing happily. The poet compares the suffering and weakness of the old age with the youth, energy, vitality and childhood jubilation.
“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 realize with pain that she was as old as she looked
a) Where was the poet driving to? Who was sitting beside her?
Answer: The poet was driving to Cochin. The poet”s mother was sitting next to her.
b) What did the poet notice about the mother?
Answer: She noticed that her mother was weak, pale and unconscious like a dead body.
c) Why did the mother”s face look like that of a corpse?
Answer: The mother”s face looked like a corpse because it had turned pale, greyish and was dosing open-mouthed due to old age.
Discuss the mother-daughter relationship as described in the poem.
Answer: The relationship between mother and daughter as described in the poem is very sensitive and full of love, care and emotions. Mother has a profound emotional connection with her children and doesn’t want them to be away. In particular, she gets more concerned and worried about her children when the mother reaches her old age.
Daughter also tends to have a specific kind of emotional bond with her mother. She tries to keep her mother close and feels very bad and worried when she is separated from her. In this poem, the mother doesn’t want her daughter to leave her; the daughter likewise gives a mysterious and indefinable smile that shows unwillingness and anxiety to leave her mother.
“My Mother at sixty-six” is an emotional account of the poet about her old mother. Discuss.
Answer: ” My Mother at Sixty Six” is a poet’s emotional account of her mother’s last days. She is very sorry and disappointed to see her old, grey, wrinkled and dull face. She tries her best to change her mind, but she remains unsuccessful, and this thought continues to haunt her mind. Till the end of the poem, she feels very sorry and depressed about her mother’s declining age. She can not shed her fears and emotions with the fear of dismaying her mother. She bids her mother farewell by smiling in order to hide her hurt feelings and to encourage her mother.
Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?
Answer: The poet, Kamala Das, used the image of merry children who spill out of their homes to contrast the old age with the young. The pale, colourless face of her mother stands for old and fading age. Happy children symbolise life’s spring, vigour and happiness. They also symbolise the spontaneity of life, as opposed to her old mother’s passive and inactive life.
What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Answer: The poet’s parting words,’ see you soon, Amma,’ express the dilemma and the confusion of her mind. The words not only hide her anxiety and fear about her old mother’s rather fragile health but they also reflect a slight hope that the old woman will survive long enough that they will meet again.
My Mother at Sixty Six | Literacy Devices
The poet compares her mother to many things. Pick out two similes which reinforce this comparison.
Answer: The poet has used many similes in this poem. Two of them are mentioned as follows:
1. “Her face ashen like that of a corpse.”
2. “I looked again at her wan, pale as a late winter”s moon”
What image does the poet use to describe death in the poem?
Answer: The image of “corpse” has been used to describe death in the poem.
Cite an example of one device of contrast that the poet uses in the poem.
Answer: The contrasting device used by the poet in the poem is the old age of his mother and the young sprinting trees and gorgeous children. The poet compares the energy, vitality and jubilation of childhood and youth with the old age.
Smile and smile and smile…..is a poetic device. What is it called?
Answer: ” Smile, smile and smile… ” is a poetic device called repetition which is used to make a poem rhythmically impressive using fewer words. The words are repeated to make the poem thought-provoking.
Personification: This device of rhetoric is used to give human qualities to something which is not human. In this poem, the poetic device of personification is used for trees in line 12. The poet imagines the trees are running next to her car.
Apostrophe: This rhetorical device is used when a poet addresses his or her poem to a missing audience. In this poem, the poet uses the apostrophe device in line 18 when she speaks directly to her mother as ” Amma, ” although we never see the mother answering the poet.
Read Also: Summary of My Mother at Sixty Six
Note: You Can Also Check The Following Answers
How does the poet describe her mother in this poem?
Ans. The poet describes her mother as being very old and clumsy. She keeps no dosing..er ashen face makes her look like a corpse.
Why does the poet look outside? What activities does he see outside the car window?
Ans. The poet looks outside the car window to avoid thinking about her mother’s looks. She watches the young trees sprinting, and the merry children spilling out of their homes.
Why are the young trees in the poem described as sprinting?
Ans. The young trees are described as sprinting all along the road because they appear so while we ride a vehicle. Young trees are metaphorically full of energy, which makes them run.
Why is the mother compared to the late winter moon?
Ans. The mother is compared to the late winter moon for many reasons. Late winter moon is pale, colourless and lifeless. Same holds true for the aged mother.
What childhood fears do you think the poet is referring in the poem?
Ans. The poet refers to the childhood fears looming in the mind of the daughter. She fears her separation which is deep-rooted in her.
What does Kamla Das do after security checkup? What does she notice?
Ans. During the security checkup, Kamla Das notices her mother’s face again. It appears to her as if she is late winter moon. She realises that her mother is fastly approaching to death. However, she smiles at her and warmlyadieu.dieu.
‘But all I said, ‘see you soon Amma’.
Ans. The poet actually feels that she will never see her mother again because of her physical features. She smiles at her mother to show her love. She tries to hide childhood fears in her smile.
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