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🕊️ Poem: I Cannot Remember My Mother

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Check Your Understanding 3Critical Reflection 2Answer the Following Questions 4All Exercises 9
Q1

I Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.

Stanza 1
1. The poet remembers his mother while he ________________.
2. The poet remembers the ________________ but not the ________________.
Setting: ________________ (outdoor/indoor)
Stanza 2
1. The poet remembers his mother in the ________________ season.
2. The poet remembers his mother by the smell of ________________.
Setting: ________________ (outdoor/indoor)
Stanza 3
1. The poet feels that his mother ________________ at him from the ________________.
Setting: ________________ (outdoor/indoor)
  • Stanza 1:
    1. is playing / plays
    2. tune; words / song
    Setting: indoor
  • Stanza 2:
    1. autumn
    2. shiuli flowers (and the morning service in the temple)
    Setting: outdoor
  • Stanza 3:
    1. gazes / looks; sky
    Setting: indoor (looking out from his bedroom window)
Q2

II The senses of olfactory (smell), auditory (hearing), and visual (sight), are three of the five basic senses in humans. Give examples of references to senses from the poem. Complete the table given below.

Stanza Lines from the Poem Senses
1. ...the tune of some song that she used to hum while rocking my cradle ________________
3. ________________ ________________
2. ________________ olfactory
  • Stanza 1:
    • Lines: "...the tune of some song that she used to hum while rocking my cradle"
    • Sense: auditory (hearing)
  • Stanza 3:
    • Lines: "...I send my eyes into the blue of the distant sky, / I feel that the stillness of my mother's gaze on my face has spread all over the sky."
    • Sense: visual (sight)
  • Stanza 2:
    • Lines: "...the smell of the shiuli flowers floats in the air / the scent of the morning service in the temple comes to me as the scent of my mother."
    • Sense: olfactory (smell)
Q3

III Read the poem silently once again and complete the following.

  1. Two examples of alliteration from the poem are (i) ________________ and (ii) ________________.
  2. An example of onomatopoeia is ________________.
  3. The poem uses imagery extensively. Explain.
  4. Although the poem does not have a rhyme scheme, it is enjoyable because ________________.
  5. What is the tone of the poet? Why do you say so?
  6. What impact does the title of the poem have on the overall mood of the poem?
  7. The poet uses 'I cannot remember my mother' as a refrain because ________________.
  8. The poet uses symbolism to indicate the memory of his mother's presence. Identify the symbols used in the poem.
  1. Alliteration: (i) some song that she and (ii) smell of the shiuli.
  2. Onomatopoeia: hum.
  3. Imagery: The poet uses vivid auditory, olfactory, and visual imagery—such as a tune hovering over playthings, the fragrance of autumn shiuli flowers and temple incense, and the stillness of the vast blue sky—to recreate the living feel of his mother's presence.
  4. Free Verse Appeal: it flows with a gentle, natural rhythm, deep emotional sincerity, and rich sensory images that touch the reader's heart directly.
  5. Tone: The tone is nostalgic, tender, and serene because the speaker fondly recalls subtle, comforting traces of his mother's love in everyday moments rather than expressing bitter grief.
  6. Impact of Title: The title immediately sets a poignant, wistful, and reflective mood by highlighting the speaker's sense of early loss and longing for his mother.
  7. Refrain: it emphasizes the contrast between his inability to recall his mother's physical face and the powerful way her memory lives on through his senses in every stanza.
  8. Symbols: The hovering tune symbolises maternal comfort and affection; the shiuli flowers and morning temple service symbolise purity and sacred devotion; and the distant blue sky symbolises his mother's infinite, watchful, and protective love.
Q4

I Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. I cannot remember my mother
only sometimes in the midst of my play
a tune seems to hover over my playthings,

  • (i) Complete the following sentence appropriately.
    The poet is reminded of his mother during his ________________.
  • (ii) What is the primary emotion conveyed by the line 'a tune seems to hover over my playthings'?
    A. It enhances the joy of play.
    B. It disrupts the playtime atmosphere.
    C. It activates memories of the mother.
    D. It symbolises the carefree nature of childhood.
  • (iii) In the context of the poem, what role does the hovering tune play during the speaker's playtime?
  • (iv) State whether the following sentence is true or false.
    The poet experiences the tune lingering over playthings only occasionally during playtime.
  • (v) How could the poet feel his mother's presence, even though she isn't there?
  • (i) Answer: playtime / childhood play
  • (ii) Answer: C. It activates memories of the mother.
  • (iii) Answer: The hovering tune acts as a gentle sensory bridge to his infancy, reminding him of the lullabies his mother used to hum while rocking his cradle.
  • (iv) Answer: True
  • (v) Answer: Even though she is physically absent, her love is deeply etched into his subconscious mind, allowing him to feel her presence through familiar sounds, scents, and sights around him.
Q5

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

I feel that the stillness of
my mother's gaze on my face
has spread all over the sky.

  • (i) What does the poet suggest about the stillness of his mother's gaze spreading over the sky?
    A. The mother's gaze is physically present in the sky.
    B. The sky is a symbolic extension of the mother's presence.
    C. The sky mirrors the mother's emotions.
    D. The stillness is fleeting and unrelated to the mother.
  • (ii) What emotion does the poet associate with the 'stillness' of his mother's gaze?
    A. a sense of grief
    B. a sense of anticipation
    C. a sense of nostalgia
    D. a sense of serenity
  • (iii) State whether the following sentence is true or false.
    The poet suggests that the mother's gaze has a tangible and visual effect on the sky.
  • (iv) What is the purpose of likening the mother's gaze to the sky?
  • (v) Complete the sentence appropriately.
    The tone of the poet in the given extract is ________________ because ________________.
  • (i) Answer: B. The sky is a symbolic extension of the mother's presence.
  • (ii) Answer: D. a sense of serenity
  • (iii) Answer: False
  • (iv) Answer: Likening her gaze to the vast sky conveys that a mother's love and watchful protection are infinite, all-encompassing, and eternally present over her child.
  • (v) Answer: calm and comforted (or serene and reverent) because looking into the quiet blue sky makes him feel peacefully watched over by his mother's eternal gaze.
Q6

1. What is the emotional impact of the refrain, 'I cannot remember my mother'?

1. Answer: The refrain creates a deeply moving and wistful emotional impact. While it reminds the reader of the sad reality that the poet lost his mother too early to remember her face, each repetition is immediately followed by a warm sensory memory, showing that a mother's love can never truly be forgotten.

Q7

2. Interpret the connection between the poet's mother and the following:
(i) shiuli flowers (ii) humming tune

  • (i) Shiuli flowers: In autumn mornings, the sweet fragrance of shiuli flowers used in temple worship blends with the scent of the morning service, reminding the poet of his mother's gentle, pure, and spiritual presence.
  • (ii) Humming tune: While absorbed in play, a faint melody seems to linger over his toys, reconnecting him to the soothing lullabies his mother used to hum while rocking his cradle.
Q8

3. What role does nature play in the poet's description of the memory of his mother?

3. Answer: Nature acts as a living medium that preserves and reflects his mother's love. Through the fragrant autumn breeze carrying the scent of shiuli flowers and the boundless, tranquil blue sky, nature keeps his mother's comforting spirit alive all around him.

Q9

4. What can be inferred about the poet's perception of the mother-child relationship?

4. Answer: It can be inferred that the poet views the mother-child relationship as an eternal, spiritual bond that transcends physical separation and time. Even when conscious visual memories fade, a mother's love remains permanently woven into her child's heart and sensory world.