Sunday, 7 July 2013

My Grandmother's House- Kamala Das

The Poem-
There is a house now far away where once
Kamala Das
I received love……. That woman died,
The house withdrew into silence, snakes moved
Among books, I was then too young
To read, and my blood turned cold like the moon
How often I think of going
There, to peer through blind eyes of windows or
Just listen to the frozen air,
Or in wild despair, pick an armful of
Darkness to bring it here to lie
Behind my bedroom door like a brooding
Dog…you cannot believe, darling,
Can you, that I lived in such a house and
Was proud, and loved…. I who have lost
My way and beg now at strangers' doors to
Receive love, at least in small change?

Summary-
“My Grandmother’s House” is a constituent poem of Kamala Das’s maiden publication Summer in Calcutta. Though short, the poem wraps within itself an intriguing sense of nostalgia and uprootedness. In her eternal quest for love in such a ‘loveless’ world, the poet remembers her grandmother which surfaces some emotions long forgotten and buried within her-- an ironical expression of her past which is a tragic contrast to her present situation. It is a forcefully moving poem fraught with nostalgia and anguish.
The poet says that there is a house, her grandmother’s home, far away from where she currently resides, where she “received love”.  Her grandmother’s home was a place she felt secure and was loved by all. After the death of her grandmother, the poet says that even the House was filled with grief, and accepted the seclusion with resignation. Only dead silence haunted over the House, feeling of desolation wandering throughout. She recollects though she couldn’t read books at that time, yet she had a feeling of snakes moving among them-- a feeling of deadness, horror and repulsion, and this feeling made her blood go cold and turn her face pale like the moon. She often thinks of going back to that Old House, just to peek through the “blind eyes of the windows” which have been dead-shut for years, or just to listen to the “frozen” air.
The poet also shows the ironical contrast between her past and present and says that her present has been so tormenting that even the Darkness of the House that is bathed in Death does not horrify her anymore and it is a rather comforting companion for her in the present state of trials. The poets says that she would gladly (“in wild despair”) pick up a handful of Darkness from the House and bring it back to her home to “lie  behind my bedroom door” so that the memories of the Old House and its comforting darkness, a rather ironical expression, might fill assurance and happiness in her present life.
She wraps up the poem saying that it is hard for one to believe that she once lived in such a house and was so loved by all and lived her life with pride. That her world was once filled with happiness is a sharp contrast to her present situation where she is completely devoid of love and pride. She says that in her desperate quest for love, she has lost her way; since she didn’t receive any feelings of love from the people whom she called her own, she now has to knock “at strangers' doors” and beg them for love, if not in substantial amounts, then atleast in small change i.e. in little measure atleast.

The poet has intensified the emotions of nostalgia and anguish by presenting a contrast between her childhood and her grown-up stages. The fullness of the distant and absence and the emptiness of the near and the present give the poem its poignancy. The images of “snakes moving among books”, blood turning “cold like the moon”, “blind eyes of window”, “frozen air”’ evoke a sense of death and despair. The house itself becomes a symbol - an Ednic world, a cradle of love and joy. The escape, the poetic retreat, is in fact, the poet’s own manner of suggesting the hopelessness of her present situation. Her yearning for the house is a symbolic retreat to a world of innocence, purity and simplicity

47 comments:

  1. beautiful interpretation , thankyou :)

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    1. can you send me the answer to this question.I didnt understand this yet.

      "contrast between her past and the present"

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    2. can you send me the answer to this question.I didnt understand this yet.

      "contrast between her past and the present"

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    3. Answer the following:
      1. What happened to the house after the grandmother died?
      2. Why was the poet not able to read the books?
      answer:
      1. The house withdrew into silence.
      2. because she was too young.
      question:
      1. Complete the following :
      The poet wants to go back to the house
      (i) to peer ……………….. .
      (ii) to listen ………………. .
      (iii) to pick ………………. .
      2. Look at the phrase ‘blind eyes of windows’. Window is a non-living object.
      In the poem, the window has been given a human physical feature i.e. ‘blind
      eye’. What do we call this poetic transformation? (You can go back to the
      poem ‘Leisure’ for a clue). Why are the eyes of windows described as
      blind?
      3. Why is the air in grandmother’s house described as frozen?
      4. Pick out the correct alternatives in (a) and (b).
      (a) ‘an armful of darkness’ means ………… .
      (i) old memories of the grandmother’s house.
      (ii) unhappy days.
      (iii) some dark object from the house.
      (b) ‘to lie behind my bedroom door like a brooding dog’ means that …………..
      (i) the memories will always remain with the poet.
      (i) the memories will lie uncared for in a corner.
      (iii) the memories are as unimportant as a dog

      answer:
      1. (i) through blind eyes of windows
      (ii) to the frozen air
      (iii) an armful of darkness
      2. Personification. Nothing can be seen through them as there is darkness inside.
      3. The house is absolutely silent. No one lives there. Even the air does not
      seem to be moving.
      4. (a) old memories of the dark house
      (b) the memories will always remain with the poet

      question:
      1. (a) Which words tell you that the poet is talking to some one?
      (b) What is she telling him/her?
      2. In the last three lines of the poem, the poet thinks of herself as a beggar.
      (a) What is she begging for?
      (b) What does she mean by ‘small change’?

      answer:
      1. (a) “You cannot believe, darling.”
      (b) That she lived in such a house and was proud, and loved.
      2. (a) She is begging for love.
      (b) a little love/love in small quantity.

      questions:

      1. ‘Cold like moon’ is a simile. Can you pick out another simile from the poem?
      2. The poet thinks of her past. How is her present different from the past?
      3. Pick out words from the poem which convey the sense of loss that the poet
      feels.
      4. Read the following sentences:
      a) Grandparents belong to a different generation and have ideas which
      may not fit in the modern context.
      b) One day we too will become old and infirm. We would like to be treated
      with dignity and affection in our old age.
      Suggest two or three ways in which you can show love and concern for
      the elderly.

      answer:

      1. “...an armful of darkness to lie behind my bedroom door like a brooding
      dog”.
      2. She remembers her childhood in her grandmother’s house when she was
      loved. She has a deep sense of sorrow in the present because no one loves
      her now.
      3. that woman died,
      my blood turned cold,
      frozen air, wild despair,
      armful of darkness.

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    4. Can you please help me by answering my question please..
      1) What images are employed by the poet to describe the state of the house? How compelling are the images?

      2)Why may she have lost her way?

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    5. Which line conveys the loss of her grandmother

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    6. Plz mam this poem questions and answers send me

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  2. Thank you for the illustration. It helped a lot.
    I would like to make a suggestion, you could use a lighter and a lesser contrasting background as it could be difficult to read and follow on words due to the high contrast.
    Thanks again :)

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Yeah she is right plz use lighter background

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    3. Yeah she is right plz use lighter background

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  3. Thank you, this was very helpful :)

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  4. itreally worked for my exams ...thank you a lots...

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  5. explanation with somewat awakes feelness.....thank u dude

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  6. Another commendable summary :)
    Vasundhara

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  7. Good summary but a bit more of clarity.....
    Please!!!!!

    Regards,
    Akhil Saraf

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  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  9. Finally i came across something good.

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  10. Finally i came across something good.

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  11. Why is the air in grandmother's house described as frozen?

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  12. Enter your comment...thanks for reminding

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  13. Yeah! It was an good explanation.☺
    Thanks

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  14. Thnx a lot for providing the beautiful depiction of the poem. ☺️☃️

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  15. Thank you very much
    It's really very helpful

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  16. Excellent explanation,thanks

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  17. I wanted to know the answer of the above question
    The poet wanted to go home and do what??

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  18. Can you please give the summery of The orphan girl poem by H.L.V.Derozio

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  19. What changes have taken place since the speaker's grandmother's house iska answer kya hoga

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  20. This comment has been removed by the author.

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