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My Mother at Sixty Six (Introduction)
Kamala Das is an Indian writer in English. She wrote lots of confessional poems expressing the experiences of being an Indian woman. The poet wrote under the pen name, Madhavikutty. Some of her popular works include ‘An Introduction,’ ‘A Hot Noon in Malabar,’ and ‘My Grandmother’s House’ . She writes in a matter-of-fact tone and her honesty and boldness in expressing her thoughts often keep her critics and readers spellbound. Kamala Das has written poems, short stories, memoirs, and novels as well. “The Times” had called her the Mother of Modern English Indian Poetry. ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’ is a poem that confesses a daughter’s fear of losing her mother. Firstly, the daughter, that is the poet, is surprised to realize that her mother is aging. Secondly, she notices how the rest of the world appears young and energetic. This is in contrast to her mother who continues to age. Thirdly, the poet expresses her apprehension over losing her mother if the old woman dies. Finally, the poe...
My Mother at Sixty Six (Central Theme)
Central Theme The poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six,’ is an intimate work presenting the poet’s thoughts. It deals with the feeling of fear and emotions that daughters experience with their mothers. Any child is attached to its mother. Similarly, children generally are afraid of losing their mothers. This poem brings out this ordinary but profound human nature through a personal reverie. Death is inevitable but people are afraid of losing their dear ones. As the poet expresses, the bond between a mother and her child is special; and therefore, the anxiety in losing the relationship is also strong. As its thematic concern, the poem brings out the inner thoughts of a daughter for her mother. Form, Style, and Literary Devices The poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six,’ is confessional. As such, it is a first-person monologue. It runs like an aside. The poet expresses her inner thoughts and her reactions to those thoughts. The language is conversational. The arrangement of the lines is free and ...
My Mother at Sixty Six (Detailed Analysis & Explanation)
Lines 1 – 9 "Driving from my parent’s home to Cochin last Friday morning, I saw my mother, beside me, (…) that she was as old as she looked but soon" The opening segment of the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six,’ presents the poet’s realization of her mother’s aging. The poet notices the old appearance of the mother during her car journey from her place to the airport at Cochin. The mother is sleeping with her mouth open. As the car travels, the daughter observes her mother. The mother’s face appears ashen. The pale complexion of the old woman is similar to that of a corpse. The mother looks as old as her age. The thought of the corpse forces the poet to think of her mother’s death. The sleeping form of her mother allows the poet to observe her uninhibitedly. This makes her emotional. Lines 10 – 13 "put that thought away, and looked out at Young (…) out of their homes, but after the airport’s" In these lines, the poem, ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six,’ alludes to the disturbe...