4. Explanation of stanza 3 and 4

Explanation:

 

If there is one thing that students hate, it is the homework or assignments given in school. Most children like to enjoy their free time and dread the time of homework. So in most cases, homework is piled up until the last minute. Although the duty to evaluate the homework is of the teacher, It is the parents who get anxious about the homework. They keep nagging about the performance and the completion. Amanda's parents also seem to fit into this category as they ask her if she has finished her homework. This could be out of sheer concern. But rather than asking about the outcome, Amanda could be asked about how she found the homework and if it was difficult. This could motivate the child to do better and understand her working level.

 

Parents always urge children to keep their surroundings clean. It is a habit that needs to be inculcated from a young age. The disorder can affect one's daily routine. Amanda's parents also ask her to tidy up her room. Amanda seems to be in the middle of various chores. The parents who focus on order do not seem to follow a particular order in giving out chores. It is a question and not a statement. Amanda  is only asked if she had followed the order and is not helped in doing it. She would find it more interesting if the parents made the tidying activity fun by doing it together. She is then reminded of how she was asked to clean her shoes. Children tend to play in the ground and make their shoes dirty. It is a natural thing. Rather than asking her to clean them or showing her how the parents take up a passive-aggressive tone and remind her that she does not follow their orders. This can only make the child scared.

 

 

Amanda is totally overwhelmed by the orders given that she fantasises about herself as an orphan. She thinks it is better to be without rules and orders over her head. It is so quiet that she walks on dust, and there are patterns on the ground. Her feet are hushed and bare as she tastes the freedom of the isolation. She imagines herself to be completely free from everything and not be answerable to anyone. She calls this silence a golden thing and that the freedom she enjoys in the fantasised land is sweet.

 

Meaning of difficult words: