Understanding ‘On the Face of It’ and ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’
Understanding ‘On the Face of It’
Q1: Why is Derek Startled as Soon as He Enters the Garden?
A1: Derek enters Mr. Lamb’s garden by climbing over the boundary wall, believing there is no one in the garden. But no sooner does he land on the ground than he hears Mr. Lamb, the owner’s words, “Mind the apples!”. The presence of Mr. Lamb thus startles Derek.
Q2: What Terrible Complex Does Derek Suffer From?
A2: One side of Derek’s face was severely burned by acid. As a result, he looked very ugly. Nobody liked to look at him, befriend him, or play with him. This made Derek suffer from an acute lack of self-regard and rejection.
Q3: Why Does Derek Not Like Being with People?
A3: Derek is full of self-reproach and rejection on account of an acid-burned side of his face. He doesn’t like being with people because they constantly remind him of his ugliness and stay away from him. He does not like to see people being afraid of him because he is ugly. Instead of feeling loved and wanted like the other children, he feels rejected and unwanted.
Q4: “It’s All Relative ‘Beauty and the Beast'”. What Does Mr. Lamb Mean by This Statement?
A4: Mr. Lamb means to say that different people have different viewpoints to look at the same thing. Some find one thing beautiful, others find it ugly. It all depends on one’s outlook and attitude. It is therefore important to adopt a positive attitude to everything in life, just like the princess Beauty who loved the monstrous Beast in the fairy tale, but the beast, although he was the prince, failed to discover his reality. The point is that you are not what you look like, but what you are inside.
Q5: At What Stage of the Play and What Comment of Derek Makes You Feel that He is a Changed Individual Now?
A5: The challenge thrown by Mr. Lamb that once he (Derek) goes back home, he would never come back acts as a spur, and he immediately retorts that he (Mr. Lamb) does not know what he (Derek) “could do”. From then on, Derek is a changed individual.
Insights into ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’
Where Was the Narrator Driving to? Who Was Sitting Beside Her?
Ans. The narrator was driving to the airport on her way to Cochin. Her mother was sitting next to her.
What Did the Narrator Notice About Her Mother?
Ans. The narrator noticed that her mother had dozed off and she was looking old, pale, and weak.
Why Did Her Mother’s Face Look Like That of a Corpse?
Ans. The mother looked old, pale, and ashen. Since she had dozed off, with her mouth open, the narrator felt she looked like a corpse in that condition.
What Did the Narrator Realize? How Did She Feel?
Ans. The narrator realized that her mother had grown old and would not be around for very long. This thought pained her.
What Did She Do Then?
Ans. She started looking out of the car window in order to divert her attention to something else.
What Did She See Outside?
Ans. She saw young trees moving fast as if they were sprinting and also saw young children happily running out of their homes to play.
Find Words from the Passage Which Mean (i) Running Fast (ii) Happy
Ans. (i) Sprinting; (ii) Merry
Name the Poem and the Poet.
Ans. The poem is ‘My Mother at Sixty-Six’ and the poet is Kamala Das.