English Literature

Flamingo
My Mother at 66
My Mother at 66
Poem – 1 | Flamingo
Kamala Das
Kamala Das (1934-2009) was born
in Malabar, Kerala. She is
recognized as one of India’s
foremost poets. Her works are
known for their originality,
versatility and the indigenous
flavor of the soil. She has
published many novels and short
stories. She wrote under the pen
name “Madhavi Kutty”.
Introduction to the lesson
My mother at sixty six is written by
Kamala Das who is famous for
capturing complexities of human
relationships. The poem my mother at
sixty six is one of the finest examples
of the human bonding, especially that
of a mother and daughter. It describes
the pain and fear of the poet - of
losing her mother due to harsh reality
of life which is death.
Summary of the poem :

The poet, in this poem

describes her mother. She
says that she is sixty six years
old and looks very weak and
old. When the poet was
returning from her parent’s
home and was on the way to
the airport, her mother was
accompanying her.
She noticed her mother
who was sitting with her at
the back seat of the car.
She was sleeping with her
mouth wide open, her face
was the colour of ash. It
looked lifeless. This very
thought disturbed her so
much that she diverted her
mind and looked outside
the car.
She saw the trees by the
roadside which seemed to
be running. There were
young children running into
the playground. All this
symbolized life, energy
and happiness in contrast
to her mother’s
appearance.
When she reached the
airport, she again looked
at her ailing mother who
looked old and dull like
the weak moon in the
winter season. The poet
was surrounded by the
same fear that she had
during her childhood - the
fear of losing her mother.
She thought that may be this
was the last time that she
saw her mother alive. Her
mother was about to die. But
then she tried to come out of
the sadness and smiled at
her mother. She said that
soon she would see her
again. The poet wanted to be
with her mother again and
did not want to lose her.
Poem and explanation

Driving from my parent’s

home
To Cochin last Friday
morning,
I saw my mother beside
me.
Beside: alongside

The poetess explains that

once when she visited her
parent’s house in Cochin. It
was a Friday when she was
driving back to the airport, her
mother was sitting beside her
at the back of the car. The
poet looked at her mother.
doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain

Doze: nap
Ashen: pale
Corpse: dead body

She saw that her mother was sleeping and her mouth was
open. She further explains that the colour of her mother’s face
was like that of ash. (This means that there was some smoky
appearance on her face). She looked like a dead body.
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,

Spilling: let out

Sprinting: Moving fast
The poetess realized that her mother had grown old.
She felt pain for her. But soon she tried to get rid of
this sad thought by diverting her thoughts towards
the trees outside.
The young trees although stationary seemed to be
running very fast as though they were sprinting. She
also saw children running out of their houses, into
the playground. All these things were full of life and
energy, contrary to her mother who sat next to her.
but after the airport’s
security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale

Wan: dim, weak

Pale: dull, colorless

The poet continues that when she reached the airport, she
finished with the security check and stood a few yards away
from her mother. She noticed her mother’s ageing face which
looked so dull, weak and 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......
The poet compares her mother to a late winter’s moon as the
moon in winters is not shiny and even her mother’s face had
also lost her youth and shine. As her mother was getting older
and weak. The poet feels the fear of separation just as she
used to feel during her childhood. As a child, she could not
bear the pain of separating from her mother. But now as her
mother has grown old and is about to die, the poet feels that
may be this is the last time that she is seeing her mother. She
tries to hide her fear. She then says that she would soon see
her mother again. She says so because she doesn’t want to
lose her mother.
Poem – 1
My Mother at 66
Important Questions
Q1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

A1 When the poet sees her ageing mother who is about to

die, she felt the pain of losing her. This is similar to the pain
which she use to feel if her mother was not near her.

She feels that as her mother is growing old and pale, she will
die soon and they will get separated. Time and death never
spare anyone. Not even the poet’s mother and so, she has to
lose her.
Q2. Why are the young trees described as
sprinting?

A2. While the poet was on her way to the airport. She
saw the trees beside the road which seemed to be
running fast as she was travelling in a car. It seemed
as if they were sprinting. Here the poet tries to show
the difference between her pale and weak mother who
looked like a corpse and the trees that were running
and were full of life.
Q3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the
merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?

