STUDY MATERIAL

Grade : 10 Chapter: 4 - Amanda Subject: English

Short Answers Type Questions

Question. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?

Answer. Amanda is a little, middle aged (8-12 years) school going girl. We know this because of the
reference of a mermaid and Rapunzel. Also, the instructions given to her, for doing homework, nail biting,
correcting posture, etc are generally given to children of such an age group.

Question. Who do you think is speaking to her?

Answer. Any one of Amanda’s elders or parents is speaking to her.

From the instructions given to Amanda, one can say that it is most probably Amanda’s mother or
governess.

Question. Why does Amanda desire herself to be an orphan ?

Answer : Amanda desires herself to be an orphan as she wants to live a life of her own without any
disturbance. She feels troubled by her parents.

Question. What can you depict about Amanda's nature ?

Answer : Amanda is a moody girl. She is nagged most of the time. She often escapes from reality, which
makes her moody and dull.

Question. Does the title ‘Amanda’ suit the poem ?

Answer : The title of the poem revolves around the little girl, Amanda, who feels that her life is full of
struggle with no freedom. She imagines calmness away from her nagging parents. So we can say that the
title is justified.

Question. How old do you think Amanda is ? How do you know this ?

Answer : Amanda might be 9 - 10 years old school going girl. This fact is known because her parents are
trying to inculcate good habits in her, but she is very innocent and immature.

Question. Why are stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?

Answer. Stanza 2, 4 and 6 are given in parenthesis because they reflect the inner thoughts of Amanda.
Amanda is lost in her dream world and is not listening to what her mother is asking/telling her.
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Question. 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. The speaker in stanza 2, 4 and 6 is the child, Amanda.

No, Amanda is not listening to the speaker of stanza 1, 3, 5 and 7, as she is lost in the world of her
imagination.

Question. What kind of an image does “languid, emerald sea” evoke?

Answer. “Languid, emerald sea” evokes an image of a calm and green sea. ‘Languid means moving slowly
with little energy, often in an attractive way. ‘Emerald’ is a green coloured gemstone that refers to the
green colour of sea water.

Question. What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?

Answer. The girl Amanda yearns or desires for freedom and peace in life.
According to the poem, Amanda feels that her freedom has been limited by her mother. She is fed up with
the constant scolding and instructions by her mother. She wants to go away and live a peaceful life.

Question. Why does Amanda wish to be a mermaid, an orphan, or Rapunzel?

Answer. Amanda wishes to be a mermaid, an orphan and Rapunzel to live a life of freedom. She is
constantly scolded by her mother. So, she escapes into her own world of imagination wherein she lives a
peaceful life, all alone. As a mermaid she would be the sole resident of a beautiful sea and as an orphan,
she would enjoy freedom. Finally, as Rapunzel she would live a carefree life.

Question. Why does Amanda seem moody most of the time?

Answer. Amanda seems moody most of the time because she is so involved in her world of imagination
that she does not pay attention to her mother. Amanda often escapes from reality into her world of
fantasy to get away from the continuous scoldings. Her daydreaming makes her look moody and
uninterested.

Question. List the things about which Amanda’s mother nagged her.

Answer. Amanda’s mother nag or scold her about the following things

● She continuously asks her to sit properly and to not bite her nails.
● Amanda is instructed to not eat chocolates and to clean her room as well as shoes.
● Amanda is also asked to finish her homework.
● Amanda is also pointed out for not paying attention to her mother and for her sulking and moody
behaviour.

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Question. Justify the title of the poem ‘Amanda’.

Answer. The title of the poem ‘Amanda’ is very appropriate. The poem is about a little girl, Amanda who is
constantly scolded by her mother. Throughout the poem, the focus is on Amanda and her world of
imagination. In this world, she lives a free and peaceful life without any interruptions.

Question. Do you think it is Amanda’s fault in the poem? Justify your answer.

Answer. No, Amanda is not at fault. In the poem, Amanda is constantly instructed and scolded by her
mother. Her mother restricts her freedom. Amanda desires the peace and freedom which is not granted to
her. So, she escapes into her own world where she enjoys the calmness.

Question. What is the central theme of the poem?

