NCERT Solutions Class 10 English Chapter 4 Amanda Poem

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English for Amanda Poem 

Thinking about the Poem

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 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 is simply longs for her freedom. She wants to go out and play where she likes. 

Amanda Poem Summary Class 10 English

ABOUT THE POET: Robin McMaugh Klein(known as Robin Klein) is an Australian author of books for children. She was born on 28 February 1936, in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia and now resides near Melbourne. She worked in number of jobs before becoming an established writer, including tea lady at a warehouse, bookshop assistant, nurse, copper enamelist, and program aide at a school for disadvantaged children. In 1981 she was awarded a Literature Board grant for writing, and since then she has had more than twenty books published.

THEME: In the above poem, the poet Robin Klein says that a child should never be denied freedom. It deals with the upbringing of a small child, Amanda. It highlights the struggles faced by the child. The poet deals with the theme of torture and ill-treatment of young children by their parents. In the poem, Amanda is a young girl who is constantly insulted by her parents for various mistakes she commits.

SUMMARY: 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.

Don’t bite your nails, Amanda !
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda !
Stop that slouching and sit up straight, Amanda !

Explanation: In the above stanza, Amanda is getting instructed, most probably by her parents for not biting her nails and for sitting lazily with her shoulders bent. The tone of instructions here is not a friendly one and thus fails to make any sense to Amanda.

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)
❖ Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’

There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me-
a mermaid, drifting blissfuly.

Explanation : Amanda uses her imagination as an escape point from day to day commands of her parents. She says that there is a calm, emerald sea whose only inhabitant is me. She finds peace in her own created world where there are no restrains. She imagines herself to be a joyful mermaid sailing without any confines alongside soft waves of the green sea.

Literary devices:
❖ Metaphor: use of word emerald sea for green colour of sea being similar to the colour of emerald
❖ Imagery: drifting blissfully
❖ Allusion: ‘mermaid’ is a well known imaginary creature.

Did you finish your homework, Amanda ?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda ?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes, Amanda!

Explanation : Amanda is now being asked about whether she had finished her homework, or had made her room tidy and also whether she had cleaned her shoes. These set of instructions mark a shift from the instructions given in stanza. Her name is being called again with an exclamation mark which shows that the parents seem to be losing their cool and are troubled.

❖ Literary devices:
Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (did you finish….did you tidy) Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (Thought, told, you, your, shoes) Repetition: use of word ‘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.

Explanation : Amanda is again lost into her own world. After getting a fresh list of instructions from her parents, she wishes to be away from this daily routine life. Amanda perceives herself as an orphan roaming on the streets, moving aimlessly without any purpose. She seems happy as she draws patterns using her bare feet.

❖ Literary devices:
Metaphor: silence is golden – silence is said to be glorious like golden colour freedom is sweet – freedom is said to be sweet in taste

Don’t eat the chocolate, Amanda !
Remember your acne, Amanda !
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you Amanda !

Explanation : Amanda is stopped by her parents from eating a chocolate as previously it caused her ache. Amanda is still lost in her own thoughts and doesn’t care enough to look up to her scolding parents. This carelessness further angers the parents and they ask for her attention when she is being scolded.

❖ Literary devices:
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ and ‘o’ (Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you Repetition: use of word ‘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!

Explanation : Amanda is still lost in her own dreams. She pictures herself to be the long golden-haired Rapunzel who lived in a castle and had no care about anything. Amanda imagines that the life of Rapunzel must have been very peaceful and fantastic in the tower. But she is unwilling to let her hair down. She only wants to live by herself as the presence of another being in her life would require her to act in a certain way. Amanda wanted to live free and happy.

❖ Literary devices:
Allusion: use of famous fairy tale character Rapunzel Consonance: use of sound ‘r’ (I am Rapunzel; I have not a care …..Bright hair) Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’

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

Explanation : The parents keep instructing Amanda on the do’s and don’ts, but Amanda remains lost in her own dreams. The parents believe that Amanda is not reacting because she is annoyed. Her behaviour has made her parents look bad and they get worried about their image. They are concerned about how society will perceive them if their child always remains in a foul mood.

❖ Literary Devices:
Alliteration: ‘Stop that sulking’ – ‘s’ sound is repeated at the start of closely placed words Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’ 

DIFFICULT WORD MEANINGS