Page 1 - NCERT Questions and Answers

Chapter 6 Amanda (poem)

Thinking about the Poem (Page 62)

Question 1.How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?
Answer: Amanda is about a 9-10 year old 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.

Question 2.Who do you think is speaking to her?
Answer: One of her parents is speaking to her. Most probably it is her mother. In a traditional
household, usually the 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.

Question 3.Why are stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?
Answer: 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 also used here to lay emphasis on the
thoughts and desires of Amanda.

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: 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.

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 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.

Question 6.Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?
Answer: No, Amanda is not an orphan, though she wishes to be one. She is so 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.

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