The essay “Mother Tongue” describes a writer who grew up with a mother of Asian origin and the limitations created by her mother’s speech. The author, Amy Tan, defines her mother’s English as “broken” and that it created communication barriers. For example, when Tan’s mother would need to call her boss about work, she would rely on her daughter to make the phone call and use proper english. When Tan decided to go into English in college, it seemed foolish since she was more skilled in math and science. The author also mentions how not everyone’s speech is the same, but that is not a bad thing. Tan decided to start writing fiction, and write a book in a way her mother would comprehend. Though the writing was harshly critiqued, Tan knew she…
Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” Tan grew up in a home with her Chinese mother who spoke English that she considered “broken”. It was difficult for others to understand what her mother was saying. Tan then realized that when she was with her mother that she spoke English differently than she did. She was trying to figure out how her background affected her life, such as her education; but she eventually learned to except her background. At the same time Tan wanted to become a writer and she found that by spending time with her mother who again spoke “broken” English. Even though she was told that writing was her worst skill by her boss, she was determined to make it work.…
Mother Tongue, written by Amy Tan, is a short story about her family. Amy’s family is Asian Americans, whom came to America later in their lives, the reason why they do not speak English very well. In her short story, Mother tongue, She emphasizes the idea that we all speak different languages without being consciously aware, and that we are categorized by the way we speak. Amy Tan said that she begin to realize the unusual differences that goes on with language, at least her own, because of the Chinese her mother grew up speaking and the English her mother now uses as her "second language," Amy's uses this version of her mother's English, and uses her own perception that her mother's…
Amy Tan’s story “Mother Tongue” starts by the affirmation that she is not a scholar of English or literature. She is just a writer and the person who understand the power of language. From Tan’s observations from her daily life, she realizes that there are different types of English that she uses. The first time Tan notices the difference is when she gives a speech on her book “The Joy Luck Club” using academic English, the one that she never uses to talk with her mother. The second time is when Tan talked using “fractured” English unconsciously with her mother when walking down the street. After that, Tan recalls her memories from her early age: the phone call for her mother to the stockbroker, the meeting with a doctor in the hospital for her mother’s CAT scan result to demonstrate her mother’s realization of “limited” English. Then Tan agrees with the idea that language spoken in…
In the article, "Mother Tongue" by author Amy Tan, she uses its context to persuade readers not "Judge someone's intelligence by their English" (Tan, 20) but instead treat others the way you would want to be treated, therefore acceptance is essential because it helps us respect other people who are different than we are, to avoid misconceptions about another person, and to accept others for who they are regardless different ethnical backgrounds.…
In the essay “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan (1990), which discusses her mother’s way of speaking through “broken English”, Tan explores the different “Englishes” that she has come into contact with in her everyday life; these variations have presented struggles in her mother’s life. Tan illustrates this to her audience by giving examples of the struggles her mother was faced with due to “her” English and the many versions of English that surrounds Tan. Tan examines the different versions of English people use in order to make the reader realize that English takes many different forms which leads to difficulty and confusion to those who are attempting to learn and speak the language like her mother. This work of literature is directed towards those who do not have an understanding of the variations of languages and the complications that come along with trying to learn a new language like English.…
In Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” (1990), she emphasize that her mother’s way of speaking English has created a cultural wall. Tan used truth from her life and her mother’s personal experiences to express how society treats people who speak poor English. Tan’s purpose was to encourage the reader not to prejudge a person who speaks imperfect English and in spite of how the individual speak, they should be treated the same way as the person who speaks perfect English. Tan’s anticipated audience was anyone who’s been judge or mistreated because of their imperfect English and anyone who judged or look down on a person that speaks imperfect English.…
In the story “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan tells the story of her mother and how her use of English within the family affected her early in life. She describes how that limited use of English had the potential to affect Tan’s choice of careers and her influence on literature. She begins by describing how she assumed the role of translator for her Asian born mother, who spoke with “broken English.” She describes situations where she assumed the role of translator for her mother. She was thrown into adult situations where she often told people on the other end of the phone that she was, in fact, her mother. She believes that growing up with an immigrant family affected her scores on the SAT and I.Q tests because standardized tests are geared towards those who grew up in households who were accustomed to a more proper use of the English language. As she matured, Tan observed that more Asian Americans specialized in the fields of engineering and science. She also noticed that there were not many Asian Americans writing literature. Tan writes that this is because of the type of English many Asian Americans are speaking within their own families which the mainstream…
S (Social) – Jez is very good at socialising with his students and gets along easier with other staff members around the school, he seems to have met his social needs and needs nothing to improve on.…
