Class X -First Flight Poem-6 (First Flight) "Amanda" by Robin Clein

  Amanda

By Robin Klein

 

About the Poet

Robin Mc Maugh Klein is an Australian author of books for children. She writes Children’s and young adult fiction. Some of her famous books are Hating Alison Ashley, People might hear you, etc.

 

 

Central Idea of the Poem
The poem deals with the upbringing of a small child, Amanda. It highlights the struggles faced by the child. Poet Robin Klein makes an important point that a child should never be denied freedom.
Though it is parents who are responsible for proper upbringing of their child but that should not make a child feel trapped. Here, Amanda is prepared to be acceptable in society, and this training needs her freedom to be cut short. Her imagination is not given enough space, thus making her so angry that she wishes to be an orphan. The continuous nagging has, thus, made her moody.

Amanda Summary of the poem

The poem describes a girl named Amanda and her mother who is nagging her for her mistakes. She is first pointed out most probably by her mother for biting her nails and for not sitting in the right posture. The mother also feels that Amanda sits in a very lazy manner. To this, Amanda imagines herself as a mermaid who lives a calm and relaxing life in the beautiful green sea. Further, she is nagged for not cleaning her room and shoes and also for not doing her homework. She then imagines herself to be an orphan because she is now fed up of being watched by her parents continuously. She says that she would have enjoyed her freedom then, by making the patterns of her bare feet on the sand and would live a peaceful life. Next, Amanda is scolded for eating too many chocolates as this causes pimples. She is also scolded for not listening to her mother. So, now Amanda thinks of being Rapunzel, a character from a fairy tale and wants to live in a huge tower like her. In the tower she will be alone and will live a peaceful life and will never allow anyone to come in. Finally, the mother asks her to stop being moody because she doesn’t want anyone to blame her for harassing her daughter. At this time the poet has not written any reaction from Amanda’s side. This constant nagging has made her so sad that she has even stopped to imagine herself as someone else. She used to do so in order to escape from the continuous harassment and dominance of her parents.

 

EXPLANATION OF THE POEM
Stanza 1

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.)

WORD MEANINGS

Hunch: bend
Slouching: sitting in a lazy way
Languid: relaxed
Emerald: here, green color
Inhabitant: resident
Drifting: carried slowly by the water
Blissfully: happily

Exp –The poet is describing Amanda, a little girl who is always pointed out by her mother for her mistakes and how she imagines her life to be. The poet says that the mother is pointing out Amanda for biting nails which is a bad habit. Next she asks her to sit straight without bending her shoulders. Amanda who has habit of bending her shoulders and sitting lazily is being pointed out because her mother wants her to sit in the right posture. At this point of time, when she is being scolded by her mother, she imagines herself to be in a deep green sea. She says that she wants to be the only resident of this beautiful green sea. She imagines herself like a mermaid who is alone there and leads her life in a very relaxing way. She says that she wants to be carried away by the current of water and feel the relaxing environment there.

Literary devices:
Anaphora:- Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (don’t bite… don’t hunch)
Assonance:- use of vowel sound ‘o’ (don’t hunch your shoulders)
Rhyme:- aaba ccc (Amanda, Amanda, straight, Amanda, sea, me, blissfully)
Metaphor:- use of word emerald sea for green colour of sea being similar to the colour of emrald
Repetition-: use of word ‘Amanda’
Imagery:- drifting blissfully
Alliteration:- ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’ - ‘s’ sound is being repeated at the start of closely placed words.
Allusion:- ‘mermaid’ is a well known imaginary creature.

Stanza 2

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.)

WORD MEANINGS

Orphan: A child whose parents are dead
Hushed: quiet and still place

Here the poet says that Amanda’s mother is inquiring her about whether she has done her homework or not? And then she asks her whether she has cleaned her room or not. Moreover she is also reminded to clean her shoes. So, here we can see that the mother is constantly asking her questions regarding her homework being done or not or whether she had cleaned up her room and shoes or not. But on the other hand, while Amanda is listening to her mother’s instructions, she imagines herself to be an orphan who is roaming in the streets. This means that she imagines if she would have been without parents she would have walked freely in the streets. She would have drawn designs on the soft dust with her uncovered feet very quietly. So, we can see that she thinks opposite to her mother. Her mother wants her to keep everything neat and clean. But Amanda wants to play in dust with her bare feet. Moreover, she is so fed up of these constant instructions from her mother, that she says silence is golden which means that silence is very crucial and precious. She further says that freedom is sweet. This means she never feels free when she is with her mother.

