Amanda

ABOUT THE POET

Robin Klein is an Australian author of books for children. She had her first short
story published at the age of sixteen. She writes fiction for children and young
adults. Some of her famous writings are ‘Hating Alison Ashley’, ‘People Might
Hear You’, ‘Halfway Across the Galaxy’ etc. Several of her books have been
listed for CBCA Children Book of the Year Award.
INTRODUCTION
In this poem, Robin Klein expresses the views of a small girl Amanda about
freedom or liberty in life. The protagonist Amanda is a small girl who has certain
unwanted habits. She is asked to mend those habits. She seems to live in her
own world and feels her freedom getting curtailed by the set of instructions
given to her by her elders so she finds solace in the world of imagination. This
upsets her parents who call her moody. Amanda’s reaction to the rules and
regulations imposed upon her by her parents is very interesting.
THEME
Every child wants to enjoy freedom but feels that he or she is controlled and
instructed not to do one thing or another. Children have certain habits which
are disapproved of by their parents. The parents teach them to mend those
habits. This is for their benefit. It is parents who are responsible for the proper
upbringing of their child but they should be careful that their nagging should not
make the child feel suffocated.
SUMMARY
Robin Klein has expressed the views of a little girl Amanda who is constantly
pointed out by her mother for making mistakes which she considers as not a
part of the code of good conduct laid down by the society in which we live. The
poem depicts the state of mind of a child who is constantly instructed about the
do’s and don’ts by her elders such as not to bite her nails, not to hunch her
shoulders while sitting, finishing her homework, tidying her room, cleaning her
shoes, not eating chocolate etc. This frequent nagging makes her very unhappy.
It seems as if she is not free to do anything that she wants to do. She wants
freedom from all restrictions. She dreams to lead the life of a mermaid in a
languid, emerald sea where she is the sole inhabitant. She feels that an orphan
roaming barefoot in the dusty streets has more freedom than her. She also
wishes to lead a calm, quiet and secluded life in a high tower like the
goldenhaired Rapunzel with nobody to disturb her. She takes no note of what is
said to her. She is then rebuked for being moody and sulking all the time.
VOCABULARY
hunch: bending the upper portion of body in forward position
slouching – to stand, sit or move in lazy and downward direction
mermaid: an imaginary sea creature having a woman’s head and body with a
fish’s tail instead of legs
orphan: a child whose parents are either dear or gone missing
roaming: to move about aimlessly, especially over a wide area
hushed: very quiet and still
bare: something not covered
sulking: to be angry or upset about something
nagged: to irritate (someone) by complaining about his \her attitudes again and
again
LITERARY DEVICES
Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in the same line.
Stop that slouching and sit up straight
I thought I told you to clean your shoes
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
Allusion: A reference to statement, person, place etc. from history , religion,
literature or any other field.
mermaid – To be free and contained in their own. (Taken from fairy tales)
Rapunzel – Who lived alone on a tower for a long time. (Taken from a fairy tale)
Metaphor: Implied comparison- to compare two things or qualities which are
unlike
I am an orphan – who doesn’t have nagging parents above their head 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