Somebody’s Mother | Summary | Question & Answers | poem in English By Mary Dow Brine.
Somebody's Mother by Mary Dow Brine is a beautiful poem depicting wonderful values of care and love for others. This poem is about an old woman wearing ragged clothes was trying to cross road but was afraid of hitting by traffic. Suddenly a boy who came out of school helped her considering the old woman as her mother. Which makes the old woman pride and that night She prayed, “God, be kind to him, somebody’s son!”
THIS PAGE INCLUDES :
# Read This Chapter :
# Short Summary :
It was a winter evening. An old woman was waiting to cross a busy road near a school. She was alone woman although she was very old. Suddenly children came out of the school as it closed for the day. They passed the lonely old woman but none paid any attention to the old lady. It so happened that one of the boys, very cheerful and lively, saw this lady waiting to cross the road. He ran to her and helped her cross the road. Later he explained to his friends that one day his own mother could be in a similar situation and that someone else would help her. At home that night, the old lady prayed for the boy who had helped her cross the road. Her heart was overflowing with gratitude and pride. She prayed, “God, be kind to him, somebody’s son!”
# Explanation :
Here you get somebody's mother poem stanza wise explanation which includes the explanation of stanza 1 to stanza 8.
- Stanza 1 -
The woman was old and ragged and gray
And bent with the chill of the Winter’s day.
The street was wet with a recent snow
And the woman’s feet were aged and slow.
The first two lines of this poem imply the physical features of the mother. She is bent with the chill of winter's day, means that she is probably feeling too cold so she get bend to make herself warm. Then, by saying that the woman's feet were aged, the poet calls our attention to her inability to walk. Besides, due to ageing, she walked with slow steps as her feet were slow and unsteady. The winter was so much cold that even the snow had not melted away by noon.
- Stanza 2 -
She stood at the crossing and waited long,
Alone, uncared for, amid the throng
Of human beings who passed her by
Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eyes.
The old woman waited for long to cross the road because she was too old and helpless to cross the road by herself. Besides, the people that passed by her were mostly indifferent to her and uncaring that nobody helps the woman to cross that road.
- Stanza 3 -
Down the street, with laughter and shout,
Glad in the freedom of “school let out,”
Came the boys like a flock of sheep,
Hailing the snow piled white and deep.
The Boys came out of the school laughing and shouting because it was the end of a long school day. They felt free after the school. The freedom that the boys enjoy is compared to the freedom enjoyed by a flock of sheep. The boys scattered the deep snow as they walked.
- Stanza 4 -
Past the woman so old and gray
Hastened the children on their way.
Nor offered a helping hand to her –
So meek, so timid, afraid to stir
Lest the carriage wheels or the horses’ feet
Should crowd her down in the slippery street.
The boys passed the old woman in great hurry. They did not offer her any help to cross the road. The old woman was so timid that she was afraid of being run over by carriage pulled by horses.
- Stanza 5 -
At last came one of the merry troop,
The gayest laddie of all the group;
He paused beside her and whispered low,
“I’ll help you cross, if you wish to go.”
Merry troop refers to a group of boys who came by very happily. the happiest of all the boys in a happy group paused to help the old woman. The boy whispered to the old woman that he would help her cross the road if she so wished.
- Stanza 6 -
Her aged hand on his strong young arm
She placed, and so, without hurt or harm,
He guided the trembling feet along,
Proud that his own were firm and strong.
Then back again to his friends he went,
His young heart happy and well content.
She placed her aged hand on his strong, young arm and so, without hurt or harm, he guided the trembling feet along. The boy felt proud that his young hands were so strong that they could help an old lady cross a busy road. After helping the woman cross the road, the boy went back to his cheerful friends.
- Stanza 7 -
“She’s somebody’s mother, boys, you know,
For all she’s aged and poor and slow,
“And I hope some fellow will lend a hand
To help my mother, you understand,
“If ever she’s poor and old and gray,
When her own dear boy is far away.”
The boy explained his act of helping the old lady cross the road by referring to a similar situation in which his own dear mother could run into in the future. He hoped that his mother could run into in the future. He hoped that his mother would be helped by some kind heart sometime in the future when she may have to travel alone, tired and aged.
