Robin Mc Maugh Klein is an Australian children’s book author. She writes Children’s and young adult fiction. Among her most well-known works are Hating Alison Ashley, People Might Hear You, and others.
Amanda – Introduction
Amanda is a beautiful short poem by Robin Klein. This poem is about the upbringing of a small child Amanda. It is concerned with the difficulties that a child faces. In this poem, Robin Klein articulates the viewpoints of a little girl, Amanda, who is continually chastised by her mother for making mistakes. Mistakes that she deems to be such because they violate the society’s code of conduct. The poet emphasises the critical issue that children should never be stripped of their liberty. However, parents are ultimately accountable for their child’s upbringing. Their instructions should not instil a sense of imprisonment in the children. Amanda is now prepared to conform to society’s standards, and this instruction intends to limit her freedom. Her inventiveness is stifled, which irritates her. This irritant is driving her desire to be an orphan even stronger. This constant annoyance was contributing significantly to her moodiness. As a result, the poem’s entire course is quite recognisable to us all.
Summary of The Poem Amanda #1
The poem is about a girl named Amanda and her mother, who constantly chastises her for her misdeeds. She is probably first called out by her mother for biting her nails and not sitting properly. Amanda, according to her mother, sits in a very sluggish manner. Amanda imagines herself as a mermaid living a peaceful and pleasant existence in the beautiful green water. She is also chastised for not cleaning her room and shoes, as well as not finishing her homework. She then imagines herself to be an orphan since she is tired of constantly being watched by her parents. She claims that she would have relished her independence than by drawing patterns on the sand with her bare feet and would have had a peaceful life. Amanda is then chastised for eating too many chocolates, which creates pimples. She is also chastised for failing to listen to her mother. So Amanda imagines herself as Rapunzel, a character from a fairy tale, and wishes to dwell in a huge tower like her. She will be alone in the tower, living a quiet life and never allowing anyone to enter. Finally, the mother requests that she refrain from being grumpy since she does not want anybody to blame her for bothering her daughter. At this moment, the poet has not written response from Amanda’s point of view. This incessant nagging has left her so depressed that she has given up imagining herself as someone else. She used to do this to get away from her parents’ constant harassment and tyranny.
Summary of The Poem Amanda #2
This poem depicts the state of mind of a small child who is continuously being lectured by her mother about what to do and what not to do. Amanda is a young girl, and her mother is a thorn in her side due to her errors. Her mother used to tell her to sit up straight and not bend her shoulders. Her mother reprimands her for failing to complete her assigned work. Amanda, a small child, continues to fantasise about open-air freedom.
Additionally, her mother observes her sitting sluggishly. Amanda envisions herself as a mermaid who swims freely and joyfully in the light green sea in response to this. She desires a tranquil and quiet existence amid the lush green sea. Additionally, Amanda is dragged from her fantasies by her mother, who inquires as to whether she cleans her room and shoes.
Amanda has another daydream in which she envisions herself as an orphan walking freely, barefoot amid golden silence and unbroken freedom. She expresses how she would have relished her independence back then, creating designs on the sand with her bare feet. She would lead a tranquil existence. Her daydream is disrupted by her mother’s constant complaints. Due to Amanda’s acne and pimples, her mother prevented her from eating chocolate. Additionally, she chastises her for failing to look her in the eye while she speaks to her.
Amanda’s mother inquires in the second stanza as to whether she has completed her homework or not. Then she inquires as to whether she has cleaned her room. Additionally, she is reminding her to keep her shoes clean. Amanda is imagining her life as an orphan at the moment. She believes that as an orphan, she is entitled to explore the streets freely. She is free to make drawings on the soft dust with her bare feet in privacy. There is no one to speak to an orphan, which allows her to live a silent, serene, and free existence. The poet states here that she becomes upset with her mother to the point where she believes the reverse. Her mother advised her to clean her shoes to maintain a sanitary and healthy lifestyle. However, Amanda interpreted this to mean that her mother is taking her freedom. That is why she begins to fantasise about an orphan’s existence being superior to her own.
Amanda’s mother forbids her from eating chocolate in the third stanza. She develops pimples on her face whenever she consumes chocolates. Her mother then instructs her to pay attention to her whenever she speaks. She wants Amanda to pay heed to and act upon her comments. Amanda imagines herself to be Rapunzel, a character from a fairy tale, after hearing her mother’s remarks. Rapunzel was kidnapped by a witch and imprisoned in a tower. The witch climbed the tower using Rapunzel’s long hair. Thus, Amanda wants to live Rapunzel’s life because she believes she might lead a peaceful and tranquil existence in a pleasant setting. However, she will never let her hair down in public, ensuring that no one will be able to enter the tower.
Amanda’s mother warns her in the final stanza to quit behaving strangely. She claims to have developed a mood disorder and is perpetually grumpy. Anyone who notices this will believe her mother is pestering her. The poet wishes to emphasise that Amanda is incapable of responding to her mother’s feelings. If she does, her mother would regard it as a betrayal of her pride and chastise her for failing to behave correctly like other children. Amanda’s mother nature is demonstrated to be extremely domineering in this scene.
We hope that students have this study guide about the poem Amanda useful. This poem will help them in their academics.
Questions and Answers
Short Answer Type Questions
Q. 1: What picture of Amanda do you form from the poem ‘Amanda’? Answer: Amanda is a little school going, girl. She is constantly nagged by her parent. It is probably the mother. She keeps asking Amanda to do this or not to do that. But poor Amanda longs to be free and live life in her own way.
