Poem: Amanda!
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!
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Explanation and Central Idea of the Poem
The poem 'AMANDA!' is written by the Australian poet, Robin McMaugh Klein. The poem is about a little girl, Amanda, who is constantly being instructed and nagged by her mother for her small mistakes. The poet highlights the feelings of the girl who is fed up with her mother's instructions and constant nagging. The girl is lost in her own thoughts and has a desire to live her life with complete freedom and peace, without any restrictions and instructions. The poem is based on two major ideas - freedom and control. The poem has conversational style. The poet has used simple and everyday conversational language to present a troubled parent-child relationship.
The poem conveys a message that it is important for parents to instill good manners in their children and teach them do's and don'ts of life. But excess of anything is bad. Too much control or too many instructions can have a negative impact on emotional well-being of their children and it can make them feel imprisoned. It can make them feel that their freedom or personal space has been curtailed. Constant criticism can make them disobedient & moody and they start disregarding the instructions of their parents.
In the first stanza, the girl is being instructed by her mother. Her mother asks her not to bite her nails. She instructs her not to bend her back and shoulders. The mother scolds her for sitting lazily with her shoulders bent. She asks her to sit up straight.
In the stanzas, the word 'Amanda!' is repeated at the end of the lines, which indicates the frustration and annoyance of her mother with Amanda as her instructions make no impact on Amanda. The stanzas which are given in parentheses indicate the thoughts of Amanda.
The second stanza tells us that Amanda is not paying attention to the instructions of her mother. Amanda is lost in her imaginations. She has a desire to live in a world free of restrictions and instructions. Amanda imagines herself to be in a calm green sea, where she is the only inhabitant. She imagines herself to be a mermaid moving slowly, freely and joyfully in the sea. The poet compares the green colour of the sea with an emerald (a bright green precious stone).
In the third stanza, the mother asks Amanda if she has done her homework and tidied up her room. She also reminds her to clean her shoes.
In the fourth stanza, Amanda imagines herself to be an orphan, walking in the street quietly with bare feet and making patterns on the soft dust. She imagines herself to be an orphan as she feels she can get freedom and peace in her life only in absence of her mother and her mother's constant criticism. The poet compares the silence that Amanda craves for with gold. For Amanda, the silence is as precious as gold. The poet compares the freedom that Amanda longs for with sweetness. For Amanda, the freedom is sweet in taste.
In the fifth stanza, her mother instructs her not to eat chocolates. The mother reminds her about the pimples on her face. Her mother asks her to pay attention to her words.
In the sixth stanza, Amanda imagines herself to be Rapunzel and wants to live a carefree, peaceful and unique life in a tower. She thinks that she will never let her bright hair down as she doesn't want anyone to enter the tower.
The imaginary characters, such as mermaid, orphan and Rapunzel, used in the poem are the symbols of the freedom and peace that Amanda yearns for in her life.
In the last stanza, her mother asks her to stop sulking. Her mother says to her that she has become moody. Her mother is concerned about her own image as she thinks that Amanda's sulky attitude will make people believe that she is being harassed by her mother.
As a matter of fact, Amanda is neither sulking nor being moody. She is not responding to her mother's instructions as she is lost in her imaginations. She is fed up with her mother's constant nagging and wants to live her life freely and peacefully. Thus, she seems to be sulking.
The repetition of the words, such as don't, did and stop in the poem indicates the mother's frustration and annoyance with Amanda and emphasizes the dominating and nagging nature of the mother.
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