Animals

Animals

                                           By Walt Whitman

Analysis :

·       The poem ‘Animals’ is composed by Walt Whitman, renowned as national poet of America. This poem is song no. 32 in the ‘Song of Myself’ which is a part of Walt Whitman’s collection ‘The Leaves of Grass’.

·       The poem is critical in tone and didactic in nature. It criticises human attitude of never being satisfied.

·       The poem is composed as free verse without any rhyme scheme and stanza division and pattern. The line length is also irregular.

·       The Poet making a comparative study  between Animals and humans affirms that animals are far better than human beings.                                                                                     

·       The poem conveys that the human beings in the course of being civilised, advanced and progressive, have lost the more important values such as innocence, contentment and happiness. He stresses upon the fact that if we are not happy, contented and peaceful, all the civilisation and advancement is of no use.

·       The theme of the poem is that real happiness and peace of mind are more important than advancement and development.

 

Summary / Synopsis

The poet, Walt Whitman wants to take a U-turn and go back to the old age when humans used to live the way animals do. He wants to live among animals because he thinks animals are far better than human beings. Animals are calm, contented and peaceful. He wants to observe them so that he may learn and imbibe their qualities.

According to the poet, there is no end to the desires of human beings. They are always dissatisfied and keep complaining about their present condition. The animals unlike humans don’t get depressed and restless, nor they weep for their sins or past mistakes.

 The animals don’t bother about their religious duties and God. The human beings worship other human gods who lived on this earth thousand years ago.

The animals are blessed with self satisfaction also, they are not mad about hoarding all the materialistic things. They are satisfied and happier that’s why they don’t try to please other animals. No animal is more respectable for other animals.

The poet accepts the animals as his ancestors and feels that he belongs to them.  Animals clearly show to have possessed the qualities which even human beings possessed once and lost them out of their ignorance. Unfortunately, in the course of being civilised they have lost these qualities that they were born with.

Line by line explanation

 

Line 1 – 2

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are

so placid and self-contain’d,

I stand and look at them long and long.

In these lines, the poet has expressed his wish to about turn and go back to the ancient time when humans used to live the way animals do. He wants to live among animals because he thinks animals are far better than human beings. Animals are calm, contented and peaceful. He wants to stand close to them and observe them quietly for a long time, to learn their qualities so that he can make his life more peaceful and happier.

 

Line 3 -8

They do not sweat and whine about their condition,

They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, 

They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,

Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with

the mania of owning things,

Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that

lived thousands of years ago,

Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.

According to the poet human beings are greedy and there is no end to their desires. They tire themselves beyond the limit in fulfilling their desires and are always dissatisfied with their lot. They keep complaining about their present condition and always feel miserable. On the contrary the animals are happy with what they have. The animals unlike humans don’t get depressed and restless, nor they shed tears for their wrong doings. They don’t worry about their religious duties nor they bother so much about pleasing God. Here, the poet criticises humans who give more importance to their religion and God than their fellow human beings. The animals are blessed with self satisfaction and unlike humans they are not mad about hoarding all the materialistic things and luxuries. The human beings worship other human gods who lived on this earth thousand years ago. Here, Walt Whitman criticises humans for worshipping human gods from various religions such as Rama, Buddha, Mahavir, Guru Nanak, Jesus Christ, etc. The animals on the contrary consider other animals equal to them. The poet mocks at human beings and their ignorance about God as animals seem to be more understanding to the poet. They are satisfied and happier that’s why they don’t try to please other animals. No animal is more respectable for other animals. All are considered to be equal by animals but unfortunately humans don’t understand these simple things that’s why they are always unhappy and miserable.

Line 9 - 12

So they show their relations to me and I accept them,

They bring me tokens of myself, they evince

them plainly in their possession

I wonder where they get those tokens,

Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?

