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Amanda
Amanda
Literary devices:
Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines
did you finish….did you tidy,
(don’t bite… don’t hunch
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’
Thought, told, you, your, shoes
don’t bite… don’t hunch
will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you
Metaphor:
silence is golden - silence is said to be glorious like golden colour
freedom is sweet - freedom is said to be sweet in taste.
use of word emerald sea for green colour of sea being similar to the colour of emerald
Repetition:
use of word ‘Amanda’
Imagery:
drifting blissfully
Alliteration:
‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’
‘Stop that sulking’
Allusion:
‘mermaid’ is a well known imaginary creature.
use of famous fairy tale character Rapunzel
Consonance: use of sound ‘r’
I am Rapunzel; I have not a care …..Bright hair
Irony
Stop that sulking
SHORT ANSWERS
1. What does the poet ask Amanda not to do in the poem” ‘Amanda’?
The poet advises Amanda not to bite her nails, not to hunch her shoulders and not to
eat chocolate. She advises her to sit straight and take care of her acne. She further
advises her to keep herself clean.
2. In which way does Amanda imagine herself to be mermaid? .
Amanda imagines herself or wishes to be free like a mermaid, which is moving
slowly in a state of bliss in the sea, which is green like an emerald.
3. What instructions were given to Amanda about her homework, room and shoes?
Amanda had been commanded or advised to finish her homework and keep her room
neat and clean. She is also instructed to clean her shoes.
4. How and why does Amanda say that she is an orphan?
Amanda seems to be fed up with continuous instructions and naggings. She is feeling
that her freedom is curtailed. So, she imagines herself to be an orphan street child who
leaves imprints caused on the soft dust by her bare feet. She feels that silence is
golden or precious and freedom is sweet.
5. What impression do you form about Amanda, after reading the poem ‘Amanda’?
Amanda feels suffocated because she is controlled and instructed not to do one thing
or the other. She feels that her freedom is curtailed. But Amanda wishes to be free to
live in her own world. She is a very sensitive girl who indulges in daydreaming quiet
often. She highly values silence and freedom.
6. ‘Life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair’.
Why does the poet say that life in a tower is tranquil and rare? Whose life is he talking
about?
The poet feels that life in a tower is peaceful and full of freedom because there is no
one to nag you. She is talking about Rapunzel who lives in a peaceful tower.
7. Why does Amanda imagine to be
(i) a Mermaid (ii) an orphan, and (iii) Rapunzel,
What does it show about her?
Answer:
(i) Amanda imagines herself to be a mermaid so that she may drift in the silent sea
and enjoy the loneliness and peace there. She yearns for freedom.
(ii) She wishes to be an orphan so that she may play bare feet in the dust without
receiving several instructions or scolding. She wishes for her independence and
freedom.
(iii) Amanda is fascinated by the lonely and tranquil life of Rapunzel in a closed
tower. She wishes for such a life so that her nagging mother may not reach there. Here
also, she yearns for her freedom from nagging.
8. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?
Amanda is a teenager. This is the age when a child wants to have freedom. Teenagers
do not like nagging and want to have free life. The poet advises Amanda to take care
of her acne which commonly appears on the face of a teenager.
9. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?
No, Amanda is neither sulking, nor she is moody. She is simply longing for her
freedom. She wants to go out and play wherever she likes.
LONG ANSWER
It is said that excess of everything is bad. Excess of parental love may make a child
pampered, in the same way excess of nagging may throw a child into negativity.
These statements are seen justified to some extent in the poem ‘Amanda’. Explain.
None can refute the pious role of parents or elders or teachers in the proper grooming and
holistic development of a child. Parent’s personality resonates and reflects through the
behaviours and personality of a child. Parents do every possible, to shape the character
and habits of their child. But sometimes, in course of nurturing the kid, the parents cross
the limits unknowingly.
They became either over caring or over protective or over anxious. They forget the fact
that, when a matured mind cannot tolerate excess of do’s and don’ts, how can they expect
it from a child who is totally unaware of the worries and cares of the world. To a child the
world means a world of imagination fancy and fairy.
If being nagged repeatedly she may form negative opinions about his/her mother and
father. The same thing we find in the poem ‘Amanda’. Amanda is a girl of around 8-11
year of age who lives in her own fairy land. She does not appreciate the constant scolding
or nagging of her father/mother.
She feels that her freedom is punctuated. So, she instead of following the instructions,
remains wandering in her own world of imagination. Excess of nagging has resulted into
negativity as Amanda considers herself orphan. She sulks. She avoids eye to eye contact.
Hence, parents must understand the line of boundary and act.
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.
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?
Amanda is getting instructions as a part of her upbringing. Her conduct and manners
are getting refined for future purposes.
(b) Give a synonym of ‘hunch’.
Bend.
(c) What does the speaker of above lines instruct Amanda in the first stanza?
Amanda is getting instructed for biting her nails and sitting lazily with her shoulders bent.
(d) What is the literary device used in the third line?
Literary device used in third line is Alliteration. ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’.