Somebody’s Mother | CBSE Class 8 English Notes

This note covers Mary Dow Brine's poem "Somebody's Mother": a stanza-by-stanza summary, the people in the poem, the poetic devices, the themes, key quotations and answers to the textbook questions.

What is this poem about?

"Somebody's Mother" is a poem by Mary Dow Brine. It describes an old woman who stands alone at a street crossing on a cold winter day, waiting to cross a busy road.

A crowd of people passes her without helping, and so does a group of schoolboys, until one boy stops and guides her safely across.

The poem focuses on values of kindness, empathy, and the importance of helping others. It is written in simple rhyming couplets and builds its meaning through the contrast between the woman's helplessness and the carelessness, then kindness, of the people around her.

The title points to the poem's central idea: the old woman is "somebody's mother," and the boy who helps her hopes that someone will one day help his own mother in the same way. The poem therefore widens a small street-side moment into a lesson about universal human connection.

The setting is sketched in just a few lines: a wet, snowy street, a cold winter's day, and a crowd hurrying about its own business. Against this ordinary backdrop, the poem shows how one person's small choice to stop and help can change another's situation completely, and how that choice is remembered with gratitude long after the moment has passed.

What happens in the poem, stanza by stanza?

The woman waits at the crossing

The poem opens with the old woman described as "old and ragged and grey" and "bent with the chill of the Winter's day." The street is wet with recent snow, and her feet are "aged and slow," showing her physical frailty in the cold weather.

Ignored by the crowd

She stands at the crossing for a long time, "alone, uncared for, amid the throng." The people passing by do not notice or respond to "the glance of her anxious eyes," showing how a crowd of strangers can be indifferent to one person's need.

The schoolboys pass by

A group of schoolboys comes "with laughter and shout," happy because school has let out. They are compared to "a flock of sheep," delighting in the freshly fallen snow, full of youthful energy and carefree enjoyment.

No one stops to help

The boys hasten past the old woman without offering a helping hand. She remains "so meek, so timid, afraid to stir," fearing that carriage wheels or horses' feet might knock her down in the slippery street.

One boy offers to help

At last, "the gayest laddie of all the group" pauses beside her. He whispers, "I'll help you cross, if you wish to go." This single act separates him from the rest of the group, who had hurried on.

The boy guides her across

The woman places her "aged hand" on the boy's "strong young arm." He guides her trembling feet across safely, feeling proud that his own feet were "firm and strong" compared to her weakness.

His words to his friends

Returning to his friends with a "happy and well content" heart, the boy explains his action: "She's somebody's mother, boys, you know." He says he hopes someone will likewise help his own mother if she is ever "poor and old and grey" while he is far away.

The mother's prayer

The poem closes with the woman, now called "somebody's mother," bowing her head that night in prayer. She prays, "God be kind to the noble boy, who is somebody's son, and pride and joy," turning the boy's small kindness into a blessing that connects all mothers and sons.

Who are the people in the poem?

The old woman

The old woman is described as "old and ragged and grey," with "aged and slow" feet. She is meek and timid, afraid to cross the street alone in the slippery, snowy conditions.

She represents vulnerability and old age that depends on the kindness of others. At the end, she is revealed to be someone's mother, praying gratefully for the boy who helped her.

Her fear is shown clearly: she stands "alone, uncared for, amid the throng," afraid that "carriage wheels or the horses' feet" might "crowd her down" on the slippery street if she tries to cross without help.

The young boy

The boy is called "the gayest laddie of all the group," full of youthful energy like his friends. Unlike them, he pauses to help, showing empathy and thoughtfulness beyond his years.

He links the woman to his own mother, hoping that kindness shown to her will one day be returned to his mother. He returns to his friends "happy and well content," showing that helping others brings genuine satisfaction.

His pride is not boastful. The poem says he was "proud that his own were firm and strong," a quiet satisfaction at being able to use his strength for someone weaker than himself, rather than for his own enjoyment.

The other schoolboys

The group of schoolboys passes "with laughter and shout," enjoying the snow. They are compared to "a flock of sheep" and hasten past the old woman without offering help. They are not cruel, simply careless and unaware, caught up in their own excitement after school.

Their behaviour sets up the contrast on which the poem depends: it is only against their thoughtless hurry that the one boy's pause and offer of help stand out as remarkable.

What poetic devices does the poet use in this poem?

Where does the poet use simile?

The poet compares the schoolboys to animals: "Came the boys like a flock of sheep." This simile captures their noisy, bunched-together movement and carefree excitement as they come out of school into the snow.