The poet is able to see that the animals are his ancestors and human beings developed from them. The poet proudly accepts the animals as his ancestors and feels that he belongs to them.  Animals clearly show to have possessed the qualities which even human beings possessed once and lost them out of their ignorance.  Unfortunately, in the course of being civilised they have lost these qualities that they were born with. Hence, the poet decides to take a U turn and go back to the ancient time and enjoy living with animals the way they live.

 

Poetic Devices

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are  - Anaphora , Assonance, Repetition

so placid and self-contain’d, -  Consonance 

I stand and look at them long and long. – Anaphora, Repetition, Consonance

They do not sweat and whine about their condition, - Anaphora, Metaphor

They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, - Anaphora   

They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, - Anaphora, Alliteration

Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with – Repetition, Alliteration, Consonance

Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that – Anaphora, Alliteration  

Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth. – Anaphora

So they show their relations to me and I accept them, - Alliteration 

They bring me tokens of myself, they evince – Alliteration

them plainly in their possession – Alliteration

I wonder where they get those tokens, - Alliteration, Metaphor  

 Note : There is an extended metaphor used in the entire poem as the poem is a comparative study between human being and animals. 

Important Question - Answers

Q1. How does the poet in the poem ‘Animals’ suggest that animals enjoy their present while human beings cry over past and worry for future? How are animals different from man according to the poet?

Ans. Walt Whitman admires the qualities of the animals and wishes to live with animals as they clearly understand what they want and when they get it, enjoy it without pining for what other things they don't possess. Animals are contented and know how to be happy with their lot. Animals are not restless and feel miserable, nor they lie awake in nights crying over their past. The humans, on the contrary, always crave for the past and cry for the things they don't have instead of enjoying the bounties they have at the moment. They worry about the future and would always imagine that they would be happier with the thing they don't possess at the moment.

Q 2. Why does the poet wish to turn and go to live with the animals?

Ans. Walt Whitman being a romantic poet can learn important lessons from nature and other creatures of nature that he considers equal to men. He perceived the futility of civilisation and advancement because man is not able to enjoy his gains and cries for what he doesn't have. Hence he wants to go back to ancient period when men were like animals and were happy and satisfied with their lot. All the progress and civilization is worthless if they can't make us happy.

Video on the poem Animals 
https://youtu.be/KctYAFgUxyA

The Hundred Dresses

The Hundred Dresses Part I and II

By El Bsor  Ester

 

Analysis

·       The story ‘The Hundred Dresses’ is written in two parts by El Bsor Ester, an American writer who writes for the children.

·       This story is about a Polish girl, Wanda Petronski who migrated to US with her family. Sadly, she was bullied by her class mates because her name appeared to be funny to them as well as she looked different from the citizens there. She was also teased because she was poor and lived in Boggins Heights.

·       The story depicts that various people in our society face harassment, bullying and discrimination due their caste, colour, creed and community.

·       The story teaches us that one should not bully or harrass other people just because they are different from the rest. More importantly staying quiet and not speaking against such injustice or harrassment is even worse.

 

Synopsis / Summary 

Part I

The story is about a quiet and shy girl named Wanda Petronski, a Polish immigrant who had come to America with her family. She was a poor girl and lived in Boggin Heights. She attended school with American children who found her name to be funny, longer and probably, the weirdest in the classroom. This is because they all had easier names. She was poor and was always seen wearing a faded blue dress.

She used to sit in the last row of room no. 13 not because she was dumb or undisciplined but because she wanted to avoid the stares of class mates. Her classmates teased her because she claimed to have a hundred dresses “all lined up” in her closet albeit, always being seen wearing one. The ones who mainly teased her were the two best friends, Peggy and Maddie. Peggy was the most popular girl in school while anyone barely knew Wanda.

Peggy and Maddie used to wait for Wanda before school even if it meant to be getting late. Maddie herself did not like when Peggy made fun of Wanda. She wanted Peggy to stop making fun of Wanda, but could not gather courage to say so because doing so she might lose her best friend. She also feared that she herself might be their next target as she was also poor and wore second hand dresses of Peggy.  However, Peggy’s intention was never to hurt Wanda but she was curious as to why Wanda had to lie that she had a hundred dresses all lined up in her closet.

