Amanda Summary for Class 10
The poem Amanda is by the poet Robin Klein. Here, we have provided you with the summary of Amanda along with a detailed explanation of the verse for the students, who find it challenging to comprehend the meaning and literary aspects of the poem. The poem Amanda primarily emphasizes the upkeep of a small child, whose name is Amanda. The poem illustrates the struggles of that young child.
Through the poem Amanda, poet Robin Klein furnishes the critical point that children should never be deprived of their freedom. However, parents become responsible for the proper upbringing of a child but should ensure not to make them feel imprisoned or incarcerated.
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In this poem, the little Amanda is ready to be accepted by society, and this training wants to cut short her freedom. Her imagination is crumpled with insufficient space, and this situation makes her annoyed, which usurps her desire to be an orphan. This continuous annoyance can be felt throughout the poem and turns little Amanda into a moody nuisance.
Hence, the whole trajectory of the poem, Amanda is a familiar environment with which we can either understand or relate.
About the Poet
Robin Klein is one of Australia's most beloved and prolific Young Adult authors. Klein worked several jobs at the age of fifteen before becoming an established writer and published her first story at the age of sixteen. Robin Klein has written over 40 books that are hugely celebrated for winning the CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award and the Human Rights Award for Literature in 1989 for the novel- Came Back to Show You I Could Fly. The poem Amanda is a wonderful portrayal of teenage perceptions of growing up and the difference in opinions with their guardian. This poem might reflect the feelings of the poet in her teenage years as she was into several jobs.
Summary of the Poem Amanda
The poem Amanda is a brief expression of the little girl's state of mind, which is stuffed with instructions- the do's and don'ts by her mother. The poem revolves around a little girl named Amanda and her mother, who keeps instructing and irritating her for her mistakes. Her mother's constant instructions like not to bite her nails, or not to bend her back and shoulders, or not to hunch her shoulders but sit up straight deprive Amanda of her freedom of life in the open.
To her mother's persisting instructions, Amanda imagines herself as a Mermaid swimming joyously and freely in the deep green ocean enjoying the calming and relaxing life. She even imagines how blissful her life would be if she would be a sea god having a fishtail instead of legs and enjoying the calming effect of the sea waves and moving along with the waves, up and down in the water. The act of escapism is interrupted by her mother, who drags her out of the blissful dream with endless questions.
At this moment, little Amanda visualizes herself as an orphan wandering freely, barefoot in golden silence and uninterrupted freedom in the streets. She enjoys the thought of being an orphan as she can have a quiet, peaceful life full of space by making the patterns of her bare feet on the sand. Her mother's nagging complaints about her hygienic and healthy life or her restrictions towards chocolates not only break her daydream but also snatches her freedom.
Counter to her mother's words, Amanda slides into another dream where she fantasies herself as Rapunzel, captured in a tower by a witch. She dreams that she will never let down her hair from the tower like Rapunzel to allow the witch to climb in, thus living a calm and quiet life in a pleasant environment.
Finally, Amanda's mother warns her about her moody and odd behavior as it might develop into a habit, and the result would be people thinking that she is harassing her little daughter. Here, the poet wants to convey that Amanda is restricted to reacting to her feelings and the constant complaints and nagging. This pushes Amanda to stop escaping into her dreams as her mother would take it up against her sense of pride and scold her to behave appropriately as other children. Amanda uses this to escape from the continuous harassment and dominance of her mother.
How to Prepare For Exams With This Topic?
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Additionally, this poem has thoughts of Amanda in brackets and her mother’s words without brackets. These should be used to draft a character sketch of Amanda and her mother. Once this is done, it should be easier to justify their actions from their own point of view. Finally, answering the questions in this chapter will be easy.
FAQs on Amanda Summary: A Poem by Robin Klein
1. What is the central theme of the poem 'Amanda' by Robin Klein?
The central theme of 'Amanda' is the conflict between a child's need for freedom and imagination versus the societal and parental pressure for conformity. The poem explores the tension in upbringing where a parent's desire to instil discipline clashes with a child's yearning for an unrestricted inner world. It highlights how constant nagging can stifle a child's creativity and lead to escapism as a coping mechanism.
2. What does the poem reveal about Amanda's character and state of mind?
The poem portrays Amanda as a creative, imaginative, and sensitive young girl who feels oppressed by constant instructions. Her state of mind is primarily one of escapism; she retreats into a rich fantasy world to find the peace and freedom she lacks in reality. She imagines herself as a carefree mermaid, a wandering orphan, and a solitary Rapunzel. This shows she is not inherently disobedient but is desperately seeking a space where she is not constantly monitored and corrected.
3. How does the unique structure of 'Amanda,' with its use of parentheses, highlight the poem's central conflict?
The poem's structure is crucial to its meaning. The stanzas without parentheses represent the harsh reality of Amanda's mother's instructions—they are direct, commanding, and intrusive. In contrast, the stanzas enclosed in parentheses represent Amanda's inner world of escape and fantasy. This visual and structural separation powerfully illustrates the disconnect between Amanda's external reality and her internal desires, making the central conflict between control and freedom immediately clear.
4. Why does Amanda wish to be characters like a mermaid or Rapunzel?
Amanda's desire to be a mermaid or Rapunzel symbolises her deep longing for solitude and freedom from rules.
- As a mermaid, she imagines herself drifting blissfully and alone in a calm sea, away from any commanding voice.
- As Rapunzel, she is attracted not to a prince but to the idea of living peacefully in a high tower. She specifically states she would 'never let down my bright hair,' reinforcing her desire for isolation from the intrusive world her mother represents.
5. What are the key literary devices used in the poem 'Amanda'?
Robin Klein uses several key literary devices to enhance the poem's message. These include:
- Allusion: Referring to well-known characters like the Mermaid and Rapunzel to create a symbolic fantasy world.
- Metaphor: Describing silence as 'golden' and freedom as 'sweet' to show the high value Amanda places on them.
- Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds in phrases like 'Stop that slouching and sit up straight.'
- Repetition: The repeated use of “Don't...” and Amanda’s name to emphasize the relentless nature of the nagging.
6. Is Amanda's mother the true antagonist in the poem? Explain your reasoning.
While Amanda sees her mother as an antagonist, the poem suggests a more complex situation. The mother likely has good intentions, aiming to raise a well-mannered child. The true antagonist is the restrictive, conventional method of upbringing that prioritises conformity over a child's individuality. The mother is a representative of this societal pressure, making the conflict more about a flawed system of parenting versus a child’s need for personal freedom, rather than a simple hero-villain dynamic.
7. What primary message does Robin Klein convey about parenting and childhood?
The primary message of the poem is that children require space and respect to develop their own identities. While parental guidance is essential, constant criticism and micromanagement can be harmful, causing a child to feel trapped and resentful. The poem advocates for a balanced approach to parenting that nurtures a child's creativity and freedom alongside teaching responsibility, reminding us that children should be understood, not just controlled.
8. How does the tone of the poem shift between the different stanzas?
The poem features a deliberate and sharp shift in tone. The stanzas detailing the mother's instructions have an authoritative, nagging, and corrective tone. In stark contrast, the stanzas in parentheses, which reveal Amanda's inner thoughts, have a dreamy, peaceful, and longing tone. This sharp juxtaposition between the harsh, realistic tone and the gentle, escapist tone effectively communicates the emotional conflict at the heart of the poem.
