HANDOUT ON POEMS

CLASS XII
My Mother at Sixty Six- Kamala Das

THEME- The poem expresses the anguish of a daughter over her mother’s
advancing age and the fear of permanent separation from her. It brings out the
inevitability of death. The poet is agonized by her mother’s old age and her imminent
death.

1. Poet’s fear- As her mother is old, weak and close to death, she fears losing her to
death. It is her childhood fear so it is a familiar ache. She is going from her
parents’ home to Cochin to catch a flight. She is going away from her mother and
fears that she may not see her again.

2. POETIC DEVICES
-Contrasts-
a) Inside and outside the car- inside it is sad and old mother. Outside it is youth
(young trees), happiness and cheer (children spilling out of their homes)
b) Her real feelings which are sad and painful and her smile and the parting word at
the end that she uses to hide her real feelings (smile) and give herself the hope that
she would see her mother again (see you soon Amma).
- Simile- ‘a) late winter’s moon’- As a late winter’s moon is dull and disappears soon
similarly the mother is weak, dull and close to death.
b) ‘face like ashen as a corpse’
-Personification- ‘trees sprinting’
- Irony- ‘See you soon Amma’ and her prolonged smile are in contrast to her fear of
her advancing age and death.
- Symbols- a) the sprinting trees and merry children spilling are the symbols of
energy, vigour, vitality and life.
b) winter’s moon is a symbol of decay and death.
- Imagery- children spilling

3. Poet’s pain- The lifeless and pale face of the poet’s mother pains her heart. She
looks lifeless like a corpse. The poet needs a distraction, a change. She puts that
thought away and looks outside. There she gets a picture of life, happiness and
activity. However, it fails to distract her as even in the energy and vitality of the
sprinting trees and children spilling, she is reminded of her old and frail mother.
4. Mother is an eternal figure in one’s life whom one never wants to lose.

5. Words describing the mother’s old age - ‘dozed’, ‘open mouthed’ (fatigued due
to old age), ‘face like ashen like that of a corpse’, ‘was as old as she looked’, ‘late
winter’s moon’

6. Parting words- ‘See you soon Amma’- to give herself an assurance that she
would see her mother when she comes to visit her next.
7. Repetition of ‘smile’- the effort the poet is making in hiding her pain of losing her
mother to death from her under her smile.
 Keeping Quiet- Pablo Neruda
1. THEME- Poet highlights the importance of individual introspection- wants humans
to think before they act- important for creating universal brotherhood and peace as
all humans will be doing the same thing at the same time.
2. Wants everyone to stand still and keep quiet at the count of twelve (12 is
significant in terms of time as we have 12 months in a year, twelve markings on a
clock, 12 hours in a day etc.)

3. He wants us to stand still and think (introspect) without making any movement
(without rush)or noise (without engines). It will help us to understand ourselves.

4. ‘Not speak in any language’- Language divides us and if we do not speak

anything it will help remove the differences. ‘Move our arms so much’- not argue
or fight.
Pun in ‘arms’- limbs and weapons

5. Exotic moment/ strange suddenness- Never has the whole humanity stood still
and introspected together at the same time. If all of us do that it will be exotic or
strange (sudden- because as soon as the poet finishes counting up to 12, everyone
should immediately stand still.)

6. We will stop harming the nature (fishermen will not kill whales) and ourselves
(man gathering salt will relax and look at his hurt hands)-symbolisms
7. Three kinds of war- environmental degradation, bio-chemical and nuclear with
bombs.These wars are futile as they leave no survivor to celebrate the victory.
People creating wars will introspect and realize this. Thus they will have a change of
perspective (clean clothes) and mix with other people like brothers in peace
(shade)- They will not create wars any more ( do nothing)

8. The poet doesnot want us to confuse keeping quiet with death. He abhors death
and violence. He doesnot profess any kind of violence. What he wants is to keep
quiet only physically but the activity of introspection should go on. Life is about
activity.

9. We are obsessed with achieving only worldly things thus get no time to introspect.
This leads to a spiritual void thus we are unable to understand ourselves and
threaten ourselves with death by harming self and wars.

10. Lesson we can learn from nature/ earth- Apparently the earth looks still and
quiet but the truth is that it supports a lot of life and is teeming with a lot of activities.
We should also look calm and composed from outside but should keep introspecting
from inside.

A THING OF BEAUTY- John Keats

1) A thing of beauty……………………….. nothingness./ THEME
Whenever we experience something beautiful, it gets etched in our memory and
whenever we remember it, it gives us joy and pleasure. Thus, the affect of a beautiful
experience is everlasting. It is never forgotten.
2) " but will keep ……………………………………….. quiet breathing."
The nature keeps the shade of a tree quiet for us so we enjoy a sound, peaceful and
relaxed sleep full of sweet dreams and thus gain good health- METAPHOR- beauty
is compared to bower.

3) "Therefore, on every morrow are we wreathing…………… Spite of

despondence"
Metaphor. The beautiful memories of beautiful experiences that we create everyday
have been compared to a flowery band that keeps us bound to this earth and makes
us wish to go on living in spite of all the challenges, sufferings and problems in our
lives.

