Amanda - Answers to Textual Questions

Thinking about the Poem. Answers to the questions given on Page 62.

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

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

2. Who do you think is speaking to her?

One of her parents is speaking to her. Maybe, it is her mother. The range of instructions suggests that the speaker is Amanda’s mother.

3. Why are stanzas 2, 4, and 6 given in parenthesis?

Stanzas 2, 4, and 6 are given in parenthesis because they reflect the inner thoughts of Amanda. They can be taken as the reaction of the child to the instructions given in other stanzas.

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?

Speaker of the stanzas 2, 4 and 6 is the child, Amanda. No, she is not paying any attention to the speaker of stanzas 1, 3, and 5 as she is lost in a world of her own.

5. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?

Amanda could swim in the calm emerald sea blissfully if she were a mermaid.

6. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?

No, Amanda is not an orphan, though she wishes to be one. She is so much stressed with the continuous nagging of her parents that she imagines herself to be better without them. She wishes to roam around the streets and draw patterns with her bare feet.

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

Rapunzel is a character in a fairy tale. She lives on a high tower.  She is happy and satisfied. She has long golden hair, using which a prince comes to meet her.  Amanda wants to live lonely like Rapunzel. So, she would never let her hair down for anyone to climb to her.

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

The girl wants freedom. She wants to lead her life the way she likes. She has certain natural habits. Everyone has these at that age. But her parents do not like these to be there in her.

Amanda has these habits. But she is an obedient and understanding girl. There are certain restrictions in her life as in every household.

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

Amanda is sulking as it is given in the last stanza. But it is ‘sulking’ for the speaker only. Amanda herself is not sulking. It is clear in the sentence “Anyone would think … at you”. It means the speaker is conscious that the girl is ‘nagged’ unnecessarily.