My Mother at Sixty Six (Flamingo)

.......Explanation.......
Ageing is an inescapable phase of every human’s life. A person enters their childhood, experiences
adolescence when they are energetic and have so many dreams. Finally, every person approaches
their old age and then they die. Relationships between people become much stronger in every phase
of life. No one can’t bear the separation from their loved ones just because of ageing.

My mother at sixty-six is a poem whose author is Kamala Das. The writer is famous for capturing the
complications of relationships between human beings. This poem is one of the best examples of
bonding in humans. Especially the bond between a mother and a daughter. This poem defines the
fear of the author of losing her mother. My mother at sixty-six summary will elaborate on the
feelings of the author and will also define the meaning of the poem.

The poet is now feeling the pain of getting separated because of leaving her mother. Her childhood
fear of losing her loving mother now became so terrifying. Now her mother could die of old age
anytime unexpectedly. She is so sad that she starts crying slowly without control but keeping a brave
heart she hides her tears and starts smiling. Thus, she offers her farewell to her old mother and
keeps her hope of seeing her mother alive again. She says “see you soon, Amma”. She hides her
tears and sorrow as she does not want to make a painful and emotional environment. Moreover, she
doesn’t want her mother to cry and shows her that she is enjoying her life. She expects her mother
to be happy and enjoy her life just like her.

Firstly, when the author going to the Cochin airport with her mother she looks at her carefully and
presents before us her image. As she looks at her mother’s soft and whitish face, she gets stuck with
the fear of losing her mother. Her mother with a sleepy face and open mouth is comparable to a
corpse. Here, the author shows love and affection in a relationship between a mother and a
daughter.

The poet is hurt and sad and shifts her attention outside the car for driving out the undesirable
feelings. She changes her bad mood. The scene from the window of the car is of rising life and
energy. The fast sprinting green and huge trees alongside the cheerfully playing kids represent life,
youth, and vitality. The poet here is remembering about her own childhood. In her childhood, her
mother was young and beautiful. Whereas now her mother is surrounded by the fear of losing her
life and that made her insecure and sad

.......About the Poet.......

The poet, Kamala Das also wrote by her pen-name of ‘Madhavikutty’. She was born in Kerala and is
one of India’s first poets. Her subject – matter is basically related to her personality- beautiful,
sensitive, bold and tormented. External factors do not reflect in her writings, her writings bring out
her true inner feelings.

Her favourite poem is ‘composition’.

In the poem ‘My mother at sixty six’, she talks about her mother. This poem is based on mother-
daughter relation and the poet shares her feelings for her mother.
.......Figure of speech.......
Rhyme scheme: Written in Blank Verse or Free Verse

Stanza 1

Assonance: Prominent sound of 'o':

i) Home to Cochin last Friday morning

ii) doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse.

Simile: The colour of the poetess' mothers face has been compared to that of a corpse using like: her
face ashen like that of a corpse

Stanza 2 ....

Repetition: The word looked has been repeated.

Personification: The trees are said to be sprinting (running): Tree sprinting, the merry children
spilling.

Consonance: Prominent sound of 't': Put that thought away and looked out at young.

Stanza 3

Simile: The poetess mothers face has been compared to the late winters moon using as: Pale as a late
winters moon.

Consonance: Prominent sound of s: Security check, standing a few yards

Stanza 4

Repetition: The word smile has been used thrice: All I did was smile and smile and smile.

Alliteration: Repetition of the letter s: But all I said was see you soon, Amma

.......Words Meaning.......
1) Doze: A short, light sleep

2) Ashen: Very pale, like ash.

3) Corpse: A dead body.

4) Sprinting: Here, shooting out of the ground.

5) Spilling: Here, to move out in great numbers., running

6) Wan: Unnaturally pale, as from physical or emotional distress.

7) Ache: Pain
......Short questions......
1)Why the poet's mother face is compared to the late winter's moon?
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 because of the mists. It lacks
shine and strength. Similarly, The poet's mother has an 'ashen' face which lacks complexion
due to her old age.
2)What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?
Whenever the poet looks at the colourless and pale face of her mother, her old familiar pain
surfaces realising that her mother was ageing and would die soon.
3) Why are the young trees described as 'sprinting'?
The young trees are described as "sprinting" because when we look at them from a moving
car, they seem to be running fast in the opposite direction.
4) Why has the poet brought in the Image of the merry children 'spilling out of these home?
The image of the merry children 'spilling out of their home' is to suggest the idea youth in
contrast to the ashen-like pale wan face of her ageing mother. This image emphasises the fact
that the old mother has lost the vitality, energy, charm, beauty and youth.
5) Why has the mother been compared to the late winter's moon?
The mother has been compared to the late winter's moon as she is very old and her face is
ashen, pale and withered. She looks very dull and lifeless like the late winter's moon.
6) What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
The parting words express the poet's optimism. These words console the mother that she
would soon visit her again. She smiles to conceal her fear and pain of separation from her
mother and gives her ageing mother an assurance of survival.
7) What were Kamala Das' fear as child? Why do they surface when she is going to airport?
Ans. As a child, the poet always had a fear of getting separated from her mother. There was
a sense of insecurity and fear of losing her mother. The childhood fear reappeared when,
while going to the airport. she looked at the pale and withered face of her mother and realised
that her mother was ageing and she might lose her soon.
8) What were the poet's feelings at the airport? How did she hide them?
Ans. The poet was full of pain and fear of being separated from her ageing mother. The fear
of losing her mother gripped her. But she bade her mother goodbye with a smile to give her
hope of survival and meeting again.
9) How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
In order to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother, the poetess started looking out of
the window of the car at young trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes.
......Reference to the context......