Where does the poet use alliteration?

The phrase "so meek, so timid" repeats its initial sound to create rhythm. The repeated consonant sounds slow the reader down, matching the slow, hesitant movement of the old woman.

Where does the poet use repetition?

The phrase "somebody's mother" is repeated through the poem, in the boy's words and in the closing lines. This repetition reinforces the poem's central idea, that every old or helpless person is related to someone who loves them.

How does the poet use imagery?

The poem uses visual imagery of the "wet," snowy street and the woman "bent with the chill of the Winter's day" to build a picture of cold discomfort. This imagery makes her helplessness feel immediate and physical to the reader.

How does the poet use contrast?

The poem contrasts the woman's "trembling feet" with the boy's feet that are "firm and strong," and her stillness with the boys' "laughter and shout." This contrast between youth and old age, and between carelessness and kindness, drives the poem's message.

What are the themes of the poem?

Kindness and empathy

The boy's decision to stop and help, while his friends hurry past, shows that small acts of kindness can make a real difference to someone in need. His empathy is shown in his gentle whisper, "I'll help you cross, if you wish to go."

This kindness costs him nothing more than a pause in his walk home, yet it transforms the old woman's situation from fear to safety, showing how little effort true empathy sometimes needs.

The universality of a mother's love

By naming the woman "somebody's mother," the poem reminds readers that every old person was once, or still is, loved as a parent. The boy's thought of his own mother links the stranger's situation to his personal life, widening the poem's emotional reach.

His wish that "some fellow will lend a hand" to his mother one day shows that he sees kindness as something that should flow between all families, not just his own.

Social indifference versus individual compassion

The crowd and the other schoolboys represent general indifference: they notice the old woman but do not act. The one boy who stops represents individual compassion, showing that one person's choice can stand apart from a crowd's carelessness.

The poem does not condemn the crowd harshly. It simply shows, through the word "nor," that no one "offered a helping hand," letting the single exception feel all the more significant.

Reward of a good deed

The boy returns to his friends "happy and well content," and the woman prays for his wellbeing that night. The poem suggests that helping others brings its own quiet reward, both in personal satisfaction and in the gratitude of the person helped.

Her closing prayer, asking that "God be kind to the noble boy," turns his single act into a blessing that neither of them will ever see fulfilled, yet both carry away something good from the encounter.

What are the key quotations from the poem?

The lines below mark the main turns of the poem: the old woman's helplessness, the crowd's indifference, the boy's offer, his quiet pride, his explanation to his friends, and her closing prayer. Each is quoted exactly as printed, with its speaker and context noted.

"The woman was old and ragged and grey / And bent with the chill of the Winter's day." (opening description of the old woman)

"Alone, uncared for, amid the throng / Of human beings who passed her by." (describing the crowd's indifference)

"I'll help you cross, if you wish to go." (the boy speaking to the old woman)

"Proud that his own were firm and strong." (the boy, after guiding her across)

"She's somebody's mother, boys, you know, / For all she's aged and poor and slow." (the boy explaining his action to his friends)

"God be kind to the noble boy, / Who is somebody's son, and pride and joy!" (the old woman's closing prayer)

Read together, these lines trace the poem's movement from a cold, uncaring street to a warm act of kindness and, finally, to gratitude expressed in prayer. The repetition of "somebody's mother" across several of these lines shows how central that phrase is to the poem's meaning.

Why is the title "Somebody's Mother" significant?

The title names the old woman not by her own identity but by her relationship to someone else, as "somebody's mother." This phrase is repeated by the boy and again in the final lines, making it the poem's central idea rather than just its title.

The title asks readers to see every stranger as someone's family member. The old woman, who seems alone and uncared for on the street, is in fact deeply loved somewhere, as shown by her own prayer at the end for the boy who helped her.

The boy himself makes this connection explicit when he says he hopes someone will help his own mother "if ever she's poor and old and grey." The title therefore captures the poem's message that kindness to strangers is, in effect, kindness to someone's family.

This way of naming her also avoids pointing out what makes her different, such as her name or background, and instead stresses what she shares with everyone: she is, like every mother, someone precious to another person.

What values and message does the poem convey?

The poem conveys that small, simple acts of kindness matter greatly to those who are vulnerable. The old woman's situation, alone and afraid in a slippery, snowy street, is resolved by one boy's brief offer of help, not by any grand gesture.

It also teaches that helping someone does not need a personal connection. The boy does not know the old woman, yet he treats her with the same care he would want shown to his own mother. This reflects the idea of treating strangers with the empathy usually reserved for family.

