E- CONTENT
MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE
INTRODUCTION
The
poem, My Grandmother’s House, first appeared in Kamala
Das’s first anthology of verse titled Summer Time in Calcutta (1905). It is
also an autobiographical poem in which the poet’s longing for her parental
house in Malabar is movingly described. She is reminded of the ancestral house
where she had received immense love and affection from her grandmother.
ABOUT THE POEM
My Grandmother’s House is a
nostalgic poem written by Kamala Das (Kamala Surayya). Though it’s a short
poem its meaning is vast and wide. The undercurrent of the poem is Kamala Das’s
childhood life with her grandmother where she felt more love and peace than she
enjoys in her present life
The poet’s feminine sensibility finds its clearest loveless
relationships in it. A note of pessimism runs throughout the action of the
poem. It reveals the poet’s painful unfulfilled desire to visit her grandmother’s
house to which she is deeply and emotionally attached. The poet is shocked to
learn that the house is all in ruin after the death of her grandmother. She
suffers in silence due to the wear and tear it has undergone in her absence. A
death-like silence reigns in her grandmother’s house.
.The poem My Grandmother’s House
has only 16 lines, very short poem. The opening line tells the readers about
her grandmother’s house, where she lived when she was very young. We can read
line by line explanation My Grandmother’s House.
Moreover, the intensity of her grief is suggestively conveyed by the
ellipses in the form of a few dots in this section of the poem. It was her
disenchantment with her loveless marriage which reminded her of her
grandmother’s pure and selfless love. Her heart is itself like a dark window
where the fresh air does not blow. The image of the house has stuck to her
mind. The poet has also used the similes of a brooding dog show her inability
to pay a visit to her grandmother’s house. She has also used suggestive visual
imagery of ‘blind eyes of the windows’ and ‘the frozen air’ to convey the idea
of death and desperation.
INTRODUCTION OF POETESS
Kamala Das (1934-2009) born in Kerala,
Kamala Das began her literary career, like her mother, as a short story writer
in Malayalam. She, however, achieved wider recognition as an Indo-English poet
with her widely read works like Summer
in Calcutta (1965) The Descendants (1976) and The Old Playhouse and Other Poems (1973).
Reflecting a feminine sensibility and feminist
understanding, the writings of Kamala Das reflect the tensions of modern India
and a quest for fulfilment. She questions, asserts and defies through poetry of
polemics and emotional intensity foregrounding a body of woman-specific experience.
Her conscious rejection and adoption of various identities and names reflect an
impassioned search for a comfortable persona in a highly divisive society.
She was noted for her many Malayalam short
stories as well as many poems written in English. Das was also a syndicated
columnist. She once claimed that
"poetry does not sell in this country [India]," but her forthright
columns, which sounded off on everything from women's issues and child care to
politics, were popular.
Das’s My
Story, as Scroll. It has
previously written, was “one of
the most brutally honest telling of what it was like to be an
independent-minded woman in India, catapulting Das to The status of an icon for
women yearning to escape the domestic oppression and forge a sexual identity”.
SUMMARY
OF THE POEM
“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 up rootedness. 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 at least in small change
i.e. in little measure at least.
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.
ANALYSIS
OF THE POEM
There
is a house now far away where once
(…)
To
read, and my blood turned cold like the moon
That house is far away from the
poetess’s new house. In that house she enjoyed much love and pleasure. Kamala
Das was too young to remember those happy moments, still she recollects her
experiences.
……. That woman died
Unfortunately those happy lives
didn’t last for long. The death took her lovely grandmother to heaven!
The poem, My Grandmother’s House,
which can be read in full here, shows
Kamala Das’s intense love and attachment to it. She suffers from an acute sense
of alienation after having left this place after her marriage.
The poet now lives in a big city after her marriage, a remote place
from her grandmother’s house. She is reminded of her grandmother’s house where
she spent her memorable childhood. Ironically, it is the only place where she
received love from her grandmother. The death of the grandmother is even
mourned by the house to which she was emotionally attached. A death-like
silence reigned in the house after her exit from this world. It seems that the
grandmother was the very soul of this house. Being deserted, the snakes cold be
seen among books in the library of the house. At that point of time she was too
young to read those books which looked quite horrible and repulsive like
snakes. She was almost frozen with fear at the passing away of her grandmother
and seemed cold like the moon.
