Give answers of the following questions from MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX of FLAMINGO book.
1. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
2. What was the poit's childhood fear? Why do they surface
when she is going to the airport?
3. Why has the poet's mother been compared to 'late winter's
moon?
4. Why are the young trees described as sprinting?
5. What were the poet's feelings at the airport? How did the
hide them?
6. What is the significance of the parting words of the poet and
her smile?
7. What does Kamala Das see on looking out of the car window?
8. What is the significance of the images 'sprinting trees' and 'merry children spilling out of their homes'?
9. How does the poet decribe the old age of her mother?
10. What thoughts do you think Kamala Das had at the airport?
11. What were the poet's feelings as she drove to the Cochin airport?
Answers
Answer:
1. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?
Answer: She tried to put away the sad thoughts about her ageing mother by looking out of the car at the sprinting trees and merry children.
2. What was the poet’s childhood fear? Why do they surface when she is going to the airport?
Answer: Ageing and death were poet’s childhood fears. These fears surfaced when the poet saw the old and wrinkled face of her mother.
3. Why has the poet's mother been compared to 'late winter's moon?
Answer: She has been compared to late winter’s moon because she was looking very pale and weak.
4. Why are the young trees described as sprinting?
Answer: They have been described as sprinting because the car was moving fast, and from the moving car, the stationery trees were looking to be sprinting.
5. What were the poet's feelings at the airport? How did the hide them?
Answer: The poet, Kamla Das was quite sad at the airport. She had come to see her old mother. While driving to the airport, she saw her old mother, who was dozing beside her. The mother was looking quite weak. The poet felt the fear of her mother’s imminent death.
At the airport also, she felt the same fear. However, she hid her fear with a fake smile on her face and said good bye to her mother saying, “See you soon, Amma.”
6. What is the significance of the parting words of the poet and her smile?
Answer: The parting words were spoken to hide the poet’s fear and pain. The poet did not want to betray any feelings and tghoughts going on her mind.
7. What does Kamala Das see on looking out of the car window?
8. Answer: She saw trees sprinting, and merry children spilling out of their homes to play.
9. What is the significance of the images 'sprinting trees' and 'merry children spilling out of their homes'?
Answer: ‘Sprinting trees’ and ‘merry children’ represent life and happiness; the poet had grown very sad after seeing her mother’s weak face; in order to divert her mind from the sad thoughts she looked outside.
10. How does the poet describe the old age of her mother?
Answer: She described her old age with the following expressions: ‘ashen face looking like that of a corpse’.
11. What thoughts do you think Kamala Das had at the airport?
Answer: At the airport the poet was thinking the sad thoughts about her mother’s old age and imminent demise. She feared she might not be able to see her in future.
12. What were the poet's feelings as she drove to the Cochin airport?
Answer: She was thinking sad thoughts about her mother’s imminent end.
Answer:
Kamala Das tried to divert her mind from the thought of her mother by looking outside of the car and observing nature.
The poet had a fear from childhood about ageing and death, and her mother’s condition brought it back to her mind.
As the car was moving, the young trees were felt to be sprinting.
The poet was very sad at the airport and thought that her mother would die at any moment.
The poet wanted to gather courage with her parting words.