The Portrait of a Lady
Understanding the text
Q1. Mention the three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad. Answer: The three phases are: their constant companionship in the village; the turning point when they moved to the city, shared a room, but saw less of each other; and the snapping of their common link of friendship when the author went to the university and was given his own room.
Q2. Mention three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school. Answer: She was disturbed because the school taught Western science, there was no teaching about God and the scriptures, and she disapproved of the music lessons, which she associated with harlots and beggars.
Q3. Mention three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up. Answer: From sunrise to sunset, she sat by her spinning-wheel, constantly recited prayers, and relaxed in the afternoon to feed the sparrows.
Q4. Mention the odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died. Answer: On the evening before she fell ill, she did not pray; instead, she collected neighborhood women, thumped an old drum, and sang of the home-coming of warriors for several hours.
Q5. Mention the way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died. Answer: Thousands of sparrows sat scattered on the floor in complete silence, completely ignored the breadcrumbs thrown to them, and quietly flew away when the grandmother’s corpse was carried off.
Talking about the text
Q1. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this? Answer: Her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer, she continuously counted the beads of her rosary, she read scriptures inside the village temple, and she chose to spend her final moments peacefully praying in bed.
Q2. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change? Answer: Their physical relationship shifted from close companionship in the village to growing distance in the city and eventual seclusion at the university. However, their mutual affection did not change, as she tenderly kissed his forehead before he went abroad and celebrated his return with joyous singing.
Q3. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this. Answer: Yes, she showed immense strength by accepting her seclusion with quiet resignation, hiding her emotions when the author left abroad for five years, and firmly ignoring her family’s protests so she could spend her final moments praying.
Working with words
- Uses of the word ‘tell’:
- “telling the beads” matches count while reciting.
- “tell her English words” matches make something known to someone in spoken or written words.
- “one could never tell” matches be sure.
- “told us that her end was near” matches give information to somebody.
- Uses of the word ‘take’:
- “to take to something” (begin to do something as a habit): She “took to feeding sparrows”.
- “to take ill” (to suddenly become ill): She “was taken ill” the next morning.
2. A Photograph
Think it out
Q1. What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote in the poem? Why has this word been used? Answer: It denotes the stiff, physical material of the old photograph. It is used to highlight the fragile preservation of the past memory of the poet’s mother.
Q2. What has the camera captured? Answer: The camera captured the poet’s mother (who was about twelve years old) and her two girl cousins, Betty and Dolly, smiling and holding hands while paddling at the beach.
Q3. What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you? Answer: The sea “appears to have changed less”. This suggests a sharp contrast between the immortal, unchanging nature of the sea and the “terribly transient” (temporary) nature of human life.
Q4. The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate? Answer: Her laugh, decades later, indicated her nostalgia and amusement at looking back on her past and how they were dressed for the beach holiday.
Q5. What is the meaning of the line “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss.”? Answer: Both the mother and the poet are struggling to cope with the pain of losing their pasts—the mother’s lost childhood holiday and the poet’s lost mother (and her laughter).
Q6. What does “this circumstance” refer to? Answer: “This circumstance” refers to the death of the poet’s mother and the profound, heavy silence her absence leaves behind.
Q7. The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they? Answer: Phase one is the mother’s childhood beach holiday; phase two is the adult mother reflecting and laughing at the photograph years later; and phase three is the present, where the mother has been dead for years and the poet is left in silence.