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NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Flamingo Chapter 1 (Poem) - My Mother at Sixty-six

NCERT Solutions

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 F...

Class 12 English NCERT Solutions Chapter-1 Poem - My Mother at Sixty-six - Free PDF Download

Last updated date: 15th Mar 2023

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Class 12 students can access here all the NCERT solutions of English Flamingo Poem 1 My Mother at Sixty Six. Poetry is a complex subject that requires in-depth analysis and thinking ability. Many students usually find it hard to crack the hidden meaning behind this English poem, so consult the guidebook created by Vedantu's NCERT subject experts.

Study the NCERT Solutions of English Flamingo - My Mother at Sixty Six in the form of a PDF, which is absolutely free to download and can be retained for further use.

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Before You Read:

1. Ageing is a Natural Process; Have You Ever Thought About What Our Elderly Parents Expect from Us?

Ans: Old age is often considered parallel to loneliness. They lack the company of people of their age as well as young individuals along with the physical inabilities that old age has. They often end up developing pessimistic approaches towards life which can be shunned only if we provide them with love, care, importance, and empathy. Small moments of happiness will encourage them to live their lives enthusiastically.

Think It Out

1. What is the Kind of Pain and Ache That the Poet Feels?

Ans: While leaving her parent's home the poet's eyes fell on her mother's pallid face. For the poet, the 'ashen' face of her mother, which was also deprived of all its vitality and color, bore resemblance to a corpse. She realized that over the past decades her mother had grown old and was nearing her death. Such thoughts make her nostalgic and she starts recollecting fragments of her childhood memories from the underlying fear of losing her. The idea of staying away from her mother deeply distressed her. Even the smile on her face was an expression of her helplessness, which was inevitable.

2. Why are the Young Trees Described as 'Sprinting'?

Ans: While driving to the airport the poet was worried about her mother. She was worried that she was getting older and approaching her end. She looks out from the window of the cab, to distract herself from the thoughts, at the young trees which almost appear to be sprinting. Viewing the trees from the moving cab created an illusion of them almost running past them. The sprinting of the trees symbolizes the pace at which time passes. We start as infants and in no time, with happy and bitter memories harbored in our hearts, we reach old age. This image, which shows activity and strength, is contrasted with that of her old and weak mother who seems dormant and is sleeping in the car. The 'young' trees represent life in contrast to her mother's approaching death.

3. Why has the Poet Brought in the Image of the Merry Children 'Spilling Out of Their Homes?

Ans: The poem brings forth the contrasting image of life and death in various instances. The merry children symbolize liveliness, happiness, beauty, and vigor, characteristics we tend to lose during old age. The children are enjoying their youthful age playing outdoors while the mother is inside the taxi, fast asleep because of tiredness. She is nearing her death and has become weak and withered. The poet has juxtaposed the two and has made the sharp contrast between them evident. Childhood is the beginning of our life journey on earth while old age is the end chapter of it.

4. Why has the Mother Been Compared to the 'Late Winter's Moon'?

Ans: With age, we as human beings tend to lose all the vitality and youthfulness that we had during youthful age. The simile ‘late winter moon’ indicates the approaching death and old age of the mother. With age, her face is filled with freckles, marks, and wrinkles and looks like the surface of the moon. Winter is the last season of the year and is characteristic of dormancy, laziness, and lifelessness, like old age. All these natural elements resemble her mother who has lost all her strength and beauty and looks 'wan' and 'pale' to the poet. The poet’s mother is gradually progressing to her end after being in the last stage of her journey on earth.

5. What Do the Parting Words of the Poet and Her Smile Signify?

Ans: The poet's parting words, "see you soon, Amma," states her heart’s keen desire and wish to see her mother again when she returns. She wants her to live more but her physical state says otherwise. This also signifies the regret she has in her heart for leaving her mother alone at such a delicate time in her life. Her inability to be physically present for her pinches her heart and she suppressed it with her smile. We all are helpless before nature. It expresses her love and concern for her mother along with the underlying pain and struggles that she was undergoing while coming to terms with this bitter realization.

NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English Poem 1 NCERT Solutions - Free PDF Download

My Mother at Sixty Six Chapter 1 of the English Flamingo depicts the journey of the poet's towards the airport. There she starts thinking about her ageing mother and how she is getting closer to death.

