My Mother at Sixty Six by Kamala Das

Summary, Question Answers and Poetic Devices

My Mother at Sixty Six 
About Poet

Kamala Das (1934-2009) was born in Malabar, Kerala.

She is recognised as one of India’s foremost poets.
Her works are known for their originality, versatility
and the indigenous flavour of the soil. She has
published many novels and short stories. She wrote
under the pen name “Madhavi Kutty”.
 
 
My Mother at Sixty Six Poem
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.
 
My Mother at Sixty-Six Summary Class 12
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 symbolised 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.
My Mother at Sixty Six Poem 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.
Literary Devices:
Assonance: Here we see the use of vowel sound that
is ‘o’. (To Cochin last Friday morning)
doze, open-mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse and realised 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.
Literary Devices:
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ‘o’,’a’, ‘e’ (doze, open-
mouthed, her face ashen like that
of a corpse)
Simile: The colour of the mother’s face has been
compared to that of a corpse – ashen. use of ‘like’
(her face ashen like that of a corpse)
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.
Literary Devices:
Consonance: use of the sound ‘s’ and ‘t’
imagery: when the poet say trees sprinting, merry
children spilling
Repetition: Repeated use of ‘looked’

but after the airport’s

security check, standing a few yards
away, I looked again at her, wan, pale
Wan: dim, weak
Pale: dull, colourless
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 maybe 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.
Literary Devices:
Repetition: use of ‘smile’
Rhyme scheme – The poem does not follow any
rhyme or rhythm. It has been written in free verse.
Simile: Mother’s face is compared to the late winter’s
moon – both are dull and lifeless. use of ‘as’ (as a late
winter’s moon).

My Mother at Sixty-Six Question Answers

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 colour 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.