In “Mother tongue” by Amy Tan talks about her experience as a young child whose mother didn’t speak “proper” English; She Described her mother language as “Broken”. Tan recalls often having to translate for her mother in various time. She found herself feeling embarrassed of the way her mom spoke. One-day Tan was delivering a speech when she noticed her mom was in the crowded and it was the first time her mom heard her talk with such big words. After that she noticed she articulates different with everybody; she describes it as a “language of intimacy”(Tan 418) Throughout the article Tan argues that because of the way her mom spoke people didn’t take her serious, and perceived her as not very smart. Tan feels that if someone has limited English he/she will be heavily judged by those around them.I agree with Tan, my mom who has…
After reading the strongly “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tran, it shows a great deal of strength from the Asian American Culture. Throughout the reading it showed how hard it was and still is for Asian Americans to work through the difficulties of the English language. In her essay Amy Tan writes about the problems immigrant families have with speaking English, by reflecting on her own experience. While reading Mother Tongue, I remembered the difficulties I faced when I was learning how to speak English. My English now is better than before but I am still learning because I still can’t fully pronounce some words or I catch myself stuttering when I speak English. My vocabulary was pretty weak and I had trouble pronouncing words that I was not familiar with. English is not my native language and it is not the primary language that I speak at home with my parents. I can connect to Tan’s experiences because I have experienced what she centers about. I believe that Tan’s work is easily understood by many American immigrants because it is easy to relate to. I also believe that her primary audience is those who have immigrated to the United States. It’s also concentrated to those who weren’t raised in an American Society. Tan wanted to show her audience that there are multiple forms that the English language can be spoken and used in. This doesn’t make one form “better” than the other. Using a particular language does not determine an individual’s accuracy in expressing clear, complete, and thoughtful ideas. When reading “Mother Tongue” I was able to connect with some of her experiences as well. For example, as a child, I would get embarrassed by my parents English language skills. Tan brings up a good point about the existence of multiple types of spoken English and how there is no particular one that is “correct” in comparison to another. Language is a means of communication, thus, it should unify us and bring us together rather than act as a…
After reading “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, it was rigorous for Asian Americans learning the English language. The article discusses the different languages of English that Tan had learned and frequently used throughout her life. Then the difficulties that she had learning in school because English wasn’t her best subject. Additionally, were issues that follow along her, due to the way Amy’s mother spoke English. English as a second language for Tan was very difficult, but through her mistakes, she succeeded. When she became a writer, it got easier after she realized the variety of languages she had already spoke throughout her lifetime. She constantly used diverse languages with multiple people and had absolutely no idea she was. It became easier for Amy to differentiate and correct herself. Tan’s life was hard for her to become the aspiring writer she wanted to be. As an Asian American, to succeed in something that no one believed she could was foolish. And even though English wasn’t Amy’s first language, in the long run it changed her understanding of the English language. Tan’s purpose was to show us how language can separate, unite, or isolate those who don’t speak perfect English. Literacy should have no limitations on how people view other people.…
Lawrence Krauss has repeatedly stated that teaching religion in science is “child abuse”. The term, “child abuse” when used in this context is extreme. Krauss (2013) explains the purpose of education is to teach children the truth providing empirical evidence based on facts, and knowledge of science and religion do not coexist. However, Krauss wants to exclude religion from science because he observes that there are ethical boundaries in science such as telling the truth, but the methodology is to exclude religion from education in general because religion is fiction with no empirical evidence to support it but only have ethics. Krauss justifies how science based, not on ideology or testimonies science supports the methods with empirical facts that can provide us a better understanding to overcome ignorance. While “child abuse” perhaps antagonizing word to express Krauss’s ideas, on the other hand, creationism with science should not be taught in class because they based on different knowledge that also contradicts the other. Religion does not have a place in science but does have a role as a subject as long it is not mixed with science.…
In “Mother Tongue” (1990) an essay written by Amy Tan, a Chinese-American author who has written a lot of beautiful novels, Tan argues that all languages have a purpose and value. Tan tells us how every language has a purpose by giving us examples from her own life, specifically, she talks about the way her and her mother talked; her mother wasn’t very fluent in English, but the little English she could speak she could say smart and brilliant things like, “ . Tan uses personal examples in order to make us believe in the importance of language. The people she directs this story to is to people who grew up in English homes from birth to see just because someone doesn’t talk perfect English doesn’t mean they don’t know things, they do have brilliant…
a) In the aquatic chamber, the first week was a disaster. The plant life was sick, the snails were dying, and our fish died. As the project continued, it became healthier once we changed out the water. The first week the plant started flourishing, the snails and fish started to survive. In the decomposition chamber, it housed the entire time we started with leaves and some fruit which decomposed into the soil. When the project was over, it was nearly all decomposed. In the terrestrial chamber, the flora flourished the entire time. Our plants were always green. We planted a few mung bears, which by the end, had grown out of the tip. Overall, our eco-column was a success.…