Amanda by ROBIN KLEIN
The Text of the Poem:
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.)
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.)
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!)
Stop that
sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!
This poem is
about a girl Amanda. Her mother often instructs her to do or not to do this and
that. Her mother tells her to sit, stand and walk straight. She stops her from
biting her nails. She also tells her to finish her home work, tidy her room and
clean her shoes. It seems that Amanda does not like to do all this. She remains
in her world of imagination to avoid listening to her mother’s instructions.
Her mother calls her moody. She does not give reply to her mother. Amanda likes
to be an orphan to enjoy peace and freedom. She knows that orphans do not have
parents to stop them from doing what they want.
Short Answer-type Qs
Very Very Short Answer-Type Qs
1. How old
do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?
2. Who do
you think is speaking to her?
3. Why are
Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?
4. 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?
5. What
could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
6. Is Amanda
an orphan? Why does she say so?
7. Do you
know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?
8. What does
the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?
9. Read the
last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody
Stanza 1
Don’t bite
your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch
your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching
and sit up straight, Amanda!
Word-meaning: 1. Hunch: to bend forward 2.
Slouching: to stand,sit and walk by bending your shoulders and also with your
head slightly bent. It is a mal-posture
Explanation: It is Amanda’s mother who is
speaking here. She instructs her not to bite her nails. She also tells her not
to bend her shoulders forward. It does not seem nice to the mother, In a way
she advises Amanda not to create mal posture while sitting, standing and even
walking.
Stanza 2
(There is a
languid, emerald sea, where the sole inhabitant is me— a mermaid, drifting
blissfully.)
Word-meaning: 1. Languid: a slow way of speaking or moving 2.
Inhabitants: those who live in at particular place 3. Mermaid : imaginary sea creature like a fish having upper part
of a woman 4. Drift: float or move
pushed by some outer force 5.
Blissfully: happily 6. Emerald: a precious stone of dark
green colour 7. Sole: only
Explanation: The above lines have been put in
parenthesis because these have been uttered by Amanda to herself. It may be
possible that she thought about these lines in her imagination only. Amanda
imagines that she is the only sea creature ‘mermaid’ moving peacefully and
happily in the dark green water of the sea.
Stanza 3.
Did you
finish your homework, Amanda?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes,
Amanda!
Word-meaning: 1. Tidy: to set all the things in a proper
arrangement that looks beautiful
Explanation: Amanda’s mother speaks these lines.
She asks her if she has finished her home work. She also asks her if she has
tidied up her room and clean her shoes.
Stanza 4.
(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: 1.
Orphan: a child whose parents have died 2. Roaming: wandering aimlessly 3. Pattern: to make design 4.
Hushed: quiet 5. Bare feet: the
feet without shoes
Explanation: It seems that Amanda at once enters
the world of her imagination as soon as her mother starts instructing her or
asking anything from her. She does not like her mother limiting her freedom.
She thinks that her freedom is curtailed if her mother tells her anything to
make amends in her behavior. Her reactions prove that she does not want to do
any work. She always wants to remain in her own fantasies.
Here, in
these lines, Amanda imagines herself to be an orphan. It shows that she does
not like her parents. She imagines herself wandering in the street bare-footed.
She also likes to make design in the soft dust. This is a very common activity
among village children. She also says that silence is golden and freedom is
sweet.
Stanza 5.
Don’t eat
that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember
your acne, Amanda!
Will you
please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!
Word-meaning:
1. Acne; pimples
Explanation: Again, Amanda’s mother scolds her
for eating chocolate. She shows her motherly concern by stopping her from
eating sweets because it seems that the girl Amanda has acne on her face. It
also shows that Amanda may be of 12 or 13 years because acne or pimples often
grow on the faces o the youngsters in this age. The stanza also shows that
Amanda does not looks at her mother when she instructs her against eating
chocolate. The tone of the mother is polite as she uses ‘please’.
Stanza 6.
(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!)
When she was twelve years old, the fairy locked her in
a tower that stood in a forest and that had neither a door nor
a stairway, but only a tiny little window at the very top. When the fairy
wanted to enter, she stood below and called out: Rapunzel,Rapunzel!
