1. Simile:
* "Her face, ashen like that of a corpse": This powerful simile instantly evokes the image of a frail, lifeless figure, emphasizing the speaker's fear of her mother's mortality.
* "Her eyes, pale and blank, like dry, wintery leaves": This simile further underscores the mother's fading vitality, comparing her eyes to lifeless leaves, suggesting a loss of energy and a fading connection to the world.
2. Metaphor:
* "My mother's hand, a withered branch": This metaphor portrays the mother's hand as fragile and withered, highlighting the passage of time and the physical deterioration associated with age.
* "The twilight sky": This metaphor alludes to the approaching dusk, a symbolic representation of the mother's approaching end of life.
3. Personification:
* "The trees, their trunks like pillars": Personifying the trees with "trunks like pillars" gives them a sense of strength and permanence, contrasting with the mother's fragility.
* "The wind, a bewildered ghost": The wind is personified as a "bewildered ghost," suggesting the chaotic and uncertain nature of life and the fleeting nature of existence.
4. Symbolism:
* "The frail, white hair": The mother's white hair symbolizes age and the passage of time.
* "The journey": The journey metaphorically represents the journey of life and the inevitability of death.
* "The twilight sky": The twilight sky symbolizes the approaching end of the mother's life.
5. Imagery:
* "The ashen face," "dry, wintery leaves," "withered branch," "pale and blank eyes": These vivid images create a sense of decay and fragility, reinforcing the speaker's fear and grief.
* "The trees, their trunks like pillars": This image provides a sense of stability and permanence, contrasting with the fleeting nature of the mother's life.
How Figures of Speech Contribute to the Poem's Impact:
* Emotional Intensity: The figurative language intensifies the emotional impact of the poem by creating vivid images and making the reader feel the speaker's fear, grief, and love.
* Theme of Mortality: The metaphors, similes, and symbolism all contribute to the central theme of mortality, making the reader confront the inevitability of death.
* Connection to Nature: The poem uses nature imagery to symbolize the cyclical nature of life and death, and to emphasize the contrast between the mother's fragility and the enduring power of nature.
The poem's use of figures of speech allows Kamala Das to capture the profound emotions and complex ideas surrounding aging, mortality, and the enduring bond between a mother and daughter.