grandmother house essay

Essay on A Visit to My Grandparents House

Students are often asked to write an essay on A Visit to My Grandparents House in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on A Visit to My Grandparents House

Arrival at grandparents’ house.

The journey to my grandparents’ house is always filled with anticipation. As we pull up to the familiar old house, my heart leaps with joy.

Warm Welcome

Upon entering, the smell of my grandmother’s cooking fills the air. Their warm smiles and tight hugs make me feel loved and cherished.

Enjoying the Visit

Time flies as we share stories, play games, and enjoy delicious meals. I especially love my grandfather’s tales about his childhood.

Leaving is always the hardest part. As we wave goodbye, I look back, already eager for my next visit.

250 Words Essay on A Visit to My Grandparents House

The journey.

The trip to my grandparents’ house always begins with a sense of nostalgia, a journey back in time. The city’s concrete jungle slowly gives way to open fields, the air becomes cleaner, and the noise of the city is replaced by the chirping of birds. It’s a transition from the fast-paced, technology-driven life to a simpler, more peaceful existence.

The Arrival

On arrival, the old wooden gate creaks open, revealing the familiar rustic charm of the house. The structure, though old, stands tall, representing years of love and memories. The garden, my grandfather’s pride, is a riot of colors, with flowers blooming in every corner.

The Warm Embrace

My grandparents, despite their age, always greet us with an energetic welcome. Their faces light up with a warmth that fills the room. Their stories, filled with wisdom and humor, are the highlight of our visit. The tales of their youth, the struggles and triumphs, are lessons in resilience and perseverance.

The Farewell

Leaving is always the hardest part. The house, once buzzing with activity, seems to sigh in the quiet. As we pack our bags, we carry with us not just souvenirs but also the wisdom and values imparted. The visit to my grandparents’ house is not just a break from routine, but a journey of self-discovery and connection with my roots.

In conclusion, the trip to my grandparents’ house is a cherished experience. It’s a reminder of the importance of family, tradition, and the simple joys of life. It’s a journey that, no matter how often undertaken, always feels new.

500 Words Essay on A Visit to My Grandparents House

Introduction, stepping back in time.

Arriving at my grandparents’ house is like stepping into a time capsule. The house, a charming old cottage, is adorned with relics from the past, each telling its own story. Antique furniture, black and white photographs, and vintage decor pieces transport me to a bygone era, offering a glimpse into the life and times of my ancestors.

The Garden of Eden

Their backyard is a sprawling garden, a veritable Eden, teeming with fruit trees, blooming flowers, and buzzing bees. The garden is a testament to my grandparents’ love for nature and their dedication to nurturing life. It’s here that I’ve learned some of my most invaluable lessons about patience and the rewards of hard work.

The Kitchen of Memories

Wisdom in stories.

Evenings are reserved for storytelling sessions with my grandfather. His tales, filled with wisdom and humor, are a window to the world beyond textbooks. They’ve taught me about the resilience of the human spirit, the importance of kindness, and the value of humility. These stories, told in the soft glow of the setting sun, have shaped my worldview and left an indelible mark on my character.

A visit to my grandparents’ house is more than just a break from routine. It’s a journey into the past, a communion with nature, a culinary adventure, and a treasure trove of wisdom. The memories I’ve made and the lessons I’ve learned there are invaluable. They’ve enriched my life and broadened my perspective, reminding me of the simple joys of life and the timeless wisdom of the older generation.

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Essay on A Visit to My Grandmother’s House

Every summer vacation, my parents and I go to visit my grandmother. This time too we went to stay with her for a week.

My grandmother stays in a small town near Berlin.

Her house is very beautiful and it is located in the middle of the town. The house has four bedrooms and a huge kitchen. This time when we went to meet her, I found her lovely garden full of beautiful flowers.

She was very happy to see us. We stayed with her for a week, and each day she cooked something special for us. She also baked my favorite chocolate cookies.

The weather there was very pleasant. So one day we all went for a picnic to the lakeside.

At night I slept in my grandmother’s room, and she told me lovely stories. She not only showed me my father’s pictures when he was young but also narrated many funny incidents about my father and his friends.

She gifted me two pullovers which she had knitted herself.

I always feel happy to be with her. I wish I could stay with her for a little longer. I left her house with a heavy heart. She too felt sad about us going back. We promised to visit her soon.

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Why My Grandma’s House is My Favourite Place

My grandma’s house is my favorite place, because it represents a “the sky’s the limit” approach to life in my memory. Being at her house instilled in me the wish to fulfil my potential and live my dream, because at grandma’s house I received encouragement I shan’t ever encounter anywhere else in life.

Why do adults yearn for the days they spent at grandma’s house?

The grandparent-grandchild relationship is a two-way deal that benefits both parties. Freed from the ever-watchful parental eagle-eye, a childwill blossom under the indulgent care of grandparents. Liberated from conventions, grandparents feel they can “spoil” their offspring’s children.

Most grandparents “spoil” their grandchildren quite unashamedly. When asked, many grandparents will admit to giving greater emotional support to their grandchildren than they ever did to their own children. This time around they understand children’s needs that much better.

1. Grandparents have had much practice being a carer and provider of emotional, financial and physical support, unlike new parents, who both often have to work to provide the financial support for the family and therefore lack insight into the child’s every day concerns.

2. Meanwhile, grandparents feel that the real responsibility lies with the parents of the child. This frees them from making important decisions about the child’s present state and future. The result is a far more relaxed relationship between child and grandparent.

3. In a grandparent-grandchild relationship there is none of the usual competition between personalities. Although one party is clearly “in charge”, because they are adults, the child instinctively feels that they are friends and allies, rather than authority figures.

