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Amanda
Class 10 English

Central Idea of the Poem

The poem deals with the upbringing of a small child, Amanda. It highlights the struggles faced by the child.
Poet Robin Klein makes an important point that a child should never be denied freedom.
Though it is parents who are responsible for proper upbringing of their child but that should not make a child
feel trapped. Here, Amanda is prepared to be acceptable in society, and this training needs her freedom to be
cut short. Her imagination is not given enough space, thus making her so angry that she wishes to be an
orphan. The continuous nagging has, thus, made her moody.
Poetic Devices Used in the Poem
The poem is in conversation tone.
Alliteration
Stop that slouching and sit up straight
I thought I told you to clean your shoes
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
Allusion
Mermaid – To be free and contained in their own. (Taken from fairy tales)
Rapunzel. Who lived happily alone on a tower for a long time. (Part of German fairy tale)
Metaphors
Orphan – Who doesn’t have nagging parents as Amanda’s.
Languid, emerald sea – languid and emerald type qualities are assigned to sea.
Silence is golden
Freedom is sweet
Rhyme Scheme
aaba ccc aada eee aafa ggg aaha

Extract Based Questions

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
1. Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!
(a) Amanda is getting instructions for what purpose?
(b) Give a synonym of ‘hunch’.
© What does the speaker of above lines instruct Amanda in the first stanza?
(d) What is the literary device used in the third line?
Answer:
(a) Amanda is getting instructions as a part of her upbringing. Her conduct and manners are getting refined for
future purposes.
(b) Bend.
© Amanda is getting instructed for biting her nails and sitting lazily with her shoulders bent.
(d) Literary device used in third line is Alliteration. ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’.

2. (There is a languid, emerald sea, where the sole inhabitant is me – a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)
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(a) Why are these lines given within brackets?

(b) Give the word from the passage which means free flowing act of going with the motion and force
© What is the role of mermaid here?
(d) Which word in the extract means opposite of ‘sorrowful’?
Answer:
(a) These lines are given within brackets because they reveal the inner thoughts of Amanda. Brackets are used
for visual contrast between what Amanda is saying and what her mother is instructing.
(b) Drifting means free flowing act of going with the motion.
(c ) Mermaid is a part of Amanda’s fantasy in her own created world. As mermaid sails in a sea carelessly and
effortlessly, similarly Amanda longs to do so in a place where she is all by herself.
(d) Blissfully is opposite of sorrowful.

2. Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!

Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!
(a) Why is Amanda not looking at the speaker?
(b) Find the word in the extract which means same as consume?
© The speaker is so worried about acne. What does it show?
(d) Which word in the extract means the same as ‘to gaze’?
Answer:
(a) Amanda is lost in her own thoughts and is paying no attention to instructions being given to her. That is
why she is not looking at the speaker.
(b) Eat means same as consume.
© Speaker being worried about acne shows how much importance is given to physical beauty in a household.
Amanda is prepared for the unforeseen future. Natural experience such as acne is also taken care of at any
cost.
(d) To look means the same as ‘to gaze’.

3. (I am an orphan, roaming the street,

I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)
(a) How come silence is golden?
(b) Give a synonym of ‘roaming’.
© What is Amanda upto in this stanza?
(d) What poetic device is used in this stanza?
Answer:
(a) Silence is shown golden using the poetic device metaphor. By making silence golden the poet is estimating
the worth of silence. For Amanda seeks peace and calmness, which is absent in her reality.
(b) Wandering.
© Amanda is again taking refuge in her imagination. Here, she wishes to be an orphan, away from her nagging
parents. Amanda wants to roam aimlessly in streets and draw patterns using just her bare feet.
(d) The poet uses metaphor such as ‘orphan’, ‘silence is golden’, and ‘freedom is sweet’.

5. (I am Rapunzel, I have not a care;

Life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
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I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair)

(a) Does Amanda live on a tower?
(b) Why will Amanda not let down her bright hair?
© What is the underlying poetic device used in this stanza?
(d) Find from the passage a word which means the same as ‘serene’.
Answer:
(a) No, Amanda stays at her place. Here, she is imagining herself to be Rapunzel who lived on a tower.
(b) Amanda is aware about the story of Rapunzel. In the story of Rapunzel all the mishappening and
misfortunes are brought to her by letting down the hair. Amanda also wishes to live alone and carefree,
without any disturbance.
(c) Poet uses allusion here as the underlying poetic device.
(d) The word is ‘tranquil’.

6. Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!

You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!
(a) Is Amanda really sulking?
(b) Why does the speaker care for others?
(c) Give the word from the passage which means same as unstable.
(d) What poetic device has been used in the first line of this stanza?
Answer:
(a) Amanda is not sulking. She just doesn’t care about instructions given to her as she is lost in a world of her
own.
(b) The whole poem revolves around the aspect that how one is presented in a society. Speaker doesn’t wish
to be regarded as a nagging parent in the society, so Amanda is expected to put up a happy face all the time.
(c) Moody means same as unstable.
(d) ‘Alliteration’ has been used in the first line; words ‘stop’ and ‘sulking’ start with the same sound.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Write a short note on the title of the poem?
The title of the poem is Amanda as it revolves around the upbringing of little girl named Amanda. Her life is full
of struggles where she is denied freedom and expression. Amanda is so much irate that she escapes reality by
living in her imaginative world. Through this gateway she experiences calmness, away from her nagging
parents.

2. Why is Amanda getting scolded for having chocolate?

Amanda is getting scolded for having chocolates as previously it had caused her acne. Amanda’s mother is very
particular about such things.
Amanda is made conscious about her physical appearance. It is very sad that at such a young age Amanda is
made to worry about natural experiences.

