My Mother at Sixty-Six - Summary and Questions and Answers | CBSE

My Mother at Sixty-Six - Summary and Questions and Answers | CBSE

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This article is especially for those students and readers, preparing for competitive exams, who are looking for high-quality literature notes, CBSE English Important Questions, and Exam-Focused Explanation in English, as well as preparing for competitive examinations (CUET, NDA, Teaching Exams etc.).

Introduction to poetry:

"My mother at Sixty-Six" is a poignant English poem written by famous Indian poet Kamala Das. This poem reflects a daughter's anxiety, love and emotional connection towards her old mother. These emotions are very comfortable and human, which makes every reader feel connected.

Summary in English:

The poem begins when poets are traveling in a car with their mother. Mother's age is now 66 years, and she is tired, weak and deep sleep. The poetess pays attention that his mother's face is faded and withered - like a wordless, extinguished moon.

This scene shocks the poetess. She suddenly gets lost in the mother's old age, the possibility of death and her childhood memories. Outside greenery and children playing visuals distract her mind momentary, but the burden of mind is not lighter.

When she arrives at the airport and leaves the mother, she tries to smile, but inside she is sad and emotional for fear of losing the mother inside.

Main theme of the poem, "My mother at Sixty-Six":

    Maternity and daughter relation

    Old age and reality of death

    Separation and anxiety

    Emotional helplessness

Use of symbols:

        Pale as a corpse - death

        Young Trees Sprinting - Life

        Late Winter's Moon - Old Age

        Smile and smile - hidden expressions

        White face - a symbol of closeness of death.

       Watching children playing - symbol of life and energy, opposite to mother's condition.

       Laughing (smiling) - trying to hide feelings.

"My Mother at Sixty-Six"-Kamala Das (Original line-by-line explanation in English)

1. Driving from My Parent's Home to Cochin Last Friday Morning,

English interpretation:

The poetess says that she was going to Cochin last Friday morning, and she was leaving her parents' house.

2. I Saw My Mother, Beside Me, Doze, Open Mouted, Her Face ashen Like that of a Corpse

English interpretation:

Her mother was sitting with her, who was tired and her mouth was open. The mother's face was very faded and withering, looking exactly like a dead body.

3. And realized with pain that she was as old as she looked

English interpretation:

This scene fills pain and anxiety in the mind of the poetess. She feels that her mother is now really as old as she was seen.

4. But song put that thought away, and looked out at young trees, the merry children spilling out of their houses

English interpretation:

She gets sad to see her mother's position, but she tries to remove that idea from her mind. They look out of the car window-where the trees start running backwards and the children are coming out of their homes happily. All this symbolizes life and energy.

5. But after the airport's security check, standing a more yards away, I looked again at her, wan, pale as a late winter's moon

English interpretation:

After the security check at the airport, when the poets stand some distance away and see their mother again, she still looked tired and yellow - such as the light of the last moon of winter.

6. And felt that old family ach, my childhood's fear, but all I said was, see you song, amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile…

English interpretation:

She again feels the same old fear of her childhood - fear of losing her mother. But she does not reveal this feeling. She just says,

"Will meet again, Amma."

And forcibly smiles… again and again… so that the mother does not feel anything.

Main Message:

In this poem, hidden love, anxiety and fear of death in the relationship of mother and daughter are expressed with great simplicity. This poem shows that we have our own old age over time, and it is very difficult to accept this truth.

Below "My Mother at Sixty-Six" by Kamala Das Poetry based on CBSE Pattern has important questions-answers, multiple choice questions (MCQs), and Quick Revision notes-which are extremely useful for class 12 students from the point of view of examination.

MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Q1. What is the mother's face compared to the poem?

A. from rose

B. from the sun

C. From dead body

D. Cloud

Answer: C. From dead body

Q2. What is the symbol of 'Young Trees Sprinting'?

A. Peace

B. Life and speed

C. death

D. old age

Answer: B. Life and speed 

Q3. How did the poet see the mother for the last time?

A. Happy

B. Laughing

C. Yellow and tired

D. Angry

Answer: C. Yellow and tired 

Q4. What does 'smile and smile and smile…' mean?

A. Mother's happiness

B. To hide the fear of poetry

C. Laughter

D. No special meaning

Answer: B. To hide the fear of poetry

Very short answer type questions (1 mark)

Q1. What was the age of poet's mother?

Answer: About 66 years

Q2. Whom did the poem resemble his mother's face?

Answer:  like a dead body

Q3. What did the poetess see outside?

Answer: running trees and children laughing

Q4. What did the poet say while taking away?

Answer:  "See you son, amma."

