1. How old do you think Amanda is?
How do you
know this?
Answer
Amnada is must be about 9-10 years old. She is
school going girl. The things that her mother
scolds her for are all typical instructions given to
a 9 orlO year old girl.
2. Who do you think is speaking to her?
Answer
Her mother is speaking to her.
Solution 3
Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 are given in parenthesis,
because they represent Amanda's retreat into a
magical world where she no longer can hear the
berating voice of her parent. It also shows that she
is unconcerned by the constant badgering and has
her own fantastical world where is she free and
happy.
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
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:
Amanda wishes to be a mermaid so she could
carelessly move along on a langui d emerald sea. She
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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. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?
Answer
No, Amanda is not an orphan. She says so
becau se she wants to be alone. She wants to
roam around in the street alone and pattern dust
wit 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?
Answer
She wants to be Rapunzel because she wants to
live alone. Rapunzel lived alone in a tall tower and
had long, beautiful 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 a s she would not have to care
about anything as 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 a s she wanted to live
alone always.
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8. What does the girl yearn for? What does this
poem tell you about Amanda?
Answer
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 parent.
9. Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is
sulking and is moody?
Answer
No, Amanda is neither sulking, nor is she moody.
She is simply longs for her freedom. She wants to
go out and play where she likes.