Answer. The central theme of the poem Amanda by Robin Klein is that children love freedom. They do not
want any restrictions on their activities. The poem points out that in the endeavour to make their children
well-behaved, parents often give too many instructions. Such scolding behaviour is resented by children
and adversely affects their development.

Question. Does Amanda’s mother have a nagging behaviour? Justify your answer.

Answer. Amanda’s mother really has a nagging behaviour. She is always instructing Amanda and finding
faults within her. Her mother constantly tells her the do’s and don’ts. Such nagging behaviour affects
Amanda who feels that her freedom is restricted. Amanda’s mothers responsibility to instill (develop)
good manners in the child makes Amanda retreat (escape) into her imagination where she seeks peace
and freedom.

Question. Would you call Amanda a disrespectful child? Provide one reason to justify your opinion.

Answer. Yes, we can call Amanda a disrespectful child because she does not respond to her parent’s
repeated instructions. She is lost in her imagination and does not even look towards her mother when she
is yelling at her.

Question. What does the line “never let down my bright hair” tell us about Amanda?

Answer. The line “never let down my bright hair.” tell that Amanda does not want anyone to come and
disturb her.She wants to live alone in the silence and hates chaos.

Question. The reader sympathises with the speaker in the poem. Support this opinion with a reason.

Answer. The speaker (probably Amanda’s mother) is worried about Amanda as she is lost in her thoughts.
Amanda does not pay attention to what her mother says and this makes the reader sympathise with her
mother.

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Question. Justify the poet’s allusion to Rapunzel in ‘Amanda’.

Answer. It is justified as Rapunzel lived with a witch who would constantly keep a check on her and had
several rules to be followed. Amanda too feels caged by the impositions; she desires peace in isolation like
Rapunzel had in her tower and clarified that she will not let her hair down for anyone.

Question. How does Amanda describe her life as an orphan?

Answer. Amanda says that she is an orphan and roams on the streets. She walks on the surface of the
water and creates patterns on the soft dust by her bare feet. She finds freedom in the outer world. Silence
is golden for her which is why she loves both freedom and silence.

Question. How does Amanda reply to the ‘nagging’ of the speaker in the first stanza?

Answer. The speaker ‘nags’ Amanda by asking her strange questions. Amanda replies to these in her own
way.
She says that she is a mermaid. She lives in the peaceful and green sea and is the only inhabitant in that.
She blissfully moves into it alone.

Question. What impression of Amanda do you get from the poem ‘Amanda’?

Answer. Amanda is a little school-going girl. She is constantly nagged by her parents. It is probably her
mother. She keeps asking Amanda to do this or that but poor Amanda longs to be free and live life in her
own way.

Question. What is the central idea of the poem?

Answer. The central idea of the poem is that children have certain habits and their parents teach them to
mend those habits for their benefits. Children have these habits because they want freedom. They want to
feel free at home, for example Amanda has certain habits but she is asked to mend those.

Question. What does Amanda dream to do?

Answer. Amanda dreams of being a mermaid drifting on the sea all alone. She dreams of being an orphan
walking in the streets with no care. She dreams of being Rapunzel living in a high tower away from
everybody.

Question. What three things did the speaker ask Amanda to do which are expected of a school-going child?

Answer. The three things the speaker asked her were if she had finished her homework, if she had tidied
her room and if she had cleaned her shoes. These are the things which are expected of a school-going
child.

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 Long Answer Type Questions

Question. What do you learn from the poem ‘Amanda’ ?

Answer : The poem depicts the state of a little girl Amanda’s mind, who is constantly intruded by her
parents about what she should do and what she shouldn’t. She is asked not to bite her nails, hunch her
shoulders, she should sit up straight. She is told to finish her homework, tidy her room and clean her
shoes. She is forbidden from eating chocolates, because she has acne problems. She is sick and tired of her
parents, nagging nature. She completely ignores them and dreams of her becoming a mermaid in the
emerald sea, of roaming barefoot in the dusty streets to the extent of becoming orphan and of the golden
haired Rupunzel, who lived alone in a high tower. She wants to remain isolated, all alone without her
parents' interference. Parents are over possessive about their children. They want to inculcate good
habits in their child. But no child learns all in one day. Children need freedom like Amanda. But parents
who are judging their child every time would do more harm than good. She is continuously scolded
everytime. We witness the miserable failure of parents when Amanda wishes to be an orphan, so that she
could be free. Thus, the poem teaches us that a child should never be denied his/her freedom. It highlights
the struggle faced by a child within himself/herself. They should not be forced to take wrong steps by
their parents.