Short Answer Type Questions (2-3 Marks)

Q1. The title of the poem 'My Mother at Sixty-Six' is how suitable is it?

Answer:  This title is suitable because the main sense of poetry is associated with the old age of the 66 -year -old mother of the poetess and the concern of the poetess on it. The entire emotional conflict focuses on this.

Q2. What does 'Late Winter's Moon' mean?

Answer:  This symbol reflects the final stage of mother's life. Just as the winter moon is faded, cool and weak, similarly the mother of the poetess has now reached the final stages of life.

Long answer type question (5 mark)

Q 1. What kind of pain and pain does the poet feel?

Answer: The poetess (Kamala Das) feels a deep emotional pain and pain within seeing his mother's old age. When she sees her mother with a yellow and inanimate face in the car and with a dead body, she realizes that her mother is now really old and getting closer to death.

This scene reminds him of the fear of his childhood when she used to fear the only thoughts of separating from her mother. This pain is not only of the mother's growing age, but the fear of losing the mother and the pain of helplessness - which she tries to hide behind her smile.

Q 2: Why is young trees described as 'running'?

Answer: The poetess has described young trees as 'running' because she was looking out of the car window and when a vehicle moves fast, the outside trees seem to run backwards.

It is not only a visual illustration, but also a symbolic meaning:

    The 'running young trees' symbolize life, energy, and speed.

    This scene is completely opposite to the dull vitality and stagnation of the mother's mother.

    On the one hand there is the weakness and old age of the mother, on the other hand the boom and new life of trees.

In this way, this line depicts the duality of life and death in poetry deeply.

Q 3: Why has the poet presented the image of happy children while 'exiting his homes'?

Answer: The poetess has presented the image of the 'happy children coming out of her homes' to show her an active, blissful and energetic side of life unlike her mother's old and withered position.

It has symbolic importance:

    Happy children symbolize the new beginning, innocence, energy and future of life.

    This image comes against his mother's elderly state, fatigue and the possibility of death.

    Poetry is trying to divert attention from the sorrow and fear in her mind through these scenes.

In this way, this image shows the emotional conflict between young life and old age in poetry.

Q 4: Why is mother compared to 'late winter moon'?

Answer: The poetess Kamala Das compared her mother to 'late winter's moon' (Late Winter's Moon 'as this simile reflects the mother's old age, weakness and weak vitality in a very beautiful and poignant manner.

The main reason behind this comparison:

    The winter moon is usually staining, faded and cool - just as the mother's mother now tired, yellow and withered.

    The 'late arrival' shows that the mother who reached the last stop of life is now close to death.

    This simile manifests the fragility of old age in poetry and the fleeting of life very effectively.

Therefore, this comparison not only exposes the mother's physical condition, but also her life -state and emotional suffering of poetess.

Q 5: What indicates the poetess’ departure word and her smile?

Answer: At the end of the poem, when the poetess leaves her mother, she only says-"See you soon, amma"-and keeps smiling again and again.

These words and smile reflect the deepest and poignant feelings of the poem.

Their indicative meaning:

    Covering the fear hidden inside:

    The poetess is unhappy inside for fear of losing their mother, but she does not want to reveal this fear in front of her mother. So she resorts to a grin.

    Controlling sensations:

    The daughter does not want to make her mother emotional or disturb, so she leaves restrained and calmly just smiles and leaves.

    Indication of impossible hope:

    "See You Soon, Amma" is like an emotional prayer - perhaps she knows that it can be difficult to see the mother again, yet she maintains hope.

    Silent pain:

    Repeated smile is an expression of helplessness - where the words cannot do anything, a person can only smile, to hide the pain.

Finally, the poetess’s words and smiles show that she is broken from inside, but is trying to become stronger from outside - so that her mother does not feel worrying about her. This farewell presents the depth and sensitivity of the mother-daughter relationship very poignant.

Q6. Explain the daughter's feelings in the poem "My Mother at Sixty-Six".

Answer:  In this poem, Kamala Das has presented the feelings that she experienced by seeing her mother's old age. The mother's withered state scares the poetess and reminds her of her childhood concern when she was afraid of her mother for the first time.

The poetess did not reveal her anxiety and sorrow, but hidden behind the smile - this is a common emotional response that one can feel a son or daughter. In the poem, love, separation, and the truth of age are engraved with great tenderness.

The poem, "My mother at Sixty-SIX" of Kamala Das is, therefore, very simple but full of depth. It touches the heart of every person who has ever felt worried about the aging and separation of his parents. This poem depicts a very poignant depiction of motherhood, old age and volatility of life.