Literary devices:
Anaphora:- Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (did you finish….did you tidy)
Rhyme:- Rhyme scheme is aada eee (Amanda, Amanda, shoes, Amanda, street, feet, sweet)
Assonance:- use of vowel sound ‘o’ (Thought, told, you, your, shoes)
Repetition:- use of word ‘Amanda’
Metaphor:- silence is golden - silence is said to be glorious like golden colour
freedom is sweet - freedom is said to be sweet in taste.

Stanza 3

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!)

WORD MEANINGS

Acne: Pimples
Rapunzel: A girl in the fairy tale by Brothers Grimm
Tranquil: calm, quiet
Rare: uncommon

EXP-Next, Amanda’s mother is disallowing her to eat chocolates. She reminds her of pimples that Amanda faces due to eating chocolates. At last she scolds her for not paying attention to what her mother says. At this moment Amanda imagines herself to be Rapunzel. Rapunzel was a character from a fairy tale that was captured in tower by a witch. The witch used to climb the tower with the help of long hair of Rapunzel that were let down by her through the window. So, now Amanda wants to be Rapunzel because she feels that life in the tower will be peaceful and unusual. She thinks she will be free and live in a peaceful environment in the tower. She also confirms to herself that she will never let her hair down to anyone so that nobody could come to her in the tower.

Literary devices:
Allusion:- use of famous fairy tale character Rapunzel
Rhyme:- rhyme scheme aafa ggg (Amanda, Amanda, you, Amanda, care, rare, hair)
Assonance: -use of vowel sound ‘e’ and ‘o’ (Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you
Consonance:- use of sound ‘r’ (I am Rapunzel; I have not a care …..Bright hair)
Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’

Stanza 3

Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!        
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!

WORD MEANINGS

Sulking: be in a bad mood
Moody: unstable
Nagged: harass

EXP-Amanda’s mother now warns her for behaving in a very odd manner. She asks her to stop being in a bad mood. Moreover she blames her of having such an unstable mood. She also scolds her by saying that her behavior will one day make people think that Amanda was constantly being harassed by her mother. So, here we can say that though Amanda is always pointed out by her mother on every small thing but she can’t react to this.  If she reacts towards this by getting emotional her mother takes this against her sense of pride and scolds her that she should not behave like this as others would think that Amanda’s mother is very dominating towards her child.

Literary Devices:
Alliteration:- ‘Stop that sulking’ - ‘s’ sound is repeated at the start of closely placed words
Repetition:- use of word ‘Amanda’
Rhyme scheme:- aaha (Amanda, Amanda, you, Amanda)

 TEXT BOOK - Question and Answers

Q1- How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?

A1- Amanda’s age could be between 10-12 years old. We can guess this because of the reference to mermaid or Rapunzel. These stories are read by children of age group of 10-12 years.

 

Q2- Who do you think is speaking to her?

A2- One of her parents is speaking to her. We think that probably it could be her mother. We think this because it’s a general perception that children are taken care of by their mothers at home.

 

Q3- Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?

A3-Parenthesis is a remark that is added to a sentence, often to provide an explanation. So, in stanzas 2, 4 and 6 parenthesis is used to describe the reaction of child Amanda towards her mother’s continuous nagging.

 

Q4- 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?

A4- The speaker in Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 is Amanda. No, she is not paying any attention to what her mother says. She is lost in her own thoughts. She imagines herself as a mermaid, an orphan and Rapunzel.

 

Q5- What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?

A5- The little girl Amanda wants to be a mermaid and the only resident of the beautiful green sea. She thinks that her life will be very relaxing in the sea and she will be taken away with the currents of water. She will be able to enjoy her freedom.

 

Q6- Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?

A6- No, Amanda is not an orphan as she is constantly being pointed out by one of her parents in the poem. She said so because she is sad and depressed because of the continuous scolding and nagging which she faces because of her parents. Therefore, she feels that it would have been much better and peaceful if she would have been an orphan.

 

Q7- Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?

A7- The story of Rapunzel is of a girl who is captured by an old witch in a tower. The old witch climbs up the tower with the help of Rapunzel’s very long hair which she lets down for her through a window of the tower. One day, a Prince visits her by climbing the tower with the help of her long hair. When the witch comes to know this, she separates both of them. But both Rapunzel and Prince meet after a gap of many years and then live their life happily.  Amanda wants to be Rapunzel because she knew that in the story, there was no staircase to enter the tower. It was only possible with the help of Rapunzel’s long hair that she would let down to help others to climb. Amanda feels that life in the tower will be very calm and nice and also makes it a point to never let her hair down for anyone as she doesn’t want to get disturbed by visitors.

 

Q8- What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?

