First Flight - Poem. No. 4 AMANDA - ROBIN KLEIN Poem, Glossary, Summary, Questions, and Answers. The Poem - Don't bite your nails, Ama...
First Flight - Poem. No. 4
AMANDA - ROBIN KLEIN
Poem, Glossary, Summary, Questions, and Answers.
The Poem -
Don't bite your nails, Amanda!
Don't hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight, Amanda!
There is a languid, emerald sea,
Where the sole inhabitant is me-
A mermaid, drifting blissfully.
Did You finish your homework, Amanda!
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes, Amanda!
( I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, and the freedom is sweet.)
Don't eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I'm speaking to you, Amanda!
( I am Rapunzel, I have not care;
life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I'll certainly never let down my bright hair!)
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
You're always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you, Amanda!
Glossary -
1. hunch - bend.
2. slouching - sitting lazily.
3. languid - relaxed.
4. Emerald - green in colour.
5. inhabitant - resident.
6. mermaid - the woman or a girl having the tail of a fish. (In Hindi, it is called, "Jalpari").
7. drifting - moving slowly.
8. blissfully - happily.
9. pattern - make designs.
10. hushed - a quiet and calm place.
11. acne - pimples.
12. Rapunzel - a beautiful girl in a fairy tale.
13. tranquil - calm.
14. sulking - in a bad mood.
Summary -
The poem, " Amanda" is written by the poet Robin Klein, and in the poem internal struggle of a teenager Amanda is shown very effectively, as she has been continuously scolded by her mother over small things like cleaning the room, polishing shoes, not to eat chocolates, etc, and she gets annoyed with the constant nagging of her mother and therefore she creates an imaginary world of her own, where she would live her life as per her own terms and conditions, some times she fantasizes herself as a mermaid and move swiftly in the emerald sea, dreams as an orphan child, roaming on the street freely, and sometimes wants to be like a fairy tale girl Rupanzel.
From the poem, we can conclude a massage that teenagers between the age group of 11 and 15, are very sensitive and emotional, they always dislike being instructed continuously, and they just imagine another world where they would spend their life as per their will and wish, and that could be dangerous.
If they are properly guided with love and patience, they will definitely respond, but continuous interruption may force them to create an imaginary world as Amanda does in the poem.
Thinking about the poem -
1. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?
Ans - Amanda must be a girl between 11-13 years old, and I came to know because of everyday habits like eating chocolates, biting nails, having pimples, and having a careless attitude.
2. Who do you think is speaking to her?
Ans - Amanda's mother is speaking to her.
3. Why are stanzas 2, 4, and 6 given in parenthesis?
Ans - These stanzas in the poem come after the stanzas where Amanda's mother is scolding her over the small thing, as a typical mother does to a school-going boy or a girl. Actually, in the poem, the scolding of her mother and the free thoughts of Amanda comes in an alternate order.
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 - The speaker in the stanzas is Amanda herself, and the speaker in the stanzas is her mother, and she is not at all responding to her mother, therefore her mother is scolding Amanda.
5. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
Ans - If Amanda were a mermaid, she would move slowly and happily in the emerald sea, where she would be the sole inhabitant.
6. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?
Ans - No, Amanda is not an orphan, but she says so because she got irritated by continuous scolding and instructions from her mother, so she wishes to be alone, and live freely without any suggestions, therefore she says so.
7. Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?
Ans - Rapunzel is a story of a beautiful girl in a fairy tale who was captured by an old witch living in a tower, she has long hair, and she lets her hair down through the window of the tower, one day a prince visits the tower and climbs with the help of her long hair.
Amanda wants to be like Rapunzel to live happily in the tower, but she would not let her hair fall as Rapunzel did because she wants to live alone.
8. What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?
Ans - The girl yearns for freedom and independence. Amanda is a school-going girl who is continuously instructed by her mother to do things properly, but she dislikes her continuous interruption, so she fantasizes about another world of her dream where she would live her life as per her own will and wishes.
From the poem, I understand that teenagers must not be continuously instructed over very little things of day-to-day life, rather they must be taken in confidence and guided properly with patience and love, otherwise, they would be irritated and create a dreamworld as Amanda does in the poem.
9. Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and moody?
Ans - Amanda is a neither sulking nor moody girl, just she gets irritated with the constant nagging of her mother, she doesn't like to be instructed continuously over small things as any other teenager, she just wants to live her life as per her own will and wish.
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