4) "of the inhuman dearth ………… Made for our searching"

According to the poet the main reasons for our sufferings- are extreme shortage of
people with kind, helpful and noble nature, the wrong and corrupt ways that we adopt
to achieve our materialistic goals and the ups & downs of life.

5) "yes, in spite of all Some shape of beauty moves away the pall From
our dark spirits."
In spite of all the problems in our lives, beauty in any form removes the sadness from
our sorrowful souls.

6) "Such the sun, the moon, …………………..'Gainst the hot season; the mid
forest brake"
The poet creates a list of things of beauty in nature like the sun, the moon, the
trees, daffodils along with the forest where they grow , clear streams that make a
cooling covert for themselves and a bush in the middle of a forest with lots of
beautiful fragrant roses blooming.
" sprouting a shady boon for simple sheep"
This line glorifies nature as bountiful and generous that takes care of everyone.

7) " And such too is the grandeur of the dooms ………

The poet feels that art and literature have also a lot of beauty and inspiration in them
.He talks about the magnificent tales of the heroes who died bravely fighting for their
causes and inspire us to face challenges in life. They teach us never to give in or
accept defeat.

8) "An endless fountain of immortal drink, Pouring unto us from the heaven's
brink."
The things of beauty are gifts from God and are a source of joy and inspiration for
us. This inspiration is like an endless fountain of immortal drink that pours down
upon us from the heaven as these things will keep inspiring us till eternity.
A Roadside Stand- Robert Frost
THEME- brings out the pitiable condition of the poor people living in the villages and
the mean insensitive attitude of the city dwellers. The poet cannot bear the sadness
of the poor and empathises with them.
I. The little old house was out ………from sinking and withering faint…

1) Location & purpose of the roadside stand- A new shed has been added to an
old house at the edge of a busy road. It does not plead for the basic amenities of life
(dole of bread) i.e. the peasant has not set up the shed as a means of living but
rather as a source of additional income to make his life comfortable.

2) pathetically pled- personification- The shed has been personified as it seems to

plead and yearn to earn some extra money.

3) flower of cities- metaphor- While money in the countryside is fit only for a hand-
to mouth life, money is in excess in the cities which brings in luxurious benefits. The
affluence that the city dwellers enjoy has been compared to flower.

II. The polished traffic passed …………. beauty rest in a mountain scene…

1)polished traffic- transferred epithet – ‘Traffic’ here refers to the city people who
are refined and sophisticated.

2) The insensitivity/ complaint of the city dwellers - The urban people who pass
through the countryside with their minds preoccupied with their destination(a mind
ahead), ignore the sufferings and pleadings of the poor farmers. If ever they set
aside a moment to look at the roadside stand, they spend it on criticising and getting
angry (out of sorts) at having the beauty of the landscape marred by the presence
of the shed with its artless paint and wrongly written letters.

3) What the stand is selling- Wild berries in crude wooden boxes, crook-necked
golden squash with silver warts and beautiful paintings of mountain scenery (beauty
rest in a mountain scene).

III. You have the money, but if you…………….….. keeping from us.

1) Complaint of the farmers (this crossly)- The peasant who runs the roadside
feels that if the city men are interested only in imparting criticism instead of extending
a helping hand towards them, they could keep their money to themselves and move
along.

2) Trusting Sorrow/ breach of trust - refers to the fact that the peasants set up the
shed in the hope (trusting) of attracting city folk to buy something from them, thus
providing the additional income to enjoy the comforts of life. However, they are
disappointed (sorrow) in the fact that no one is interested in their sales.

3) Moving pictures- The movies the poor people have watched are full of promises
for them. They hope that the party in power will fulfill their promises and help them
achieve the kind of life represented by those movies.

5) the parties in power - The government and the corrupt politicians make fake
promises of helping them to improve their living standard but never fulfill them.

IV. It is in the news that ……………. at night the ancient way.

1) The news- The real-estate brokers and rich businessmen lure the farmers into
selling their land to them and relocate them in places with a theatre and a store,
thus, promising them riches and benefits.
2) Greedy good-doers and beneficent beasts of prey- (Oxymoron and
Alliteration)- refer to the rich businessmen from cities who intend to make money
out of the poor villagers by pretending to be beneficent to them.

3) they won’t have to think for themselves- After selling off their lands, the
farmers will indeed have some money for a while. Assured that their future has been
taken care of, these farmers become complacent. They feel they will not have to
think for themselves any longer as they have money now.

4) Calculated to soothe them out of their wits- The rich city people attract the
poor people with their well-planned offers and promises. These promises and offers
are calculated in such a way that the poor are unable to realise that they are being
fooled by the rich.
5) By teaching them how to sleep- The rich people, through their alluring but fake
promises of prosperity in life, teach the poor people to relax (sleep).

6) They sleep all day- ‘They’ here refers to the rich city businessmen who buy out
their lands pretending to benefit the poor villagers but actually fooling them in order
to grab their lands. The rich people sleep peacefully with the satisfaction of making
themselves richer. Their conscience doesn’t prick them.

