Amanda
ROBIN KLEIN
Every child feels that she/he is controlled
and instructed not to do one thing or another. You too may feel that your
freedom is curtailed. Write down some of the things you want to do, but your
parents/ elders do not allow you to. To read the poem aloud, form pairs, each
reading alternate stanzas. You are in for a surprise!
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.)
Questions:
01. What
is the name of the poem and the poet?
02. Who
is Amanda? How old do you think Amanda is?
03. What
is Amada biting?
04. How
is she sitting?
05. What
advices the poet’s give to her?
06. Write
one advice of the poet?
07.
Who do you think is the
speaker of these lines?
08. What advices are being given to Amanda?
09. What is referred above?
10. Who
is the speaker and where does she lives?
11. How
does a mermaid enjoy in the sea?
Meaning:
Hunch=
Slouching = dropping, sitting
in bending stage
Languid = Relaxed
Emerald = green
Sole = only, alone
Inhabitant = Dweller, living
person
Mermaid = a woman with a
fish tail, fish woman
Drifting = Moving Slowly
Blissfully = full of joy.
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.)
Question:
01. Who
is the speaker?
02. Who
is the author of this poem?
03. What
is the name of this poem?
04. What
is the first question to the listener?
05. What
does he ask for the room?
06. What
did the speaker ask about the shoes?
07. What
does she says about herself?
08. Which
advice is referred to in this stanza?
09. What does the speaker want to be?
10. What do these lines tell you about the person being
talked about?
11. What
does the speaker say about the pattern?
12. Whom does the word ‘me’ refer to?
13. The person referred to wants to be alone. Which word
tells you this?
Meaning:
Tidy = Clean
Orphan = Whose parents are
dead
Roaming = Moving
Pattern = Models
Hushed = Silence
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!)
Questions:
01. Who was Rapunzel?
02. Why does the speaker want to be Rapunzel?
03. Why wouldn’t she let down her bright hair?
04. Who is the speaker and the listener in the stanza?
05. What is spoken y the speaker in the last line?
06. What is the speaker’s first advice?
07. What does the speaker say in the last sentences before
bracket?
08. How is the life in a tower?
09. Which reference does the speaker offer?
Meaning:
Acne = Pimples
Rapunzel = it is Name
Tranquil = calm
Rare = very amusing (durlabh
anand)
Certainly = definitely
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!
Questions:
01.
Who is the speaker?
02.
Who is the listener?
03.
What doe he asks to the listeners?
04.
Who is I and what does he say?
05.
What type of girl is Amanda?
06.
What did Amanda doing?
Meanings:
Sulking = Sadness
Moody = gloomy, sad
Nagged = Find fault, feel
guilty
1. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you
know this?
Ans. Amanda is a small school
going girl. Her activities like biting nails, moving shoulder in denying shows
her childhood. This shows that the Amanda is 3 to 5 years old small girl.
2. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
Ans. Amanda is a girl who
wants to lead a life of rest, repose and relaxation. She wants to enjoy life in
the sea and drift in hare and there. She wants a blissful live in the form of
mermaid.
3. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?
Ans. Amanda is not an orphan.
She has to say like this since the writer is interrogating like a authentic
person.
4. Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does
she want to be Rapunzel?
Ans. Rapunzel is a fairy who
lived in a decent towre and has golden hair. Amanda wants to live like her.
5. What does the girl yearn for? What does
this poem tell you about Amanda?
Ans. Amanda yearn for
complete freedom. This poem tells that Amanda is a moody girl of small age.
6. Read the last stanza.
Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?
Ans.
After reading the last stanza it seems that Amanda is moody girl. She wants to
enjoy the freedom of life.
|
Question 1:
How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this? Answer: Amanda appears to be a teenager.
Terms; like ‘Acne’ and ‘Sulking’; indicate towards Amanda being a teenager. Question 2:
Who do you think is speaking to her? Answer: It is probably her mother or a
guardian. Question 3:
Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis? Answer: These stanzas tell the inner thoughts
of Amanda. These are given in parenthesis to give a visual contrast so that
readers can easily understand. Question 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? Answer: Amanda is the speaker in Stanzas 2, 4
and 6. She is not listening to the speaker in Stanzas 1, 3 and 7. Question 5:
What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid? Answer: As a mermaid; Amanda could drift blissfully
in the sea. Drifting is different from swimming. While swimming amounts to
controlled strokes, drifting is more careless. Swimming can be extraneous but
drifting can be more pleasant. Question 6:
Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so? Answer: The way Amanda is being told about
Dos and Donts, she cannot be an orphan. In this poem, the word ‘orphan’ has
been used as a metaphor. We can compare it with street urchins who have all
the time to enjoy their childhood. Question 7:
Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel? Answer: Rapunzel was a princess with long
golden hair. Her hair was so strong that she used to drop her hair from the
watch tower she was living in and her prince charming used to climb by using
her hair. But Amanda
wants to enjoy the tranquility of her tower and doesn’t want to let down her
hair. She doesn’t want any prince to disturb her peace. Question 8:
What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda? Answer: Amanda yearns for some freedom so
that she could enjoy her growing years. Amanda is like most of the teenagers
who want to have their own private spaces. It is true that some social
conditioning and tutoring is necessary to develop people as better persons,
but it is equally true that everyone should get some time to enjoy the bliss
of freedom. Question 9:
Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody? Answer: Since Amanda had been scolded so she
appears to be sulky and moody. But her inner thoughts of being a mermaid, of
being a careless child, of being a princess on a solitary tower; show that
she is a normal adolescent who has her own dreams and desires. |
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Q1) What does the
poet instruct Amanda in the first stanza? Ans1) In the first
stanza the poet instruct Amanda to sit straight. She should not bend her
shoulders. She should not bite her nails. Q2) Who is Amanda?
What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid? Ans2) Amanda is a
small girl. If she were a mermaid she would enjoy life by swimming happily in
the sea Q3) What does the
poet ask Amanda in the third stanza? Ans3) The poet asks
Amanda if she has finished her school homework. He also asks about cleaning
and tidying her room. He wants to know whether she has cleaned her shoes. Q4) What does the
poet asks Amanda in fifth stanza? Ans4) The poet
instructs Amanda that she should not eat chocolate. He reminds her about her
acne. He even expects from her that she will look at him when he talks with
her. Q5) What message does
the poet want to convey through the poem, ‘Amanda’? Ans5) The poet wants
to convey the message that small children should be advised on some matters
but we should not disturb them to a large extend. Children have their own
mood and their own world. |
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