12th aspirants can study the detailed summary of this poem as it will help to answer the questions during board examination precisely.Students will see the improvements in their performance level in the English subject. Following are there exercises covered in Class 12 English Chapter 1 Flamingo.

Exercise 1: Before You Read (Page 90).

Exercise 2: Think it Out (Page 91).

Summary of Chapter 1 - My Mother at Sixty Six

“My Mother at Sixty Six” is a poem written by Kamala Das. Kamala Das is a renowned poet, she is best known for portraying the intricacies of human relationships, her works beautifully portray the love and grief of losing a loved one. The poem mentioned here is one such work of literature. The narrator of the poem depicts her love for her mother and the fear of losing a loved one in the poem. Let us look into a short summary of the poem which would help in better understanding the poetry.

All human existence is inevitably marked by the passage of time. When a person begins their childhood, they go through adolescence, which is a time when they are active and also have lots of big dreams. At some point, everyone reaches old age and passes away. With the passage of time, a relationship deepens and evolves. No one can endure being separated from their loved ones as they grow older.

The poem begins with the author visiting her mother. When the author and her mother visit Cochin airport, she examines her meticulously and portrays her appearance. She becomes gripped with the worry of losing her mother as she stares at her mother's delicate and pale features. Her mother looks like a corpse, with her sleeping visage and gaping mouth. The author depicts love and affection in a mother-daughter connection in this piece.

The poet is upset and unhappy, so she looks outside the automobile to get rid of her negative emotions. The view outside the automobile window is lively and full of excitement. The rushing greenery and massive trees, as well as the joyfully playing children, signify youth, vigour, and enthusiasm. The poet is reminiscing about her own youth in this verse. Her mom was young and beautiful when she was a kid. Her mother, on the other hand, is now encircled by the worry of losing her life, which has made her insecure and depressed.

She arrives at the airport for her journey. It depicts departure and separation. As she said goodbyes to her mother, she was struck by the image of an elderly mother in the waning years of her life. Again, a simile is used to compare her mother to a winter's late-night moon. As she grows older, the fog and cloud make the moon's light an impediment.

The poet is now experiencing the sorrow of being estranged from her mother. Her childish prospect of losing her adoring mother had grown into a horrible nightmare. Her mother can now succumb to old age at any moment. She is so unhappy that she begins to cry uncontrollably, yet with a strong heart, she conceals her emotions and smiles. As a result, she bids her ageing mom goodbye and maintains her dream of seeing her again. "See you soon, Amma," she says.

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Flamingo - My Mother at Sixty Six - Practice Questions

Below are a set of questions that is basically provided for the practice of the students:

Where was the poet driving her mother?
What did the poet notice in her mother while driving with her?
What did the poet realize and feel about her mother?
What happened after the security check in the airport?
What did the poet’s mother look like? What did she compare her mother’s face to?
What kind of pain and ache did the poet feel?
How were her goodbye words to her mother in contrast to what she really felt?
Why are the trees by the roadside described as ‘sprinting’?
What was the childhood fear of the poet?
How was the setting inside and outside the car?

Class 12 English Poem My Mother at Sixty Six - Weightage Marks

My Mother at Sixty Six is a touching poem by poet Kamala Das. The poet depicts her love, attachment, and sorrow of separating from her mother, who is getting old. She beautifully painted her emotions throughout the poem by using the imagery scenes. This poem elaborates on the bonding between humans in the best way possible.

The chapter's weightage from the Flamingo NCERT textbook is covered under a total of 30 marks of Literature Text Books and Reading Text sections in the English board question paper. Students have to answer 'Short Answer Questions' that help the examiner to analyse their skills. There is also the 'Very Short Answer Questions' section, which will actually be an extract from poetry to test their comprehension skills.

Benefits of Studying NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Flamingo - My Mother at Sixty Six

Check out the salient features of the NCERT Solutions of My Mother at Sixty Six (Flamingo CBSE Class 12):

The solutions provided in the study material resolve the problems students face while studying NCERT English Poem, My Mother at Sixty Six.
Students preparing for the 12th board exam can score well after referring to NCERT solutions Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 1 poem.
The NCERT Solutions consist of all the questions which are very important from the examination point of view.
The questions can be studied, and the answers can be referred to know how to answer during the exams.
NCERT questions and answers are the guidebooks for the CBSE exam, and, thus, students can prepare from these notes appropriately.
NCERT Solutions of this chapter will help the students to practice more and more questions from this chapter which will eventually help them to score great marks in their English exam.
NCERT Solutions will help the students to know which are the most important questions from this chapter.

