Kamala Das is well known for her bold style of expressing herself through her poems and stories. This short poem of a single verse is remarkable in consisting of one complex sentence from beginning to end.
The love for one's parent has been encapsulated through use of similes like: 'a late winter's moon' while dealing with the childhood fear of losing one's parent simultaneously. Kinesthetic imagery of 'Young trees sprinting' and 'merry children spilling' refer to the childhood of the persona while she comments on her dozing mother- 'her face ashen like that of a corpse'. It comes as a shock to the readers as they come to terms with the mortality of each one of us. The apostrophe at the end where she addresses her 'Amma' promising to see her soon is comforting for she smiles continuously more to reassure herself, rather than her mother.
In just a few lines Kamala Das forces us to reflect on the impermanence of life and our loved ones, specially our parents, particularly our mothers with whom each individual has a distinct bond.
Moving away from home is not easy, but as time passes, not knowing if we will see our mother on our next visit can be brutal.
Our mothers play an important role in our lives. They take care of us since birth. Our mothers teach us our morals and manners. They take care of us, feed us and love us unconditionally. A mother is a person who is ready to sacrifice her own health and happiness for her children. Hence it is natural for a person to miss their mother when they are away or incase the mother passes away. We often see our mother as a major care giver and motivator in our lives as both children and adults. A mother is truly the greatest source of advice and comfort for her children. Mothers also play the role of the constant conscience of a person throughout their life. The bond between a mother and her children is almost unbreakable.
ReplyDeleteThe bond of the mother and her child is a precious one. The child will always be the apple of her eye no matter how old he/she grows in age. The poem 'My Mother at Sixty-Six' cherishes this very relation.
ReplyDeleteThe constant fear of losing a loved one haunts us as they age. The poet also experiences this as she's looking at her mother dozing off in the back of the car. This childhood fear is expressed both, in terms of physical appearance and the emotional feelings. The pale face of the mother is compared to that of a corpse while her aging is compared to that of the winter's moon.
The usage of language and poetic devices conveys the message to the readers very strongly. It is something that everybody can relate to.
Thank you!
My Mother at Sixty-Six is a poignant poem by Kamala Das which deals with the themes of aging, a person’s love for her mother, separation, uncertainty and death.
ReplyDeleteHere the poet has tried to put forth the feeling of an individual towards their mother.The poet has Welly explained her fear of losing her mother and she also describes her mother's current health and sceneriao ,the line 'I looked at her,wan,pale as a late winter's moon',it deeply explains the feeling of losing one's individual here mother, and atlast the poet accepts the reality and calms,relaxs herself by just smiling towards her 'MOTHER'.
Personally I was moved by reading the poem and I just cannot imagine the moment where I would loose my biggest asset of my life 'My Mother'.
The poem leaves a positive and deep emotional effect on a reader.
Thank you..!!
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ReplyDeleteThe poem "My Mother At Sixty-Six", celebrates the very adorable and beloved bond between a mother and a daughter on one hand while also discusses the prospective of aging and the pain of separation of a loved one. The poem captures the speaker’s train of thought and the entire poem is written in a single sentence.
ReplyDeleteIt also a poem where the daughter confesses about her fear to lose her mother. She is surprised to see the difference between her 'aging' mother and the 'young' and 'energetic' world. The poet also focuses on how she disguises her true feelings by a mere smile.
Thank you!
The bond between a child and their mother is very strong . It is an unbreakable bond. Neither of them can imagine living without the other . A mother - gives birth to the a new life , structures and frames her children with moral values and knowledge and takes care of them selflessly. She sacrifices her her dreams just so her children can live a good life . She remains with them in their ups and downs and always wishes for the best for her children . There is no other person like a mother in the whole world ! This poem aptly highlights that death is certain and we are most affected by the passing away of our mother . Kamala Das has done a very good job !
ReplyDeleteThe poet, Kamala Das, is on her way to the airport at Cochin, accompanied by her old mother. Suddenly, she realises that her mother has grown old. Her face appears ashen like that of a corpse. This thought disturbs her as it makes her realise the fact of her mother’s approaching death.
ReplyDeleteAs a daughter, the very thought of losing her mother disturbs her and in order to drive away from her worrying thoughts, she starts looking out at the trees which appear to be sprinting as she drives a car. She also sees young children rushing out of their homes to play outside. This reminds her of youth and beauty.On the contrary, her mother is aging. She has become old and is moving towards death. This fills her with a feeling of insecurity. In contrast to the young children and green trees, the mother has lost her youth and charm and has become pale like the winter’s moon.
The poet feels the same old pain and fear of her childhood as she bids goodbye to her mother at the airport, but she hides all such emotions with a smile which consoles her mother that she would return soon. So even when the poet herself is full of fear of old age, her smile gives her mother the hope of survival.
I feel this poem is very emotional, deep and raw. It makes the reader feel the pain of the poet and read between the lines. A mother is truly the most caring selfless and loving authority. As it is said God has sent mothers because he cant be everywhere. We can really hold on to that and see how hurt the poet is realising that her mother is now old and soon she will leave her. The mother and daughter bond has been very well portrayed.One just needs to understand it properly.
ReplyDeleteThe poem my mother at sixty six is one of the finest examples of the human bonding, especially that of a mother and daughter. It describes the pain and fear of the poet, of losing her mother due to harsh reality of life which is death. It is a poem which takes us through a string of emotions attached with our lives shared with our mothers and gives us a feeling of fear and discomfort that there will be a day when we finally have to say goodbye to them. Therefore the bond between a mother and her child should forever be loved and cherished.
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