Amanda

 

Robin Klein

The poem revolves around how a child is constantly nagged by her mother. The poetess sheds light on how a child is always monitored and questioned about her actions by her mother. Therefore, Amanda dreams to get away from her troubles.

 

Summary

This poem expresses the state of a little girl’s mind who is constantly instructed about do’s and don’ts by her mother. The girl named Amanda and her mother who is irritating her for mistakes. Her mother used to give instructions not to hunch her shoulders and to sit up straight. Her mother reminds her to finish her homework. The little girl Amanda keeps dreaming about freedom of life in the open. Her mother also feels that she is sitting in a very lethargic manner. To this, Amanda imagines herself as a mermaid swimming freely and joyously in the light green sea. She wants to live a calm and relaxing life in the beautiful green sea. Further her mother drags Amanda out of her dreams by asking whether she cleans her room and shoes or not. Amanda has another daydream in which she imagines herself as an orphan wandering freely, barefoot in golden silence and uninterrupted freedom. She utters that she would have enjoyed her freedom then, by making the patterns of her bare feet on the sand. She would live a peaceful life. Her mother’s nagging complaints break her daydream. The mother forbade Amanda not to eat chocolates because of her acne and pimples. She also rebukes her for not looking at her while she is talking to her. Amanda is enjoying another dream that now she fantasizes herself as Rapunzel, a character from a fairy tale and wants to live like her in a huge tower peacefully. She dreams that she will never let down her hair from the tower like Rapunzel. In the tower, she will live an alone and peaceful life. She will never allow anyone to come to the tower. Finally, the mother forbids her for being moody. because she doesn’t want anyone to make her feel guilty that she is harassing her daughter. At this time the poet has not written any response from Amanda’s side. This constant nagging has made her so upset that she has even stopped dreaming of herself as someone else. She always tries this only in order to escape from the continuous harassment and dominance of her parents.

 

Critical Analysis

In this poem, the poet shows us how difficult it can be for a young girl to grow up. In childhood, we are happy to listen to fairy tales and imagine ourselves to be in the same situation. However, this cannot last forever. At some point of time or the other, we all have to grow up. One part of growing up is leaving fairy tales behind and learning to accept reality as it is. Hence, we must get used to having our own set of responsibilities, such as doing our homework or keeping our rooms clean. This is a part of every child’s growth into adolescence and then adulthood. However, this process is more difficult for girls than it is for boys. This is because girls are always expected to behave in a certain way, to be the epitome of elegance in their every movement. That is why Amanda’s mother does not allow her to slouch and wants her to sit up straight instead. Young girls are also expected to take care of their appearance. That is why Amanda’s mother does not want her to develop acne on her face, and so she tells her not to have any chocolates. Young girls are expected to always smile and be sweet, and never to express any bitterness. That is why Amanda’s mother tells her not to sulk or to be moody. However, such expectations can seem like a burden to young girls, and that is exactly how Amanda feels. She does not want to be denied chocolate, and she wants to sit and behave exactly as she wants to. She would rather indulge in fantasies than clean her room or her shoes. In other words, Amanda wants to postpone growing up and would like to remain a child for just a little bit longer.

 

Thinking about the Poem

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

Ans: Amanda must be around 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 or 10-year-old girl.

 

2. Who do you think is speaking to her?

Ans: Her mother is speaking to her.

 

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.

 

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, Amanda. No, she is not listening to her mother who is the speaker in stanzas 1, 3 ,5 and 7. She is lost in her own thoughts and doesn't listen to what is being said to her.

 

5. 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.

 

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 and enjoy being herself. She wants to roam around in the street alone and pattern dust with 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?

Ans: Amanda wants to be Rapunzel because she wants to live alone. Rapunzel lived alone in a tall tower and had long, beautiful golden 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. Her 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 always wanted to live alone, all by herself only.

 

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

Ans: 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 mother.

 

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

Ans: No, Amanda is neither sulking, nor is she moody. She simply longs for her freedom. She wants to go out and play wherever she likes.

 

Message

The poem conveys the message that children need to be allowed more liberty. Excessive nagging makes them defiant and they turn a deaf ear to the instructions of the elders. They develop a kind of dislike for real life and start escaping into the world of dreams and imagination.

 

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