…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 does the phrase, 'familiar ache' mean?

The phrase "familiar ache' here means a persistent painful thought which has been nagging her about
her frail old mother.

(b) What was the poet's childhood fear?

The poet's childhood fear was of losing her old and ageing mother one day.

(c) What do the first two lines tell us about the poet's feelings for her mother?

The first two lines tell us that the poet is agonized at the thought of her mother growing old and she
is trying to sound hopeful while bidding farewell to her mother.

(d) What does the repeated use of the word, 'smile' mean?

The repeated use of "smile" indicates that she ran short of words, became emotional and was trying
to make an effort to hide her pain behind that smile.

………I saw my mother,

beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realised with
pain.........
(a) Who is '1'?

Here I' is the poet.

(b) What did I realise with pain?

‘I’. i.e. the poet realised with pain her ageing mother's failing health and noticed her corpse-like pale
face.
(c) Why was the realisation painful?

The realization was painful as she felt that her mother might not live long.

(d) Identify and name the figure of speech used in these lines.

The figure of speech is simile.... ashen like that of a corpse'.

…. 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….
(a) When and where was the poetess driving to?

The poetess was driving from her parent’s home to the airport at Cochin on a Friday morning.

(b) Who was sitting beside her? What did the poetess notice about her?

The mother of the poetess was sitting beside her. She noticed that her mother was dozing with her
mouth open. Then she realised that her mother had grown old.

(c) What does the poetess compare her mother's face with and why?

The poetess compares her mother's face with a corpse, i.e. a dead body because her face has lost the
charm. It is pale, faded and lifeless.

(d) Name the poem and the poetess.

The poem is 'My Mother at Sixty-six' and is written by Kamala Das

…that she was as old as she

looked but soon
put that thought away, and
looked out at Young
Trees sprinting, the messy children spilling
out of their homes, …
(a) What did the poetess realise? How did she feel?

The poetess realised that her mother was old now. Her corpse-like ashen face made the poet accept
the fact that her mother was approaching her death. This realisation frightened the poetess. She felt
restless and disturbed.

(b) What did the poetess do then?

The poetess tried to change the thought of her mind and distract herself from the thoughts about her
ageing mother and so started looking out of the window.

(c) What did the poetess notice outside?

The poetess noticed young children playing outside. The young trees seemed moving rapidly in the
opposite direction of the moving car. These represent energy and youth in contrast to the thought of
old age and death.

(d) Explain: "the merry children spilling out of their homes".

This refers to the image of young children rushing out of their homes to play. These children are young,
full of energy and happy. They are in direct contrast to the ageing mother.

(e) What do young sprinting trees signify?

The young sprinting trees signify the active, cheerful, bright and energetic youth.

(f) Which thoughts did the poetess put away?

The poet put away the thoughts of her mother who was getting old and the fear of losing her one day.

I looked again at her, wan,

pale
as late winter's moon and felt that
familiar ache, my childhood's fear.
(a) Who do 'l' and 'her' refer to? How does 'her' face appear?

‘I’ refers to the poet, Kamala Das, and 'her' refers to her mother. Her mother was very old and her
face appeared withered and pale

(b) What does the 'familiar ache' refer to?

The ‘familiar ache' refers to the poet's childhood pain and fear of being separated from her mother.
Her mother's old pale face made the poetess realise the fact of her eventual death.

(c) Name and explain the poetic device used in the second line.

A simile has been used in the second line. Mother's old pale face has been compared with pale late
winter's moon to emphasise her withered face and gradual ageing.
...and felt that
old
familiar ache, my childhood's fear
but all I said was, are you soon,
Amma,
all I did was smile and smile and smile...
(a) What do the of the poetess parting words of the poetess suggest?

The parting words suggest the optimism of the poetess. They console the mother that she would
return soon and give her a hope of survival.

(b) Why did she 'smile and smile’?

The poet smiled and smiled to conceal her fear and pain of separation from her mother. Again the
smile was to give an assurance of survival to the mother.

(c) Why did the poetess suppress her pain in the presence of her mother at the airport?

The poetess didn't want to increase the pain and agony of her mother, who must be feeling sad while
parting from her daughter. So she didn't show her pain at the time of departure of her mother.