Flamingo(text book) poetry
My mother at sixty six - Kamala Das
1.Summary of the poem,
2.Hindi summary,
3.Extract Based VSA Type Questions,
4.Central Idea;
Summary of the Poem
1. Mother as if lifeless: The poetess was on her way back to Cochin the last Friday morning to catch the flight. Her mother was seated beside her in the car. She was sixty-six years old. The old woman started and faded. It was grey like ash. It
feeling drowsy. Her mouth remained open. Her face looked pale
looked lifeless like a corpse (dead body). 2. The contrast inside and outside: The poetess became panicky. She thought that her mother would not
live long. She was deeply pained. The poetess turned her attention away from her mother and looked outside. The world outside was full of life and activity. The young trees appeared like running back at full speed. The children looked happy while moving out of their homes.
3. Mother's weakness and poetess's fear: They reached the airport and assed through the formal
security check. The poetess was standing a few yards away from her mother. She looked again at her mother. The mother was weak and pale like the late winter's moon which had lost its shine and strength. The sight of her revived the poetess's old childhood fear of being away from her mother. There was no hope of improvement in her condition.
4. Farewell: But before bidding her farewell the poetess just smiled and wished to see her old Amma again.
Hindi translation
कविता का सारांश
1. माँ मानो बेजान : कवयित्री पिछले शुक्रवार की सुबह फ्लाइट पकड़ने के लिए कोचीन वापस जा रही थी। कार में बगल में उसकी मां बैठी थी। वह छियासठ वर्ष की थी। बुढ़िया शुरू हुई और फीकी पड़ गई। यह राख की तरह धूसर था। यह
सुस्ती महसूस कर रहा है. उसका मुंह खुला रह गया। उसका चेहरा पीला लग रहा था
लाश (मृत शरीर) की तरह बेजान लग रहा था। 2. अंदर और बाहर का कंट्रास्ट : कवयित्री घबरा गई। उसने सोचा था कि उसकी माँ नहीं
खूब जियो। उसे गहरा दुख हुआ। कवयित्री ने अपना ध्यान अपनी माँ से हटा लिया और बाहर देखने लगी। बाहर की दुनिया जीवन और गतिविधि से भरी थी। युवा पेड़ पूरी गति से पीछे की ओर भागते हुए दिखाई दिए। घर से बाहर निकलते समय बच्चे खुश नजर आए।
3. मां की कमजोरी और कवयित्री का डर : वे एयरपोर्ट पहुंचे और फॉर्मल के जरिए आश्वासन दिया
सुरक्षा जांच। कवयित्री अपनी माँ से कुछ गज की दूरी पर खड़ी थी। उसने फिर अपनी माँ की ओर देखा। माँ कमजोर और पीली थी, जैसे कि देर से सर्दियों का चाँद जो अपनी चमक और ताकत खो चुका था। उसकी दृष्टि ने कवयित्री के माँ से दूर होने के पुराने बचपन के डर को पुनर्जीवित कर दिया। उसकी हालत में सुधार की कोई उम्मीद नहीं थी।
4. विदाई: लेकिन विदाई देने से पहले कवयित्री बस मुस्कुरा दी और अपनी बूढ़ी अम्मा को फिर से देखना चाहती थी। निकालें
Extract Based VSA Type Questions
DIRECTION Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:
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 realised with pain that she was as old as she looked...
Questions
1: Where was the poetess driving to?
2: Which figure of speech is used in the line, her - face ashen like that of a corpse'?
3. What pain did the pootess experience?
Answers
1. The poetess was driving to the Cochin airport.
2. The figure of speech 'simile' is used in the given line as the poetess sees her mother dozing off with her mouth open, almost like a corpse.
3. She felt it painful to witness her ageing mother. 2. 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 and felt that
old familiar ache......
Questions
1 Why did the poetess look at her mother again?
2. What did she observe?
3. Which figure of speech is used in the line looked out at Young Trees Sprinting?
Answers:
1. The poetess looked at her mother again because of her feeling of anxiety and insecurity.
2. She observed her mother's pale unhealthy
appearance.
3. The figure of speech 'personification is used in
the given line.
Central Idea
DIRECTION Write Central Idea of the poem 'My Mother at Sixty-Six' :
ageing is a natural process yet the fear of separation from your loved and near ones is very painful. The poem talks about the feeling of loneliness that aged people experience and the feeling of guilt which their offspring experience for not being able to be with their parents in their old age. The poem also explores the feelings of melancholy and pain that a daughter experiences while leaving her mother, all by herself, at a ripe old age.