- Stanza 8 -
And “somebody’s mother” bowed low her head
In her home that night, and the prayer she said
Was “God be kind to the noble boy,
Who is somebody’s son, and pride and joy!”
The old lady prayed for the boy who helped her cross the road. She refers to him as 'somebody's son, somebody's pride and joy. She prayed to God to be kind to him. The boy who helped the old lady cross the road was different from the other boys. The great quality of seeing his own mother in an old lady, places him on top of all the other boys. As for the boy being so virtuous, the old lady thought that he would be pride and joy of his parents.
# Word - Meanings :
- Ragged – (Clothes) Tattered; torn; ripped.
- Gray – Aged
- Bent with the chill of the Winter’s day – The winter cold was so extreme to bear that the old woman was bent down.
- Crossing – Traffic crossing
- Uncared for – No one to care for
- Amid – In the midst of
- Throng – Crowd
- Heeded – Noticed
- Glance – Caring look
- Anxious eyes – Worried look.
- A flock of sheep – Like sheep following the herder, children came out in a line
- Hailing the snow – Shouting merrily at the snow
- Piled – Heaped up
- Timid – Shy and scared
- Past – Going ahead
- Lest – So that not
- Meek – Too gentle to defend oneself
- Lest the carriage wheels or the horses’ feet should crowd her down – So that the carriage wheels or the horses’ feet do not run over her.
- Hastened – Hurried
- Crowd down – Walk over
- Stir – Move; walk
- Merry troop – Jolly/happy group
- The gayest – Happiest
- Laddie – Boy
- Paused – Stopped.
- Trembling – Shivering
- Proud – Feeling proud of oneself
- His own – His own mother
- Content – Satisfied
- Lend a hand – Help in a difficult time
- Bowed low her head – Sat to pray
- Pride – Feeling proud
# Question / Answers :
Q. Describe the poem somebody's mother in your words.
Q. How do you describe the old woman?
Q. How cold was the winter?
Q. The woman was herself aged yet the poet says, “the woman’s feet were aged.” What is the difference?
Q. Why did the old woman waited long?
Q. How does the poet satirize human beings in this stanza?
Q. What would you do if you spot an aged man/woman struggling to cross a busy road when you are yourself busy?
Q. How did the boys come out of school?
Q. Why were the boys glad?
Q. What is the boys’ freedom compared to?
Q. Came the boys like a flock of sheep. Figure out the figure of speech.
Q. What did the boys do as they walked?
Q. How did the boys pass the old woman by?
Q. Why didn’t the old woman seek help from the boys?
Q. Why couldn’t the old woman cross the road?
Q. What does ‘merry troop’ mean?
Q. Who paused and offered to help the old woman?
Q. What did the boy whisper to the old woman?
Q. What pride did the boy feel while helping the old woman cross the road?
Q. How did the old woman cross the road?
Q. What did the boy do after helping the old woman?
Q. Why did the boy help the old woman to cross the road?
Q. How did the boy explain his act of helping the old lady cross the road?
Q. What was the old lady’s prayer that night?
Q. Why does the old lady think that the boy who helped her cross the road was somebody’s son pride and joy?
Q. Read the Extract and Answer the Following Questions.
A.
He guided the trembling feet along ,
proud that his own were firm and strong.
Q. Who guided the trembling feet?
Q. Whose feet were trembling and why?
Q. Why was he proud?
B.
Nor offered a helping hand to her,
So meek, so timid, afraid to stir.
Q. Who is ‘her’?
Q. Who did not offer help to her?
Q. Why was the lady afraid to stir?
C.
God be kind to the noble boy
Who is somebody’s son and pride and joy.
Q. Who said this prayer?
Q. Who is the noble boy referred to?
Q. Why did she pray for him?
- Answers -
- SELF EVALUATION TEST -
This is a quiz based test which is consist of 20 Multiple Choice Questions to test your Understanding about this Chapter...
# Still have some Doubts?
-- Feel FREE to Ask your Doubts here --
