AMANDA                                      (ROBIN KLEIN)

                                                           TEXTUAL QUUESTIONS

Q.1.How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?

 Ans: I think Amanda is around 12 or 13. It is clear from the ‘acnes’ she has. Usually boys, girls at this age have them on their faces.

Q 2: Who do you think is speaking to her?

Ans : Her mother is speaking to her.

Q 3: Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?

Ans : Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 are given in parenthesis because they are the thoughts of the child in between the instructions that she is being given by her mother, which are given in stanzas 1, 3 and 5. The scolding by the mother and the child’s thoughts are placed in alternate stanzas by the poet.

Q 4: 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?

Ans : In stanzas 2, 4 and 6, the speaker is the child. No, she is not listening to her mother who is the speaker in stanzas 1, 3 and 5. She is lost in her thoughts and she is clearly not listening to her mother.

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

Ans : If Amanda were a mermaid, then she would drift slowly on a languid emerald sea. She would be the sole inhabitant of the relaxed green sea and would move slowly on it.

Q 6: Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?

Ans : No, Amanda is not an orphan. She says so because she wants to be alone. She wants to roam around in the street alone and pattern dust wit her bare feet. She finds silence ‘golden’ and freedom ‘sweet’. It is for this reason that she calls herself an orphan.

Q 7:Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?

Ans : She wants to be Rapunzel because she wants to live alone. Rapunzel lived alone in a tall tower and had long, beautiful hair. She was held captive by her grandmother, who came up the tower by climbing her long hair. The girl also wants to live alone in a tower as she would not have to care about anything as life in a tower would be tranquil, peaceful and rare. However, she also decided that she would never throw down her hair for anyone to come up as she wanted to live alone always.

Que 8: What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?

Ans : The girl yearns for solitude and peace. In all the things she dreams of, she wants to stay alone. If she were a mermaid, then she wanted to drift slowly on a calm sea where she would be the only inhabitant. She even goes on to imagine if she were an orphan. In that case, she would roam about the street in silence and freedom. She also wishes to be Rapunzel though she would not let her hair down for anybody to climb up. This shows that she is fed up of the continuous scolding she receives from her mother. She wants to go away from her home to some place where she would not be constantly nagged and would be able to live peacefully

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

Ans : It does not seem that she is sulking, though she could be moody. She is completely lost in her thoughts and is not even listening to her mother. Her mother perceives her to be sulking as she does not react to her instructions at all. As Amanda does not listen to her, she concludes that she is very moody and continues to nag her.

EXTRA QUESTIONS

Q1) what does the poet instruct Amanda in the first stanza?

Ans: In the first stanza the poet instructs Amanda to sit straight. She should not bend her shoulders. She should not bite her nails.

Q3) what does the poet ask Amanda in the third stanza?

Ans:  The poet asks Amanda if she has finished her school homework. He also asks about cleaning and tidying her room. He wants to know whether she has cleaned her shoes.

Q4)  What does the poet asks Amanda in fifth stanza?

Ans: The poet instructs Amanda that she should not eat chocolate. He reminds her about her acne. He even expects from her that she will look at him when he talks with her.

Q5) What message does the poet want to convey through the poem, ‘Amanda’?

Ans:  The poet wants to convey the message that small children should be advised on some matters but we should not disturb them to a large extend. Children have their own mood and their own world.