Word-meaning: 1. Rapunzel: She is a legendary
girl. She was made prisoner by a fairy in her tower. She lived alone there. She
had long bright hair. 2. Tranquil:
peaceful
Explanation: Amanda imagines herself as Rapunzel.
She loves living alone in a high tower like the legendary girl Rapenzel. Her
life is peaceful and strange there in the tower. She also utters that she would
surely not allow her hair to fall down from the tower. Rapunzel’s troubles
started after she had falled her hair down from the tower.
Stanza 7.
Stop that
sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!
Word-meaning: 1. Sulk: to remain in bad mood 2.
Nag: to criticise/ irritate
Explanation: When Amanda does not respond to her
mother’s instructions, she uses some anger in her words. She orders her not to
sulk (to be in bad mood). She even calls her moody. She also tells Amanda that
her sulking would make others think that she had been nagging (criticising/irritating
for long) her.
Q1. What is the poem Amanda about? Or Write the central Idea of the poem
Amanda.
Ans. This poem is about a girl,
Amanda. Parents usually show much concern (worry) about their children. They
keep on telling them to do this or not to do that. It irritates the children.
In this poem Amanda seems to feel irritated at the nagging (irritating) nature
of her mother.
Q2. How does Amanda imagine and describe herself an orphan? Why does she
think so?
Ans. Amanda imagines herself to be an
orphan. She thinks that she is wandering about in a street. She is bare-footed.
She is walking slowly in soft dust and making designs from her feet. Freedom is
sweet and silence is golden to her.
Q3. How does Amanda describe herself as a mermaid?
Ans. Amanda describes herself as a
mermaid. She is the only inhabitant of the sea. She is drifting in a relaxed
manner in the dark sea-green water. She yearns (desires) for freedom to go
anywhere.
Q4. What did Amanda want to prove by imagining herself as Rapunzel?
Ans. Amanda imagined herself Rapunzel
because she loved freedom and silence. She did not like her mother to nag her
(irritate) by instructing her to do this and not to do that.
.
Q5.Who was Rapunzel? What kind of life did she live?
Ans. Rapunzel lived in a tower. It
was built in an isolated area of a forest. When she was twelve years old, the fairy
locked her in a tower. She lived a lonely life there.
Q6. What does the speaker say to Amanda about her nails?
Ans. The speaker says Amanda not to
bite her nails.
Q7. What three things does Amanda’s mother say not to do?
Ans. Amanda’s mother tells her not to
bite her nails. She advises her not to bend her shoulders forward. She also
tells her to stop slouching while sitting, standing and walking. She stops
Amanda from eating chocolate also.
Q8. What thing has Amanda been prohibited to eat?
Ans. Amanda has been prohibited
(stopped) to eat chocolate. Her also reminds her to think about her acne on her
face.
Q9. What things does Amanda’s mother ask her to do?
Ans. Amanda’s mother asks her to tidy
up her room. She also tells her to complete her homework and clean her shoes.
Q10. What type of girl was Amanda?
Ans. Amanda is a moody and lazy girl
girl. She does not want to do any physical activity. She does not obey her
mother. She lives in the world of her imagination. She feels irritated if her
mother asks her.
Q11. Why does Amanda say that silence is golden and freedom is sweet?
Ans. Amanda does not like her mother
should say anything to her. She loves silence. She wants full freedom. So
silence is golden and freedom is sweet to her.
6. Amanda: Stanzas for Comprehension
Stanza 1
Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch
your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching
and sit up straight, Amanda!
Q1. Name the poem and its poet.
Ans. The poem is Amanda and its poet
is Robin Klein.
Q2. Who is the speaker here and who is the listener?
Ans. The speaker here is Amanda’s
mother. The listener is Amanda.
Q3. What is Amanda’s mother telling her not to bite?
Ans. Nails
Q4. What bad habit does Amanda have?