A8- The girl Amanda yearns for freedom and peace in her life. She is constantly reminded of her mistakes. Her parents want her to follow the code of conduct of good behavior. They are doing so because they want their child to be well mannered and obedient. But while doing this they forget that she is a child and should be allowed some freedom. The poet has drawn the reader’s attention towards the condition of children who are constantly oppressed by their elders in the name of good behaviour.

 

Q9- Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?

A9- In our sense, Amanda is not moody. She feels oppressed because of her mother’s constant nagging. She doesn’t want to be pointed out for such small things like cleaning the room, sitting straight, cleaning her shoes, completing her homework, etc. She feels that she is not free and is under a constant pressure of trying to be a well behaved girl as per her parent’s demand.

EXTRA  Questions and Answers

Extract Based Questions

Read the following extracts and answer the questions/complete the sentences that follow :
Question 1. Don’t bite your nails, Amanda ! 
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda !
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!
(a) The speaker wants Amanda.
(b) The speaker is …… .
(c) The word from the passage which means the same as ‘erect’ is ………… .
(d) Who is the poet ?

Answer: (a) to learn good habits.
(b) Amanda’s mother.
(c) straight.
(d) Robin Klen.

Question 2. Stop that sulking at once, Amanda ! 
You’re always so moody, Amanda !
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!
(a) Who is the speaker of these lines ?
(b) What kind of a girl was Amanda ?
(c) Did the speaker rebuke her ?
(d) Which word in the passage means the same as bending ?

Answer: (a) Amanda’s parent is the speaker in these lines.
(b) Amanda was a girl who loved freedom.
(c) The speaker didn’t rebuke her but pointed out certain habits of her.
(d) Sulking.

Question 3. There is a languid, emerald sea, 
where the sole inhabitant is me— a mermaid, drifting blissfuly.
(a) Who is me omit the in these lines ?
(b) What does the desire to be “sole inhabitant” tell you about ‘Amanda’ ?
(c) Which word in the extract means the same as : ‘Relaxed’
(d) What is the colour of the sea ?

Answer: (a) Amanda.
(b) Her desire is to be a mermaid, living in the green sea.
(c) blissfully.
(d) Emeral/Green.

Question 4. There is a languid, emerald sea, 
where the sole inhabitant is me — a mermaid, drifting blissfully.
(a) The speaker here is ………….. .
(b) The stanza is bracketed as it ……….. .
(c) Amanda imagines herself as ………. .
(d) Which word in the passage refers to resident ?

Answer: (a) Amanda herself.
(b) Brackets are used to provide more meaning to the phrase. And poet uses it to present the imagination of the little girl.
(c) a mermaid living in the green sea.
(d) ‘Inhabitant’

Question 5. Did you finish your homework, Amanda ?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda ?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes,
Amanda
(a) According to the narrator, Amanda is a very ……….. girl.
(b) What the narrator asks Amanda is to ………… .
(c) …. is talking to Amanda.
(d) Who is the poet ? 

Answer: (a) careless
(b) finish her homework and then clean her room and shoes.
(c) One of the parents.
(d) Robin Klein

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. What is Amanda’s desire ? Why ?
Answer: Amanda’s 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 2. What can you depict of 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 uninterested.

Question 3. Does the title ‘Amanda’ suet the poem ?
Answer: The title of the poem revolves around the little girl. Her life is full of struggle with no freedom. She experiences calmness away from her nagging parents.

Question 4. What is the age of the girl in the poem ? How do you come to know her age ?
Answer: Amanda is 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 5. Write a short note on the title of the poem?
Answer: The title of the poem is Amanda as it revolves around the upbringing of little girl named Amanda. Her life is full of struggles where she is denied freedom and expression. Amanda is so much irate that she escapes reality by living in her imaginative world. Through this gateway she experiences calmness, away from her nagging parents.

Question 6. Why is Amanda getting scolded for having chocolate?
Answer: Amanda is getting scolded for having chocolates as previously it had caused her acne. Amanda’s mother is very particular about such things.
Amanda is made conscious about her physical appearance. It is very sad that at such a young age Amanda is made to worry about natural experiences.

Question 7. How life on a tower would be different from life anywhere else for Amanda?
Answer: Life on tower for Amanda would be very different from her reality. Just like Rapunzel, even she desires to live on top of a tower, away from everyday chaos. Amanda suffers due to the constant nagging from her parents. She seeks a place full of peace and serenity, where there is no one to disturb her. Hence, she wishes to live on a tower.

Question 8. Why does Amanda seem moody most of the times? 
Answer: Amanda seems moody most of the time because she is trying to make an escape from her sorry reality where she is nagged most of the times. It is indeed a sorry state for a small child like Amanda to bear. Here the only defence against such reality is her imagination where she often escapes to.
Hence, it makes her look moody and uninterested.