Truth about ‘the hundred dresses theory’ unveiled on the result day of the drawing competition. The room was lined with one hundred drawings of colourful dresses, each one being equally beautiful and anyone of them could win the competition. That day, she truly had “a hundred dresses all lined up”, but in the classroom. At that moment, Peggy and Maddie, who were awestruck realised the truth behind the story of a hundred dresses and felt guilty about having treated her badly.

Part II

The lesson begins with the students of Room no. 13 having a look at the wonderful drawings of Wanda Petronski. Only then, a note is received by Miss Mason from Wanda’s father informing that none of his two children will attend the school as they are moving to a big city where no one would make fun of them for their long and unusual names. Miss Mason was left shocked and disappointed and conveyed her displeasure to the class over the issue.

Maddie was most affected by the letter of Wanda’s father. She instantly developed an urge to apologise to Wanda. Peggy and Maddie rushed to Boggins Heights hoping that the family hadn’t moved yet. But, there was no sign of life in and around the house which looked shabby but clean just like her faded blue dress.  Maddie lost her sleep thinking what a coward she had been, who couldn’t stand against the wrong. That day she decided that she would never let anyone bully or harrass someone like that again.

That weekend Peggy and Maddie decided to write a letter to Wanda that was originally meant to be apologetic but they ended up writing a friendly note asking her if she liked the new city, school, teachers and friends. Weeks passed by, there was no reply but around Christmas Miss Masson received a letter in which Wanda wrote she missed everyone and conveyed her intention of gifting one dress each to Maddie and Peggy because she has a whole new lot of hundred dresses lined up in her new house. Both of them were happy to receive it and later realised that it was their faces she had drawn along with the dresses. Thus, they both concluded that Wanda did like them.

Theme

Noticing injustice and not speaking against it is worse than doing injustice.   

Message

The story teaches us a beautiful lesson that we should not bully or harrass other people just because they look different from us or they belong to different caste, religion or community. More importantly staying quiet and not speaking against any injustice or harrassment is even worse. Sometimes such bullying or harassment may result in grave issues such as suicides, mental trauma and psychological problems.

Important Question - Answers

Q 1. How does Wanda feel about the dresses game? Why does she say that she has a hundred dresses?

Ans. When Peggy and other girls teased Wanda by playing dresses game, Wanda didn’t reveal any feelings on her face. But, she must have felt embarrassed and humiliated as she was poor but she maintained her calm and remained silent. She was bullied due to her blue faded dress which was a mark of her poverty. The girls asked how many dresses she had. To avoid their bullies and make them quiet she replied that she had hundred dresses. As she was a self respecting and talented girl, she drew hundred beautiful dresses to prove herself right.

Q 2. Maddie thought that her silence was as bad as Peggy’s behaviour. Was she right? What do you think about it?

Ans. Yes, Maddie was right to think that her silence was as bad as Peggy’s behaviour. She could have stopped Peggy and saved her from humiliation. If we feel bad about any injustice being done to anyone and don’t do anything to stop it or don’t even express our displeasure about it, we are equally responsible for that injustice. On the contrary, we are worse than the one involved in injustice because the other person may not have the sensibility and sensitivity to realise what he/she is doing but we even after realising the gravity of issue don’t do anything to stop it, that’s why our passivity in such case is worse. 

Q 3. What important decision did Maddie take? Why did she have to think hard to do so?

Ans. Maddie decided not to stand quiet and remain silent to see the injustice or bullying being done to anyone or people like Wanda but speak against it. She had to think hard to do so as she might displease her friend Peggy and lose her friendship in doing so. She also had to gather lot of courage to do so as she wasn’t habitual of such bravery. She had been by the side of Peggy thinking she might be bullied for her borrowed clothes. She, being a poor girl might be an object of such bullies, too.