4. Abdicating as “authority figure” allows grandparents to enjoy childhood the second time around; grandparents are far more self-confident than new parents, and therefore less inclined to let inhibitions get in the way of having fun.

A recent Oxford University and Institute of Education in London survey revealed that children are generally happier when their grandparents are involved in their upbringing. The study was based on questionnaires completed by 1,596 children between the ages of 11 and 16 across England and Wales. Grandparents generally have more time than working parents, providing advice, problem-solving and support for children.

According to an article published by David A. Coall of Edith Cowan University and his co-author Ralph Hertwig of the University of Basel in the April issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science, grandparents in Western Societies “invest a significant amount of time and money in their grandchildren”, which is why the bond between grandparents and grandchildren is not just very strong, but “magical”. The time spent at my grandmother’s house is exactly that in my memory: enchanted, magical, utterly comforting in hindsight.

Finally, the rooms at my grandma’s house represent not just comfort, safety and childhood innocence, they remind me of a more carefree existence, when anything was possible and life was still full of choices.

1. http://www.grandparents.com/family-and-relationships/caring-for-children/study-grandparents-make-grandchildren-ha 2. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/the-ties-that-bind-grandparents-and-their-grandchildren.html

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My Grandmother's House Summary & Analysis by Kamala Das

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

"My Grandmother's House," an autobiographical poem by Indian writer Kamala Das, tells a story of nostalgia and sorrow. The poem's speaker longs to return to her grandmother's house, where she once felt loved and secure—especially now that she lives a lonely adult life, mourning the safety and comfort of her childhood. This poem was published in Das's 1965 collection Summer in Calcutta.

• Read the full text of “My Grandmother's House”

The Full Text of “My Grandmother's House”

“my grandmother's house” summary, “my grandmother's house” themes.

Longing and Nostalgia

Loneliness and the Desire for Love

Lines 12-16, line-by-line explanation & analysis of “my grandmother's house”.

There is a ... ... That woman died,

The house withdrew ... ... like the moon

How often I ... ... Dog...

you cannot believe, ... ... in small change?

“My Grandmother's House” Symbols

• Lines 1-2: “There is a house now far away where once / I received love...”
• Line 3: “The house withdrew into silence,”
• Lines 7-8: “to peer through blind eyes of windows or / Just listen to the frozen air,”
• Lines 12-14: “you cannot believe, darling, / Can you, that I lived in such a house and / Was proud, and loved...”

• Lines 9-10: “pick an armful of / Darkness”

“My Grandmother's House” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Line 2: “love... That”
• Line 3: “silence, snakes”
• Line 4: “books, I”
• Line 5: “read, and”
• Line 7: “There, to”
• Line 9: “despair, pick”
• Line 12: “Dog... you,” “believe, darling”
• Line 13: “you, that”
• Line 14: “proud, and,” “loved... I”
• Line 16: “love, at”
• Lines 1-2: “once / I”
• Lines 3-4: “moved / Among”
• Lines 4-5: “young / To”
• Lines 6-7: “going / There”
• Lines 7-8: “or / Just”
• Lines 9-10: “of / Darkness”
• Lines 10-11: “lie / Behind”
• Lines 11-12: “brooding / Dog”
• Lines 13-14: “and / Was”
• Lines 14-15: “lost / My”
• Lines 15-16: “to / Receive”
• Line 3: “The house withdrew into silence”
• Line 7: “to peer through blind eyes of windows”
• Lines 7-8: “ or / Just listen to the frozen air”
• Lines 15-16: “beg now at strangers' doors to / Receive love, at least in small change?”

Rhetorical Question

• Lines 12-16: “ you cannot believe, darling, / Can you, that I lived in such a house and / Was proud, and loved... I who have lost / My way and beg now at strangers' doors to / Receive love, at least in small change?”
• Line 5: “my blood turned cold like the moon”
• Lines 10-12: “lie / Behind my bedroom door like a brooding / Dog...”

“My Grandmother's House” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• In small change
• (Location in poem: Line 3: “The house withdrew into silence,”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “My Grandmother's House”

Rhyme scheme, “my grandmother's house” speaker, “my grandmother's house” setting, literary and historical context of “my grandmother's house”, more “my grandmother's house” resources, external resources.

An Introduction to Das — Watch a short video that discusses Das's feminist legacy.

A Brief Biography — Learn more about Das's life and work.

Das's Legacy — Read an article honoring Das on the tenth anniversary of her death. 

Das's Obituary — Read Das's obituary to learn more about her influence on the literary world.

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• Paragraph On My Grandmother

Paragraph on My Grandmother - Check Samples for 100, 150, 200, 250 Words

A family comprises a father, mother, children and grandparents. Lucky are those who have got a chance to hear the stories of grandmothers and to sleep on her lap. Before our parents and teachers, grandmothers are the ones who teach us life lessons and helped us build a great future. One is blessed if they have their grandmothers with them.

Table of Contents

Paragraph on my grandmother in 100 words, paragraph on my grandmother in 150 words, paragraph on my grandmother in 200 words, paragraph on my grandmother in 250 words, frequently asked questions on my grandmother.

Writing a paragraph on grandmother? Refer to the samples provided below before writing the paragraph.

My grandmother is the mother of the whole house. She is the one who takes care of the whole family with a beautiful smile on her face. She is the prettiest lady I have ever seen in my life. Her smile makes her the prettiest lady on this earth. She carries all the burdens on her shoulders but never forgets to carry the smile. She taught me how to overcome all the struggles of life. She has taught me to respect the elders and the youngsters. The stories she told me every night have a strong meaning hidden behind it.