Question 9. Why does Amanda wish to be a mermaid, an orphan, or Rapunzel?
Answer: Amanda wishes to be a mermaid so she could drift alone by blissfully languid, emerald sea. She yearns to be an orphan so that she is able to roam the sea and make pattern using her bare feet. Being Rapunzel means she could live carefree on a high tower. Amanda wishes to be these so that she could avoid her suffocating reality.

Question 10. How does it help Amanda to be an orphan?
Answer: Amanda feels troubled around her parents, so she wishes herself to be an orphan. As then only she could live a life of her own without much hassle.

Question 11. Do you consider Amanda’s mother to be a nagging mother?
Answer: Amanda’s mother is indeed a nagging mother. She is all about instructions and finding faults. No doubt it is her responsibility to instil good values into her daughter, but not at the cost of her child’s happiness. One should know how to strike a balance between maintaining responsibilities and taking good care.

Question 12. Is Amanda at fault at all?
Answer: Amanda is not at fault at all. It is too harsh for a small child to understand the concept of acne and not eating a chocolate. Love of parents is missing from Amanda’s life. It is with pity that we look towards Amanda. There is nothing worst for a child who wishes to be an orphan. Amanda just seeks freedom from the overpowering environment around her.

Question 13. What is the central theme of the poem Amanda?
Answer: The poem Amanda by Robin Klein highlights the importance of upbringing of a child. It points out that upbringing doesn’t involve making a child responsible and fit for the society only. It is important to note that upbringing involves understanding from both the sides. One cannot just force a child to be civilised and good mannered. “Love and proper care is required in nurturing of a child.

 

Long Answer Type Question

Question 1. What do you leam from the poem ‘Amanda’ ?

Answer: The poem ‘Amanda’ teaches us that children tend to learn bad habits, Any child can not be taught in one day. It is natural for a child like Amanda to seek freedom. Parents who are judging their children every time would do more harm than good. She is corrected every time by her parents we witness miserable failure of parents when Amanda wishes to be an orphan so that she could be free.

Question 2. 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 an adult. Whenever we wish to admire or criticise someone we question the upbringing of that person. Robin Klein’s poem Amanda highlights the tension in the ‘proper’ upbringing of a child. To instil good values and moral principles in a growing child comes as a foremost duty for the parents. However, the poem Amanda shows how a child feels trapped within the cluster of instructions. Amanda 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 feels trapped and seeks an escape. Her imagination proves to be her escape and also her defence against her nagging parents. Situation of Amanda is so worse that she wishes to be an orphan, in order to get rid of her parents. She imagines enacting various roles varying from mermaid to Rapunzel. Amanda wishes to live alone and carefree. 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.

Question 3. How does Amanda tackle the nagging nature of her parents? Explain with examples from the poem. What values does it portray about Amanda?
Answer: Amanda is a small girl who is termed as moody for her careless behaviour. But it is very surprising to know that this is her defence mechanism to shield against her nagging parents. Amanda is getting instructions from her parents, which become too much to handle for the small girl. She is told not to eat her nails and sit in a proper position. Amanda’s response to it is her work of imagination where she is a mermaid drifting effortlessly by the languid river. Further, she is asked about cleaning her room and finishing her homework to which she reacts being an orphan roaming in the street and making patterns with her bare feet. Amanda then faces the heat for eating a chocolate, which had once caused her acne. She takes the form of Rapunzel and wishes to live on top of a tower away from everyone in her imagination. Amanda’s parents are upset over her behaviour and casualness, but she stays in her own world. All these portray Amanda in a positive light while her parents in a negative light. We as readers feel very sorry for a child like Amanda.

Question 3. State the key points in the poem Amanda. What do you learn from it? 
Answer: Every child is special in itself, and it requires a great deal of patience and love to make them understand this. Parents should give proper space to children, as they learn through experiences as well. Children do tend to learn certain bad habits, to undo that requires great level of understanding and right approach. One cannot teach their child everything in one day and expect them to behave properly henceforth. It is natural for a child like Amanda to seek freedom at her place, to curb that freedom means to make her angry and moody. Growing up of child should not be about dos and don’ts only. To have nagging parents judging every action of child would do more harm than good. Robin Klein points to the fact that Amanda is forbidden to do anything without seeking permission. Everything she does it is corrected by her mother all the time, she cannot perform a single thing according to her will. She can’t sit lazily around, she can’t eat chocolate for 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 is innocent and naive, she is too small to understand the benefits of advice. Only thing that matters to Amanda’s mother is what society will make of Amanda. We witness miserable failure of parents when Amanda wishes to be an orphan so that she could be free.