Past Perfect Tense

Tenses

The word ‘tense’ is derived from Latin word ‘tempus’ and it means time. Basically tense conveys the time of action.

Tenses are mainly divided into parts – Present, Past and Future. They are further subdivided into three categories – Indefinite, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous. Let’s learn Past Tense.

PAST PERFECT TENSE

PAST PERFECT TENSE is generally used to describe an action completed at certain moment in past or earlier.

Basic Structure of Sentence

Basic structure of a sentence in this tense is –

Subject          +         Had    +         V3 (third form of verb )   +         Object

Shaan            +          Had    +               written                      +          the letter.   

 

Past Perfect Tense is used to describe/show –

1. An action that was completed before sometime in past :

For example :

1. By that time my friends had gone. (action completed before the time being reported)

2. We had come back by 11:30 pm.

3. They had not made up their mind by then.

4. All students had left by then. (completed in past)

2. An action or event happened earlier than some other event in past:

For example :

1. I had already done the work when my teacher asked me to show. (action happened earlier other event)

2. I had known him to be generous but it was my mistake.

3.  A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now:

For example :

1. I had gone there earlier, too. (repeated action in past)

2. She had been there quite often before she got married.

 

4. Actions completed before some other event (in sequence of simple past) 

For example :

1. The patient had died when the doctor arrived. (in sequence of simple past)

2. I had switched of the T.V. before I went to sleep.

5. for a condition, or a conditional situation :

For example :

1.If she had worked hard, she would have succeeded. (conditional sentence)

2. If the road had been wider, many accidents could have been averted.

 

Note : We should never use Past Perfect Tense with adverbs of past time (yesterday, last year, etc.)

Verb form used in the Past Perfect Tense–

The past perfect form of any verb is composed of two elements:

1. Past form of auxiliary / helping verb ‘have’ – had (both singular and plural)

2. Verb's third form (V3) – been, taught, learnt, played, sang, slept, gone, etc.

Past form of auxiliary ‘have’ - had	Third form of verb (V3)
He had	slept by the time his friends rang him up.
They had	played the match in the morning.
She had	been there in her childhood.
I had	prepared for class test before it was announced.
They had	left for Jaipur when we reached their place.

 

 

Video on Integrated Grammar Practice

  More Examples :

1. They had left the city by that time.

2. They hadn’t submitted their quotation by December last year.

3. The thief had escaped before the police arrived.

4. The train had left by the time we reached the station.

5. I had donated my watch to Mona when you asked for it.

6. When the teacher entered, the students had submitted the test.

7. By the time my friend came, I had slept.

8. The thief had escaped when the police arrived.

Exercise I

I _______________ (put) the letter in a book and ____________ (go) out to play. Next day, When I tried to find it. It took me whole day to get it because I __________ (forget) where I had kept it. Just when I _____________ (leave) all hopes, it got it inside the book exactly where I ___________ (keep) it. I was so thrilled to get it.

Answers :

1.     Had put   2. gone   3. Had forgot   4. Had left   5. Had kept      

 

Exercise II

Once, I was meeting my patients. One of my patients who was an old man ____________ (tell) me that he  ___________  (slip) in his bathroom that morning. I ___________ (examine) him thoroughly and found out that he _________ (fracture) his leg. I also ________ (feel) that the old man ________ (be) in great pain. I felt respectful for his courage and __________ (provide) him due treatment. We became friends after he __________ (get) discharged from my surgery.

 

Answers :

1. told                         2. Had slipped         3.  examined            4. Had fractured    

5. Felt                          6.  Had been           7.  provided              8. Had got 

Video on Past Tense

In the Kingdom of Fools

In the Kingdom of Fools

By A. K. Ramanujam

Analysis :

·       The chapter ‘In the Kingdom of Fools’ is written in Kannada language by A. K. Ramanujam who has compiled many other folk tales in his book ‘Folk Tales from India’. 

