Amanda- Short & Detailed Summary

Amanda

By– Robin Klein

Summary in English- Amanda

This poem is about the views of a small girl named Amanda about liberty in life. She is instructed not to bite her nails and not to hunch her shoulders. She is instructed to sit straight. She wants freedom and wishes to draft in the sea like a mermaid. The speaker asks her if she has done her homework, cleaned her room and shoes. The girl wishes that she should be an orphan roaming freely in the dusty streets. The speaker forbids her to eat chocolate but the little girl does not even look at the speaker because she does not like this type of restrictions. She considers herself to be Rapunzel and yearns that some prince will come for the sake of her liberty.

DETAILED SUMMARY in English- Amanda (2) :

1.Childhood — a Period of Fantasies: Childhood is a period when children indulge in fantasies. But when they start growing up, their parents expect them to behave more responsibly. Parents start nagging and giving instructions at every step. Children don’t want to be instructed and guided the way their parents want. They feel that their freedom is being curtailed. If parents keep on nagging, their children escape to the dreamy world of fantasies. They don’t want to come out of this fanciful world so early.

2. Amanda is biting her nails: Her mother asks her not to do so. Nor does the mother want that she should hunch her shoulders down. She wants her to sit straight. Amanda seems to be dropping her body towards one side. Her mother wants her to adopt the right posture and sit up straight.

3. Amanda doesn’t Bother: Amanda doesn’t bother what her mother wants. She is lost in her dreamy world. She imagines as if she were in a quiet emerald island. There is no one there except her. There, she moves around freely and blissfully like a mermaid.

4. Mother gives Instructions: Amanda’s mother asks if she has finished her homework. She asks if she has made her room tidy or not. Amanda has not cleaned her shoes yet. Her mother has already asked her to clean her shoes.

5. Prefers to be an Orphan: Amanda doesn’t want to be instructed at every step. She wants to lead her own kind of life. She prefers to be an orphan roaming aimlessly around the streets. She wants to walk over the soft dust with her bare feet. She wants her bare feet to leave patterns or designs on the dust. She wants to lead a silent and peaceful life. She wants to preserve her freedom. It is the sweetest thing to her in life.

6. No Chocolate: Amanda’s mother instructs her not to eat chocolate. She must remember that she has acne. Eating chocolate can create problems for her. Amanda doesn’t bother what her mother is saying. Nor does she look at her mother when she is giving her instructions. The mother expects her to look towards her while she is speaking.

7. Amanda Becomes Rapunzel: Again, Amanda doesn’t care a bit what her mother says. She is again lost in her dreamy world. She imagines herself as Rapunzel living in a lonely tower. In that tower, life is free from all cares. It is rare peace and tranquillity that prevails there all the time. She is proud of her beautiful hair as Rapunzel was. She will certainly never let down her bright hair like her.

8. Mother Finds her Moody: Amanda’s mother asks her not to sulk or feel unhappy any more. She feels that Amanda is always moody and keeps on behaving like that she must stop sulking and feeling unhappy. Otherwise, people will think that Amanda is unhappy because her mother is always nagging at her.