Class 12 English flamingo Poem Chapter 1 My Mother at Sixty-six question answer

My Mother at Sixty-six questions and answers: Ncert Solutions for Class 12 English flamingo Poem Chapter 1 My Mother at Sixty-six

Are you looking for Class 12 English flamingo Poem Chapter 1 My Mother at Sixty-six question answer? Now you can download My Mother at Sixty-six questions and answers pdf from here.

My Mother at Sixty-six Before you read:

Question 1: Ageing is a natural process; have you ever thought what our elderly parents expect from us?

Answer 1: Aged people usually undergo pangs of loneliness and need companionship. The pessimistic approach they develop towards life can be shunned only if we provide them with abundant love, care, importance and empathy. They expect their children to sit calmly and talk to them about the happenings of their lives and to take their suggestions for making significant decisions. Their lost vitality can thus be easily rejuvenated. This happiness will encourage them to live life enthusiastically.

My Mother at Sixty-six Think it out:

Question 1: What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

Answer 1: It is a kind of old familiar pain that the poet has entertained since her childhood. This is the fear of decay and death that spare none. With ageing separation and death become unavoidable. In case of the poet’s mother also it is true. 

Question 2: Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?

Answer 2: While driving to the Cochin airport, she observed outside the young trees which seemed to be walking across them. They seem to be sprinting or running fast with the speed of the car. The poet provides a contrast – the ‘sprinting’ young trees and her ‘dozing’ old mother.

Question 3: Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?

Answer 3: The poet highlights the helplessness and frailty of old age with the help of contrasts. The mother dozes off mouth open, whereas the children spilling out of their homes signify movement and energy, enthusiasm and vivacity, which the old people are bereft off.

Question 4: Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?

Answer 4: The mother of the poet is sixty-six years old. Her ‘ashen’ face which is shrunken, is similar to that of a corpse. She has lost the strength of youth and her shine. The late moon in the winter looks obscure and hazy. It also lacks strength and shine. This comparison is appropriate and quite natural. The simile used here is effective and apt.

Question 5: What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

Answer 5: The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles provide a stark contrast to the old familiar ache or fear of the childhood. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide her real feelings. The parting words: “See you soon, Amma” give an assurance to the old lady whose ‘ashen face’ looks like a corpse. Similarly, her continuous smiles are an attempt to overcome the ache and fear inside her heart.