A3. The poet brings in the image of the merry

children to show the deep contrast between the joy
and happiness of the life which can be seen in the
merry children and the passivity of life which can be
felt by looking at the ashen face of the old mother
who is old and decaying.
Q4. Why has the mother been compared to the
‘late winter’s moon’?

A4. The mother has been compared to the ‘late

winter’s moon’ because the moon in the winter
season is dim and appears lifeless, it doesn’t look
shiny. Similarly, the poet’s mother, due to ageing,
has become dull, her color is similar to that of ash. It
looks dull and has lost its youth. She looks like a
corpse.
Q5. What do the parting words of the poet and
her smile signify?

A5. The poet’s parting words “see you soon, Amma”

show the pain and fear of losing her mother. But she
smiles and looks at her mother to give her ailing
mother assurance that she will meet her soon. Here
one can easily see that she is trying to hide her real
feelings of pain and fear from her mother and tries to
console herself and her mother that they both will be
able to see each other again.
MCQs
Q1- Who is the poet of this poem?

A) John Keats
B) Rudyard Kipling
C) William Wordsworth
D) Kamladas.
Q2- What is her work known
for?

A) for their originality,

versatility and flavor of the
soil.
B) for their popularity
C) for their style
D) for the expressions used
Q3- What is the kind of pain and ache
that the poet feels?

A) Losing her mother.

B) heart attack
C) headache
D) children screaming at her
Q4- In which languages has Kamla Das
written stories and novels?

A) English and Tamil

B) English and Hindi
C) English and urdu
D) English and Malayalam.
Q5- Name the poetic devices used in the
poem.

A) metaphor
B) simile
C) alliteration
D) all these.
Q6- What is the significance of the title My
Mother at Sixty Six?

A) Poets fear of losing her old mother.

B) poets fear of moving fast
C) poets inability to express her feelings
D) All these
Q7- Which poetic device is Trees
sprinting ?

A) metaphor
B) simile
C) alliteration
D) Personification.
Q8- What is the distinctive feature of the
poem?

A) its metaphors
B) simile used
C) alliteration used
D) narrative style using a single
sentence in a set of 14 lines.
Q9- What does this narrative
style of the poem signify?

A) differing thoughts
B) many thoughts
C) contrasting thoughts
D) a single thread of thought
mixed with harsh realities.
Q10- What is the main idea of the
poem?

A) eternal painful old age and its fears.

B) mother and daughter love
C) helplessness of a daughter
D) lack of strength
Q11- What did the poet realize with
the pain?

A) her mother's appearance like a

corpse with growing age.
B) she is helpless
C) old age is painful
D) she has duties
Q12- What is the familiar ache?

A) her childhood fear of losing

her mother.
B) her mother's weak health
C) her duties
D) her helplessness
Q13- Why are the trees described as
sprinting?
A) their running appearance and to
show fast moving change of human
life.
B) to show their running appearance
C) to tell how trees look from a running
car
D) to show the speed of the car
Q14- What do the running trees signify?

A) fast moving appearance

B) speed of the moving car
C) fast moving change of human life
from childhood to old age.
D) none
Q15- What does 'ashen face '
signify?

A) to show the poet's fears

B) to tell aging is painful
C) Pale and lifeless face of poet's
mother.
D) to show old age
Q16- What does the poet notice in the
outer world ?

A) sprinting trees and running roads.

B) schools and roads
C) other vehicles
D) many people on the road
Q17- What do the parting words "See
you soon Amma" signify?

A) her helplessness
B) Her optimistic farewell full of
cheerfulness.
C) her hope
D) her helplessness and cheerfulness
Q18- What does the poet's smile
signify in the poem?

A) Her assurance to mother and

helplessness inside.
B) she has a responsibility
C) she has to do her duty first
D) she is a loving daughter
Q19- Why are the trees described as
sprinting?
A) their running appearance and to
show fast moving change of human
life.
B) to show their running appearance
C) to tell how trees look from a running
car
D) to show the speed of the car
Q20- What do the running
trees signify?

