Tracking progress through consistent use of DAV Class 8 English Literature Book Solutions Chapter 5 My Mother is a helpful practice.
DAV Class 8 English Literature Chapter 5 Question Answer – My Mother
Pre-Reading Task
Question 1.
‘God could not be everywhere, so he made mother’. What does this sentence mean? Is the comparison between God and mother justified? Share your views with the class.
Answer:
God could not be everywhere, so he made mother. This is true to say. God is the creator of this world, mother is the creator of child. She gives birth to a child and takes his care at each and every step. God is kind to everyone. Mother is not only kind but is also willing to do everything for comfort of her child. Thus, the comparison is quite appropriate.
Question 2.
The word ‘mother’ brings up certain emotions in everyone. Think of some words that you would like to associate with this most wonderful creation of God and write them in the web chart below:
Answer:
I. Understanding the Poem
A. As the poet thinks of his mother, several images flash across his mind. Write those images in the web chart below.
Answer:
B. The poet has beautifully described some unique qualities of his mother. In the table given below, Column A has a list of qualities and Column B has extracts from the poem that suggest those qualities. Match the columns. Some words are given in italics to help you.
Answer:
| Column A | Column B |
| helpful | Shared your best with whoever needed the most. |
| understanding | You knew the pain of your child. |
| religious | You always gave and gave with faith in Him. |
| tender | Your caring hand tenderly removing the pain. |
C. The poet’s childhood days were full of struggle. Find out a few things that the poet had to do in his childhood to help the family.
Answer:
The poet struggled veiy hard during his childhood. He used to wake up early before sunrise, distributed the newspapers and also worked hard in the evening. He had to walk several miles firstly to a saintly teacher near the temple then to an Arab School in Rameshwaran.
D. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
Question 1.
You come to me like heaven’s caring arms.
I remember the war days when life was challenge and toil
Miles to walk, hours before sunrise,
(a) Who are “you’ and ‘me’ in the above lines?
Answer:
You’ is the poet’s mother and ‘me’ is the poet himself.
(b) Identify the figure of speech used in the first line and explain it.
Answer:
‘Simile’ has been used here. The poet compares his mother’s arms with heaven. His mother’s arms provides him love and care.
(c) Mention two things that made the poet’s life difficult.
Answer:
He walked miles to reach the school and also distributed newspapers to supplement his family. These two things made the poet’s life difficult.
(d) Why did the poet have to walk so much early in the morning?
Answer:
The poet had to walk so much early in the morning because he had to reach his school on foot and he had also lack of money.
Question 2.
All this pain of a young boy,
My Mother you transformed into pious strength With kneeling and bowing five times.
(a) Who is the young boy?
Answer:
The young boy is the poet.
(b) What pain is he talking about?
Answer:
He is talking about the pain of his struggle.
(c) What was this pain transformed into? How did this transformation take place?
Answer:
This pain was transformed into pious strength. This transformation took place because the poet’s mother prayed to God to reduce his pains.
(d) What do you understand by “kneeling and bowing five times?
Answer:
‘Kneeling and bowing five times’ means praying to God five times a day.
II. HOTS
How did the poet’s mother act as a source of inspiration to the poet?
Answer:
The poet’s mother acted as a source of inspiration to the poet because her love was unbiased, she loved him unconditionally. Her selfless love moulded him into a noble person. She was a woman of love and kindness above all a woman of divine nature. During Namaz, she looked angelic everytime the poet saw her during Namaz he was ’ inspired and moved.
III. Life Skills
There are many ups and downs in man’s life but one should not lose hope’. Discuss ’ this statement with reference to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who became the President of
India.
Answer:
This is certainly true that there are many ups and downs in man’s life but one should not lose hope. With regard to A.P.J Abdul Kalam, we can understand that Dr. Kalam) had a very difficult childhood, living under extreme poverty but not losing hope. He fought against all odds to receive his education and rose to become one of the greatest i sons of this soil. He was living example before us that we can achieve whatever we want in our life through our will and determination.
IV. Values
“Sleeping on your lap to the envy of elder brothers and sisters ”
Why were the elder brothers and sisters envious of the poet? Is envy good? Discuss.
Answer:
The poet’s elder brothers and sisters were envious of the poet because they thought that the mother gave more care to the poet than them. Envy is not good. We should not be envious of others instead we should be inspired by others and try to become better by doing good works.
V. Writing Skills
The word ‘mother’ evokes powerful emotions in everyone. Think about your mother and
write a short poem about her, thanking her for everything she does for you.
Answer:
LOVE OF MOTHER’
Mother is figure of
Love and light
Who sacrifice everything
For child’s delight.
If there is God
That is in mother
If there is heaven
That can be no other.
Even others love you for some motive,
But whose love is selfless
That is of mother
All debts can be paid in this or that way.
But no one can pay back
Love of mother
DAV Class 8 English Literature Chapter 5 Solutions – My Mother
I. Reference to Context
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions.
(i) Walking to take lessons from the saintly teacher near the temple.
Again miles to the Arab teaching school,
Climb sandy hills to Railway Station Road,
Collect, distribute newspapers to temple city citizens,
Few hours after sunrise, going to school.
Evening, business times before study at night.
Question 1.
Who is the speaker of these lines?
