MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX
- KAMALA DAS
Poetic Devices In Poem-
1) Her face ashen - Metaphor.
2) Like that of a corpse - Simile.
3) As a late winter's moon - Simile.
4) All I did was smile and smile and smile ... - Repetition.
5) My Mother at Sixty-Six - Alliteration.
Think as you read -
1) What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels ?
Answer ) The poet feels pain and ache at the moment when she was going to be separated from her mother. She also feels pain about the ageing of her mother. As her mother was old and her face become pale.
2) Why are the young trees described as 'sprinting' ?
Answer ) It is very common experience. Whenever we travel by a fast running vehicle, the standing objects appear to be running fast. The appearance of their fast-racing is described as sprinting. They provide a stark contrast to the passive old lady sitting inside the car.
3) Why has the poet brought in the image of merry children 'spilling out of their homes' ?
Answer ) The contrast enhances the poetic effect. The poet's mother who is sitting beside her is dozing. She is an image of ageing, decay and passivity. On the other hand, the children are happy. Here is an image of happiness and spontaneous overflow of life.
4) Why has the mother been compared to the 'late winter's moon' ?
Answer ) The simile is used here. The poet's mother is sixty-six. She has shrunk to an ashen face resembling a corpse. She has lost the shine and strength of her youth. Similarly the late winter moon looks hazy, leaking shine and strength. Hence comparision is quite natural.
5) What do the parting words of poet and her smile signify ?
Answer ) The parting words : ''See you soon, Amma'' , give an assurance of life to an old and weak lady. The mother's ashen face looks like a corpse. Similarly, the poet's continuous similing is an attempt to overcome the ache and fear inside her heart and to assure the old lady that they will meet again soon.
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