My mother at sixty-six - Kamala Das : Guide notes and answers| CBSE Class 12

 My mother at sixty-six:-

Q1) Why did the poet suddenly recall 'last Friday morning'?

Answer:- The poet 'Kamala Das' recalls about"last Friday" as while she was driving back from her "parent's home" to Cochin she discovered that her "childhood fear" was back to her which brought back to her the "familiar ache". Her fear that her mother was growing old and nearing her end, which she realised with pain as she found her  mother dozing, "open mouthed", her face was pale and "ashen like that of a corpse" which was a symbol that her mother is not going to live long.

Q2) Why has the mother been compared to" the late winter's moon" ?

Answer:-  The poet has compared her mother to the "late winter's moon" to convey the idea of her old age. The winter is a traditional symbol of death , and as in literature, moon symbolises death and decay ,so the mother has been compared to the "late winter's moon" which is dull and shrouded and signifies the ebbing life . The moon brings to the poet's mind night or the approaching end of life. The mother's pale, bloodless and wrinkly face with grey hair and so is like the 'late winter's moon' which is dull,dim,dismal.

Q3). What 'familiar ache' did the poet feel?

Answer:-  The poet is pained to see her mother old and suffering. The sight of her mother's pale and weak face looks like that of a corpse, which arouses her childhood's "familiar ache" in her heart. It is also the ache of helplessness. The "old familiar ache "  refers to the poet's childhood premonition of losing or being separated from the parent or her mother. The fear that haunted her in her childhood returns with its horrifying appearance due to the old age of the mother signifying her approaching end.

Q4). What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

Answer:- The parting words "see you soon Amma"  are used by the poet to reassure the mother and to infuse optimism in the poet herself. The poet accepts the facade of smiling in order to put up a brave front. The poet's parting words are expressive of the dilemma and confusion in her mind while her elongated smile is superficial and expresses her helplessness. Both the words and smile not only hide her anxiety and fear about her mother's rather frail health but also a faint hope that the old woman would survive long enough for the two to meet again. It requires a lot of effort and hence the poet has used the poetic device of repetition

Q5)  How does the poet describes the old age of her mother ?

Answer:-  The poet 'Kamala Das' has described her mother's old age in a very beautiful, still heart-piercing way. She has tried to create a foil between the energetic youth, tender nature with her old, frail, wan and pale mother, who is like the 'late winter's moon' devoid of energy, vigour and vitality. Her wrinkly, bloodless face resembles that of a corpse while the children 'spilling' and trees 'sprinting' are full of tenderness,youth and symbolises through them the flow of time that neither stops nor waits for anyone and thus brings with it death, the oblivious enemity.