Amanda!
Question 1: What instructions does the speaker give to Amanda regarding her posture and habits in the first stanza?
Answer: Don’t bite your nails, Amanda! Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda! Stop that slouching and sit up straight, Amanda!
Question 2: What does Amanda imagine herself to be in the languid, emerald sea?
Answer: A mermaid, drifting blissfully.
Question 3: What tasks does the speaker remind Amanda to complete in the third stanza?
Answer: Did you finish your homework, Amanda? Did you tidy your room, Amanda? I thought I told you to clean your shoes, Amanda!
Question 4: In her imagination, how does Amanda describe herself as an orphan?
Answer: I am an orphan, roaming the street. I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet. The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.
Question 5: Why does the speaker tell Amanda not to eat the chocolate?
Answer: Remember your acne, Amanda!
Question 6: What does the speaker ask Amanda to do while speaking to her?
Answer: Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you, Amanda!
Question 7: How does Amanda imagine her life as Rapunzel?
Answer: 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!
Question 8: What does the speaker accuse Amanda of in the last stanza?
Answer: Stop that sulking at once, Amanda! You’re always so moody, Amanda! Anyone would think that I nagged at you, Amanda!
Question 9: What does the poem suggest about how children feel under parental instructions?
Answer: Every child feels that she/he is controlled and instructed not to do one thing or another. You too may feel that your freedom is curtailed.
Question 10: What is the meaning of the word “tranquil” as given in the glossary?
Answer: Calm.
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