My Mother at Sixty-six: Poet, Summary, Theme, Questions, Comprehension

Her works are famous for their versatility, originality, and indigenous flavour of the soil. She published many novels and short stories in English and Malayalam. My Mother at Sixty-six revolves around complex human relationships and old age apathy.

Summary of the Poem: My Mother at Sixty-six(CBSE/HBSE)

Introduction of the poem

 Kamla Das’s poetry is known for her bold and open expression. The main features of her poetry are “an acute obsession with love and the use of confession.” Her main theme of poetry revolves around freedom, love, the apathy of age, and protection.

Main Summary of the poem

All of us are going to be old one day, and aging is a natural process. In this poem, the poetess explains the old age of her mother, and she tries to explain that all of us have to become old. Old age symptoms and gestures are common among all human beings. She explains the problems of old age in her poem, “My Mother at Sixty-six.” She was seated beside her mother and looked at her face. Her mother’s face was ‘doze, open-mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse’. All these words are the symbol of old age, which all of us have to face.

Old age is real and everyone tries to run away from the situation by claiming they are too afraid of old age. The poetess turns her attention towards the ‘Young Trees’, merry children. It shows us that all of us are worried about old age and always imitate being young. This is a human dilemma. She compares her mother’s face with “winter’s moon”, which shows that in old age things are not always the same as the winter’s moon, which doesn’t shine as in summer.

Conclusion of the poem

We are afraid of losing our parents and always feel attached to them. She shows her love for her mother, who has become very old and is passing through old-age problems. We always smile when we feel stressed about thinking about old age.

Related: An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Summary CBSE/HBSE Class 12 English

A final word on My Mother at Sixty-six

A final word on My Mother at Sixty-six reveals the whole idea in the poem revolves around the relationship between the poet and her mother. The fear of separation of mother and daughter is the main concern of the poetess. The poem’s theme of bonding between a mother and a daughter applies to all of us.

Understanding My Mother at Sixty-six: Important phrases and words

doze, open-mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised with pain: Signs of old age.

 Young Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling out of their homes, signs of young age, The poetess is comparing and contrasting old age and young age.

wan, pale as a late winter’s moon and felt that old familiar ache, my childhood’s fear, Again the poetess addressed old age by using these words.

see you soon, Amma, all I did was smile and smile and smile…: When we become old, we always try to see our childhood in children and smile.

Summary of the Poem: My Mother at Sixty-six(CBSE/HBSE) in Hindi

कमला दास की शायरी अपने बोल्ड और ओपन एक्सप्रेशन के लिए जानी जाती है। उनकी कविता की मुख्य विशेषताएं “प्यार के प्रति तीव्र जुनून और स्वीकारोक्ति का उपयोग” हैं। उनकी कविता का मुख्य विषय स्वतंत्रता, प्रेम, उम्र की उदासीनता और सुरक्षा के इर्द-गिर्द घूमता है।

हम सभी एक दिन बूढ़े होने जा रहे हैं, और बुढ़ापा एक प्राकृतिक प्रक्रिया है। इस कविता में कवयित्री अपनी माँ के बुढ़ापे की व्याख्या करती है, और वह समझाने की कोशिश करती है कि हम सभी को बूढ़ा होना है। वृद्धावस्था के लक्षण और हावभाव सभी मनुष्यों में सामान्य हैं। वह अपनी कविता, “माई मदर एट सिक्सटीस” में बुढ़ापे की समस्याओं की व्याख्या करती है। वह अपनी माँ के पास बैठी थी और अपना चेहरा देख रही थी। उसकी माँ का चेहरा ‘खुला, खुला मुँह, उसका चेहरा लाश की तरह राख’ था। ये सभी शब्द वृद्धावस्था के प्रतीक हैं, जिनका सामना हम सभी को करना पड़ता है।

बुढ़ापा वास्तविक है और हर कोई यह दावा करके स्थिति से भागने की कोशिश करता है कि वे बुढ़ापे से बहुत डरते हैं। कवयित्री अपना ध्यान ‘यंग ट्रीज़’, मीरा बच्चों की ओर लगाती है। यह हमें दिखाता है कि हम सभी बुढ़ापे को लेकर चिंतित रहते हैं और हमेशा युवा होने की नकल करते हैं। यह एक मानवीय दुविधा है। वह अपनी माँ के चेहरे की तुलना “सर्दियों के चाँद” से करती है, जिससे पता चलता है कि बुढ़ापे में चीजें हमेशा सर्दियों के चाँद के समान नहीं होती हैं, जो गर्मियों में नहीं चमकती हैं।

हम अपने माता-पिता को खोने से डरते हैं और हमेशा उनसे जुड़ाव महसूस करते हैं। वह अपनी माँ के लिए अपना प्यार दिखाती है, जो बहुत बूढ़ी हो चुकी है और बुढ़ापे की समस्याओं से गुज़र रही है। हम हमेशा मुस्कुराते हैं जब हम बुढ़ापे के बारे में सोचकर तनाव महसूस करते हैं।

A final word on My Mother at Sixty-six in Hindi

My Mother at Sixty-six पर एक अंतिम शब्द से पता चलता है कि कविता में पूरा विचार कवि और उसकी माँ के बीच के रिश्ते के इर्द-गिर्द घूमता है। माँ और बेटी के अलग होने का डर कवयित्री की मुख्य चिंता है। एक माँ और एक बेटी के बीच के बंधन की कविता का विषय हम सभी पर लागू होता है।

Theme or Main Idea of the Poem: My Mother at Sixty-six(CBSE/HBSE)

The poetess, Kamla Das, discussed in the poem, “My Mother at Sixty-six,” the problems of old age and how we feel about old age. The bonding between a mother and daughter is visible in the poem. Aging is a universal fact, and we are all going to be old one day. She explains all her apathy toward old age with the example of her mother, who is an old lady with an open mouth, and no shine on her face, and she is compared with a corpse and a winter moon. It is human nature that we don’t want to be old. Therefore, we never realise the pain of old age. We must all feel the apathy of old age so that we don’t face any burden of old age.

Everyone wants to be young their whole life. The poetess turns her attention from her mother toward the young trees and children who were playing outside. On the contrary, the elderly are unable to play and enjoy life like children. It’s our sole duty towards our elderly parents that they should not feel isolated in their old age. The poem ends with a positive note that we should always smile, irrespective of our age.

Textual Questions: My Mother at Sixty-six(NCERT)

Think it out

Q.1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

The poet feels the pain and ache of her mother’s old age. We will all have to pass through this process of aging.

Q.2. Why are young trees described as “sprinting”?

The young trees are compared to young children, and both of them shine at their young age. The young trees are described as sprinting as they grow very fast when they are young.

Q.3. Why was the poet brought into the image of the merry children spilling out of their homes?

The poet tries to compare the young children with her mother, who is an old lady. The children are active and play on the grounds, whereas the elderly are in pain and have faces that resemble ash and the winter moon. The difference is clear and vital between old and young people. Old people are like corpses, and young children are running.

Q.4. Why has the mother been compared to the “late winter’s moon”?

The old mother has been compared to the winter moon as the winter moon does not shine properly due to winter. It means that the faces of old people don’t shine.

Q.5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

The poet tries to smile as she wants to change her thinking from old age to young age and feels that aging is a natural process.

Important Stanzas for comprehension: My Mother at Sixty-six