The house
withdrew into silence
In the 3rd
line, it’s clear that the grandmother was the only source of entire happiness
of that house as the whole house withdrew into silence.
Snakes
moved
Among books, I was……….
………………….
and my blood turned cold like the moon
Among books, I was……….
………………….
and my blood turned cold like the moon
Kamala Das was very young girl at the time she spent her days with her
grandmother. Thus she was not able to read books. After grandmother was gone to
heaven the books in the
library of
that house left unread. Snakes started to move among the book stacks. Seeing
the little Kamala Das felt fear. And her grandmother’s death frozen her and
turned her blood cold like moon.
How ………………
……………………………………..
To peer through blind eyes of windows
……………… frozen air
……………………………………..
To peer through blind eyes of windows
……………… frozen air
After
Grandmother’s death, she moved to another house. But still she likes to visit
that old house where she enjoyed much freedom and unlimited love. She thinks of
going there and to peep through the window of that house and to listen to that
frozen air there.
Peer
through means look
through. Poet used the phrase ‘blind
eyes’ it means the house is filled with darkness and nothing inside
the house is clear to her eyes. The frozen air is used to
mentioned the unmoved air filled in the house because of no inhabitants
The very opening lines of the poem capture alive the poet’s mood of
nostalgia. She is reminded of the happiest days of her childhood which she
spent in the company of her grandmother. She was deeply attached to her
grandmother who was very caring and affectionate to her. She was emotionally
destabilized after the death of her grandmother and felt almost heart-broken.
The intensity of her grief is suggestively conveyed by the ellipse in the form
of a few dots in this section of the poem. It was her disenchantment with her
loveless marriage which reminded her of her grandmother’s pure and selfless
love.
How
often I think of going
(…)
Dog…
In the above lines of the poem, My Grandmother’s House, the poet defines her
relationship with her grandmother in a very moving manner. Kamala Das is
reminded of the happiest days of her childhood which spent with her
grandmother. The poet was deeply attached to her
grandmother who was very caring and
affectionate to her. She was emotionally shattered after the death of her
grandmother who had been the chief source of inspiration in her life.
The poet often longs to visit her grandmother’s house to which she
was emotionally attached since her childhood. It has been a place of security
and protection which is sadly missing in her new house in the city. She
would like to peep through the dust-ridden or coloured panes of windows which
were shut after the death of the grandmother. She would like to listen and feel
the still atmosphere prevailing in the house.
It is this longing to revisit her grandmother’s house that adds to
her sense of frustration and hopelessness. The darkness of her grandmother’s
house can have no terrifying impact on her. She would like to gather some
darkness, some memories of the grandmother’s house and bring them to her
present city residence. The very memories of her grandmother’s house will have
a soothing impact on her loveless and hopeless married life.
The poet is in a mood of reminiscence and recreates the plight of
the grandmother’s house after her departure from the scene of life. She gives
us the very feel of the house in its state of neglect and desertion. The poet
has used the simile of a brooding dog to show her inability to pay a visit to
her grandmother’s house. She has employed suggestive visual imagery of ‘blind
eyes of the windows’ and ‘the frozen air to convey the idea of death and
desperation.
You
cannot believe, darling,
(…)
Receive
love, at least in small change?
In these lines of the poem, the poet says how her frustration and
disenchantment in the marital life forced her to go in for extra-marital
relationship. The poet often longs to visit her grandmother’s house to which
she was emotionally attached since her childhood. Unlike her miserable city
life with her husband, it had been a place of security and genuine love for
her.
Here the poet informs her dear husband that he can never believe the
intensity of love that she received from her grandmother. He can never realize
that she was extremely proud of her grandmother’s house where she was deeply
loved by her grandmother. It is her separation from her grandmother’s house
after marriage that has ruined her life forever. It is loveless and
Hopeless married life that has crippled her sense of pride and love
which she used to have in her grandmother’s house. She has become a beggar for
love who knocks helplessly at strangers’ doors to receive at least in a small
measure. She has almost lost her way in search of genuine and selfless love.