Q. 2: What is Amanda asked to do or not to do? Answer: Amanda is asked not to bite her nails, not to hunch 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.
Q. 3: What does Amanda long to do at the sea? Answer: 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 joyfully with the gentle waves of the sea.
Q. 4: Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say that? Answer: Amanda is not an orphan. She is nagged 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.
Q. 5: How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this? Answer: 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.
Q. 6: Who do you think is speaking to Amanda in the poem? Answer: 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.
Q. 7: What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid? Answer: 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 her all the time. She could then move about freely where she liked.
Q. 8: Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Write briefly. Aswer: Rapunzel was a beautiful golden-haired girl her hair was very long. A witch 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.
Q. 9: Why does Amanda Want to be Rapunzel? Answer: 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.
Q. 10: What does Amanda yearn for? What does the poem tell you about her? Answer: Amanda yearns for a life of freedom. She is fed up with the constant nagging of her parents. She wishes that she had been an orphan show that there had been no one to nag her. Then she could move about freely and play where she liked.
Additional Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. 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 a 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 2.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 3. 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 4. 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 5. 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 can roam the sea and make patterns using her bare feet. Being Rapunzel means she could live carefree on a high tower. Amanda wishes to be there so that she could avoid her suffocating reality.
Question 6. 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 7. 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 8. 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 9. What is the central theme of the poem Amanda? Answer: The poem Amanda by Robin Klein highlights the importance of the 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 well mannered. “Love and proper care is required in nurturing of a child.
1. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this? Answer: Amnada is must be about 9−10 years old. She is a school going girl. The things that her mother scolds her for are all typical instructions given to a 9 or10-year-old girl.
2. Who do you think is speaking to her? Answer: Her mother is speaking to her.
3. Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis? Answer: 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.
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? Answer: In stanzas 2, 4 and 6, the speaker is the child, Amanda. No, she is not listening to her mother who is the speaker in stanzas 1, 3 and 5. She is lost in her own dreams and doesn’t listen to what is being said to her.
5. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid? Answer: 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.
6. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so? Answer: 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.
7. Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel? Answer: 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.
8. What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda? Answer: The girl yearns for a life of freedom. The poem tells us that she is an imaginative girl who is constantly nagged by her unimaginative parent.
9. Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody? Answer: No, Amanda is neither sulking nor is she moody. She simply longs for her freedom. She wants to go out and play where she likes.
Textbook questions & answers
Q. 1- How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this? Answer: Amanda is a little school-going girl. We know this because her parents ask her to finish her homework.
Q. 2- Who do you think is speaking to her? Answer: It is her parent (probably her mother) who is speaking to her.
Q. 3- Why are stanzas 2,4 and 6 given in parenthesis? Answer: These stanzas depict the state of the girl’s mind who is constantly nagged by her parent.
Q. 4- Who is the speaker in stanzas 2,4and 6? Do you think this speaker is listening to the speaker in stanzas 1,3,5 and 7? Answer: The speaker in these stanzas is a girl named Amanda. She is lost in her own dreams and doesn’t listen to what is being said to her.
Q. 5- What could do if she were a mermaid? Answer: She would drift with the gentle waves of the sea.
Q. 6- Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so? Answer: No, she is not an orphan. She simply imagines that there would have been no one to nag her if she had been an orphan.
Q. 7- Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does Amanda want to be Rapunzel? Answer: Rapunzel was a golden-haired girl who had been kept in a tower by a witch. Amanda thinks that Rapunzel’s life in the lonely tower must have been very happy and wonderful. That is why she wants to be Rapunzel.
Q. 8- What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda? Answer: The girl yearns for a life of freedom. The poem tells us that she is an imaginative girl who is constantly nagged by her unimaginative parent.
Q. 9- Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody? Answer: No, Amanda is neither sulking nor is she moody. She simply longs for her freedom. She wants to go out and play where she likes.
Extra Questions (Solved)
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions 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) Amanda is getting instructions for what purpose? (b) Give a synonym of ‘hunch’. (c) What does the speaker of the above lines instruct Amanda in the first stanza? (d) What is the literary device used in the third line?
Answer: (a) Amanda is getting instructions as a part of her upbringing. Her conduct and manners are getting refined for future purposes. (b) Bend. (c) Amanda is getting instructed for biting her nails and sitting lazily with her shoulders bent. (d) Literary device used in the third line is Alliteration. ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’.
Question 2. (There is a languid, emerald sea, where the sole inhabitant is me – a mermaid, drifting blissfully.) (a) Why are these lines given within brackets? (b) Give the word from the passage which means free flowing act of going with the motion and force? (c) What is the role of mermaid here? (d) Which word in the extract means the opposite of ‘sorrowful’?
Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions
Question 1. 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. The situation of Amanda is so worse that she wishes to be an orphan, 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. A proper balance should be maintained when dealing with such delicate issues. Love and care should always be part of this two-way transaction.
Question 2. 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 a 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 of eating 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 a great level of understanding and the 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 shStudy Guide of Amanda Pdfould not be about dos and don’ts only. To have nagging parents judging every action of a 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. The 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.
The only thing that matters to Amanda’s mother is what society will make of Amanda. We witness the miserable failure of parents when Amanda wishes to be an orphan so that she could be free.