My grandmother is the eldest member of my family and takes care of my entire family. She is one of the reasons behind all the success I have achieved in my life. I have learnt how to pay respect to my elders and do great in my life from her. She is the prettiest lady who takes care of the entire family selflessly. I feel I am the luckiest person to have my grandmother with me. I have seen her since my childhood, and she carries the same smile on her face. She is 70 years old now, but she takes the burden of the whole family and still remembers all the stories which she had learnt in her childhood. She narrates the same stories to me every night, which have happy endings with strong morals. Because of her, I have understood the reality of life, and now I know how to lead a successful life ahead and overcome all the hurdles.

My grandmother is the most beautiful and elegant lady in the world. She is the eldest member of my family. We are a family of 10 members, but she calmly handles everyone and takes care of everyone with lots of love. She is perfect at her work and never finds an excuse for not doing her work. She is 70 years old now but remembers the stories which she had heard from her grandmother. She never fails to narrate the same stories to me every night, and she makes sure that I understand the morals hidden in the stories. She knows how to brainstorm my mind when I am not in the mood to study. If I am successful in my life today, then most of the credit goes to her. Since my parents were working, she was the one who took the best care of me. Even though she is not a professional teacher, she used to teach me maths and science, and after that, I never forgot the formulae she taught me. Even today, she takes care of my father like a small child. My behaviour and mannerism are appreciated only because of her. I could do well in the exam only because of her guidance.

My grandmother is the eldest member of my family; she is 70 years old now but looks as if she is just 20 years old. She takes good care of the entire family and makes sure that everyone lives peacefully in the family. I live in a joint family of 10 members, and my grandmother is the one who takes care of everyone with lots of patience. She still takes care of my father and his brothers like small children. At this age, she is still so perfect at her work and never gives an excuse for her work. She still remembers the stories she had heard from her grandmother, and she narrates the same to my cousins and me every night. She makes sure that we think about the story and find the moral of it. Every story she narrates has a beautiful moral hidden behind it. Those morals give us teachings for the rest of our lives. She knows how to brainstorm my mind when I am not in the mood to study. If I am successful in my life today, then most of the credit goes to her. She used to teach me Maths and Science during my school days because my parents were working. Even though she is not a professional teacher, she is the best teacher I have ever got. I still remember the formulae she taught me during my childhood. She is one of the reasons behind my success. If I am appreciated today for my behaviour and good manners, it is only because of her. She taught me how to be respectful to elders.

Why is a grandmother important in our life?

Grandmothers are important in our lives because of the moral lessons we get from them, the love and affection we get from them, and for being the biggest support of our life.

How can I write a paragraph about my grandmother?

You can write about your grandmother by explaining her role in your life. You can explain how she has been your biggest influencer and best friend.

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When thinking of typical grandmother’s house, the first image that comes through person’s mind is probably a cozy comfortable house placed among beautiful natural surroundings, with sunny garden and birds singing all the year round. You may either believe me or not but I was lucky to live in such a house during the years of my happy childhood. My granny owned a grand building which left an indelible impression in my soul. In my narrative I want to recall the most touching moments of my life in that ‘house of wonders’.

It’s common knowledge that the place of our birth and childhood leaves the strongest impressions in our souls. Later it is always nostalgic to recall dear places, where we used to explore the world around during our early years of life. When we recall the place of our childhood, we may feel the very scent of the surroundings. Places where we used to spend good lot of our time make us feel especially nostalgic. And we are often eager to return to those places. When we do return, everything seems to be touchy and cute.

As for my personal experience, I’d like to begin with I’d like to say that I spent my childhood in Florida in my grandmother’s house. I spent there too much time not to remember it in details. As I’ve already mentioned, return to native place always arouses certain feeling of happiness or so. As for me I seem to be lucky that I spent my childhood in the country house of my dear granny. In the course of time visiting old relatives became an excellent chance to turn the time round and to become child once more. Every time I was at my granny she couldn’t help taking care of me. May be that’s why I love to visit her so much. Countryside is actually the nicest place for everybody to have really unforgettable rest. Fresh air always cheers you up and little noise helps to relax to full extent. The years of my staying in granny’s country house in Florida remained the most remarkable years in my life. I remember sand beach, which now became so popular among tourists. I was always fascinated by vast and mysterious sea. I used to walk in the forest which seemed to be full of adventures. Frankly speaking I did millions of things all children usually do in the countryside, but my staying there remained something special and dear for me personally. This impression is completed by the image of my old granny, which is a kind and cute woman, always affable and helpful. All her life she worked hard and now she is still very industrious and tender-hearted. All best moments in my life belong to my granny’s place at Florida. I consider myself to be lucky in this way, because nowadays it became the most visited resort for tourists in the USA. Florida. People tend to come here in any season, because it’s always warm and pleasant. Conditions are ideal in any way. The temperature is always stable and in my early age I was able to bathe all the year round. As I lived in the west peninsula of Florida, Mexican gulf water was especially suitable for bathing. It was warm and pleasant. Apart from this Mexican gulf is less salty in comparison with ocean waters. The water here never hurts eyes or skin. I remember how hot it was in summer when the temperature was about 35 degrees. Bathing however didn’t protect from the heat, as the water itself was 30 degrees. However I don’t really remember whether I suffered much, cause I used to spend the whole days long in the garden or in woods. Speaking about my grandma’s country house I can’t help mentioning that for some reason pensioners tend to buy houses in Florida, cause it is an ideal place for calm and tranquil life. Perfect climate attracts hundreds of people. May be just because of this I felt so satisfied and comfortable there. I don’t remember a moment of unhappiness staying there. However speaking about it, I can’t help mentioning that natural catastrophes often occur in the USA. Unfortunately it especially concerns the state of Florida. In comparison with other states, Florida was more often attacked by various hurricanes, storms, tornados and watersprouts. During my years of childhood, I experienced it on my own. I remember being amazed by this. I always knew much about different storms and tornados, cause I saw them with my own eyes.