Ans Nail-biting
Word-meaning:
1. Hunch: to bend forward 2. Slouching: to stand,sit and walk by bending your
shoulders and also with your head slightly bent. It is a mal-posture
Stanza 2
(There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me— a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)
Word-meaning: 1. Languid: a slow way of speaking or
moving 2. Inhabitants: those who live in at particular place 3. Mermaid : imaginary sea creature
like a fish having upper part of a woman 4.
Drift: float or move pushed by some outer force 5. Blissfully: happily 6. Emerald: a precious stone of dark
green colour 7. Sole: only
Q1. What is the colour of the sea shown here?
Ans. Emerald green (dark green)
Q2. How has the sea been shown here?
Ans. Moving in a relaxed manner.
Q3. What does Amanda imagine herself to be in the sea?
Ans. A mermaid
Q4. Who would be the sole inhabitant in the sea?
Ans. Amanda
Stanza 3.
Did you finish your homework, Amanda?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes,
Amanda!
Word-meaning: 1. Tidy: to set all the things in a proper arrangement that looks
beautiful
Q1. Who is the speaker and who is the listener in the above stanza? Ans. Amanda’s mother is the speaker and Amanda is the
listener in the above stanza.
Q2. What did the speaker ask the listener? Ans. The speaker asked the listener if she had finished her
home work, tidied up her room and cleaned her shoes.
Q3. Find out from the stanza the word that means ‘to set the things at
their right places’ or ‘clean’. Ans. Tidy
Q4. Do you think that Amanda would have cleaned her room? Ans. No.
Stanza 4
(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: 1. Orphan: a child whose parents have
died 2. Roaming: wandering aimlessly
3. Pattern: to make design 4. Hushed: quiet 5. Bare feet: the feet without shoes
Q1. Why does Amanda suppose herself to be an orphan?
Ans. It is because she thinks that an
orphan child enjoys full freedom.
Q2. Why does Amanda say that silence is golden and freedom is sweet?
Ans. Amanda does not like her mother
should say anything to her. She loves silence. She wants full freedom. So
silence is golden and freedom is sweet to her.
Q3. Which words in the above lines mean the following words/expressions?
(i) to make designs (ii) parentless
child Ans. (i) pattern (ii) orphan
Stanza 5.
Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m
speaking to you,
Amanda!
Word-meaning: 1. Acne; pimples
Q1. Who is the speaker in the above lines? Ans. Amanda’s mother is the speaker in the above lines.
Q2. What may be the age of the girl and why?
Ans. It may be 11 or 12 years because acnes appear on the faces of the
youngsters in the age.
Q3. What is the response of the girl? Ans. She does not listen to her mother.
Q4. What does the speaker say to the listener not to do? Ans. The speaker tells the listener not to eat chocolate.
Q5. What request does the speaker make to the listener? Ans. the speaker requests the listener to look at her.
Stanza 6.
(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:
1. Rapunzel: She is a legendary girl. She was made prisoner by a fairy in her
tower. She lived alone there. She had long bright hair. 2. Tranquil: peaceful
Q1. Who was Rapunzel? Ans. She was a beautiful legendary
girl.
Q2. Why does Amanda suppose herself as Rapunzel? Ans. She likes full freedom and silence. So she assumes
herself as Rapunzel.
Q3. What type of life does the speaker want to lead at the tower? Ans. A peaceful life having no care and worry
Q4. What does she not want to do? Ans. She does not want to let her
hair fall down from the tower.
Q5. What type of hair did Rapunzel have?
Ans. She had
bright, long and beautiful hair.
Stanza 7.
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!
Word-meaning:
1. Sulk: to remain in bad mood 2. Nag: to criticise / irritate
Q1. Name the poem and its poet.
Ans. The poem is Amanda and its poet
is Robin Klein.
Q2. Who is the speaker and who is the listener here?
Ans. Amanda is the listener and her
mother is the speaker.
Q3. Why does the call the listener moody?
Ans. It is because she neither looks
at her mother nor does she reply to her.
Q4. Find out from the passage the
words that mean the following:
(i)
To
remain in bad mood (ii) criticise
Ans. (i) sulk (ii) nag
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