AMANDA

- ROBIN KLEIN
THEME:

The poem ‘Amanda’, deals with the issue of upbringing of a small

child. It highlights the state of a little girl’s mind who is longing for
freedom. The poem explores the theme of excessive restraint and
control on the child by her mother and the consequences of it. The
poem also sheds light on how a child is always monitored and
interrogated about her actions by her mother. This is the reason why
she is always dreaming about a world of fantasy. And she does this to
get rid of the problems that persist in her real life.

MESSAGE:

The poem ‘Amanda’, conveys the message to the readers as to how

sometimes because of extreme parental restrictions children are not
able to live freely and they do not blossom to the extent they should.

TITLE JUSTIFICATION:

The title is quite suitable to the poem as its central character is a

teenaged girl named Amanda seeking her freedom and space in life.
The poem brings forth the mental state of this girl who faces this
problem of interference by her mother in almost everything she
does. The poem is presented from the perspective of this child and
the problems that she encounters. Hence, the title given to the poem
is truly justified.

STANZA WISE SUMMARY OF THE POEM:

STANZA I

The poet in the first stanza is describing Amanda, a little (teenaged)

girl who is always pointed out by her mother for the mistakes she
commits in her innocence. She has a tendency of biting nails for
which she is being pointed out by her mother. Next her mother
instructs her for sitting straight without bending her shoulders. At
this point when she is being scolded by her mother she escapes into
a world of fantasy and imagines her to be in a deep green sea. She is
of the opinion that she only wants her to be the resident of this
beautiful green sea. She imagines herself to be a mermaid and to
lead her life in a very relaxing way. She wants to be carried away by
the current of the water and feel the freedom there.

STANZA II

In this stanza Amanda’s mother inquire about whether she has done
her homework or not. Next she enquires about whether she had
cleaned her room or not. She is also reminded to clean her shoes.
But she is not responding to the instructions which are given and
imagines herself to be an orphan who is roaming all alone in the
streets. Living alone she should have drawn designs on the soft dust
with her uncovered feet. She says that freedom is sweet and it is this
freedom which she is denied in her life.

STANZA III

In the third stanza, Amanda is once again instructed not to eat

chocolates. She reminds her of the pimples that she has got due to
eating chocolates. At last she scolds her for not paying attention to
her words. At this moment Amanda once again imagines herself to
be a Rapunzel because she feels that life in the tower will be
peaceful and she would be devoid of instructions there. She also
confirms to herself that she would never let anyone enter that
isolated tower and would live a life of freedom and peace.

STANZA IV

Amanda’s mother now warns her for behaving so oddly. She tells her
not to be so moody all the times. She also scolds her for the matter
than by behaving such a way she is creating an impression among
others that she is constantly being harassed by her mother. Although
the child is deprived of her freedom and even when she gets
emotional she scolds her for the reaction of the people thinking that
she is very dominating towards her child.

THINKING ABOUT THE POEM:

1. Amanda is a teenaged school going girl. She is being scolded for

things typical for that particular age. Her parents are trying to
inculcate in her good manners and etiquettes. Amanda is very
innocent and immature.

2. One of her parents is speaking to her. Most probably it is her

mother. In a traditional household mother is held responsible for the
conduct of child. In this case also, the range of instructions suggests
that the speaker is Amanda’s mother.

3. 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 for the instructions given in stanzas 1, 3 and 5. Here, there
is an alternate sequence of scolding of the mother, and
corresponding reaction to it given by the child. Also, parenthesis is
used here to make the reading of ‘ the poem friendly

4. 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. Her imagination provides her an escape
from her sorry reality.

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. Amanda longs for a
place where she is all by herself as her happiness is not dependant
on any other human being. Hence, she desires to be a mermaid
because for a child, mermaid is a symbol of freedom and wonder.

6. 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. The mere presence
of her parents around her depresses her. 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. Indeed it is
horribly depressing that Amanda expects being an orphan.

7. Story of Rapunzel – Rapunzel’s story revolves around her life on a

tower Rapunzel was made to live on a high tower by a witch. She
eventually got used to living there. She was happy and satisfied with
her life. Rapunzel had very long golden hair, using which the witch
used to pay her a visit. The fate of Rapunzel took a turn when one
day a prince came to meet her using her hair. The witch had
punished both of them by separating them. Finally they met after a
couple of years only to be united forever this time. Amanda Wishes
to live like Rapunzel on a high tower away from everyone. She seeks
peace and harmony. That is the reason Amanda wishes to be like
Rapunzel. However, she also makes a point that in order to avoid
being disturbed she would never let her hair down for anyone to
climb to her. She needs no one to make her life happy.
8. A girl like Amanda yearns for freedom and space for herself. She
is incapable to fulfil the expectations of her parents. Amanda is
no less than a symbol for all the children who face similar fate
irrespective of class, colour or nationality. Traditional societies
demand a certain type of behaviour from the individuals and the
training to produce such begins at a very young age. Parents
ignore the innocence and understanding level of their children
and thereby the young ends up killing their imagination and
thoughts.
9. No, Amanda is neither sulking nor moody. She is simply not
interested enough in the nagging business of her parents.
Amanda cares more about her imagination and thought
process over the manners her parents are trying to inculcate
into her.
VALUE BASED/ LONG ANSWER TYPE:

1. The poem ‘Amanda’, in its totality deals with the problems

encountered by growing children. Discuss.

OR

Explain the sum and substance of the poem ‘Amanda’.

The poem Amanda is presented from the point of view of the child
and the problems which she faces in her life. She longs for freedom
and space in her life.

The poem also tells us that children, no doubt are innocent and
sensitive but apart from this they also have the imaginative streaks
within them. Amanda’s mother had a habit of scolding her child for
everything and this little girl by way of avoiding these situations had
a tendency to escape into her imaginative world where she is free
and happy. She imagines herself to be a mermaid, an orphan and
even Rapunzel who lived in isolation and away from everyone.

The poem also brings to the forefront the idea that parents should
always love their children and instead of scolding them should advise
them with love and care on various issues.