There are people who like to move from one place to another, to live in towns, villages or country sides. My grandmother however keeps to another mode of life. During the whole life she used to stay in one place among peaceful hills, mountains, fields, rivers and streams. She has always preferred tranquil life instead of busy world of streets, city traffic, buildings and constant crowds. May be due to this she was never depressed. She was always satisfied with the place where she lived, even though she was deprived of certain modern conveniences. May be due to this I’m never feeling uncomfortable when I return there. There is always warm and friendly atmosphere. The house itself looked impressive, as it was big and old. The ivy was creeping from its red-brick walls. On the whole it seemed to be done in old-fashioned style with its big half-round windows. The surroundings amazed with numerous green trees everywhere. It created an impression of being somewhere in the park or even in the wood. Due to this I often felt a sort of lonely to some extent. It always seemed that trees hid some part of the world from me. Sometimes I felt like being in the jungles. In such moments I deepened into my inner world. In this way such surroundings gave me an opportunity to think over numerous things. Everything seemed to be so friendly that I couldn’t help just admiring it. I consider native house to be the most attractive destination in my life. Warm and gentle climate and the beauty of scenery made me fall in love with those places. I remember there being several lakes, stretching in miles of coastlines. My grandma often took me there to see the beauty of clear waters. Besides I find it outstanding that I could eat grapefruit and oranges right from the trees. It may sound odd but I do miss those happy days.

The house was not so luxurious, but there was something cute in it. From the first sight it was a usual one. There were two vast rooms with wide windows and old-styled furniture. I always felt sort of shy at the sight of those grand apartments. There also was an attic, which seemed to be just as it must be in such old houses. It was full of old things all in dust and disorder. Actually I don’t remember much from my staying there. But one of the strongest impressions was that attic. I was so attracted by the mystery of it that often spends time there trying to reveal its secrets. It’s quite ordinary children’s activity. There was always possible to find something to do. I can’t remember being bored or tired either. I always managed to entertain myself. My granny owned a vast territory of land, so I could always find attractive places to explore. Another impressive thing is federal highway Turn Pike. Actually there are not so many things which can really impress, but as a child, I admired those deserted surroundings. There were great relict swamps which later became national reserves. I dare say there is much to admire. As I spent much time there I can’t help recalling it with cute but painful feeling of nostalgia. These were happy days of my life. But every time I return to those native places, I regret I can’t really return to the past. There is no one living there now. And the house itself changed much from the times of my childhood. But the feeling of tranquility remained. Sometimes I see that narrow path leading to my grandma’s house. Though now it may have been completely hidden with grass. Life changes and we change together with it. But the only thing that remains the same is our feelings. I will always bare in heart the sense of security that I used to feel in my granny’s house.

Time of people’s childhood influences the personality most of all. My life in grandma’s house until the age of 6 made great impact on me. As I used to live in natural surroundings, apart from the city noise, I learned to feel close to nature. Everything in the house was filled with grandeur and I still respect it. And my granny was like a mistress of all those wonders which I’ve met there. I remember even there being a big dog. I don’t know exactly whether it really was big or just I was too little, but for me that dog remained a guard of the house in the first place. So that was actually how we lived. There were three of us: my granny, the dog and me. We used to spend evenings together in front of a big old fireplace. It hardly remained there now, but at that time we sat there, my granny telling me fairy-tales or real stories from life. But I didn’t see much difference cause I was no more than a child. My granny was a talented story-teller and I liked it, but it is a bit painful for me to recall it now. The more I try to remember those times, the more painful it is to continue the narration. Another vivid memory is portraits our ‘ancestors’ looking from large paintings on the walls in the hall. The matter is that the house was not quite usual. It was too old and ancient traditions still remained there. It hard to believe but still…

To know the personality of a person, psychologists make him recall for the earliest memories in his life. If you’d ask me, these would be my first days in the granny’s house, when everything seemed to be sort of enigmatic for a little child like me. I dare say I tried to explore it as deep as possible.

The very atmosphere of the house and its surroundings made me feel calm and relaxed. Sometimes it seemed that time had stopped for a moment for me to admire that world. As I moved from there when I was just 6 years old, I don’t remember much, but I do remember my feelings. The most touching recalling is may be autumn in my granny’s house. I remember it being neither warm nor cold. It just made me feel lonely a bit. I remember me walking among those numerous grand trees and admire colored leaves on the trees and on the ground. I miss that feeling of calmness and stability of the world around. I wish I could return the reality of those feelings once more. But I’ve nothing else to do rather than to keep those memories in mind and never forget about happiness of staying in my grandmother’s house. Even though I didn’t last long, I would never forget it.

References:

1. Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau ‘Tampa Florida attractions and activities’ ― 2007 http://www.visittampabay.com/ 2. Robertson ‘Tampa Guide’ ― 2006 http://www.tampaguide.com/

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My Grandmother’s House By Kamala Das – Critical Summary and Model Questions

Table of Contents

My Grandmother’s House

Introduction: My grandmother’s house is a poem written by Indian poet Kamala Das. The poem first appeared in an anthology of verse entitled ‘Summer Time in Calcutta 1965). It is an autobiographical poem in which the speaker’s nostalgic desire for home reflects through the inability to visit the happy past.

