Class 10 English Poem 6 Amanda

By Robin Klein

`At times, being a teenager can be emotionally taxing.`

About the poet:

Robert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer, and actor. He is known for his
appearances on stage and screen.

About the Poem

The theme of Robin Klein‟s poem “Amanda” is childhood innocence and the
challenges of maturing. The poem tells the story of a little girl named Amanda as she
faces the difficulties of growing up, when her mother expects her to behave
responsibly and she desires to escape from the duties of growing up. The poem
emphasises the battle to maintain the freedom and joy of childhood when adult
duties start to take control.

Important link:

Detailed explanation of the poem https://youtu.be/lXpSl2jsln8

Stanza-1
Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!
(There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me—
a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)
Word meaning :

Hunch: bend
Slouching: sitting in a lazy way
Languid: relaxed
Emerald: here, green color
Inhabitant: resident
Drifting: carried slowly by the water
Blissfully: happily

Literary devices:

Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (don‟t bite… don‟t
hunch)
Assonance: use of vowel sound „o‟ (don‟t hunch your shoulders)
Rhyme: aaba ccc (Amanda, Amanda, straight, Amanda, sea, me, blissfully)
Metaphor: use of word emerald sea for green colour of sea being similar to the
colour of emrald
Repetition: use of word „Amanda‟
Imagery: drifting blissfully
Alliteration: „Stop that slouching and sit up straight‟ – „s‟ sound is being repeated at
the start of closely placed words.
Allusion: „mermaid‟ is a well known imaginary creature.

Stanza-2
Did you finish your homework, Amanda?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes,
Amanda!
(I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)
Word meaning :

Orphan: A child whose parents are dead

Hushed: quiet and still place

Literary devices:

Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (did you finish….did
you tidy)
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme is aada eee (Amanda, Amanda, shoes, Amanda, street,
feet, sweet)
Assonance: use of vowel sound „o‟ (Thought, told, you, your, shoes)
Repetition: use of word „Amanda‟
Metaphor: silence is golden – silence is said to be glorious like golden colour
freedom is sweet – freedom is said to be sweet in taste.

Stanza-3
Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!
(I am Rapunzel; I have not a care;
life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)
Word meaning :
Acne: Pimples
Rapunzel: A girl in the fairy tale by Brothers Grimm
Tranquil: calm, quiet
Rare: uncommon
.
Literary devices:

Allusion: use of famous fairy tale character Rapunzel

Rhyme: rhyme scheme aafa ggg (Amanda, Amanda, you, Amanda, care, rare, hair)
Assonance: use of vowel sound „e‟ and „o‟ (Will you please look at me when I‟m
speaking to you
Consonance: use of sound „r‟ (I am Rapunzel; I have not a care …..Bright hair)
Repetition: use of word „Amanda‟

Stanza-4
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!

Word meaning:
Sulking: be in a bad mood
Moody: unstable
Nagged: harass, .to continuously complain to somebody about his/her behaviour or to ask
him/her to do something many times

Literary Devices:

Alliteration: ‘Stop that sulking‟ – „s‟ sound is repeated at the start of closely placed
words
Repetition: use of word „Amanda‟
Rhyme scheme: aaha (Amanda, Amanda, you, Amanda)
Question Answers

Q1- How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?
Ans- Amanda‟s age could be between 10-12 years old. We can guess this because
of the reference to mermaid or Rapunzel. These stories are read by children of age
group of 10-12 years.

Q2- Who do you think is speaking to her?

Ans- One of her parents is speaking to her. We think that probably it could be her
mother. We think this because it‟s a general perception that children are taken care
of by their mothers at home.

Q3- Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?

Ans-Parenthesis is a remark that is added to a sentence, often to provide an
explanation. So, in stanzas 2, 4 and 6 parenthesis is used to describe the reaction of
child Amanda towards her mother‟s continuous nagging.

Q4- Who is the speaker in Stanzas 2, 4 and 6? Do you think this speaker is
listening to the speaker in Stanzas 1, 3, 5, and 7?
Ans- The speaker in Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 is Amanda. No, she is not paying any
attention to what her mother says. She is lost in her own thoughts. She imagines
herself as a mermaid, an orphan and Rapunzel.

Q5- What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?

Ans- The little girl Amanda wants to be a mermaid and the only resident of the
beautiful green sea. She thinks that her life will be very relaxing in the sea and she
will be taken away with the currents of water. She will be able to enjoy her freedom.

Q6- Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?

Ans- No, Amanda is not an orphan as she is constantly being pointed out by one of
her parents in the poem. She said so because she is sad and depressed because of
the continuous scolding and nagging which she faces because of her parents.
Therefore, she feels that it would have been much better and peaceful if she would
have been an orphan.

Q7- Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?
Ans- The story of Rapunzel is of a girl who is captured by an old witch in a tower.
The old witch climbs up the tower with the help of Rapunzel‟s very long hair which
she lets down for her through a window of the tower. One day, a Prince visits her by
climbing the tower with the help of her long hair. When the witch comes to know this,
she separates both of them. But both Rapunzel and Prince meet after a gap of many
years and then live their life happily. Amanda wants to be Rapunzel because she
knew that in the story, there was no staircase to enter the tower. It was only possible
with the help of Rapunzel‟s long hair that she would let down to help others to climb.
Amanda feels that life in the tower will be very calm and nice and also makes it a
point to never let her hair down for anyone as she doesn‟t want to get disturbed by
visitors.
Q8- What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about
Amanda?
Ans- The girl Amanda yearns for freedom and peace in her life. She is constantly
reminded of her mistakes. Her parents want her to follow the code of conduct of
good behavior. They are doing so because they want their child to be well-mannered
and obedient. But while doing this they forget that she is a child and should be
allowed some freedom. The poet has drawn the reader‟s attention towards the
condition of children who are constantly oppressed by their elders in the name of
good behaviour.
Q9- Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?
Ans- In our sense, Amanda is not moody. She feels oppressed because of her
mother‟s constant nagging. She doesn‟t want to be pointed out for such small things
as cleaning the room, sitting straight, cleaning her shoes, completing her homework,
etc. She feels that she is not free and is under the constant pressure of trying to be a
well-behaved girl as per her parent‟s demand.

Web references
https://www.successcds.net/learn-english/class-10/amanda.html
The First Flight