My Mother at Sixty-Six
By - Kamala Das
By - Kamala Das
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…
Questions:
Q1. Where was the poet going and with whom?
Ans. The poet was going to Cochin airport with her mother.
Q2. What was the mother doing in the car?
Ans. She was dozing with her mouth open.
Q3. How did the poet describe her mother’s face?
Ans. Her face was pale and colourless, like a corpse.
Q4. What did the sight of the mother remind the poet of?
Ans. It reminded her of old age and the approach of death.
Q5. Why does the poet use the word “corpse”?
Ans. To show the lifelessness and weakness of her aged mother.
…and realised with pain
that she was as old as she looked but soon
put that thought away, and looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes…
Questions:
Q1. What painful realization did the poet have?
Ans. She realized that her mother had become very old and weak.
Q2. Why did the poet turn her attention outside?
Ans. To avoid the painful thought of her mother’s ageing and death.
Q3. What did the sprinting trees symbolize?
Ans. They symbolized youth, energy, and continuity of life.
Q4. How did the children appear outside their homes?
Ans. They appeared merry and playful, rushing out happily.
Q5. What contrast is shown in this stanza?
Ans. The contrast between old age (mother) and the vitality of youth (trees and children).
…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…
Questions:
Q1. Where did the poet look at her mother again?
Ans. She looked at her mother after the airport’s security check.
Q2. How did the poet describe her mother at the airport?
Ans. Her face was wan, pale, and weak like a late winter’s moon.
Q3. What does the comparison with “late winter’s moon” suggest?
Ans. It suggests dullness, fading light, and decay — symbols of old age.
Q4. Why does the poet stand a few yards away?
Ans. Because of the airport’s security check which separates them.
Q5. What mood is created in this stanza?
Ans. A mood of sadness, decay, and fear of separation.
…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:
Q1. What was the poet’s “familiar ache”?
Ans. It was the same pain she felt as a child — the fear of losing her mother.
Q2. Why does the poet mention “childhood’s fear”?
Ans. Because seeing her mother old and weak reminded her of that early fear of separation.
Q3. What did the poet say to her mother?
Ans. She said, “See you soon, Amma.”
Q4. Why does the poet keep smiling?
Ans. To hide her sorrow and give courage to her mother.
Q5. What is the deeper meaning of the repeated smile?
Ans. It shows her attempt to overcome pain, express hope, and strengthen her mother’s spirit.
1. Doze – to sleep lightly or nap
2. Open-mouthed – with mouth open while sleeping (shows tiredness/weakness)
3. Ashen – very pale, colourless (like ash)
4. Corpse – dead body
5. Realised with pain – became aware with sorrow
6. Sprint / Sprinting – running very fast
7. Merry – happy, joyful
8. Spilling out – rushing out in large numbers
9. Wan – weak, colourless, sick-looking
10. Pale – dull, without colour
11. Late winter’s moon – moon in the late winter sky, dim and fading
12. Ache – a deep pain or sadness (emotional)
13. Familiar ache – known pain felt before (poet’s childhood fear)
14. Childhood’s fear – the fear of losing her mother
15. Amma – mother (in Malayalam, poet’s mother tongue)
16. Smile and smile – repeated smiling, showing effort to hide pain
Q.1 Who is the poet of the poem "My Mother at Sixty - Six ?
Ans : The poet of the poem "My Mother at Sixty - Six is Kamala Das.
Q.2 Where is the poet Kamala Das driving to and who is with her ?
Ans : The poet Kamala Das is driving to Cochin from her parent's home. She is going with her mother.
Q.3 What did the poet Kamala Das notice when her mother sat beside her ?
Ans : When Kamala Das's mother sat beside her, she noticed her mother at doze and open mouthed. She noticed her face ashen like that of a corpse.
Q.4 Find words from the passage that mean "sleep lightly" and "dead body".
Ans : Sleep lightly means doze, and dead body means corpse.
Q.5 Why is her mother's face like that of a corpse ?
Ans : The face of poet Kamala Das's mother is ashen like that of a corpse because she is old as she looks.
Q.6 Who looked out at 'young trees' from the car window ?
Ans : The poet Kamala Das looked out at 'young trees' from the car window.
Q.7 What do the words 'ashen', 'open mouthed' and 'corpse' signify ?
Ans : The words 'ashen', 'open mouthed' and 'corpse' signify that the poet's mother is approaching death. She is old as she looks. Her face is ashen like that of a corpse.
Q.8 Which thought does the speaker put away ?
Ans : The speaker tries to put away the thought that her mother is old as she looks.
Q.9 What do the young sprinting trees signify ?
Ans : The young sprinting trees signify growth and vitality of nature. These trees are a symbol of strength, vigor and happiness.
Q.10 What do the children and trees signify ?
Ans : The children and trees signify the spring of life, its strength, vigor and happiness.
Q.11 What do the merry children and trees sprinting signify ?
Ans : The merry children and trees sprinting signify a contrasting image of life and death. The merry children signify the spring of life, its strength, vigor and happiness.
Q.12 What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels ?
Ans : In the poem "M Mother at Sixty - Six" Kamala Das says that her mother sitting beside her and she is dozing. Her mouth is open. She has gone old and has become ashen face like a dead body. This is the pain and ache that the poet feels.
Q.13 Why are the young trees described as "sprinting" ?
Ans : The young trees are described as "sprinting" because while travelling from her car she saw young trees are running fast. In a moving car while looking outside the window, it felt like trees are running too.
Q.14 What the sprinting trees signify ?
Ans : The sprinting trees signify the rapidly passing years of humans life from childhood to old age.
Q.15 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 the merry children spilling out of their homes to make a contrast to her doozing old mother. The merry children coming out of their homes in large numbers present an image of its happiness, vigor and strength.
Q.16 Why did poet compare her mother's face to late winter's moon ?
Ans : The poet compared her mother's pale face with the late winter's moon because the moon in the winter season is veiled by mist and fog and so it seems to lose its brightness. Her mother's face is also like a wintry moon without glow and brightness.
Q.17 What was the poet childhood fear ?
Ans : The poet's childhood fear was the fear of losing her mother. She knew that her mother was as old as she looked. So, she had a fear of death and decay.
Q.18 Why did the poet smile and smile ?
Ans : The poet smiled to hide her real feelings from her mother. She only smiled and smiled to reassure that they would meet soon.
Q.19 What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify ?
Ans : The poet's parting words - See you soon, Amma - give assurance and hope to her old mother that she will come very soon to see her mother. The word 'smile' has been repeated thrice. It expresses poet's feeling of love and affection for the broken heart of her mother.