(i) The extract creates an image of Amanda's mother as a nagging, over-controlling parent who constantly corrects Amanda's behaviour and gives her no freedom or peace.
(ii) The second verse is written in brackets because it represents Amanda's inner thoughts and imagination — it is not spoken aloud. It shows her daydream as an escape from her mother's constant instructions.
(iii) (C) Amanda longs to be free like a mermaid which sails effortlessly in the sea.
(iv) Amanda wishes to be the sole inhabitant of a vast, languid, emerald sea because she is tired of the constant nagging and restrictions imposed on her. She imagines herself as a mermaid — free, blissful, and answerable to no one. Being alone in the sea means no one to scold, correct, or control her. This desire for solitude reflects her longing for complete freedom and peace, away from the suffocating demands of her daily life.
Source: Amanda!, First Flight — Poem 6
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