An old Woman
Comprehension I
1. You in the poem refers to the speaker.
2. What does the old woman offer to do?
Answer: The old woman offers to function as a guide and take the poet to the horse shoe shrine.
3. What does she expect for her service?
Answer: She expects a fifty paise coin for her service.
4. The lines ‘You turn around and face her with an air of finality’ suggest that he decides to end
the farce.
5. The old woman’s eyes are compared to bullet holes.
6. You are reduced to so much small change in her hand. Here the speaker is suggesting that –
one is reduced to an insignificant position.
Comprehension II
1. How is the plight of the old woman compared in this poem?
Answer: The old woman leads a solitary existence. She does not have a family or relatives to care for
her. She however has to work hard to make both ends meet. The old woman is a self-appointed guide.
She escorts the devotees to the horse shoe shrine. In return she demands a fifty paise coin. However,
very few people are willing to accept her service. Her wrinkled face and her shriveled body indicate
that she has grown old. She however needs money to balance life and livelihood. The old woman
reminds us of the people who are the poorest of the poor and are left at the mercy of fate. The
government or the NGOs seldom come forward to rescue the old people who are in distress. The
nation cares for the old monuments but the senior citizens are seldom given adequate care, protection
and attention.
2. The old woman in this poem is a self-appointed tourist guide and not a beggar. Do you agree?
Give reasons.
Answer: Yes, I agree that the old woman is a self -appointed tourist guide. The woman has self-respect
and does not want to live on charity. She wants to work hard to make both ends meet. This indicates
the old woman has faith in herself and is determined to face the challenges in her life. The old woman
is persistent that the poet accepts her services as a guide. However, the poet treats her indifferently
and reacts vociferously. The old woman is treated more like a beggar. However, later the poet
changes his view and is more accommodative and caring in his treatment of the old lady.
3. How does the speaker’s attitude undergo a change?
Answer: The old woman retorts “What else can an old woman do on hills as wretched as this?” This
makes the speaker to introspect and he feels that he has meted out injustice to the old woman. The
old woman had asked for a meagre sum of money amounting to fifty paise coin. She wanted to be
given the opportunity to function as a guide. The poet initially does not agree to engage her service.
Later the poet realizes the helpless state of the woman. She does not have any friends, or relatives to
help her in times of distress. It is honour, self-respect and pride that prevents her from moving with
a begging bowl in her hand.
IIII The old woman reduces the self-esteem of the speaker and makes him feel that he is nothing
more than ‘so much small change’. Comment.
Answer: The speaker is taken aback when the old woman says “What else can an old woman do on
hills as wretched as this?” This creates a poignant situation and makes the speaker to ponder about
life and livelihood. The old woman has the right to live. She does not want to live on charity. Hence,
her decision to be a self-appointed guide. However, people like the speaker who are affluent refuses
to take service from the old lady. The old lady thus enquires how she is to carry out her living. Like any
human being she has right to a dignified life to fulfill the basic necessities of life.
The speaker then looks at the old lady intently. He finds that her face is wrinkled owing to old age. The
speaker realizes that all things that exist on earth is subject to decay and destruction. The old woman
thus deserves our sympathy and attention.
2. What is the speaker trying to convey through the lines ‘And the hills crack and the temples
crack. And the sky falls.”
Answer: The speaker tells us that nothing is permanent on earth. The earth surface has
undergone changes over the ages. Thus, the absence of permanence is emphasized. The old woman
was once young and beautiful however age has taken its toll. The old woman has the right to live. We
human beings pay more of attention to inanimate objects like the temple, sky or the hills. However,
when it comes to human beings, we turn a blind eye to human sufferings. The old woman making
desperate efforts to earn her living through hard work deserve our sympathy and attention.
3. Bring out the significance of the phrase ‘crack around her eyes’ in relation to the description
of the woman as ‘shatter proof crone’.
Answer: The crack around her eyes is an indication of old age. The shatter proof crone refers to the
lady who undaunted by age is ready to face the challenges of life most assiduously. The old woman
decides to earn her living by taking up the profession of a guide. She does not want to live on charity.
There is a determination seen in the old woman. She does not cry or ask people to show her sympathy.
The old age has not deterred her from asserting her will to work hard for her living.
The distinctive trait of fighting for existence is truly remarkable. The contrast aptly reflects that ‘where
there is a will there is a way.’ The old woman does not surrender, she accepts her situation and
engages her body and mind to survive in the world.
