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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robin McMaugh Klein is an Australian author of books for children. She was born on 28 February 1936, in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia and now resides near Melbourne.
Robin McMaugh Klein is an Australian author of books for children. She was born on 28 February 1936, in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia and now resides near Melbourne.
Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!
(There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me—
a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)
Did you finish your homework, Amanda?
Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes,
Amanda!
(I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)
Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!
Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!
(I am Rapunzel, I have not a care;
life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!
1. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?
Amanda must be a school going girl of 12 to 14 years. Because in Stanza 5 the poet says “Remember your acne, Amanda!” usually acnes develop after the age of 12.
2. Who do you think is speaking to her?
One of her parent is speaking to her, probably the mother.
3. Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?
These stanzas depict the state of the girl’s mind who is constantly nagged by her parent.
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?
The speaker in Stanza 2, 4, and 6 is the girl Amanda. Amanda is living in her own world of imaginations and not at all listening to the speaker in stanzas 1, 3, 5, 7.
5. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
She would drift blissfully with the gentle waves of the sea.
6. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?
No, she is not an orphan. She simply imagines that there would have been no one to nag her if she had been an orphan. She feels that orphans have a lot of freedom.
7. Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?
Long ago, a king and queen had a baby daughter named Rapunzel with golden hair that contained magical healing powers. A selfish old woman named Gothel kidnapped the baby and raised her in a tower somewhere hidden. Amanda feels that if she would be Rapunzel she would be left alone and no one will nag her.
8. What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?
The girl yearns for freedom. When children reach the age of adolescence and enter their teens they long for more freedom.
9. Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?
Amanda is not sulking but she is simply living in her own world of imaginations.
10. What is the message conveyed in the poem?
The poem conveys the message that children need to be allowed more liberty. Excessive nagging makes them defiant and they turn a deaf ear to the instructions of the elders. They develop a kind of dislike for real life and start escaping into the world of dreams and imagination.
Amanda must be a school going girl of 12 to 14 years. Because in Stanza 5 the poet says “Remember your acne, Amanda!” usually acnes develop after the age of 12.
2. Who do you think is speaking to her?
One of her parent is speaking to her, probably the mother.
3. Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?
These stanzas depict the state of the girl’s mind who is constantly nagged by her parent.
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?
The speaker in Stanza 2, 4, and 6 is the girl Amanda. Amanda is living in her own world of imaginations and not at all listening to the speaker in stanzas 1, 3, 5, 7.
5. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
She would drift blissfully with the gentle waves of the sea.
6. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?
No, she is not an orphan. She simply imagines that there would have been no one to nag her if she had been an orphan. She feels that orphans have a lot of freedom.
7. Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?
Long ago, a king and queen had a baby daughter named Rapunzel with golden hair that contained magical healing powers. A selfish old woman named Gothel kidnapped the baby and raised her in a tower somewhere hidden. Amanda feels that if she would be Rapunzel she would be left alone and no one will nag her.
8. What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?
The girl yearns for freedom. When children reach the age of adolescence and enter their teens they long for more freedom.
9. Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?
Amanda is not sulking but she is simply living in her own world of imaginations.
10. What is the message conveyed in the poem?
The poem conveys the message that children need to be allowed more liberty. Excessive nagging makes them defiant and they turn a deaf ear to the instructions of the elders. They develop a kind of dislike for real life and start escaping into the world of dreams and imagination.
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