Amanda (Poem)

Amanda (Poem) | Question and Answers |
NCERT | Class 10 | English | First Flight

Thinking about the Poem (Page 62)

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

Answer 1 Amanda is about a 9-10 year old school going girl. She is being scolded for things typical for that particular age such as  inculcation of good manners and etiquettes.

Question 2. Who do you think is speaking to her?

Answer 2 Most probably her mother is speaking to her.

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

Answer 3 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. There is an alternate sequence of scolding of the mother, and corresponding reaction to it given by the child.

Question 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 4 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.

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

Answer 5 Amanda wishes to be a mermaid so she could carelessly move along on a languid emerald sea. She just wishes to be carried away by the green sea waves slowly and gradually. she desires to be a mermaid because for a child, mermaid is a symbol of freedom and wonder.

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

Answer 6 No, Amanda is not an orphan. She is irritated and depressed due to her parents interference. Amanda is a little girl who seeks ‘golden’ silence and ‘sweet’ freedom. She wishes to roam around streets and draw patterns with her bare feet. It is for this reason that she calls herself an orphan.

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

Answer 7 Rapunzel lived alone in a tall tower and had long, beautiful hair. She was happy and satisfied with her life. 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 peaceful. However, she also decided that she would never throw down her hair for anyone to come up as she wanted to live alone always.

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

Answer 8 Amanda yearns for freedom and space for herself. She is incapable to fulfil the expectations of her parents. Parents ignore the innocence and understanding level of their children. The poem tells us that she is an imaginative girl who is constantly nagged by her unimaginative parent.

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

Answer 9 No, Amanda is neither sulking nor moody. She does not have any interest in the nagging of her parents. Amanda cares more about her imagination and thought process over the manners her parents are trying to inculcate into her. She wants to go out and play where she likes.