·       ‘In the kingdom of fools’ is an interesting and humorous story about a kingdom run by a foolish king and his stupid ministers.

·       This story has been translated and published in English as well as many Indian regional languages.

·       The story highlights that the order set by nature and natural laws need to be followed. It propounds that day is meant for work while night is meant for rest and sleep.

·       The foolish king and his minister who tried to change the laws of nature were punished by the destiny. Finally, the nature’s law was restored by a wise Guru and his disciple.

Summary / Synopsis :

     ·       In the kingdom of fools no one was allowed to work in day and sleep at night. Every one including the smallest animals used to sleep in day and carry out their business only after it is dark. One more strange rule was followed in the kingdom that everything cost same – one duddu.

·       Once, a Guru and his disciple visited the town and were surprised to notice strange rules of the kingdom. The Guru told his disciple that he should not stay in the city as it was the kingdom of fools. The rules were strange and they should not trust anyone as the foolish king and ministers may do anything to anyone.

·       One day a thief broke into a merchant's house but wall of his house being weak fell on thief and killed him. the thief's brother appealed to the king to punish the merchant for building a weak wall that killed his brother. The merchant was called but he blamed the bricklayer for building a weak wall. The bricklayer accused a dancing girl for distracting him as she was walking up and down the street again and again and jingling her anklets. The dancing girl was called but she blamed a goldsmith who delayed her order and called her again and again to collect her jewellery. The goldsmith accused a rich merchant who gave an order of jewellery for wedding and was impatient that's why he could not finish dancing girl's jewellery in time. Finally the rich merchant was declared to be the real culprit but he happened to be the dead father of the merchant who was called first in king's court.

·       A new stake was made for the execution. When the merchant was brought for execution, he was found to be too thin to fit the stake. The messengers were sent to find a fat man to fit the stake and they caught the disciple who became fat eating cheap food for few months.

·       The disciple was brought for execution by the servants. That time he remembered his guru’s words and called his guru for help. The guru saw this in his vision and came for his help.

·       The Guru made a story and told the king that his stake is the stake of the god of justice as it is new, that’s why whoever dies first on the stake will be reborn as the next king of the kingdom and who dies next would be reborn as the future minister of the kingdom. Guru and his disciple started fighting and demanded to be executed first.

·       With the wish to become king and minister in their next birth, the king and the minister got themselves executed on the stake and the Guru and his disciple were made king and minister by the people of the kingdom. After that there too, the laws of the world were followed.

 

Message

The chapter clearly highlights that nature’s rules and laws of the world need to be followed. Unlike the kingdom of fools day is meant for work and night is meant for rest. Price of a thing needs to be decided according to its value. The story teaches us not to be greedy. The disciple got into trouble due to his greed for cheap food. 

Important Question Answers

Q1. How many people were tried in the king’s court and for what reason?.

Ans. First of all, the merchant was called in the king’s court because his wall was very weak and fell on the thief killing him on the spot. But, the merchant blamed the bricklayer because he built a weak wall and should be punished for not doing his work properly.

The bricklayer who has become old, accused a dancing girl for distracting him as she was walking up and down the street again and again and jingling her anklets. Due to this he could not keep his mind and his eyes on work.

The dancing girl was called but she blamed a goldsmith who delayed making her jewellery and called her again and again to collect her order.

Finally, the goldsmith was called and he accused a rich merchant who gave an order of jewellery for wedding and was impatient and insisted to receive his order of jewellery on time. That's why he could not finish the dancing girl's jewellery in time.

Finally the same merchant who was called the very first time, was called again because that rich merchant happened to be his father who had been dead.

Amanda by Robin Klein

Amanda!

                                                                  By Robin Klein

 

Analysis:

·        ‘Amanda’ is a short poem composed by Robin Klein, an Australian author and poet who is better known for her works for children and ‘young adults’.

