CLASS: XII

Subject: ENGLISH CORE

Chapter / Topic Name MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX by Kamala Das (Flamingo POETRY)
You tube Video Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOYgWihcftg&t=155s
Notes Summary
Students need to write
in their Notebook The poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’, rendered in blank verse, examines the theme of advancing
(New/Rough) age and the fear of loss and separation. The poet on her way to the airport at Cochin is suddenly
struck by the thought that her mother has grown old. This realization being sudden is alarming.
Old age seems to have crept up on her and it is a reality that she finds hard to accept. Her corpse
like and ashen face bring thoughts of her eventual death. Her mother sleeping beside her in the
car appears pale and worn out and the green trees racing past and speeding car are a grim
reminder that time has flown by. The joyous children playing outside give her the respite that
she is seeking from her thoughts of old age and parting, as they are representative of youth,
energy and life. Perhaps they take her back to the days of her idyllic youth when her mother too
was young and energetic or perhaps they bring to the fore the fear of losing her mother that
haunts every young child. Once again, she feels the insecurity of parting from her mother- who
has lost the blush of youth and middle age and in the twilight of her life has become as pale and
lustreless as the winter moon. At the airport, after the security check, when the poet looks at her
mother, she is reminded of the moon, late at night in winters, which is pale and colourless, and
which does not live for very long, disappearing as soon as dawn breaks. Beset with sorrow at
this knowledge and with the insecurity and pain of parting the poet at the airport bids her old
mother goodbye, smiling all the time in a vain attempt to hide her real feelings.

Homework
1. Why has the poet brought in the image of young trees sprinting and the merry
children spilling out of their homes? Ans: The poet is bringing out the contrast
between her mother's weakness & frailty and the blossoming life around by bringing
in young trees sprinting and merry children spilling out of their homes.

2. What does the "familiar ache" refer to in the poem? Ans: Most people would
have a childhood fear of losing their mother - may sound illogical, but is usually the
truth. Now, being an adult, the author faces with the same fear and the same ache
that she felt as a kid of losing her mother. It is now justified as a valid fear as her
mother is frail and weak.

3. Why are the growing trees described as sprinting? Ans: The poet recollects her
days when she was young and energetic, but the days past as fast as the trees were
running behind when she was on her way to the airport with her mother. The trees
symbolize the growing days and the children in the street symbolize the new hope
and happiness in life, which remains for a very short period and the days of
happiness runs out very fast.

4. Why does the poet smile and what does she say while bidding goodbye to her
mother? Ans: The poet smiles in order to put up a brave front so that her mother
may not observe her pained and frightened look. She smiles in order to reassure her
mother and says that she would soon see her again.
CLASS: XII

Subject: ENGLISH CORE

Chapter / Topic Name MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX by Kamala Das (Famingo)
You tube Video Link
https://youtu.be/6Znb73VbGi4?t=13
Notes
Students need to write Read for understanding
in their Notebook Text: The poem named My Mother at Sixty Six deals with the subtleties of human relationships...
(New/Rough) On my drive from my parents’ home in Cochin i saw my mother beside me dozing open mouthed. Her
face looked ashen like that of a corpse.
Explanation: Then I realised with pain the fact that my mother has grown old ... I stumbled on the
dreadful reality that this might be the last time that I see her.
My mother was near death. I couldn't bear the thought and tried desperately to evade it. Finally I found
refuge in the freshness of the lush green trees that passed by the roadside. I noticed children spilling out
of their homes for their routine play. The contrast between the mood in my car and outside was beyond
words.
After the airport’s security check, I saw my mom standing about a yard away, pale and colourless like a
late winter's moon.
Over the years she has lost her vibrancy and cheer and has now become dim and unclear.