Chapter-wise NCERT Class 12 English Flamingo Poem Solutions

Salient Features of Class 12 English Flamingo Poem 1 Solutions PDF

The study material is a compilation of the best lecture notes on Poem 1 of English Class 12 for students looking forward to efficiently starting their 12th Board exam preparation.

The study material provides a comprehensive explanation and answers on CBSE Class 12 English My Mother at Sixty Six NCERT solutions.
Students can secure good grades after studying from this study material carefully composed by Vedantu's English subject experts.
Students can clear every doubt after referring to this Class 12 My Mother at Sixty Six NCERT solutions.
All textbook questions, answers, and exercises of this poem are covered in the PDF guidebook so that no topic stays unclear for the 12th CBSE board aspirants.
The PDF format of the study material is easy to download and supports Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices.

One single downloaded file will assist students a lot by giving them a full guide on Class 12 English poetry Chapter 1 for free of cost.

Thus, study these NCERT-based solutions in the form of free PDF and score outstanding marks in your Class 12 English CBSE exam.

Additionally, you can also practice with the extra questions which are provided apart from the PDF which will help the students to practice as much as they can.

FAQs on NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Flamingo Chapter 1 (Poem) - My Mother at Sixty-six

1. What kind of pain was the poet feeling while departing?

When the poet was leaving home, seeing her mother's pallid face filled her with a lot of pain. According to the poet, the 'ashen' face of her mother. It was similar to a corpse in the poet's view that makes it painful for her. Thus, she realises that her mother grew old and is getting near to death. Further, such painful thoughts make her remember the fear and the grief she felt of not having her mother around in childhood. Her smile also was a sign of how powerless she was to handle the inevitable reality. All these views increased her sadness of going away from her mother.

2. Describe the comparison made between the mother's face and 'the Late Winter's Moon'.

In the poem, the poet compared her mother's face with the late winter's moon as her face was losing its radiance. Here, the mother is seen as the late winter's moon because the moon turns dim, dull, and gloomy during this time of the year. Similarly, the mother's face is looking withered. The pale face of the mother signifies the ebbing of life, according to the poet. Hence, the moon actually is giving an impression of the nearing end.

3. Please elaborate on the main theme of the poem, My Mother at Sixty Six.

My Mother at Sixty Six by Kamala Das is a sentimental piece of poetry written in a single sentence. Depicting her love, the attachment, along with the pain of separation from her ageing mother, the poem beautifully paints her emotions using powerful imagery and metaphors. My Mother at Sixty Six is the best possible elaboration of the bond between a mother and her daughter. A better elaboration could be obtained on the Vedantu website as well as Vedantu mobile app. These resources provided by Vedantu are free of cost.

4. What is the significance of the poet’s parting words to her mother?

Kamala Das' parting words to her mother in the poem My Mother at Sixty Six, signify assurance. Her smile provides readers with a strong contrast with the fear she found familiar in her childhood. Her wordings and gestures are an intentional effort to conceal her true feelings. In reality, she is desperately trying to get over her fear regarding her mother’s fragile health going downhill, which may even up separating them from one another.

5. Explain the contrast in the image of merry children in the poem My Mother at Sixty Six?

The idea of merry children in the poem My Mother at Sixty Six is actually a symbol for the youth of life, the energy, vibrance and jolly outlook. This image is the direct opposite of the frail and ageing description of the poet's mother. At the same time, it is also important to understand the path of growing old, a phenomenon usually related to decay. There is a spontaneous flow of life as shown by the children, much in contrast to the passive life of the poet's mother.

6. What helped Kamala Das put away the thought of her mother’s old age?

The poet looked out through the window of the car in order to temporarily let go of the pain and sorrow she experienced just by looking at the greying face of her ageing mother. Outside, the world was overflowing with life and hustle. The image of young trees sprinting and frolicking children running out of the houses to play diverted her mind from the saddening thoughts of separation from her mother.

7. What are the poet's childhood fears? How do they resurface as she goes to the airport?

Every child fears losing their parents and suffers insecurity. Similarly, perhaps the poet Kamala Das also had the fear of losing her mother suddenly or getting separated from her in some way or other.

As she is going to the airport, Das realises that her mother has gotten old, her healthy face has turned grey and the poet’s childhood fear of separation and loss surfaces again.

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