·        It is a simple and short poem with a deeper meaning and wider perspective. It discusses adolescent behaviour and its complexities namely daydreaming, escapism, loneliness and gloominess in this age.

·        This poem expresses the state of a teenage girl’s mind who is constantly instructed about DOs and DON’Ts by her mother.

     The whole poem is divided in seven stanzas of three lines each. Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 are put in parenthesis / brackets. It signifies that the reactions, emotions and dreams of Amanda are unexpressed and closed in her heart.

·        The poet conveys the message primarily for the parents and elders advising them to treat the children lovingly and win their hearts instead of giving them orders.

·      Tone of the poem is sarcastic and critical as the poet conveys that the children have their individuality and self respect which should not be hurt in any case.

 

Video on The Trees

Summary / Synopsis

·        The girl named Amanda gets irritated and hurt with constant nagging by her mother who keeps scolding her and correcting her mistakes. Her mother always gives her instructions to sit straight and not to drop her shoulders. She is reminded constantly not to bite her nails.

·        The little girl Amanda keeps dreaming about freedom for herself and living life in the open, away from her home. Her mother constantly scolds her for sitting in a lethargic manner. Due to this, Amanda imagines herself as a mermaid swimming freely and drifting joyously in the light green sea. She wants to live a calm and relaxed life in the beautiful green sea and that too, alone.

·        Suddenly, her mother drags Amanda out of her dreams asking her if she has completed her homework. She also reminds her to tidy her room and clean her shoes.

·        Amanda loves daydreaming as she wants to run away from her reality. She imagines herself to be an orphan wandering freely, barefoot in dry mud. She imagines that there is no one to stop her from making patterns in soft dust by her soft feet. For her silence is golden and uninterrupted freedom is sweet. She loves to live a peaceful and quiet life.

·        Her mother’s nagging and complaints break her daydream again. This time her mother rebukes her to eat chocolates and reminds that due to this she is getting acne and pimples. She also demands that Amanda should look at her while she is talking to her.

·        This constant nagging has made her so upset that she always wants to escape from her reality and run away from her mother. Since mother tries to forbid Amanda from doing what she desires, she has another dream in which she fantasizes herself as Rapunzel, a character from a fairy tale and wants to live peacefully like her in a tower. She wishes that she will never let her hair down from the tower like Rapunzel and allow anyone to climb the tower and come inside. There, she will live alone and lead a peaceful life.

·        Finally, the mother chides her for being moody and asks her not to look sad otherwise people would consider her as bad mother and blame her for the continuous nagging and correction. At the end no reaction came from Amanda, perhaps, due to bitterness, she has stopped dreaming and come back into her real world. 

Video on Anne Gregory

Rhyme Scheme of the poem

 AAA, BBB, AAA, CCC, AAA, DDD, AAA

Poetic Devices:

Don’t bite your nails, Amanda! – Apostrophe

Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!

Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda – Anaphora

Did you finish your homework, Amanda? - Alliteration  

Did you tidy your room, Amanda? – Anaphora, Alliteration 

There is a languid, emerald sea - Metaphor, Personification 

A mermaid drifting blissfully - Assonance

I thought I told you to clean your shoes - Assonance  Repetition, Alliteration  

Stop that sulking at once, Amanda! – Alliteration,  Assonance

Life in a tower is tranquil and rare – Alliteration, Assonance 

Life in a tower is tranquil and rare – Assonance 

The silence is golden,  freedom is sweet- Metaphor

I am Rapunzel - Allusion 

There is a languid, emerald sea - Consonance

A mermaid drifting blissfully - Allusion 

The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet - Repetition         

 

Video on the poem Fog

Message of the poem

The poetess has conveyed the message clearly enough that the parents need to understand their children, treat them lovingly and tenderly and develop friendship with them, especially in their growing years. The tender heart of young adults should be touched with love and their feelings should not be hurt.

