Class X English

First Flight
Amanda
Assignment
Q1. Reference to the context: (Do the work in English Notebook)

“(There is a languid, emerald sea,

Where the sole inhabitant is me
A mermaid drifting blissfully.)”

(a) The poet of the above lines is ________________

(i) Robert Frost

(ii)Robin Klein
(iii)Leslie Norris
(iv)Walt Whitman

(b) Amanda wishes to be a mermaid because ________________

(i) she enjoys swimming

(ii) she likes floating
(iii)she desires freedom
(iv)she is inspired by a mermaid

(c) Amanda wants to drift blissfully in the sea because ________________

(i) she wants to impress her nagging mother

(ii)she wants to be away from her nagging mother
(iii)she wants to overcome her hydrophobia
(iv)She wants to enjoy her seaside holiday

(d) A word in the above lines which means ‘peaceful and relaxed ’ is ________________

(i)languid
(ii)emerald
(iii)inhabitant
(iv)drifting
Q2. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words:(Do the work in Practice Register)

(a)Why does Amanda wish to be Rapunzel?

(b)How does Amanda describe her life as an orphan?
(c)What are the things that Amanda is asked not to do?
(d)Why does Amanda escape into her dreamy world?

Q3. Write the following answers in your English Notebook:

(a) Discuss the importance of proper upbringing with reference to the poem Amanda.

Ans. Upbringing plays an essential role in personality development of an adult. The upbringing
of a person is always questioned if he or she doesn’t follow a particular code of conduct laid
down by the society. Robin Klein’s poem Amanda highlights the tension of the parent in the
‘proper’ upbringing of the child. Instilling good values and moral principles in a growing child is
considered the foremost duty of the parents. Not only the parents, but the poet has also tried to
delve deeper into the psyche of the child who gets constant nagging by her parents. Amanda
feels trapped within the cluster of instructions and 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 seeks an
escape. Her imagination proves to be her escape and also her defense against her nagging
parents. Amanda is so frustrated that she wishes to be an orphan. She imagines enacting various
roles varying from a mermaid to that of Rapunzel. Amanda wishes to live alone and lead a
carefree life. 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.

(b) How does Amanda tackle the nagging nature of her parents? Explain with examples from the
poem. What values does it portray about Amanda?

Ans. Amanda is an adolescent girl who is termed as moody for her careless behaviour. But it is
very surprising to know that this is her defense mechanism to shield against her nagging parents.
Amanda gets constant instructions from her parents, which become too much for her to handle.
She is told not to bite her nails and is asked to sit in a proper position. Amanda’s response to this
is her work of imagination where she becomes a mermaid drifting effortlessly in the languid
river. Further, she is asked about cleaning her room and finishing her homework to which she
reacts by imagining herself as an orphan roaming in the street and making patterns on soft dust
with her bare feet. Amanda then faces the heat for eating a bar of chocolate, which had once
caused her acne. She takes the form of Rapunzel and wishes in her imagination to live on top of a
tower, away from everyone. Amanda’s parents are upset over her behaviour and casual approach,
but she continues to stay in her own world. The readers see Amanda in a positive light and feel
very sorry for her.
(c) What is the central idea of the poem ‘Amanda’?

Ans. Every child is special and it requires a great deal of patience and love to make him or her
understand this. Parents should give proper space to children, as children learn through
experiences as well. Children do tend to learn certain bad habits, at times, but to undo that
requires a great level of understanding and a right approach. One cannot teach a child everything
in one day and expect him or her to behave properly henceforth. It is natural for a child like
Amanda to seek freedom at her place and to curb that freedom means to make her angry and
sulking. Growing up of the child should not be about do’s and don’ts only. Having nagging
parents who judge every action of the child would do more harm than good. Robin Klein points
out the fact that Amanda is scrutinized by her mother in every minute thing. She can’t sit lazily
and can’t even eat chocolate as 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 also needs some space for herself. The only thing that matters to her mother is what
society would make of Amanda. We witness miserable failure of the parents when Amanda gets
detached from them and wishes to be an orphan so that she could enjoy her freedom.