The poem describes the speaker’s happy life before her grandmother’s death and sad life after her grandmother’s death. The speaker of the poem is a married woman. She is reminded of her parental home which is the symbol of immense love. The poem describes the clear difference between past and present. In past, the life was full of activity whereas now it has turned into deadly silence. The intensity of sadness is expressed by dark and negative imagery.

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Kamala Das is one of the three most popular Indian poets writing in English today, the other being Nissim Ezekiel and Ramanujan. Her poetry is all about herself, her deeply felt desire for love, her emotional involvement, and her inability to achieve such a friendship. In this poem, “My Grandmother’s House,” Kamala Das remembers her ancestral home and her deceased grandmother. This poem takes the form of a confession that contrasts her current fractured state with that of being unconditionally loved by her grandmother.

The poet uses the image of snakes moving among the books now for which she was too younger in her childhood. Now very often she thinks to revisit the house but now it is very difficult now to peep through the blind windows. Here, the image of blind windows may represent the eyes which are now visionless. The air is frozen and now she wants to bring the handful of darkness.

The poet in intense terms expresses the sadness. The use of language represents the strangeness and unhealthy relationship between people and this woman. Note the words- House, that woman, asking love as a change etc.

Analysis of th e poem

The house is viewed in this poem with care and pathos, and the poet shares her poignant feelings of yearning for this house. She needs to get back to it.

Themes in the Poetry of Kamala Das

Critical appreciation of poems my grandmother’s house.

‘My Grandmother’s House’ is one of the finest poems in Kamala Das’s maiden publication Summer in Calcutta. Though short, it touches upon many favourite themes of her favourite. It is a poem of nostalgia, uprootedness and the poet’s eternal quest for love in a ‘loveless’ world. Relationship with her grandmother is the poet’s favourite relationship and grandma is a symbol of harmony, affection and security in her poetry. In her poem ‘Composition’ Kamala Das discloses two of her guarded secrets:

I am so alone And that I miss my grandmother

The memory of those days when she was loved chokes her with emotion. The poet recalls the death of her dear ancestress – “That woman died” dwells on the difference the death made to the house and the poet’s life. Grandma was the very life and soul of this house. When she passed away, even the house could not take the grief and ‘withdrew into silence’. It was an atmosphere of allround mourning and desolation. At that time the poet was a very young child who could not read books but even at that age, she had a feeling of ‘snakes’ moving among books – a feeling of deadness, horror and repulsion. She recollects how the death of her grandmother had affected her as a child. It had a benumbing and chilling impact on her. Her blood lost all its invigorating power and its colour came to resemble the colour of the pale lifeless ‘moon’.

You cannot believe, darling can you, that I lived in such a house and was proud and loved

That early stage is in painful contrast with her present state sans love and sans pride. The ‘proud’ and ‘loved’ child is now a beggar, begging at the ‘stranger’s doors’ for love “at least in small change” i.e. a little measure. Since love is not to be found in the company of people close to her, she knocks at the stranger’s doors and begs for it. In her quest for true love, she has ‘lost her way’ and wanders here and there. This wistfully nostalgic poem thus ends on a tragic note.

Reminiscent of the Poet’s Ancestral Home

The poem is reminiscent of the poet’s grandma and her ancestral home in Malabar, Kerala. Her memory of the love she had received from her grandma is associated with the image of her ancestral home, where she had spent some of the happiest days of her life, and where her old grandma had showered her love and affection. The house withdrew into silence with the death of her grandma. When her grandma died, even the house seemed to share her sorrow, which is poignantly reflected in the sentence “the House withdrew”. The house soon became desolate, and the snakes crawled through the books. Her blood was cold like the moon because there was no one to love her the way she wanted to.

Yearning for the Past: Choked with Grief

The poem springs from her own disillusionment with her expectation of unconditional love from the one she loves. In the poem, the image of the ancestral home stands for the strong support and unconditional love she received from her grandmother. The imagery is personal and beautifully articulates her plight in a loveless marriage. Thus, the old house was for her a place of symbolic retreat to a world of innocence, purity and simplicity, an Edenic world where love and happiness are still possible.

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My Grandmother’s House by Kamala Das | Critical Summary

Introduction of the poem:.

It seems that the poet's grandmother showered a lot of love and affection on the young Kamala Das as a growing child. She is often remembered in her poetry, as in, My Grandmother's House and A Hot Noon in Malabar . In this poem, Kamala Das recalls the house where she once used to live with her grandmother. The grandmother died, the house was not occupied by anyone.

Critical Summary:

The young Kamala when she visited her grandmother as a child, did not even know how to read the books lying in the house. When the grandmother died, the child lost the capacity to feel. It seemed that the blood in her veins was no longer warm but had turned as cold as the moon. (Significantly, her own parents are never remembered with such love and affection.) The poet now thinks of going back to her grandmother’s house to look at the things inside it through the windows. But since the windows are closed, she would not be able to see anything lying inside; she would experience a feeling of hopelessness. She would be able only to gather some of the darkness from the place and bring it with her to her bedroom, where she would merely lie down to meditate on the memories of her past.

Addressing her husband, Kamala Das says that he would perhaps not to be able to believe that she had lived in such a house , had felt proud of herself, and had received the love of someone (her grandmother). She tells her husband that she feels lost now because of the utter absence of love in her life as no one loves her. Now she seeks love like a beggar from strangers, she would be consoled even when she receives a small measure of love from somebody.

