Summary – Amanda
This poem depicts(describe) the state of a little girl’s mind who is constantly instructed (taught)about do’s and don’ts by her elders. She is told not to hunch(bend) her shoulders and to sit up straight. She is told to finish her homework and tidy her room. She is forbidden(not allowed) from eating a chocolate that she has. But all the time, the little girl Amanda keeps dreaming of a life of freedom in the open. She dreams of mermaids in the sea, of roaming barefoot in the dusty street and of the golden haired Rapunzel who lived alone in a high tower. She takes no note of what is being said to her. Then she is rebuked (scold) for being moody and sulking (bad mood) all the time.
Extra Question Answers
Question 1: What picture of Amanda do you form from the poem ‘Amanda’?
A: Amanda is a little school going girl. She is constantly nagged(scold) by her parent. It is probably the mother. She keeps asking Amanda to do this or not to do that. But poor Amanda wants to be free and live life in her own way.
Question 2: What is Amanda asked to do or not to do?
A: Amanda is asked not to bite her nails, not to hunch (bend) her shoulders and not to eat chocolate. She is asked to sit up straight, to finish her homework, to tidy her room and to clean her shoes. In fact, she is constantly asked to do this or not to do that.
Question 3: What does Amanda want to do at the sea?
A: Amanda wants to be the sole inhabitant of the sea. She wants to be as free as a mermaid. She wants to be a mermaid `so that she could drift(float) joyfully with the gentle waves of sea.
Question 4: Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say that?
A: Amanda is not an orphan. She is nagged(scold) all the time by her parent. So she feels it better to have been an orphan. Then she could roam about freely in the street, leaving patterns of her bare feet in the soft dust.
Question 5: How old do you think Amanda is ? How do you know this?
A: Amanda is asked to finish her homework .It shows that she is a school-going girl. She seems to be around ten years old. She is constantly told to do this or not to do that.
Question 6: Who do you think is speaking to Amanda in the poem ?
A: Is one of the parents who is speaking to Amanda. It is probably the mother who remains all the time at home and keeps nagging poor Amanda.
Question 7: What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
A: Amanda could then be the inhabitant of the sea. She could drift joyfully with the gentle waves of the sea. There would have been no one to nag here all the time. She could then move about freely where she liked.
Question 8: Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Write briefly.
A: Rapunzel was a beautiful golden- haired girl her hair was very long. A witch (dayan) had put her in a tower. A prince saw her and fell in love with her. Rapunzel let her hair down and the prince climbed up with them. The witch was very angry. She left Rapunzel alone in the desert. The prince at last found her and married her.
Question 9: Why does Amanda Want to be Rapunzel?
A: Rapunzel lived alone in a tower. There was no one to nag her all time. Amanda thinks that Rapunzel’s life must have been very peaceful and wonderful. That is why she wants to be Rapunzel.