Question. Discuss the importance of proper upbringing with reference to the poem ‘Amanda’ by Robin
Klein.

Answer. Upbringing plays an essential role in personality development of a child. Whenever we wish to
admire or criticise someone, we talk about the upbringing of that person. Robin Klein’s poem ‘Amanda’
highlights the problems of ‘proper’ upbringing of a child. To instill good values and moral principles in a
growing child is the foremost duty of the parents. However, the poem shows how a child feels upset
because of constant instructions. Amanda, the little girl in the poem, goes through such a situation. She is
instructed and scolded for her habits. She gets no freedom and space for herself. As a result, she enters
her world of imagination. This world proves to be her defence against her scolding mother. In her world,
she seeks freedom and peace. She imagines herself as a mermaid who is the sole resident of a beautiful
sea. Then, she imagines herself as an orphan who is free to do anything. Finally, she wants to be Rapunzel
and live a peaceful life in a tower. Therefore, elders/parents must maintain a balance. While instilling
good manners, they should also give some freedom to their children.

Question. How does Amanda tackle the nagging nature of her mother? Explain with examples from the
poem.

Answer. In the poem, ‘Amanda’, the little girl named Amanda often escapes into her own world. Her world
of dreams gives her the freedom and peace that she seeks in reality where she is constantly nagged by her
elders. Her mother continuously instructs and scolds her for her ill-manners and laziness. She is asked not
to bite her nails, not to eat chocolates, to clean her room and so on. As Amanda’s mother is giving her
instructions, she is lost in her daydreams. The persistence of Amanda’s mother leaves a harmful
impression in her mind. Her retreat, then, is her way of tackling her mother. It is her shield and defence
against the harsh realities that she goes through. In her reality, her freedom is restricted. Her need for
freedom and peace finds expression in her dreams where she imagines a carefree and happy life as an
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orphan, mermaid and Rapunzel, without her mother. Amanda may seem moody and upset, to her mother,
but is not really so. The nagging nature of her mother makes her escape into a world away from the
realities of her life.

Question. State the key points in the poem ‘Amanda’. What do you learn from it?

Answer. The key point highlighted in the poem ‘Amanda’ is that every child is special in itself and it
requires a great amount of patience and love to make them understand this.
To create such an understanding, parents must give freedom to their children as they learn the best from
their own experiences. In this process, children may learn some bad habits which need to be removed.
This undoing also requires a great level of understanding and the right approach. Parents judging each
action of a child does more harm. In the poem, the little girl Amanda goes through constant scoldings for
her habits. Everything she does is corrected by her mother and she can’t do anything at her will.
Consequently, the girl seeks/desires freedom and a choice. The lack of freedom makes Amanda upset and
moody as she escapes her world of imagination. She enjoys the things in her imagination, which she is
deprived of in reality. Therefore, in Amanda, we witness a failed approach of her parents and get a lesson
that the parents need to take a more gentle/kind approach to teach their child.

Question. Amanda wants to be a Rapunzel, a beautiful princess living in a tranquil tower. Write a
character sketch of Amanda in the light of this remark?

Answer. The given statement shows that Amanda yearns for freedom. She was frustrated and irritated by
constant nagging. She always imagined situations and places in which she wished to remain alone. In one
such imagination, she thought of Rapunzel and felt that she must have had a happy life alone in that
tower. She wants to be Rapunzel to live a peaceful life in a tower. Her world of dreams gives her the
freedom and peace that she seeks in reality where she is constantly nagged by her elders. Amanda did not
want to follow the instructions given by her mother and wanted to live her life on her own terms. This
behaviour shows that teenagers do not like to be instructed all the time. They want to make their own
decisions and explore the world themselves.

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