Question 1.
What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet her mother
might not live long with her. Therefore, feels ?
Answer:
The poet feels that her mother has grown so old that she
couldnt grow older. She means to say that her mother might
not live long with her. Therefore, the poet feels pain and
ache,
Question 2.
Why are the young trees described as sprinting’?
Answer:
The young trees are described as sprinting since the car is
moving fast in the forward direction. The trees appear to
move in the backward direction. In fact it is the car that
moves not the trees.
Question 3.
Why has the poet brought in the image of the children
‘spilling out of their homes’?
Answer:
The image of children spilling out of their homes has been
brought to show the contrast between the old age and the
childhood. In childhood, one is full of energy. In one’s old age
the person becomes pale and lifeless.
Question 4.
Why has the mother been compared to the Tate winter’s
moon’?
Answer:
Winter is considered as the season of death and life lessness.
All the activities come to a standstill. The old age is often
compared with the winter season. A person in old age looks
as pale as a late winter’s moon. Therefore the poet has
compared her mother to the late winter’s moon.
Question 5.
What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify ?
Answer:
The parting words of the poet were, ‘See you soon, Amma.’
And then she smiled and smiled only. These words show that
the poet do feel for her mother but she could not express her
feelings properly in words. Her smile signifies that she wants
to hide her feelings for her mother under the garb of artificial
smile.
Question 6.
Having looked at her mother the poet looked at her mother,
why does Kamala Das look at the children ?
Answer:
The poet is full of pain and ache when she looks at her ageing
mother. She has grown so old that she might not grow older.
This means her days on this earth are numbered. The poet
looks at the children outside to divert her attention from the
sad thoughts she has about her old mother.
Question 7.
What was Kamala Das’s childhood fear ?
Answer:
In her childhood, the poet’s heart was filled with fear
whenever her mother was not with her. The poet now feels
similar kind of fear since she senses that her mother has
grown very old and perhaps she might not live long.
Question 8.
In the last line of the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’, why
does the poet use the word ‘smile’repeatedly ?
Answer:
The repetition of the smile indicates that the poet does feel
for her mother, but she is unable to ex-press her feelings
openly. She tries to hide her true feelings under the garb of
repeated smile.
Question 9.
How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her
ageing mother ?
Answer:
When the poet sees her ageing mother, she becomes full of
pain and agony. She thinks that her mother might not live
long. To put away the thoughts of her ageing mother, the
poet starts looking out of the car. She starts looking at the
children rushing out of their homes and the trees that appear
to sprinting.
Question 10.
What were the poet’s feelings at the airport ? How did she
hide them ?
Answer:
The poet would become afraid when she did not find her
mother with her. Her childhood’s fear now again, came to
surface when she reached the airport. But she only said, ‘See
you soon, Amma.’ And the poet could do nothing but smile
and smile. The poet wants to convey the idea that the young
ones do feel for their elders but they couldn’t express their
feelings.
Question 11.
What were Kamala Das’s fears as a child ? Why do they
surface when she is going to the airport ?
Answer:
In her childhood, the poet would become afraid when she
could not find her mother with her. During her drive to the
airport, the poet looked at her mother. The mother looked
quite old and her face was white as a corpse. She felt that her
mother was going to leave her for ever. In this way, the
poet’s childhood fear surfaced when she was going to the
airport.
My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Long
Answer Type
Question 1.
Ageing is a natural process; have you ever thought what our
elderly parents expect from us ?
Answer:
Ageing is a natural process. When the person be-comes old
he becomes weak, he needs support .both emotional and
physical. Thus, it becomes our duty to provide our old
parents the love-, emotional support and respect they
deserve. Our parents usually give us their best period of life
to bring us up. Therefore it becomes our moral duty to
reciprocate the same when they become old.
But unfortunately, due to rank materialism and nuclear
family system the old people are treated as an unnecessary
commodity. They are harassed and sometimes even beaten
up. Many a time the old people are sent to old age homes,
where they lack emotional support which the family can
provide. It is very shameful for the younger generation. Our
parents do not deserve such shabby treatment in their old
age.
Question 2.
Write in brief the summary of the poem.
Answer:
One Friday morning the poet was driving in her car to the
Cochin Airport from her parent’s home. Her old mother was
sitting beside her. She had a glance at her mother. Her heart
was full of pain to realize that her mother had grown very
old. The poet’s mother was dozing, her mouth was opened
and her face was as white as of a dead body. The poet
realised
My Mother At Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers Stanza
For Comprehension
Stanza 1
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 realized with pain
that she was as old as she
looked…
Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) Where was the poet driving to- ?
(c) Who was sitting beside her ?
(d) What did the poet realise with pain ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and its
poet is Kamala Das.
(b) She was driving to Cochin.
(c) Her mother was sitting beside her.
(d) She realised with pain that her mother had grown very
old.
Stanza 2
… saw my mother,
beside me,
doze, open mouthed, her face
ashen like that
of a corpse and realized with pain
Questions
(a) Who is T ?
(b) What did ‘I’ realized with pain ?
(c) Why was the realization painful ?
(d) Identify and name the figure of speech used in these lines.
Answers
(a) The word T in these lines refers to the poet or the
narrator.
(b) She realized with pain that her mother had grown very
old and she might not live long.
(c) The realization was painful because the poet felt that she
had to bear the separation from her mother soon.
(d) The figure of speech used here is simile … ashen like that
of a corpse.
Stanza 3
Put that thought away, and
looked out at young 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.
Questions
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) Which thought did the poet put away ?
(c) What do the ‘sprinting trees’ signify ?
(d) What are ‘the merry children spilling out of their homes’
symbolic of ?
Answers
(a) The name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and its
poet is Kamala Das.
(b) The thought that her mother had grown very old and
might not live long.
(c) The ‘sprinting trees’ signify the childhood and youth.
(d) They are symbolic of carefree childhood.
Stanza 4
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
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) What was the poet’s childhood fear that now troubled
her ?
(c) What do the poet’s parting words suggest ?
(d) Why did the poet smile and smile ?
Answers
(a) frie name of the poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ and its
poet is Kamala Das.
(b) When the poet was a child she became frightened when
her mother was not with her. Now the same fear troubled
her.
(c) These words show that the poet do love her mother but
she couldn’t find appropriate words to express her love.
(d) The poet could not find any words to express her feelings.
Therefore, she did nothing but smile.
Stanza 5
… 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
(a) What does the phrase, ‘familiar ache’ mean ?
(b) What was the poet’s childhood fear ?
(c) What do the first two lines tell us about the poet’s feeling
for her mother ?
(d) What does the repeated use of the word ‘smile’ mean ?
Answers
(a) This was the pain and agony that the poet often felt that
one or the other day she had to suffer due to the separation
from her mother.
(b) In her childhood, the poet’s heart was filled with fear
whenever her mother was not with her.
(c) The first two lines tell us that the poet was deeply
attached with her mother. Whenever she was not with her,
her heart was filled with fear.
(d) It signifies that the poet tried to hide her true feelings
under the garb of false smile.