Answer:
The poet A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the speaker of these lines.
Question 2.
Name the places where the poet has to visit.
Answer:
The poet has to visit his saintly teacher near the temple, and Arab teaching school; Railway Station road to collect newspapers in the city to distribute the newspapers, and his school.
Question 3.
Who is the person who gives him strength?
Answer:
Only his mother gives him strength.
Question 4.
Does the poet complain about his hard life?
Answer:
No, the poet does not complain about his hard life. Only, he wants to show his gratitude towards his mother who always supports him and makes him capable enough to make his way out of these hurdles.
(ii) Your caring hand, tenderly removing the pain
Your love, your care, your faith gave me strength
To face the world without fear and with His strength
We will meet again on the great Judgement Day, My Mother!
Question 1.
Whose hand removes pain of the poet? Are the hands magical?
Answer:
The hand of poet’s mother removes all his pain. Her hands are not magical but the touch of these hands are magical.
Question 2.
Who are ‘you’? How do you provide strength to the poet?
Answer:
‘You’ here refer to poet’s mother. Mother’s selfless love and care provide strength to the poet.
Question 3.
What is the outcome of the poet’s strength that he got from his mother?
Answer:
The poet gets success in his life as a prominent scientist then as the President of India.
He calls these achievements the outcome of his strength which he got from his mother.
Question 4.
Which point does the poet mention to meet her mother again?
Answer:
The poet mentions that he would meet his mother again on the Judgement Day.
II. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:
Question 1.
What is the role of mother in a child’s life?
Answer:
Mother plays a vital role in a child’s life. It is she who mends his ways and guides him in the right direction. Her selfless love and care provide the child strength to face all the hurdles that come in his way of success.
Question 2.
What are the similarities between mother and God?
Answer:
Mother is similar to God. God has created this world. He takes care of all his children. His love is unbiased in the same way mother gives birth to her children. She takes care and her selfless love moulds the children into a noble person. Mother is also unbiased to all her children.
III. Word Power
Solve this crossword puzzle with the help of the clues.
Across
4. changed
5. to wish that one had what
6. religious
Down
1. to join together
2. going down on both knees
3. virtuous, noble
Answer:
Across
4. Transformed
5. Envy
6. Pious
Down
1. Merge
2. Kneeling
3. Saintly
My Mother Summary in English
‘My Mother’ is the poem recited by the former President of India, Shri A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He says that all pilgrims’ faith, sea waves and love get merged in mother. His mother’s arms are like heaven.
The poet remembers the days of Second World War, when he used to take miles of waik for his studies from temple to Arab Teaching School. He also distributed newspapers to supplement his family.
But the poet’s mother was always there to support him. She prayed five times a day. Her child’s strength lies in her reverence to God. His mother always gave the best.
The poet remembers the day when he was ten years old. He was lying in the lap of his mother. He knew only the world of his mother. When he woke up his mother was crying. He woke up due to her tears. She knew her son’s pain. Her love and caring hands gave the poet the strength to face this world with the mother’s blessing who was similar to God for him.
The poet has compared the mother with God. Every feeling of the poet is just like a person feels for God. His mother is God to him.
My Mother Summary in Hindi
‘माई मदर’ नामक कविता भारत के पूर्व राष्ट्रपति श्री ए. पी. जे. अब्दुल कलाम द्वारा रचित है। उनका कहना है कि तीर्थयात्रियों का विश्वास, समुद्र की लहरें और प्यार आदि उनकी माँ में मिल जाती हैं। वे अपनी माँ की बाँहों को स्वर्ग के समान मानते हैं। कवि द्वितीय विश्वयुद्ध के दिन याद करते हैं जब वे पढ़ने के लिए मंदिर से अरब टीचिंग स्कूल तक मीलों पैदल चलकर जाते थे। वे अपने परिवार की पूर्ति करने के लिए अखबार बाँटते थे।
परन्तु उनकी माँ हमेशा उनके साथ थी। वे दिन के पाँचों वक्त की नमाज पढ़ती थीं। माँ के लिए उसके बच्चे की ताकत ईश्वर भक्ति हैं । कवि की माँ ने उन्हें सबसे अच्छा जीवन देने का प्रयास किया।
कवि वह समय याद करता है जब वह मात्र दस वर्ष का था और अपनी माँ की गोद में लेटा हुआ था। उस समय वह केवल अपने माँ के संसार को जानता था। एक बार आधी रात को माँ के बहते हुए आंसुओं के कारण उसकी नींद खुल गई। वह बेटे के दर्द को समझ गयी। कवि को माँ के प्यार, ध्यान देने वाले हाथों ने शक्ति दी ताकि वह बिना भय के इस संसार का सामना कर सके।
कवि ने माँ की तुलना भगवान से की है। उसका हर भाव उस माँ के प्रति है जो भगवान के समान है।
- Pilgrims – a person who visits a religious place – तीर्थयात्री;
- War days – during Second World War – द्वितीय विश्व युद्ध के दौरान;
- Toil – to work hard for a long time – लंबे समय तक परिश्रम करना;
- Transform – change – बदलना;
- Pious – holy – धार्मिक;
- Envy – prejudice – पूर्वाग्रह;
- Piety – devotion to God – ईश्वर के प्रति भक्ति ।