My Mother at Sixty-six

Kamala Das

About the poet

 Kamala Surayya (born Kamala; 31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009),

popularly known by her one-time pen name Madhavikutty and
married name Kamala Das, was an Indian foremost poet in English
as well as an author in Malayalam from Kerala, India.
 Known for her originality, versatility and the indigenoues flavour of
the soil
 Some of her works -Alphabet Of Lust,-Padmavati The Harlot…
 Captures the complex subtleties of human relationships

Activities
Answer these questions:
1. What quality of your mother have you inherited?
2. Do you feel that your mother is your role model?
3. Is there anything in your mother that you dislike?
Idioms and phrases on mother
 A face only a mother could love – an ugly face
 A mother has eyes in the back of her head – a mother knows what her children are doing
even when she can’t see them
 A tiger mother – a strict and demanding mother
 Everyone and his mother – lots of people
 Like mother, like daughter – daughters often behave like their mothers did before them
 Mama’s boy – a boy or man who is easily influenced by his mother
 Mother nature – the personification of nature
 Mother’s milk – something necessary and important
 Mothercraft – skills related to the care of children
 Necessity is the mother of invention – when the need for something is crucial, one will find
ways of creating, finding or achieving it
 The mother of all (something) – the largest/most extreme of something
 Tied to his mother’s apron strings – attached and dependent on his mother
 To learn something at your mother’s knee – to learn something at an early age
Lesson at Glance
Poetic Devices
MCQs

i. Pick the statement that reverberates the theme of the poem “My Mother at Sixty-six”.

a. Option I
b. Option II
c. Option III
d. Option IV
ii. Choose the option that displays the same literary device as in the given lines.
I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon and felt that old…
a. Watching the show was like watching grass grow and …
b. Just as I was leaving the house the phone rang and …
c. Tell me what you would like to have …
d. As you are a student, you must follow the rules for …

iii.The image of merry children has been brought out by the poet Kamala Das in her poem in
order to _________________________________.
a. show energy and exuberance of young children
b. to show the children’s excitement of getting permission to play outside
c. to show the children’s mischievous acts
d. to compare with her and her friends’ childhood
iv. The mother’s old age and lack of energy in the poem “My Mother at Sixty-six” is a
depiction of _________________________
a. sickness and ill-health
b. joy and fun of old age
c. bonding of the poet with her mother
d. helplessness in old age
v. The poet Kamala Das brought in the image of ‘spilling children’ with the intention
 a. of praising children. (CBSE Term 1-2021)
b. of reminiscing her childhood.
c. of bringing in a contrast to the mood of the poet.
d. of making her mother happy and cheerful.

Reference to Context
1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.
I looked again at her, wan, pale
as a late winter’s moon 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 ………
(a) What was the poet’s childhood fear?
(b) What were the poet’s parting words?
(c) What is the poetic device used in these lines?
(d) Why did the poet smile and smile?
Answers
(a) In her childhood, the poet was insecure about losing her mother, just as all young children
often are.
(b) The poet’s parting words were, “See you soon, Amma”, which are suggestive of
the hope that they will meet again.
(c) The poetic device used in these lines is simile, where the mother’s dull and lifeless face is
compared to a late winter’s moon.
(d) The poet smiled and smiled (meaning that she smiled continuously) because she
was trying to hide her real feelings. She feared the fact that she might not see her
mother again, which left her almost in tears.
2. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
……….but soon
put that thought away and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes……………
(a) Which thought did the poet put away?
(b) What do the ‘sprinting trees’ signify?
(c) What are “the merry children spilling out of their homes”, symbolic of?
(d) Why does the poet make use of the images of ‘young trees sprinting’ and ‘merry
children spilling’?
Answers
(a) The poet put away the thought of the-distressing reality of her mother getting old
and of her impending death.
(b) The ‘sprinting trees’ signify time that has passed at a fast pace.
(c) The merry children epitomise bubbly youth. They represent the exuberance and
liveliness of young age.
(d) The poet makes use of these images to emphasise the contrast between old age
and youth.

Sample Question Answers

1. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
Answer. Kamala Das finds the thoughts of her ageing mother very painful and
disturbing. It is hard for her to accept the fact of her mother growing old, as it brings
back to her mind her childhood fear of losing her mother. She makes a deliberate
effort to drive or put away such thoughts by looking out of the moving car, at the
trees ‘sprinting’ and the joyful young children rushing out of their houses
2. What was the poet’s childhood fear?
Answer. As a child Kamala Das was insecure about losing her mother just as all
young children often are. The same feelings are evoked inside her while she is on the
way to the airport, as she sees her mother’s pale face, which is a sign of her old age
and impending death.
3. What do the parting words of Kamala Das and her smile signify?
Answer. The poet’s parting words and her smile are a facade to hide her feelings of
insecurity. The pale and senile appearance of her mother brings back her childhood
fear of losing her mother. She can definitely experience the pangs of separation, yet
she bids her farewell in a pleasant manner. She reassures her mother that all will be
well and they would meet again.
4. Why has the poet’s mother been compared to the “late winter’s moon”?
Answer. The poet has used this simile as ‘the late winter’s moon’ looks too hazy and
lacks brightness and lustre, fog and misty. Similarly, the mother, who is now sixty six, is pale
and has a shrunken and ashen face. She is devoid of the sparkle ,energy and exhilaration of
youth. Late winter’s moon is symbolic of death
Assignment
I. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. but all I said was, see you soon,

Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile......
i. What does the repetition of the words” all I did was smile and smile and smile….” signify?
a. The poet’s sense of helplessness at the face of the inevitable.
b. The poet’s cheerful disposition.
c. The poet’s way of channelizing her deep rooted fears.
d. All of the above.

ii. In what way is the parting scene poignant?

a. This is the poet’s final adieu to her mother.
b. The poet is overwhelmed by a feeling of love for her mother.
c. Though the poet hopes to see her mother, she fears that she might not.
d. The atmosphere is emotionally charged during the parting.

iii. The tone of the poem as palpable in the given lines is:

a. sad
b. hopeless
c. cheerful
d. resignation with acceptance

iv. The speaker’s train of thought focuses on which of the following?

a . aging
b. separation
c. death
d. All of the above.

2. 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 realised with pain .
that she was as old as she looked …
a. Where was the poet driving to?
b. Why was her mother’s face looking like that of a corpse?
c. What did the poet notice about her mother?
d. Why was the realisation painful?
3. …….and
looked but soon
put that thought away and
looked out at young
trees sprinting,
the merry children spilling
out of their homes,………..
a. Name the poem and the poet.
b. What did the poet realise? How did she feel?
c. What did she do then?
d. What did she notice in the world outside?
4. “and looked out at young (CBSE 2017)
Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
Out of their homes, but after the airport’s
Security check, standing a few yards
Away,
I looked again at her, wan,
Pale
As a late winter’s moon and felt that
Old
Familiar ache,”
a. How can the trees sprint?
b. Why did the poet look at her mother again?
c. What did she observe?
d. What was the familiar ache?
e. Identify the figure of speech used in these lines.
II. Answer in 30-40 words.
1. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?
2. What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them?
3. What do the parting words of the poet Kamala Das to her mother signify?
4. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children spilling out of
their homes?
5. How does the poet describe her in the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty Six’? CBSE
2020

Links that you can refer to

https://qforquestions.com/my-mother-at-sixty-six-questions-and-answers-cbse
class-12-board-exams/
https://www.dronstudy.com/book/my-mother-at-sixty-six-flamingo-english
literature-class-xii-important-questions/