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My Grandmother’s House

By Kamala Das

‘My Grandmother’s House’ mourns the lost love and warmth of her ancestral home, contrasting it with her loveless present.

Nationality: Indian

She wrote openly about politics and equal rights for women.

Poem Analyzed by Dharmender Kumar

Degrees in English Literature, Mass Communication, and Law

The poem, ‘My Grandmother’s House’ , first appeared in Kamala Das’s first anthology of verse titled Summer Time in Calcutta (1965). It is also an autobiographical poem in which the poet’s longing for her parental house in Malabar is movingly described. She is reminded of the ancestral house where she had received immense love and affection from her grandmother.

The poet’s feminine sensibility finds its clearest loveless relationships in it. A note of pessimism runs throughout the action of the poem. It reveals the poet’s painful unfulfilled desire to visit her grandmother’s house to which she is deeply and emotionally attached. The poet is shocked to learn that the house is all in ruin after the death of her grandmother. She suffers in silence due to the wear and tear it has undergone in her absence. A death-like silence reigns in her grandmother’s house.

Moreover, the intensity of her grief is suggestively conveyed by the ellipsis in the form of a few dots in this section of the poem. It was her disenchantment with her loveless marriage that reminded her of her grandmother’s pure and selfless love. Her heart is itself like a dark window where the fresh air does not blow. The image of the house has stuck to her mind. The poet has also used the similes of a brooding dog to show her inability to pay a visit to her grandmother’s house. She has also used suggestive visual imagery of ‘blind eyes of the windows’ and ‘the frozen air’ to convey the idea of death and desperation.

My Grandmother’s House  Analysis

There is a house now far away where once (…) To read, and my blood turned cold like the moon

The poem, ‘My Grandmother’s House’ , shows Kamala Das’s intense love and attachment to it. She suffers from an acute sense of alienation after having left this place after her marriage.

The poet now lives in a big city after her marriage, a remote place from her grandmother’s house. She is reminded of her grandmother’s house where she spent her memorable childhood. Ironically, it is the only place where she received love from her grandmother. The death of the grandmother is even mourned by the house to which she was emotionally attached. A death-like silence reigned in the house after her exit from this world. It seems that the grandmother was the very soul of this house. Being deserted, the snakes could be seen among books in the library of the house. At that point in time, she was too young to read those books which looked quite horrible and repulsive like snakes. She was almost frozen with fear at the passing away of her grandmother and seemed cold like the moon.

The very opening lines of the poem capture alive the poet’s mood of nostalgia . She is reminded of the happiest days of her childhood which she spent in the company of her grandmother. She was deeply attached to her grandmother who was very caring and affectionate to her. She was emotionally destabilized after the death of her grandmother and felt almost heart-broken. The intensity of her grief is suggestively conveyed by the ellipse in the form of a few dots in this section of the poem. It was her disenchantment with her loveless marriage that reminded her of her grandmother’s pure and selfless love.

How often I think of going (…) Dog…

In the above lines of the poem, ‘My Grandmother’s House’ , the poet defines her relationship with her grandmother in a very moving manner. Kamala Das is reminded of the happiest days of her childhood which spent with her grandmother. The poet was deeply attached to her grandmother who was very caring and affectionate to her. She was emotionally shattered after the death of her grandmother who had been the chief source of inspiration in her life.

The poet often longs to visit her grandmother’s house to which she was emotionally attached since her childhood. It has been a place of security and protection which is sadly missing in her new house in the city. She would like to peep through the dust-ridden or coloured panes of windows that were shut after the death of the grandmother. She would like to listen and feel the still atmosphere prevailing in the house. It is this longing to revisit her grandmother’s house that adds to her sense of frustration and hopelessness. The darkness of her grandmother’s house can have no terrifying impact on her. She would like to gather some darkness, some memories of the grandmother’s house and bring them to her present city residence. The very memories of her grandmother’s house will have a soothing impact on her loveless and hopeless married life.

The poet is in a mood of reminiscence and recreates the plight of the grandmother’s house after her departure from the scene of life. She gives us the very feel of the house in its state of neglect and desertion. The poet has used the simile of a brooding dog to show her inability to pay a visit to her grandmother’s house. She has employed suggestive visual imagery of ‘blind eyes of the windows’ and ‘the frozen air to convey the idea of death and desperation.

Lines 12-16

you cannot believe, darling, (…) Receive love, at least in small change?

In these lines of ‘ My Grandmother’s House’ , the poet says how her frustration and disenchantment in the marital life forced her to go into for an extra-marital relationship. The poet often longs to visit her grandmother’s house to which she was emotionally attached since her childhood. Unlike her miserable city life with her husband, it had been a place of security and genuine love for her.

Here the poet informs her dear husband that he can never believe the intensity of love that she received from her grandmother. He can never realize that she was extremely proud of her grandmother’s house where she was deeply loved by her grandmother. It is her separation from her grandmother’s house after marriage that has ruined her life forever. It is loveless and hopeless married life that has crippled her sense of pride and love which she used to have in her grandmother’s house. She has become a beggar for love who knocks helplessly at strangers’ doors to receive at least in a small measure. She has almost lost her way in search of genuine and selfless love.

Kamala Das exposes the futility of loveless and hopeless marital relationships in these five concluding lines of the poem. It shows the agony and humiliation of a married woman who is forced to seek extra-marital relationships to seek love for her emotional satisfaction. It is the mood of nostalgia that dominates the closing phase of the poem. The poet is reminded of her grandmother’s house where received love and safety in her childhood. She has lost all her identity and freedom in her loveless relationship.

