My Mother (8th)

My Mother by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

         Word                                                    Meaning

1.     Rameswaram Mosque Street   the poet lived in a house on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram

2.     War days                                      World War II, that broke out in 1939

3.     Distribute newspapers               the poet helped his cousin to distribute newspapers and earn his first wages

4.     Almighty                                       supreme, all powerful

5.     Merge                                           combine, join

6.     Toil                                                 hard labour

7.     Saintly                                            godly, religious, holy

8.     Grace                                             dignity, elegance

9.     Transformed                                 changed

10.  Pious                                               holy, godly

11.  Piety                                                devotion

12.  Envy                                                 jealousy

13.  Tenderly                                          softly, gently

14.  Great Judgement Day                   a day when people are rewarded for good deeds

15.  Pilgrims                                            devotees, worshippers

16.  Faith                                                 trust

17.  Heaven’s                                           godly, paradise

18.  Kneeling                                            fall to one’s knees

19.  Remember                                       recall

20.  Strength                                            power

Questions

The poet’s childhood days were full of struggle. What did he have to do to help the family?

Early in the morning he walked for a few miles together to learn from a saintly teacher. Then he walked few miles to learn Arabic. Apart from it before going to the school the child went about selling newspapers to earn some money to help the family. He had to collect newspapers from the railway station road to distribute them to temple city citizens. He devoted some time to his studies also. Thus he helped his family with a great sense of responsibility.

Hots

How does poet’s mother act as a source of inspiration for the poet?

Mother’s love , virtues, prayers and piety act as a source of inspiration for the poet.

His pain would transform into pious strength with the help of his mother’s prayers.

Life Skills

‘There are many ups and downs in man’s life but one should not lose hope.’

Discuss the statement with reference to Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who became the President of India.

There are many ups and downs in man’s life but one should not lose hope. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam faced many difficulties in his childhood but later, he became a great scientist. He is known as the ‘Missile Man of India’.He also became the President of India.

Values

‘Sleeping on your lap to the envy of elder brothers and sisters………….’

Why were the elder brothers and sisters envious of the poet? Is envy good? Discuss.

The elder brothers and sisters were envious of the poet because they thought that their mother loved A.P.J. Abdul kalam more than them. No, I think envy is not good. We should not feel envious of anyone.

Values

 ‘God could not be everywhere, so he made mother.’ What does this sentence mean? Is the comparison between God and mother justified? Discuss.

‘God could not be everywhere, so he made mother.’ God cannot accompany us all the time so he sends mother to care and help us. Yes, the comparison between God and mother is justified. She helps us when we are in pain and prays for us.

Extracts

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1.      You come to me like heaven’s caring arms.

                I remember the war days when life was challenge and toil-

                 Miles to walk, hours before sunrise,

a)     Who are ”you” and “me” in the above lines?

                 Ans:  ”You”  is the poet’s mother and “me” is the poet himself.

b)     Identify the figure of speech used in the first line and explain it.

                Ans: “Simile” has been used here. The poet compares his mother’s arms with heaven. His     mother’s arms provide him love and care.

c)     Mention two things that made the poet’s life difficult.

                 Ans: He walked miles to reach the school and also distributed newspapers to supplement his    family. These two things made the poet’s life difficult.

d)     Why did the poet have to walk so much early in the morning?

                Ans: The poet had to walk so much early in the morning because he had to reach his school on    foot and he had also lack of money.

2.     All this pain of a young boy,

               My Mother you transformed into pious strength

                With kneeling and bowing five times.

a)     Who is the young boy?

                 Ans: The young boy is the poet.

b)     What pain is he talking about?

                 Ans: He is talking about the pain of his struggle.

c)     What was this pain transformed into? How did this transformation take place?

                Ans: This pain was transformed into pious strength. This transformation took place because the                poet’s mother prayed to God to reduce his pains.

d)     What do you understand by ”kneeling and bowing five times”?

                 Ans: It means praying to god five times a day.

3.     Your caring hand , tenderly removing the pain

               Your love, your care , your faith gave me strength

                To face the world without fear and with this strength

                We will meet again on the Great Judgement Day, My Mother!

Q:1 Whose hand removes pain of the poet? Are the hands magical?

Ans: The hand of poet’s mother removes all his pain. Her hands are not magical but the touch of these hands are magical.

Q:2  Who are ”You”? How do you provide strength to the poet?

Ans : “You” here refers to poet’s mother. Mother’s selfless love and care provide strength to the poet.

Q:3 What is the outcome of the poet’s strength that he got from his mother?

Ans: The poet gets success in his life as a prominent scientist then as the President of India .He calls these achievements the outcome of his strength which he got from his mother.

Q:4 Which point does the poet mention to meet her mother again?

Ans: The poet mentions that he would meet his mother again on the Judgement Day.

4.     Sea waves, golden sand, pilgrims’ faith,

Rameswaram Mosque Street, all merge into one,

My Mother!

You come to me like heaven’s caring arms,

I remember the war days when life was challenge and toil.

a)     Mention any two things which remind the poet about his mother.

Sea waves and golden sand are two things which remind the poet about his mother.

b)     What does the poet refer to when he says ‘I remember’?

‘I remember’ means he remembers war days when life was challenge and toil.

c)     What difficulties does the poet face as a child?

War days, poverty, miles to walk to go to school and to collect newspapers are the difficulties faced by the poet as a child.

d)     Identify the figure of speech in line 3.

Alliteration is the figure of speech used in line 3.

e.g. My Mother

             

5.     I remember the war days when life was challenge and toil.

a)     Name the speaker.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the speaker.

b)     The World War II was referred to here broke out in 1939.

c)     The poet’s house was on the Rameswaram Mosque Street.

d)     The poet’s life in his childhood was full of challenge and toil.

Extra Q:1 What is the role of mother in a child’s life?

Ans:  Mother plays a vital role in a child’s life . It is she who mends his ways and guides him in the right direction. Her selfless love and care provide the child strength to face all the hurdles that come in his way of success.