Finally, the poem shows that good deeds can be quietly rewarding. The boy feels "happy and well content," and the woman's prayer blesses him in return, suggesting that compassion creates a cycle of goodwill between people who may never meet again.

The poem also implies that children can show this empathy just as fully as adults, since it is a schoolboy, not a grown person, who notices the old woman's need and acts on it, while a whole crowd of adults had already passed her by.

What are the answers to the textbook questions?

Arranging the events in order: The correct sequence is: the old woman stood alone at the crossing, hesitant to move; a group of schoolboys passed by, playing and laughing; the children hurried past without offering help; the boy offered to help the old woman cross the street; the woman placed her hand on the boy's arm, and he guided her safely across; the boy returned to his friends, feeling proud; the boy thought about his own mother and hoped someone would help her one day; the woman prayed for the boy who helped her.

Fill in the blanks: (1) The central theme of the poem is kindness and empathy. (2) The tone of the poem is sympathetic and hopeful. (3) The poem is written in couplets with two lines in each stanza.

(4) The structure of the poem gives a rhythmic flow that reflects both the narrative and emotions. (5) The poem follows a rhyme scheme of AABB.

What might be the old woman's fears as she waited? She feared that she could not cross safely alone, that carriage wheels or horses' feet might "crowd her down" in the slippery, snowy street, and that no one in the passing crowd would notice or help her.

How does the poet show the helplessness of the old woman? The poet describes her as "old and ragged and grey," "bent with the chill," with feet "aged and slow." She stands "alone, uncared for, amid the throng," too "meek" and "timid" to move by herself.

Why does the boy decide to help the old woman? What does this tell us about him? He notices her difficulty and offers help without being asked, saying, "I'll help you cross, if you wish to go." This shows he is kind, observant and thoughtful, unlike his friends who hurried past.

How was the boy's approach different from the other boys? The other boys hastened past "with laughter and shout," noticing nothing. The boy who helped paused beside her, spoke gently, and guided her carefully, showing patience instead of thoughtless haste.

Justify the title of the poem. The title "Somebody's Mother" captures the poem's message that the old woman, though a stranger, is loved as a mother somewhere, and the boy's hope that his own mother will be helped similarly justifies the title's focus on this universal relationship.

What does the poem suggest about empathy and humanity in society? It suggests that even in a busy, indifferent crowd, one person's small act of empathy can restore dignity and safety to someone vulnerable, and that such kindness is remembered and returned through gratitude.

Glossary

• Ragged — (of clothes or appearance) old and torn, shabby, as given for the woman in the poem.
• Bent — curved or stooped, here due to the cold of winter.
• Throng — a large, crowded group of people pressing closely together, used in the poem for the busy crowd near the woman.
• Heeded — paid attention to; the crowd did not heed the woman's anxious glance.
• Hastened — hurried; the children hastened past the old woman.
• Meek — quiet and gentle, not willing to assert oneself.
• Timid — easily frightened, lacking the confidence to act or move on one's own, as the old woman feels at the crossing.
• Stir — to move even slightly from one's position, something the old woman is too afraid to do alone on the icy street.
• Trembling — shaking slightly, here describing the woman's unsteady feet.
• Guided — led or directed carefully, as the boy guided the woman across.
• Laddie — an informal, friendly word for a boy, used here for the cheerful schoolboy who stops to help the old woman.
• Troop — a group of people, here the schoolboys, moving together as a cheerful crowd on their way home from school.
• Lend a hand — an idiom meaning to help somebody, used by the boy when he hopes someone will likewise help his own mother.
• Content — feeling satisfied and at ease, as the boy feels after helping the old woman cross the street safely.
• Lest — a conjunction meaning to prevent something bad from happening, similar to "just in case."

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: The schoolboys who hurried past were cruel and uncaring on purpose. Correct: The poem shows them as careless and caught up in their own excitement, not deliberately unkind.
• Misconception: The old woman is related to the boy who helps her. Correct: She is a stranger; "somebody's mother" refers to her relationship to her own, unnamed child, not to the boy.
• Misconception: The poem is written in a complex rhyme scheme. Correct: It uses simple rhyming couplets, confirmed by the exercise answer AABB with two lines per stanza.
• Misconception: The boy helps the woman because he is told to. Correct: He acts entirely on his own, pausing from his group without any instruction.
• Misconception: The poem's message is only about helping old people. Correct: Its wider message is about empathy for any vulnerable stranger, framed through the idea of "somebody's mother."
• Misconception: The woman's prayer is addressed to the boy. Correct: Her prayer, "God be kind to the noble boy," is addressed to God, asking for the boy's wellbeing.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. Identify the simile used in the poem and explain what it describes. [2 marks]

1. The simile is "Came the boys like a flock of sheep."
2. It describes the schoolboys moving together noisily and excitedly, like a bunched-together flock, as they came out of school into the snow.

