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
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In the short story‚ “Two Kinds”‚ written by Amy Tan‚ she reflects on her experiences during her childhood. Like most adolescents‚ the pressure to be equal (or perhaps greater) than your peers is something that most have undergone‚ whether that be in sports or academics. Similarly‚ Amy Tan‚ or Jing-Mei‚ reluctantly followed her mother’s prying through the course of her elementary years; and‚ as a result‚ the unrealistic expectations of Jing-Mei’s mother ultimately change her perspective of who she
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Amy Tan’s excerpt Mother Tongue focuses on her use of different Englishes when she was surrounded by different people. When surrounded by strangers‚ Tan spoke fluently in grammatically sophisticated English. However‚ Tan referred to the English she used with her mother as being a broken down‚ limited version of the English language. Despite this description‚ Tan didn’t entirely agree with what these chosen adjectives suggested about her mother’s English & intelligence. Tan’s description of the different
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The Differences between American and Chinese Society In the story Two Kinds by Amy Tan‚ Jing Mei‚ a Chinese American girl struggles with her identity and learning how to balance her mother’s wants with her needs. Jing- Mei’s mother feels that obedience to her should come first and following her own aspirations should not be a consideration. With the pressures of pleasing her mother and still discovering one’s shelf‚ Jing-Mei searches for balance but finds conflict‚ confusion‚ and disdain. In
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melody." She recollects her mom used to state‚ "Just two sorts of little girls. The individuals who are dutiful and the individuals who take after their own particular personality! Just a single sort of little girl can live in this house. Loyal girl!" (Tan‚ Two Kinds) In the
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My response is on “Mother Tongue” which is the story of Amy Tan’s successful mother and her struggles with societies views on different dialects of English. The main idea of this story is that society may take a somewhat offensive stance on accents and dialects and assume many things. I agree with this idea for the pure fact that‚ yes people do judge people based on certain things‚ that is just how animals work. Is it unhealthy to stereotype people? Of course. Is it natural of humanity? Undoubtedly
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Story Analysis-Two Kinds In the story “Two Kinds”‚ the author‚ Amy Tan‚ intends to make reader think of the meaning behind the story. She doesn’t speak out as an analyzer to illustrate what is the real problem between her and her mother. Instead‚ she uses her own point of view as a narrator to state what she has experienced and what she feels in her mind all along the story. She has not judged what is right or wrong based on her opinion. Instead of giving instruction of how to solve a family
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Many people speak different languages‚ but every person speaks their language in two forms. As in the story "Mother tongue" by Amy Tan. The children start to use this strategy to make others feel comfortable‚ and not be judged by others. This language comes naturally to those who use it. There are some appropriate moments to use each English‚ and there are moments that are not so appropriate. For example‚ if you speak to any adult in a not proper way‚ they might think you’re not as educated. Sometimes
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From the article “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan‚ I realize that language nowadays is very important because it is the only way to communicate with many other people. We born in many different places and learn many different language since born. She is telling us that she is Chinese and majoring in English language‚ but most of Chinese people tends to learn engineering or math related major. She also feel that she is better in math and science than English‚ but she enjoy challenges and choose the opposite
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Tan Begins to cry when she is told that her crush will be a guest at dinner‚ because she is not confident that he will be satisfied or accustomed to the nature of a Chinese dinner and would instead prefer the standard American dishes and would be shocked by the practices and customs of the Chinese dinner table. Tan’s mother is attempting to demonstrate the importance of a sense of pride for her own ethnic ancestry. Her mother recognizes her daughter’s own embarrassment and shame‚ and intends on be
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