Amanda! — Practice

Question 1

Name the three things Amanda imagines being in her daydreams.

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: a mermaid, an orphan, and Rapunzel.

Question 2

What kind of things does the parent keep telling Amanda?

Accepted Answer

Instructions and scoldings — don't bite your nails, sit up straight, finish your homework, tidy your room, etc.

✦ Answer: constant nagging instructions (nails, posture, homework, room…).

Question 3

Which line best expresses Amanda's longing for freedom?

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: 'silence is golden, freedom is sweet'.

Question 4

What do Amanda's daydreams reveal about her feelings?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — As a mermaid, orphan and Rapunzel, Amanda imagines being alone, free and at peace.

Step 2 — These fantasies reveal that she feels controlled and suffocated in reality and deeply longs for freedom, quiet and independence.

✦ Answer: they reveal her longing for freedom, solitude and peace away from constant control.

Question 5

What is the poet criticising in 'Amanda!'?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — The poet criticises over-parenting — the endless nagging and control that burden a child.

Step 2 — She shows that such control stifles a child's freedom and joy, driving Amanda to escape into daydreams.

✦ Answer: excessive nagging/control by parents, which stifles a child's freedom and happiness.

Question 6

How does the two-voice structure of the poem convey its message?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — The parent's voice gives a steady stream of instructions and criticism.

Step 2 — Amanda's silent, italicised daydreams reply with images of freedom and peace.

Step 3 — The contrast between the controlling reality and the free fantasy powerfully shows how nagging drives the child inward — making the poet's criticism clear without preaching.

✦ Answer: the clash between the nagging parent and Amanda's freedom-dreams dramatises how over-control pushes a child to escape into fantasy.

Question 7

'I am an orphan, roaming the street. / … silence is golden, freedom is sweet.' What does this daydream tell us?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Amanda imagines being an orphan, free to roam the quiet, dusty street alone.

Step 2 — Ironically, she envies an orphan's life because it means no one nagging her — 'silence is golden, freedom is sweet'.

Step 3 — It shows how strongly she craves peace and freedom, and how burdensome the constant control feels.

✦ Answer: she so longs for freedom and quiet that she envies an orphan's solitude — revealing how oppressive the nagging is.

Practice — Amanda!

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