Q2. Why did the old woman wait at the crossing instead of crossing on her own? [2 marks]

1. She was old, "aged and slow," and feared the slippery, snowy street.
2. She was "meek" and "timid," afraid that carriage wheels or horses' feet might knock her down if she tried to cross alone.

Q3. Describe the contrast the poet draws between the old woman and the boy who helps her. [4 marks]

1. The old woman is described as "old and ragged and grey," with "trembling feet" and an "aged hand."
2. The boy, by contrast, is young, part of the "merry troop," with feet that are "firm and strong."
3. This physical contrast highlights her dependence on him for safe passage across the street.
4. It also highlights his pride in being able to use his strength to help someone weaker than himself.

Q4. Explain in your own words what the boy says to his friends after helping the old woman, and why he says it. [4 marks]

1. The boy tells his friends, "She's somebody's mother, boys, you know, for all she's aged and poor and slow."
2. He says he hopes someone will likewise "lend a hand" to help his own mother if she is ever old, poor and grey.
3. He says this because the woman's situation reminds him that any old person could be someone's loved parent.
4. His words show that his act of kindness came from genuine empathy, not from a desire for praise.

Q5. Trace the sequence of events in the poem from the old woman's wait to her final prayer, and explain how the poem's message develops through them. [6 marks]

1. The poem opens with the old woman standing alone and afraid at a snowy crossing, ignored by a passing crowd.
2. A group of schoolboys then passes by, laughing and enjoying the snow, hastening past her without offering help.
3. One boy from the group pauses, offers to help, and she places her hand on his arm for support.
4. He guides her trembling feet safely across the street, proud of his own strength and glad to have helped.
5. Returning to his friends, he explains that she is "somebody's mother" and hopes someone will similarly help his own mother one day.
6. The poem closes with the woman praying that night for "the noble boy," completing the message that one small act of kindness connects strangers through shared humanity, even though the boy and the woman never meet again.

Q6. What values does the poem teach about treating elderly or vulnerable strangers? [3 marks]

1. It teaches that elderly or vulnerable strangers deserve the same care and attention one would give to family.
2. It shows that noticing someone's need, as the boy does, matters more than being part of a crowd that ignores it.
3. It suggests that kindness shown to strangers is quietly rewarded, both through personal satisfaction and gratitude from the person helped.

Q7. State the rhyme scheme of the poem and give one example from the text to support your answer. [2 marks]

1. The poem follows an AABB rhyme scheme, with two rhyming lines in each couplet.
2. For example, "day" rhymes with "grey," as in "The woman was old and ragged and grey / And bent with the chill of the Winter's day."

Key takeaways

• The poem describes an old woman helped across a snowy street by one schoolboy, while others pass her by.
• Its central theme is kindness and empathy towards vulnerable strangers.
• The repeated phrase "somebody's mother" links the stranger's situation to the reader's own family.
• The poem uses simile, alliteration, repetition, imagery and contrast to build its message.
• It is written in simple rhyming couplets with an AABB rhyme scheme.
• The boy's kindness is shown to bring him personal satisfaction and the woman's gratitude.
• The contrast between the woman's "trembling feet" and the boy's "firm and strong" feet highlights dependence and help.
• The poem's message extends beyond old age, to treating all vulnerable strangers with compassion.

Test yourself

Who wrote "Somebody's Mother"?

The poem was written by Mary Dow Brine.

What was the weather like when the old woman waited at the crossing?

It was a cold winter day, and the street was wet with recent snow.

What did the boy say when he offered to help the old woman?

He whispered, "I'll help you cross, if you wish to go."

Why does the boy call the old woman "somebody's mother"?

He means that although she is a stranger, she is loved as a mother by someone, just as he hopes his own mother would be helped by a stranger.

What does the old woman do at the end of the poem?

That night, at home, she prays, asking God to be kind to the noble boy who helped her.

Name one simile used in the poem.

"Came the boys like a flock of sheep" compares the schoolboys to a flock of sheep.

What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

The poem follows an AABB rhyme scheme, written in two-line rhyming couplets.