I felt my heartache but I didn’t show it coz i didn't want my mother to be sad ... So I told her "goodbye
Amma..See you soon"
Though I didn’t believe that i could see her again .. As I went to board the flight, I took one last look at
her, I could see divine love which hasn't changed a bit............
A Lesson for Life-Students: This is the best time of your lives...Youth .... the vibrancy and liveliness
that we have now will soon leave us because everyone has to grow old ... So as long as we have this
jubilance use it to the fullest… And always remember to take good care of your parents and elderly
ones when they are old and need our support as we shall also someday be like them in our old age.
Homework 1. What did the poet realize looking at her mother in the car? Ans. When the poet saw her
mother’s face ashen like that of a corpse in the car she realised with pain that her mother has
grown old and would die soon.

2. How was the scene outside the moving car different from the inside one? Ans. Inside
the car the scene was inert and lifeless. The poet’s old mother has dozed off. With her mouth
slightly opened, she was looking like a corpse. In contrast the scene outside was full of life
and energy with trees sprinting and children spilling out of their homes.

3. How does the poet describe her mother? Ans. The poet compares her sixty-six years old
mother with late winter’s moon. In her old age she has become pale, wan and dim like the late
winter’s moon whose journey of life will be over soon.

4. What is the old familiar ache the poet felt? Ans. The childhood fear and pain about the
aging and inevitability of death gripped the poet seeing her mother’s failing health. She
realised soon her mother would die, and she would be separated from her forever.

5. What poetic devices has the poet used in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’? Ans. The poem is
rich in imagery. The poet to draw out the differences in young age and old age also uses
devices of comparisons and contrasts. She describes her mother’s age as ‘ashen like a corpse’,
using simile and compares her to late winter’s moon, using a simile again. The merry children
playing happily are contrasted with the old, weak, frail, feeble and pale mother of the poet.
CLASS: XII
Subject: ENGLISH CORE
Chapter / Topic Name MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX by Kamala Das (Famingo)
You tube Video Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVQGWZlCFHg
Notes Rhyme Scheme and Poetic Devices
Students need to write The poet does not use any identifiable Rhyme Scheme
in their Notebook
(New/Rough)
Simile
In lines 5-7: Kamala Das compares her mother’s face with that of a corpse “her face asen like that of a
corpse
In lines 15-16: “pale as a late winter’s moon”
Personification
In line12: trees spinting (trees running, whereby trees are considered as figures running alongside the
car)
Apostrophe
Used before an absent audience, “Amma”, (Here Poet is talking to her mother but her mother is does
not reply so an apostrophe is used to speak to an absent audience)
Imagery
The imagery used in the poem is suggestive of both death and youth. The images of `young trees and
merry children’ are a contrast to the mother.
Metaphor
Children spilling (Merry children spilling out of their homes: youthful and exuberant, spring of life-
contrast to the melancholic /gloomy atmosphere inside the car-the old mother weak, frail, inactive)
Repetition
smile and smile and smile (the poet made desperate efforts to cover up her guilt of never seeing her
mother again, anxiety and agonizing thought of her mother’s impending death by putting up a smile to
bid her a cheerful adieu.)
Homework Extract based Questions:
(Q. 1) ‘ ….and looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes’
a) What did the poet realize? How did she feel?
Ans: The poet realized that her mother too, was lost in some distant thoughts. It pained her to see her in
that condition resembling a corpse.
b) What did she do then?
Ans: She started looking out in order to divert her own attention to something else as she wanted to dispel
the sad and gloomy thoughts of her mother
c) What did she see outside?
Ans: She saw young trees moving fast as if they were sprinting and also saw young children happily
running out of their homes to play.
d) Find words from the passage, which mean i) Running fast ii) coming out of
i) Sprinting; ii) Spilling out of
(Q.2) ‘but all I said was, see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile…’
a) Why did the poet say ‘see you soon, Amma’?
The poet says this to reassure her mother that she would see her soon. After the pain, there is a mood of
acceptance of reality.
b) Why did the poet smile and smile?
The poet tries to put up a brave front in order to hide her true feelings of pain at seeing the old and weak
mother.
c) ‘Smile and smile and smile’ is a poetic device. Identify it.
It is repetition and is used to emphasize the tone of acceptance of the poet and the brave front she puts up.
d) Amma is the fond way of addressing someone. Who is being addressed here?
The poet’s mother. She addresses her as ‘Amma’ and reassures her that she would meet her again.