7) Destroy their sleep at night the ancient way- The poor soon become
complacent and having nothing to do, they spend their day by sleeping. Thus they
are unable to sleep at night.

8) The ancient way- refers to the lifestyle wherein one works and toils during the
day, coming home tired in the evening and thereby taking a well-deserved good
night’s rest.

V. Sometimes I feel myself …………… they had none, didn’t it see?

1. childish longing- demonstrates how the wish for a customer in order to earn
much needed money, becomes almost an obsession with the peasants at the
roadside stand. However, it is in vain as not even one city dweller stops to buy
anything from them.

2) I can hardly bear- The poet is a true humanitarian, is genuinely concerned for the
villagers’ pain and sadness. Seeing how their longing to earn some extra money is in
vain, the poet feels an unbearable pain.

3) Sadness that lurks- personification- refers to the poor farmer as lurking near
the open window of the roadside stand, praying for a city-dweller to stop by the shed
and at least inquire the prices of the articles on sale there.

4) open prayer- of the peasants for a customer

5) Anger of the poet (could be interpreted as farmer’s also) (this crossly)-at the
thoughtlessness of the city-folk. The city men do not stop to buy anything that the
roadside stand is selling, instead they ask for a gallon of gas which the roadside
stand does not sell. This helplessness makes the poet (or poor people) angry.
6) Selfish cars- transferred epithet- refer to the selfish and insensitive city
dwellers.

VI. No, in country, money, ……………..offer to put me out of my pain.

1) Country money… country scale of gain... requisite lift of spirit- The country
(village) people are not able to earn much, therefore, the villages lack development
(scale of gain). The little money that they have is not enough to bring them
happiness and luxuries (lift of spirit).

2) voice of the country- complaint of the poor villagers

3) Poet’s suggestion out of his anger- The poet feels angry at the insensitivity of
the rich city people and entertains a very irrational idea of killing all the poor in one
stroke and end their suffering once and for all.
4) when he comes back to sanity- when he calms down and thinks rationally, he
wonders how he would respond if someone comes up to him and offers to kill him to
put him out of his pain at one stroke.

5) The poet wishes to stress that the only solution to the sufferings of the poor is to
support them to improve their earnings so they could also have a comfortable life.

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers - Adrienne Rich

THEME- The poem portrays an image of a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage
and is unable to escape her husband’s dominance. Aunt Jennifer represents all
women of her time who were controlled by their marriage and a dominating
patriarchal society. These women were not allowed any freedom or to have any
dreams.

1. Description of the tigers-Aunt Jennifer is doing a needle work of tigers on a

panel which are bright topaz (Metaphor- look striking- glistening like the
brownish yellow topaz, a semi-precious stone)and live in a forest. They are not
afraid of any man and conduct themselves in smooth, confident, heroic and manly
fashion.

2. Aunt Jennifer’s reality: a weak and unconfident person who is controlled and
suppressed by her husband. – fingers fluttering (alliteration)- her hands tremble
and she finds the ivory needle hard to pull.

3. Her dreams: Her needle work is an expression of her dreams and aspirations of
having a striking and confident personality who is not afraid of anyone, not even her
husband------Contrary to her reality.

4. Massive weight of uncle’s wedding band: her burdensome marriage in which

she is suffering.
5. Why she is referred to only as aunt: she represents all the women who live in
the terror of their male relationships in a patriarchal society. She has also lost her
identity because she was not allowed to pursue her dreams and leave a mark.

6. terrified hand- transferred epithet and synecdoche

7. ringed with ordeals: She does not find freedom even after her death. Women
were supposed to conform to the expectations of the patriarchal society. Therefore,
Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by the same difficulties that controlled her in life even
after her death.

8. Pun in the word 'ringed'

The first meaning of the word 'ringed' is that Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by the
difficulties of a patriarchal society and her burdensome marriage. The second
meaning is her wedding band which is the reason of her ordeals (sufferings).

9. Tigers will go on prancing proud and unafraid- The only thing through which
Aunt Jennifer can live on is her art or needle work. The tigers are still proud and
unafraid simply because they are male figures.

10. Irony in the poem:

Aunt Jennifer suffers in her life and death simply because she is a woman. Yet, she
expresses her dreams and aspirations through masculine figures. This is because
she has never seen any woman standing proud, confident and unafraid. She relates
these qualities only to the males in the society.

11. Symbols used in the poem:

1. Tigers or needle work: They symbolize Aunt Jennifer's aspirations of being
confident and unafraid of any man.
2. Aunt Jennifer: She symbolizes all women who live under the dominance of their
husbands and are unable to pursue their dreams and desires. They are controlled by
patriarchal society and their burdensome marriages.
3. Wedding Band: It symbolizes the patriarchal society in which Aunt Jennifer is
bound by her marriage. She is oppressed and controlled by her husband and cannot
find any freedom even after her death. She goes on suffering in her miserable
marriage simply because she is a woman.