English - Poetry Chapter 10: My Grandmother's House Long Answer Questions

Long Answer Questions

Question 1.How does the speaker describe the condition of her grandmother’s house? Does it resemble to the house of any of your acquaintance?

Answer:The speaker who is the poet of this poem has written about the condition of her grandmother’s house. She has described that the condition of her grandmother’s house is in a hopeless condition. She told that the windows of the house where the grandmother used to live were too short that air and sound could not come. The condition of the doors is also almost pitiable and at any time it may fall down (collapse). It produces a sound like a barking dog when it is opened or closed. It is all due to negligence owing to the death of her grandmother. It is also because she (the speaker) does not live there. The house is vacant. No, it does not resemble to the house of any of my acquaintance at all as it (the house) is in most poor condition.

Question 2.What type of love or relation do you find, between the grandmother and the speaker?

Answer:The relation between the grandmother and the speaker was very cordial and nice. She was living with her grandmother when she was a child. She loved her grandmother very much and was also loved by her. She loved her so much that she did not go anywhere to live when she was young. She did not like to leave her alone. The love between the speaker and her grandmother was immense.

Question 3.What changes have taken place since the speaker’s grandmother died?

Answer:When the speaker’s grandmother died, so many changes have taken place after her death. Nothing left behind in the house. The house became dark and wild animals used to move inside. Snake and other insects are found in that lonely house. When the speaker was young everything was at its right place, but when her grandmother died everything became scattered, leaving behind an unusual silence.

Question 4.Point out the similes in the poem?

Answer:The poet ‘Kamala Das’ has written about herself and her grandmother in the poem. She had explained that she had spent her childhood days with her grandmother at her house in the same residence. Since her grand-Maa has died, the poet left that house and went to leave somewhere else. The house has become isolated. In connection with the description, she has the most nicely used similes in the poem such as. “Blood, cold, Loved, My blood turned cold like the moon”, to pear through blind eyes of windows, just listen to the frozen air. All these are similes used in the poem.

Question 5.Give in short the summary of the poem, “My Grandmother’s House”. 

Or, Write a short note on the poem, “My Grandmother’s House”.

Answer:Kamala Das is a noted Indo- Anglian poetess. Most of her poems are autobiographical. Love and sex are the dominant themes of her poems. She portrays even the dark side of human passion. ‘My Grandmother’s House’ is an autobiographical poem by Kamala Das. In this poem, the poetess describes how there was a bond of love between her and her grandmother was an abode of love and intimacy. She enjoyed unrestrained liberty there. Her life there was all happy. After her grandmother’s death snakes started moving among the books and the house itself. The poet was too young to read those books while she was living there.

She now wishes to go there in search of the same freedom and love. She tries to capture them by peeping “through blind eyes of windows or listen to the “frozen air” but in vain. She feels lonely and frustrated. She seeks love at stranger’s door. This is a fine poem. The poet succeeds in conveying her feelings through this small poem. Love according to her, is a rare commodity in the world of today. And it is this loss of love, this irrevocable loss that stifles her heart now. She needs it. She even searches it but it is not to be had anywhere. In evoking such a sentiment of loss, the poem is very significant.