Kamala Das exposes the futility of loveless and hopeless marital
relationships in these five concluding lines of the poem. It shows the agony
and humiliation of a married woman who is forced to seek extra-marital
relationships to seek love for her emotional satisfaction. It is the mood of
nostalgia that dominates the closing phase of the poem. The poet is reminded of
her grandmother’s house where received love and safety in her childhood. She
has lost all her identity and freedom in her loveless relationship.
THEME OF THE POEM
Kamala
Das recalls her ancestral house that was filled with the all-pervading presence
of her grandmother And this is why her grandmother’s house is singular: Kamala
Das received ‘love’ there. When the poetess speaks of ‘love’ in particular she
ascertains that it is unconditional and selfless. With the death of the
Grandmother, the house ceased being inhabited. It now became an isolated and
remote entity, echoed by the phrase ‘far away.’
The
poetess asserts that with the death of her grandmother silence began to sink in
the house. Kamala Das, at that juncture, was too small to read books, but
emotional enough to comprehend the true feeling of love.
With the death of the Grandmother, her life
that was hitherto filled only with emotions becomes numb. Her veins thus become
cold rather than warm. It is as cold as the moon, the moon being an emblem of
love. The worms on the books seem like snakes at that moment, in comparison to
the size of the little girl; and in keeping with the eeriness of the situation.
The poetess also implies that the deserted house is like a desert with reptiles
crawling over. The poetess now longs to ‘peer’ at a house that was once her
own.…
OBJECTIVES
At the end of
this module you will be able to
·
Knows the biography of
the poet.
·
Comprehends of the poem “My Grandmother’s House”
·
Develops the knowledge
from the poem.
·
Finds the new
vocabulary of the poem.
·
Analysis the background
of the poetry.
·
Explains the theme in
the poem.
ASSIGNMENTS
1.
Describe your granny in one paragraph
2. Justify the title of the poem “My
Grandmother’s House”
TUTORIALS
1.
Identify the figure of speech in “My Grandmother’s House”
2.
Write about your own experience of your past times with your grandparents.
GLOSSARY
Peer: look very carefully
Despair: without hope
Brooding: thinking
Dead - asleep
Fragments - Part, end, pieces.
Held - grasped, adhered.
Heaven - eternity, paradise
Led - Accompany, attend.
Perfection - excellence
Stream - Small River.
Stretches - expanse, spread.
Striving - working hard.
DISCUSSION
Look
at the expression “my blood turned
cold like the moon”.
The poet is comparing the coldness of
blood with the moon. She used the word like to make the comparison.
A comparison of two things using like or
as is called a ‘simile’.
A simile is used to highlight a
particular quality, characteristic or feature of something.
Example:
He is as brave as a lion.
The place was silent like a grave.
QUESTION
AND ANSWER
Q.1) Complete the following:
The poet wants to go back to the house
a) to peer through blind eyes of windows.
b) to listen to the frozen air.
c) to pick an armful of darkness.
The poet wants to go back to the house
a) to peer through blind eyes of windows.
b) to listen to the frozen air.
c) to pick an armful of darkness.
Q.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?
Ans: Personification. Nothing can be seen through them as there is darkness inside.
Ans: Personification. Nothing can be seen through them as there is darkness inside.
Q.3) why is the air in grandmother’s house described as frozen?
Ans: The house is absolutely silent. No one lives there. Even the air does not seem to be moving.
Ans: The house is absolutely silent. No one lives there. Even the air does not seem to be moving.
Q.4) Pick out the correct alternatives in (a) and (b)
(a) ‘an armful of darkness’ means……..
(a) ‘an armful of darkness’ means……..
ü old
memories of the grandmother’s house.
ü unhappy
days.
ü some dark
object from the house.
Ans: old memories of the grandmother’s house.
(b) ‘to lie behind my bedroom door like a brooding dog’ means that……..
ü the
memories will always remain with the poet.
ü the
memories will lie uncared for in a corner.
ü the
memories are as unimportant as a dog.
Ans: the memories will always remain with the poet.
Q.1) (a) Which words tell you that the poet is talking to some one?
Ans: “…an armful of darkness to lie behind my bedroom door like a brooding dog”.
Ans: “…an armful of darkness to lie behind my bedroom door like a brooding dog”.
(b) What is she telling him/her?