3. How life on a tower would be different from life anywhere else for Amanda?
Life on tower for Amanda would be very different from her reality. Just like Rapunzel, even she desires to live
on top of a tower, away from everyday chaos. Amanda suffers due to the constant nagging from her parents.
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She seeks a place full of peace and serenity, where there is no one to disturb her. Hence, she wishes to live on
a tower.

4. Why does Amanda seem moody most of the times?

Amanda seems moody most of the time because she is trying to make an escape from her sorry reality where
she is nagged most of the times. It is indeed a sorry state for a small child like Amanda to bear. Here the only
defense against such reality is her imagination where she often escapes to.
Hence, it makes her look moody and uninterested.

5. Why does Amanda wish to be a mermaid, an orphan, or Rapunzel?

Amanda wishes to be a mermaid so she could drift alone by blissfully languid, emerald sea. She yearns to be
an orphan so that she is able to roam the sea and make pattern using her bare feet. Being Rapunzel means she
could live carefree on a high tower. Amanda wishes to be these so that she could avoid her suffocating reality.
6. How does it help Amanda to be an orphan?
Amanda feels troubled around her parents, so she wishes herself to be an orphan. As then only she could live
a life of her own without much hassle.
7. Do you consider Amanda’s mother to be a nagging mother?
Amanda’s mother is indeed a nagging mother. She is all about instructions and finding faults. No doubt it is her
responsibility to instill good values into her daughter, but not at the cost of her child’s happiness. One should
know how to strike a balance between maintaining responsibilities and taking good care.
8. Is Amanda at fault at all?
Amanda is not at fault at all. It is too harsh for a small child to understand the concept of acne and not eating a
chocolate. Love of parents is missing from Amanda’s life. It is with pity that we look towards Amanda. There is
nothing worst for a child who wishes to be an orphan. Amanda just seeks freedom from the overpowering
environment around her.
9. What is the central theme of the poem Amanda?
The poem Amanda by Robin Klein highlights the importance of upbringing of a child. It points out that
upbringing doesn’t involve making a child responsible and fit for the society only. It is important to note that
upbringing involves understanding from both the sides. One cannot just force a child to be civilised and good
mannered. “Love and proper care is required in nurturing of a child.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [4 Marks each]

Discuss the importance of proper upbringing with reference to the poem Amanda by Robin Klein.
Answer:
Upbringing plays an essential role in personality development of an adult. Whenever we wish to admire or
criticize someone we question the upbringing of that person. Robin Klein’s poem Amanda highlights the
tension in the ‘proper’ upbringing of a child. To instill good values and moral principles in a growing child
comes as a foremost duty for the parents. However, the poem Amanda shows how a child feels trapped within
the cluster of instructions. Amanda is no less than a victim in this travesty. No proper space is given to her
creativity. She is instructed for everything. As a result, she feels trapped and seeks an escape. Her imagination
proves to be her escape and also her defense against her nagging parents. Situation of Amanda is so worse
that she wishes to be an orphan, in order to get rid of her parents. She imagines enacting various roles varying
from mermaid to Rapunzel. Amanda wishes to live alone and carefree. It is very important to understand the
situation of Amanda where her freedom is cut short by constant instructions and guidelines. Proper balance
should be maintained when dealing with such delicate issues. Love and care should always be part of this two
way transaction.
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How does Amanda tackle the nagging nature of her parents? Explain with examples from the poem. What
values does it portray about Amanda?
Answer:
Amanda is a small girl who is termed as moody for her careless behavior. But it is very surprising to know that
this is her defense mechanism to shield against her nagging parents. Amanda is getting instructions from her
parents, which become too much to handle for the small girl. She is told not to eat her nails and sit in a proper
position. Amanda’s response to it is her work of imagination where she is a mermaid drifting effortlessly by the
languid river. Further, she is asked about cleaning her room and finishing her homework to which she reacts
being an orphan roaming in the street and making patterns with her bare feet. Amanda then faces the heat for
eating a chocolate, which had once caused her acne. She takes the form of Rapunzel and wishes to live on top
of a tower away from everyone in her imagination. Amanda’s parents are upset over her behavior and
casualness, but she stays in her own world. All these portray Amanda in a positive light while her parents in a
negative light. We as readers feel very sorry for a child like Amanda.

State the key points in the poem Amanda. What do you learn from it?
Answer:
Every child is special in itself, and it requires a great deal of patience and love to make them understand this.
Parents should give proper space to children, as they learn through experiences as well. Children do tend to
learn certain bad habits, to undo that requires great level of understanding and right approach. One cannot
teach their child everything in one day and expect them to behave properly henceforth. It is natural for a child
like Amanda to seek freedom at her place, to curb that freedom means to make her angry and moody.
Growing up of child should not be about dos and don’ts only. To have nagging parents judging every action of
child would do more harm than good. Robin Klein points to the fact that Amanda is forbidden to do anything
without seeking permission. Everything she does it is corrected by her mother all the time, she cannot perform
a single thing according to her will. She can’t sit lazily around, she can’t eat chocolate for that could cause
acne. Life of Amanda is very suffocating and limited in itself. She yearns for freedom and choice. Her mother
doesn’t understand the fact that Amanda is innocent and naive, she is too small to understand the benefits of
advice. Only thing that matters to Amanda’s mother is what society will make of Amanda. We witness
miserable failure of parents when Amanda wishes to be an orphan so that she could be free.