CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Amanda! Poem Summary and Notes

Chapter 4 of the CBSE Class 10 English First Flight book consists of a poem titled Amanda!. It is written by Robin Klein. We have provided the summary along with a detailed explanation of the poem for students who find it difficult to comprehend its meaning. By going through it, students can easily understand the poem, Amanda! These English notes will help students in preparing well for their board exams. Also, students can refer to the summary for quick revision.

Students can also go through CBSE Essays to improve their writing section of the English paper.

CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Amanda! Poem Summary

The poem is about a little girl, Amanda, who is constantly pointed out by her mother for making mistakes. Robin Klein has beautifully expressed the girl’s feelings in the poem about how she is controlled and instructed by her mother for small things. The poem conveys an important message that children should never be deprived of their freedom. They should not feel that their parents constantly nag them for every single thing they do. It’s the responsibility of the parents to bring up their children in such a way that they understand their viewpoint instead of getting frustrated. Children should not feel that an orphan has more freedom than them.

CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Amanda! Summary and Explanation Notes

Here, we have provided the poem, followed by a detailed explanation. Go through it to understand the meaning of the poem in depth.

Amanda! Poem Explanation Notes

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!

BY ROBIN KLEIN

The poet describes Amanda, who is continuously instructed by her mother about dos and don’ts. In the first stanza, the poet says Amanda’s mother is pointing out her mistakes and asking her not to bite her nails. Then she tells her not to bend her back and shoulders. She scolds her for walking in a lazy way with her head and shoulders hanging down and directs her to sit straight. By listening to all this, Amanda starts getting frustrated by her mother and starts imagining herself to be in a deep green sea. She imagines how blissful her life would be if she were a sea god having a fishtail instead of legs. Then, she would have enjoyed the sea waves and moved along with the waves up and down in the water.

In the second stanza, Amanda’s mother is inquiring whether she has completed her homework or not. Then she asks her whether she has cleaned her room or not. She is also reminding her to clean her shoes. At this moment, Amanda visualises her life as an orphan. She thinks that being an orphan, she can freely roam in the street. She has the freedom to peacefully draw designs on the soft dust with her uncovered feet. There is no one to say anything to an orphan, so she can have a silent, peaceful life full of freedom. Here, the poet says that she gets so irritated with her mother that she thinks the opposite. Her mother was advising her to clean her shoes so that she could live a hygienic and healthy life. But Amanda took it in another way that her mother is snatching her freedom. That’s why she starts imagining that the life of an orphan is better than hers.

In the third stanza, you will see Amanda’s mother is not allowing her to eat chocolates. Whenever she eats chocolates, she gets pimples on her face. Her mother then tells her to listen to her when she is speaking. She wants Amanda to pay attention to her words and follow them. After listening to her mother’s words, Amanda imagines herself to be Rapunzel, a character in a fairy tale. Rapunzel was captured in a tower by a witch. The witch used to climb the tower with the help of Rapunzel’s long hair. So, Amanda wants to live Rapunzel’s life as she feels that she can live a calm and quiet life in a pleasant environment. But, she will never let her hair down to anyone so that no one can enter the tower.

In the last stanza, Amanda’s mother warns her to stop behaving in an odd manner. She says that she has become moody and is always in a bad mood. If anyone notices this, then they will feel that her mother is harassing her. The poet wants to convey that Amanda can’t even react to what she feels about her mother. If she does so, her mother will take it against her sense of pride and scold her to behave properly as other children do. Here, Amanda’s mother nature is shown to be very dominating.

We hope that students must have found the summary and explanation of CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Amanda! Poem useful for their studies. Students can also learn essay writing skills by visiting some common essays on topics such as Essay on Independence Day and Essay on Constitution of India. Moreover, for getting the latest updates on CBSE/ICSE/State Board and Competitive exams, students must stay tuned to BYJU’S. They can also download the BYJU’S App for educational videos.