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🕊️ Poem: I Cannot Remember My Mother • Check Your Understanding

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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.