Important Question Answers

Q 1. Why are the stanzas 2, 4 and 6 are put in parenthesis?

Ans. The stanzas 2, 4 and 6 describe the reactions of Amanda to her mother's instructions and corrections. They are her feelings, desires and her dreams but they are not expressed as she doesn't speak anything to her mother. They remain unexpressed and closed in her heart that's why the poet has used parenthesis to signify these unexpressed and hidden feelings and desires.

Q 2. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?

Ans. I think Amanda is lost in her daydream and is living in her imaginary world. Since she is not paying attention to her mother, she thinks that she is moody. The mother realises her mistake as she has been giving her constant reminders and her constant nagging. But,  she doesn't want to take the blame that's why she asks Amanda not to sulk or feel bad. In fact, Amanda can be called as moody as she gets mood swings. If she is not in mood of listening or responding, she won't do anything. She was daydreaming and lost in her beautiful imaginary world as she wanted to avoid her mother.

Q3. “A mother is the child’s first school”. How far is Amanda’s mother true to this statement?

Ans. Amanda's mother also serves as her first school, but in different sense. She is depicted as a strict and critical figure who is always correcting Amanda's behaviour, from her posture and habits to her academic performance and personal hygiene. While her intentions may be good, her methods are shown to be ineffective, and in some cases, harmful. By constantly nit-picking Amanda's behaviour, her mother creates an atmosphere of tension and anxiety, which only serves to make Amanda feel worse about herself. This also causes Amanda to feel like being misunderstood, leading her to seek solace in imaginary worlds and fantasies. The methods of Amanda's mother do not come across as conducive to achieving this goal. Rather than focusing on Amanda's strengths and encouraging her to develop them, she highlights her weaknesses and shortcomings. Amanda is thus, left feeling undervalued, which could have a negative impact on her self-esteem and mental health. A mother is not only to teach and correct but also to understand and support and Amanda’s mother fails in doing so.

Video on Amanda Class 10 

 Q1. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow.

RTC 1.
“Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!”

(a) Amanda is getting instructions for what purpose?
(b) Give a synonym of ‘hunch’.
(c) What does the speaker of above lines instruct Amanda in the first stanza?
(d) What is the literary device used in the third line?

 

RTC 2.
“There is a languid, emerald sea,

where the sole inhabitant is me

a mermaid drifting blissfully.”

(a) Why are these lines given within brackets?
(b) Give the word from the passage which means free flowing act of going with the motion and force?
(c) What is the role of mermaid here?                                                                               (d) Which word in the extract means opposite of ‘sorrowful’?                                        (e) What is the mood of Amanda here?                                                                             (f) Pick out a poetic device in first line.

Video on Fire and Ice

Solutions

RTC 1

(a) Amanda is getting instructions as a part of her upbringing. Her conduct and manners are getting refined for future purposes.

(b) droop/bend.

(c) Amanda is getting instructed for not biting her nails and not sitting lazily with her shoulders bent as these actions will spoil her personality and hinder her growth.

(d) Literary device used in third line is Alliteration. ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’.

RTC 2

(a) These lines are given within brackets because they reveal the inner thoughts of Amanda which she prefers not to express. Brackets are used for visual contrast between what Amanda is thinking and what her mother is instructing. 

(b) The word 'Drifting' means free flowing act of going with the motion.

(c) Mermaid is a part of Amanda’s fantasy in her own dreamy world. As mermaid sails in a sea carelessly and effortlessly, similarly Amanda longs to do so in a place where she is all by herself. Evidently she wants live in a world of fantasy, away from reality.

(d) 'Blissfully' is opposite of sorrowful.

(e) Amanda is a moody girl and right now she is not in mood of doing anything. She acts like a rebel whose thoughts and desires are not expressed.

(f) Metaphor (emerald sea)

Poem on How to Tell Wild Animals