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  • My Mother at Sixty Six

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    Twinkle Mishra
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    The poem "My Mother at Sixty-Six" examines the themes of advancing age and the fear of loss and separation. As the poet travels with her mother to the airport, she notices her mother's ashen face and realizes she has grown old and will eventually die, leaving the poet alone. This thought pains the poet, so she looks outside at young trees and happy children, representatives of youth in contrast to her pale, worn mother who is sleeping next to her. The dull face of her mother reminds her of a late winter's moon and troubles her with thoughts of losing her mother.

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    My Mother At Sixty Six

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    The poem "My Mother at Sixty-Six" examines the themes of advancing age and the fear of loss and separation. As the poet travels with her mother to the airport, she notices her mother's ashen face and realizes she has grown old and will eventually die, leaving the poet alone. This thought pains the poet, so she looks outside at young trees and happy children, representatives of youth in contrast to her pale, worn mother who is sleeping next to her. The dull face of her mother reminds her of a late winter's moon and troubles her with thoughts of losing her mother.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    161 views3 pages

    My Mother at Sixty Six

    Uploaded by

    Twinkle Mishra
    The poem "My Mother at Sixty-Six" examines the themes of advancing age and the fear of loss and separation. As the poet travels with her mother to the airport, she notices her mother's ashen face and realizes she has grown old and will eventually die, leaving the poet alone. This thought pains the poet, so she looks outside at young trees and happy children, representatives of youth in contrast to her pale, worn mother who is sleeping next to her. The dull face of her mother reminds her of a late winter's moon and troubles her with thoughts of losing her mother.

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    of 3

    POETRY SECTION

    MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX​ - By Kamla Das

    THEME: The poem "My Mother at Sixty- six" examines the themes of:

    (i)​ ​Advancing age

    (ii)​ ​ (ii) The fear of loss & separation.

    MAIN POINTS TO REMEMBER:

    1. The poet was travelling in a car along with her mother to the Cochin airport.

    2. She compares the ashen face of her mother to a dead body; suddenly realizes that her
    mother

    has grown old & will finally die leaving her alone in this world.

    3. This thought is painful to her so to divert her mind she looks out of the window of the car.

    4. She sees the young trees running &the happy children coming out of their homes.

    5. They are representatives' of-youth, energy, life & are in contrast to the pale worn out face of
    her mother who is sleeping beside her.

    6. The dull face of her mother reminds her of the late winter's moon & troubles her once again of
    losing her mother.

    7. At last she says good bye to her mother with a smile& without disclosing her feelings and
    fear of separation

    FIGURES OF SPEECH

    : *SIMILE​-: her face ashen like that of a corpse, as a late winters moon. *REPETITION-: smile
    and smile and smile *CONTRAST-: Old mother in the car has been contrasted with the young
    trees running and happy children coming out of their homes to the sadness of the poet on
    realizing the advancing age of her mother.

    ​ASSIGNMENT-2 ​ Q-1 Write the central theme of the poem ‘My


    Mother At Sixty-Six’?

    Q-2 Why has the poetess brought in the image of the merry children spilling out their homes?

    Q-3 Do you think the poem reflects on the escapist tendency of the poetess Kamala Das?
    Q-4 Bring out the significance of the title ‘My Mother At Sixty-Six’?

    Q.5.My mother at sixty six, Kamala Das has pointed out at close relationships in an objective
    manner comment.

    Q.6Why did the poet suddenly recall ‘the last Friday morning’?

    Q.7“My parents home”. Was the poet possessive in her thought? If so why?

    Q.8.Why is human relationship subtle and complex. How is Kamala Das trapped in this maze?

    Q.9.Kamala Das refers to her fear as “Childhood fear”. Do you think every time she was
    overpowered with this, she kept smiling or was it different this time

    Q.10. Describe the word ‘SMILE’.

    Q.11. What did the mother look like? What made the poet feel so?

    Q.12. What did she realize with pain?

    Q.13. How did she take her mind off the thought?

    Q.14 What does ‘sprinting of trees’ and ‘spilling of children’ refer to’?

    Q.15Bring out the contrast portrayed by the scene outside with the state of the poet’s mother.

    Q.16 Why is the mother compared to ‘a late winter’s moon’?

    Q.17.What is the childhood fear of the poet


    Q.18.Though filled with negative thoughts in her mind, outwardly what did the poet reflect?
    Substantiate your point from the words/pharses from the poem.

    : I saw my mother, beside me, doze, open mounted,

    By Mrs. Padmaja Behera

    PGT English

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