Page 3 - Module
P. 3
Introduction to the lesson
Robin Klein has expressed the views of a little girl, Amanda who is constantly pointed out by her
mother for making mistakes. Mistakes which she considers so as they are not part of the code
of good conduct laid out by the society in which we live.
Amanda Summary of the poem
The poem describes a girl named Amanda and her mother who is nagging her for her mistakes.
She is first pointed out most probably by her mother for biting her nails and for not sitting in
the right posture. The mother also feels that Amanda sits in a very lazy manner. To this,
Amanda imagines herself as a mermaid who lives a calm and relaxing life in the beautiful green
sea. Further, she is nagged for not cleaning her room and shoes and also for not doing her
homework. She then imagines herself to be an orphan because she is now fed up of being
watched by her parents continuously. She says that she would have enjoyed her freedom then,
by making the patterns of her bare feet on the sand and would live a peaceful life. Next,
Amanda is scolded for eating too many chocolates as this causes pimples. She is also scolded
for not listening to her mother. So, now Amanda thinks of being Rapunzel, a character from a
fairy tale and wants to live in a huge tower like her. In the tower she will be alone and will live a
peaceful life and will never allow anyone to come in. Finally, the mother asks her to stop being
moody because she doesn’t want anyone to blame her for harassing her daughter. At this time
the poet has not written any reaction from Amanda’s side. This constant nagging has made her
so sad that she has even stopped to imagine herself as someone else. She used to do so in
order to escape from the continuous harassment and dominance of her parents.
Key points
Every child feels that she / he is controlled and instructed not to do one thing or another.
Children have certain habits.
Their parents teach them to mend those habits.
These are for their benefit.
Children have these habits because they want freedom.
They want to feel naturally at home.
Amanda is a small girl has certain unwanted habits.
She is politely asked to mend those habits.
But she seems to live in her own world as she is moody.
Summary
This poem depicts the state of a little girl’s mind who is constantly instructed about do’s and
don’ts by her elders. She is told not to hunch her shoulders and to sit up straight. She is told to
finish her homework and tidy her room. She is forbidden from eating a chocolate that she has.
But all the time, the little girl Amanda keeps dreaming of a life of freedom in the open. She
dreams of mermaids in the sea, of roaming barefoot in the dusty street and of the golden
haired Rapunzel who lived alone in a high tower. She takes no note of what is being said to her.
Then she is rebuked for being moody and sulking all the time