A) fast moving appearance

B) speed of the moving car
C) fast moving change of
human life from childhood
to old age.
D) none
Q21- What does 'ashen face '
signify?

A) to show poet's fears

B) to tell aging is painful
C) Pale and lifeless face of
poet's mother.
D) to show old age
Q22- What does the poet notice in the
outer world ?

A) sprinting trees and running roads.

B) schools and roads
C) other vehicles
D) many people on the road
Q23- What do the parting words "See you
soon Amma" signify?

A) her helpless ness

B) Her optimistic farewell full of
cheerfulness.
C) her hope
D) her helplessness and cheerfulness
Q24- What does poet's smile
signify in the poem?

A) Her assurance to mother and

helplessness inside.
B) she has a responsibility
C) she has to do her duty first
D) she is a loving daughter
Q25- What is the universality of the
theme of the poem?

A) death is a truth
B) Death is a reality
C) everyone can feel the pain and
loss associated with death.
D) All these
Q26- What worried the poet when she
looked at her mother?

A) her face
B) her loving face
C) her loving words
D) her declining poor health.
Q27- Why did the poet look at her
mother again?

A) because of her love

B) because of her care
C) because of her duties
D) because of fear and insecurity.
1. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follown: (Delhi 2009)
…….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 …

1. What was the childhood fear that now troubled the

poet?
2. What do the poet’s parting words suggest?
3. Why did the poet smile and smile?
Answer:
1. The childhood fear of death and decay now troubled the poet.
She is concerned about her mother’s frail health and old age.

2. The poet’s parting words reveal her fear. Though she hopes
she will see her mother soon but she is anxious about her
mother’s deteriorating health and falls short of words to convey
her true feelings.

3. The poet smiled and smiled in an effort to reassure herself that

she will meet her mother soon. Her words and smiles are a
deliberate attempt to hide her real fears and feelings from her
mother.
2. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follows: (Delhi 2011)
…but soon
put that thought away and
looked out at young
trees sprinting, the merry children spilling
out of their homes, …

1. Which thought did the poet put away?

2. What do the ‘sprinting trees’ signify?
3. What are ‘the merry children spilling out of their
homes’, symbolic of?
Answer:
1. The poet put away the painful thought of her mother’s ageing
and declining health and the possibility of losing her mother.

2. The trees appear to be racing past as their car moves

towards the airport. The old, inactive mother is contrasted with
the energetic and active trees.

3. The ‘merry children spilling out of their homes’ are symbolic

of happiness, energy and playfulness. They are in stark
contrast to the old, dozing mother. The sad thoughts of the poet
are also contrasted with the merry children.
3. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follows : (Comptt. All India 2011)
…..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 …

1. What was the childhood fear that now troubled the

poet?
2. What do the poet’s parting words suggest?
3. Why did the poet smile and smile?
Answer:
1. The childhood fear of death and decay now troubled the poet.
She is concerned about her mother’s frail health and old age.

2. The poet’s parting words reveal her fear. Though she hopes
she will see her mother soon but she is anxious about her
mother’s deteriorating health and falls short of words to convey
her true feelings.

3. The poet smiled and smiled in an effort to reassure herself

that she will meet her mother soon. Her words and smiles are a
deliberate attempt to hide her real fears and feelings from her
mother.
4. Read the extract given below and answer the
questions that follow : (Delhi 2015)
I saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with
pain
that she was as old as she
looked but soon
put that thought away, ….
1. What worried the poet when she looked at
her mother?
2. Why was there pain in her realization?
3. Why did she put that thought away?
4. Identify the figure of speech used in these
lines.
Answer:
1. When she looked at her mother the poet was worried about
her frail health and old age. Her mother’s face looked ashen like
a corpse and she feared that it might be their last meeting.

2. There was pain in her realization as the poet feared she

would lose her mother. She couldn’t reconcile to the thought of
being left and separated from her mother forever.

3. She put that thought away because it gave her great anxiety
and pain.

4. A ‘simile’ is used in the above lines (Tike that of a corpse’).

Thank-You
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