Ans: That she lived in such a house and was proud, and loved.
Ans: That she lived in such a house and was proud, and loved.
Q.2) In the last three lines of the poem, the poet thinks of herself as
a beggar.
(a) What is she begging for?
Ans: She is begging for love.
(b) What does she mean by ‘small change’?
Ans: a little love or love in small quantity.
(a) What is she begging for?
Ans: She is begging for love.
(b) What does she mean by ‘small change’?
Ans: a little love or love in small quantity.
Q.3) ‘Cold like a moon’ is a smile. Can you
pick out another smilie from the poem?
Ans: “…an armful of darkness to lie behind my bedroom door like a brooding dog”.
Ans: “…an armful of darkness to lie behind my bedroom door like a brooding dog”.
Q.4) The poet thinks of her past.
How is her present different from the past?
Ans: 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.
Ans: 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.
Q.5) Pick out words from the poem
which convey the sense of loss that the poet feels.
Ans: that woman died, my blood turned cold, frozen air, wild despair, armful of darkness.
Ans: that woman died, my blood turned cold, frozen air, wild despair, armful of darkness.
Q.6) Read the following
sentences:
(a) Grandparents belong to 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.
(a) Being around and listening to what grandparents have to say is a great way to show that one really cares for the presence itself will make the day worth it.
(b) Having meals together is memorable and the best experiences of the world.
(c) Grandparents are all about listening to your ideas and experiences. They want to impart their wisdom. Allow them to get involved. That shows that you value their wisdom.
(a) Grandparents belong to 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.
(a) Being around and listening to what grandparents have to say is a great way to show that one really cares for the presence itself will make the day worth it.
(b) Having meals together is memorable and the best experiences of the world.
(c) Grandparents are all about listening to your ideas and experiences. They want to impart their wisdom. Allow them to get involved. That shows that you value their wisdom.
Q.7) what happened to
the house after the grandmother died?
Ans: The house withdrew into silence.
Ans: The house withdrew into silence.
Q.8) Why way
the poet not able to read the books?
Ans: Because she was too young.
Ans: Because she was too young.
QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION
1.
Which house is the
poet talking about?
The poet is talking about her grandmother’s house where she grew up as a child.
The poet is talking about her grandmother’s house where she grew up as a child.
2.
Why does the first
segment of the second line trail off?
The poet expresses her nostalgic pain on recalling her memories in her grandmother’s home.
The poet expresses her nostalgic pain on recalling her memories in her grandmother’s home.
3.
Why did the poet’s
blood turn cold?
The poet’s blood turned cold at the sight of snakes among her grandmother’s books.
The poet’s blood turned cold at the sight of snakes among her grandmother’s books.
4.
What happened to
the house after the grandmother died?
After the death of the grandmother, the house withdrew into silence.
After the death of the grandmother, the house withdrew into silence.
5.
Why was the poet
not able to read the books?
The poet was too small to read books at that time.
The poet was too small to read books at that time.
FAQ’s QUESTION
· Draw a picture of your granny’s home
· Collect the pictures of emotions of human which are listed below:
Ø Angry Cry
Ø Sad Mad
Ø Happy Wink
SYNOPSIS
Kamala Das exposes the futility of loveless and hopeless marital
relationships in these five concluding lines of the poem. It shows the agony
and humiliation of a married woman who is forced to seek extra-marital
relationships to seek love for her emotional satisfaction.
It is the mood of nostalgia that dominates the closing phase
of the poem. The poet is reminded of her grandmother’s house where received
love and safety in her childhood. She has lost all her identity and freedom in
her loveless relationship.
The
poetess asserts that with the death of her grandmother silence began to sink in
the house. Kamala Das, at that juncture, was too small to read books, but
emotional enough to comprehend the true feeling of love.
With
the death of the Grandmother, her life that was hitherto filled only with
emotions becomes numb. Her veins thus become cold rather than warm. It is as
cold as the moon, the moon being an emblem of love. The worms on the books seem
like snakes at that moment, in comparison to the size of the little girl; and
in keeping with the eeriness of the situation. The poetess also implies that
the deserted house is like a desert with reptiles crawling over.
KEYWORDS:
Grandmother’s love, agony, longing, nostalgia.
LINKS
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