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Well this is one time that I did a double take on reading an analysis done by poemanalysis.com! “At that point in time, she was too young to read those books which looked quite horrible and repulsive like snakes.” Isn’t it suggestive of the house being reclaimed by nature after being abandoned? The lines in the poem suggest that snakes moved among books AFTER the house ‘withdrew’. And you state “She was almost frozen with fear at the passing away of her grandmother and seemed cold like the moon.” I think a better way to phrase it would be to say that she lived in a state of fear after the passing of her grandmother. You also state that there is a note of pessimism through the poem, but don’t you think its more poignancy than pessimism? Pessimist would suggest ‘a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or …  Read more »

Thanks, Yaz. You make several good points here.

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Kumar, Dharmender. "My Grandmother’s House by Kamala Das". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/kamala-das/my-grandmothers-house/ . Accessed 19 September 2024.

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Gurdjieff International Review Autobiographical Fragment by P. D. Ouspensky

My great-grandmother was a vaudeville comic and lived to 96. Here are her secrets to longevity.

• My great-grandmother and great-grandfather had a comedy act together and traveled all over.
• She lived to the age of 96.
• She loved entertaining people, and laughter was a key to her longevity.

At 54, I've reached the age my great-grandmother was when she stood onstage at county fairs in a red satin gown, tossing juggling clubs to my great-grandfather on his tightwire and setting up punchlines for his jokes. She'd experienced a lifetime full of glamourous international travel ; she'd live another 42 years, thanks — she said — to a couple of secrets.

You won't find her given name, Lydia Howery, in newspapers. That's because she ran away from her family's farm to join the circus , changed her name to Mary, married my great-grandfather, and developed a comedy and wire-walking act for vaudeville audiences.

She and my great-grandfather took their act all over

They billed themselves "Hap Hazard, the Careless Comedian, and Mary Hart, Who Cares Less," flying from theater to theater in a biplane. As my great-grandfather neared each town, he flipped the plane over so people below could read "Hap Hazard" painted on the wings.

"Not many towns had airports, so we landed in cow fields," Mary recounted once she'd retired in her 60s and moved in with my grandmother. "Once, we ran out of fuel and made an emergency landing in the middle of Harvard University. Boy, were their deans mad!"

I loved laughing with her

As a young adult, I found her hilarious. We worked out an arrangement: I'd bake cookies and trim her fingernails. She'd deliver lectures illustrated by snapshots, headshots, and theater programs she'd amassed in trunks that accompanied her to European theaters and USO tours.

"Have I told you how I smoked marijuana with the theater's jazz band?" she'd ask at her kitchen table. I'd shake my head and feign ignorance, setting up her punchline as she'd done for my great-grandfather over decades.

"No," I'd say, getting out cookie ingredients . "Tell me!"

She'd flash me a mischievous smile. "Oh," she'd say, "it made the 16th notes go by real slow ."

She worked through grief by making people laugh

Treating life as a comic performance sustained her . My great-grandfather died in a plane crash when she was 70; her four sisters died, one by one. Through her grief, Mary resolved to make people laugh. "Have I ever told you," she began, "how your grandma got lost as a toddler, and we found her curled up asleep in the elephant barn?"

Related stories

My grandma, Mary's caregiver in later years , would sigh wearily before going to swim laps in her backyard pool. "Keep an eye on Mother," she would tell me.

She walked laps around the house and did bicep curls

I only had eyes for my great-grandmother. She ramped up the comedy in the family lore and looked up from "People Magazine" to deliver comic meditations on the stars. Mornings, she did laps around the house with her walker and performed bicep curls with cans of green beans, singing "You are My Sunshine" to her cockatiels.

Afterward, she played a game with my grandmother to see who could find a funny story in the newspaper. Some evenings, she'd still be at it, combing the classifieds for entertainment. Then, she did what she believed to be the key to her longevity : a nightly shot of apricot brandy with an apple cider vinegar chaser.

Laughter sustained her, right up until she died

Mary didn't tell me her other secret outright. Rather, she embodied it by treating every interaction as if she were on stage. Generous with stories and jokes, still with the same gorgeous smile from the newspaper clippings around her, she determined to entertain everyone she met.

Shortly after her 96 th birthday, she and my grandmother commenced their newspaper game. My grandmother walked upstairs for her glasses. When she returned, she found her mother slumped in her chair. Mary's mouth was open, her peaceful expression unmistakable.

My great-grandmother had died laughing.

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Journey to majestic literary retreats close to Moscow

The poet, Mikhail Lermontov spent his summers, as a teenager in the 1830s, at this 19th-century estate Serednikovo just north of Moscow. Source: Phoebe Taplin

One of Moscow’s great attractions is the chance to walk in the footsteps of the world’s great writers: Tolstoy and Chekhov, Pushkin and Pasternak. The city center is crowded with literary museums and memorials, but you can also make atmospheric trips into the countryside and suburbs to discover lakeside mansions or dachas in the forest. Some will be well known to booklovers, but other literary retreats are hidden gems even for life-long Muscovites.

Picnics with Poets

Serednikovo

The poet, Mikhail Lermontov , famous for his Byronic tales of the Caucasus , spent his summers, as a teenager in the 1830s, at this 19th-century estate just north of Moscow, which once belonged to his grandmother. The neoclassical mansion is linked by colonnades to four wings, each with its own belvedere, designed to look out over the park.

Pushkin, a consoling angel guards Russian hearts

Pushkin Hills: The great poet’s country retreat

Boldino: A haven for Russia’s greatest poet

Is poetry always Lost in Translation?

After the revolution, the buildings housed a tuberculosis sanatorium named “Mtsyri” after one of Lermontov’s poems. In 1992, the Lermontov Center secured a 50-year lease on the estate and restored the interiors.

The wooded grounds are a great destination in their own right, with a lake, tearoom, riding school, natural spring, stone bridges and avenues of lime and larch trees. Visitors can catch a train from Leningradsky Station to Firsanovka and then catch bus No. 40.

The estate’s website has a map and the number (+79250106240) to call to arrange excursions (in Russian) around the main house, which is only accessible via a tour. 

The young poet Pushkin spent several summers in Zakharovo estate. Source: Lori/Legion Media

The poet Alexander Pushkin also spent many childhood summers in the Moscow countryside with his grandmother. Maria Hannibal was descended from Pushkin’s enslaved-African-great-grandfather and her reconstructed house is now a museum with an annual Pushkin Festival on the first Sunday in June.

A statue of Pushkin with his grandmother marks the poet’s favorite place, where, as a child, he said he wanted to be buried, while a second boyish bronze figure looks out across the lake. Trains run from Belorussky Station and take about an hour.

Shakhmatovo

The symbolist poet Alexander Blok is not very well known outside Russia, but the beautiful country estate of Shakhmatovo is worth visiting even if you have never heard of him. Source: Lori/Legion Media

A visit to the wooden house where the poet Alexander Blok lived, surrounded by flowering meadows, is a lovely day trip. Blok’s grandfather called it “a corner of paradise not far from Moscow.”

The nearby village of Tarakanovo has a monument to the poet and his wife next to the dilapidated church where they married, and a small museum. The main estate, a mile away along a country lane, includes a faithful reconstruction of Blok’s charming house , set in wooded gardens, sloping down to a pond.

Tea with Tolstoy, Chekhov or Pasternak

Yasnaya Polyana

Tolstoy spent most of his life in Yasnaya polyana, and almost all of his books were written there. Source: Lori /Legion Media

Leo Tolstoy’s country estate, near Tula, about three hours south of Moscow is probably the most popular literary day trip and it is certainly worth the journey. The author of War and Peace was born and buried (under a grassy mound) at Yasnaya Polyana and lived most of the intervening 82 years there too.

Tula: Russia’s Armory

A meeting of Tolstoyans

Leo Tolstoy: the last 10 days

Why are Tolstoy’s novels popular in the West?

Prince Sergei Volkonsky, Tolstoy’s maternal grandfather, bought the land in 1763 and built his manor house at the top of the hill.

The atmosphere inside Tolstoy’s house, with its vine-covered veranda, is powerfully charged with reminders of the writer’s life. There are portraits, books and clothes that create that special house-museum illusion that the writer has simply popped out for a walk and might be back for tea. The final room on the tour is the downstairs library, where Tolstoy wrote Anna Karenina .

The museum website gives directions and opening times. There is a log café opposite the gate where you can get a cup of tea or bowl of homemade soup.

Chekhov’s estate Melekhovo in the Moscow region tells the story of the writer’s countryside life and creativity. Source: Lori /Legion Media

Anton Chekhov's country estate south of Moscow hosts a "Melikhovo Spring" international theater festival each year in May, when the garden is full of lilac and cherry blossom. The playwright wrote "The Seagull," "Uncle Vanya," and many of his short stories, while he lived in this wooden house, from 1892 until 1899, before his worsening TB forced him to move south to Yalta.

Trains to the town of Chekhov leave fairly regularly from Kursky Station and take about an hour and a half. From there, the No. 25 bus or a taxi can take you to the little village of Melikhovo . There is no cafe at the museum so stock up in town.

Peredelkino

Peredelkino, which is just a twenty-minute train ride from Moscow, is a cluster of literary dachas. Source: ITAR-TASS

The village where Boris Pasternak wrote Dr Zhivago is just half an hour west of Kievsky Station. The title poem of his 1943 collection, "On Early Trains," describes this journey from Moscow on the electric train, the "lemon-with-incense breath" of the pine trees and the lily of the valley, whose delicate white flowers can still be found in the woods around the writers’ village at Peredelkino.

The interior of Pasternak’s white-trimmed brown dacha is markedly austere. In the bare bedroom and study are his boots, coat and hat. The conservatory, with its samovar and cups, looks out onto the overgrown orchard. The memorial house-museum of Russia's best-loved children's author, Kornei Chukovsky, with its ‘wonder tree' covered in shoes, is round the corner and also worth visiting.

Inspirational suburbs and cemeteries

Troitse Lykovo

Alexander Solzhenitsyn spend his final years шт Troitse-Lykovo. Source: Lori /Legion Media

Alexander Solzhenitsyn , whose books about life in Stalin’s gulags are known around the world, is buried in the picturesque Donskoy cemetery. Fans might also be tempted to visit the village where the reclusive writer, who died in 2008, chose to spend his final years .

The orchards, dachas and gold-domed churches of Troitse Lykovo are like an island of old Russia among the skyscrapers of modern Moscow. The village is on top of a riverside cliff, across the Moscow River from the island of Serebryany Bor (“silver pine forest”). Strogino is the nearest metro station.

Novodevichy Cemetery

Chekhov was buried next to his father at the Novodevichy Cemetery. Source: Lori /Legion Media

The world-famous Novodevichy Convent, with its celebrity cemetery, is close to Sportivnaya metro. Through the archway into the older section is Gogol’s bust or Bulgakov ’s boulder. Nearby, visitors can spot the graves of actors and directors from the Moscow Arts’ Theater marked with the stylized seagull logo, along with Chekhov’s elegant art nouveau arch, under the autumn leaves or the falling snow.

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