She spoke excellent English, but her mother did not. When her mother would speak in the English language, Tan would be ashamed of her mother’s strong accent. She was ashamed of her mother’s tongue because her English language was broken as Tan described it, bringing attention to herself. She did not like speaking to customer service to interpret for her mother all the time. Tan wanted her own independence from her family, and having to speak for her mother made her feel like her mother was weighing her down.…
One of the assets which the author possesses is phrasing and choice of words. Her sentence structures flowed very nicely and did not run on too much. It was pleasing to read and wasn’t too complicated to understand. Furthermore, the author of this book also used great detail in her story. In order for a story to be enjoyable to read, the writer should be able to take you to a whole new world through his or her own words.…
“Where Is It Written”, by Adam Schwartz, is a story about a kid who asked his father to fight for his custody, doing so many problems came up. Sam first cut all the connection with her mother because he wanted to know his father better. Then Sam confronted his father about being sick and tired of doing chores for his mother. Finally, Sam and his mother were arguing. Sam criticize his mother making her cry and suffer.…
In the poem “A Story” by Li-Young Lee, the author uses literary devices to convey the complex relationship between a father and son. The poem is written with a third person point of view, so it can show the complexity of the thoughts of the father and son, as well as the analysis of the speaker. Additionally, the author’s structure of the poem, through syntax and diction, emphasizes the feelings of the father. Lastly, the tense shifts that occur in the poem emphasize the father’s conflicting thoughts and realities. Through the point of view, structure, and tense shifts in the poem, Li-Young Lee is able to show the complex relationship between the father and son in“A Story.”…
Her mother feels as if she’s limited to what she can say because people might not comprehend her English. Amy Tan used rhetorical strategies such as pathos, logos, and ethos to write a passage from her own personal experiences. She talked about how people called her mother’s English “broken” and just how much that bothered her to hear that word. As well as “limited english”. Amy spoke “proper” english because of the English they taught her in school.…
1. “How does this opening set up your expectations for the rest of the essay?” “Why do you think she chose to begin by denying her own authority?” The opening sets up to medium expectations of her native English language tones.…
Richard Rodriguez: I believe that the central point of the story is his family, and him had to learn the “public language” of English. He expressed that because his family had to learn English their whole demener changed. He reminisced about how he would call his mother and father when he was a child; he also talked about how he did not like the sound of the “ all American sound of the words” that the children use to refer to their mother, and father. I believe that this writer is very passionate about this topic. His tone is one of passion, as well as reflecting on what he likes, and does not like.…
It gave her uncomfortable feelings and forced her to blush if her mother was speaking. Only when she got older she realized her own mistake – judging by the way the person talks, instead of the way he or she thinks. It made Amy Tan perceive that her own “perfect English”, which she used to implement in her early writing, does not stand a chance and that it is boring and useless. She decided to write in the simple, the “most full” language, so people like her mother would understand it. Her mother and her “broken English” created the writer with a unique style of presentation.…
Family has an unparalleled influence on a person. Literary pieces express the theme of family in varying ways. One of these ways is trauma, negative events that damage one’s mind. Family trauma can include death, abuse, and neglect. Childhood and family trauma effect a person throughout their life.…
As the essay progresses, Tan learns to accept her mother’s broken english and uses it as inspiration for her writings.…
Firstly, Tan chooses three anecdotes to express her first thinking of "Mother Tongue": speaking standard English in a talk to a large group; saying the same kind of English as her mother; and videotaping her mother 's talking. Tan finds that she has been accustomed to her mother 's "broken English". This language "relates to family talk". Then, she depicts several anecdotes when she was teenager for further thinking her mother 's English. For example, she pretended to be her mother in order to complain to stockbroker because her mother 's limited English was not respected.…
James McBride did not have a “normal life.” He had a life full of chaos and change. Growing up in the 60’s as a mixed boy, with a white mother, and 11 siblings, there was never a dull moment. Even with a life like this, there were still certain events that stood out more, having a larger impact than others, making James who the man he is. In The Color of Water, a memoir, James McBride wrote about the difficulties he faced in life, and discovering his mother’s buried past.…
Grounded by Language In Mother Tongue, Amy Tan begins her short story by giving the audience prior knowledge that Tan is not a scholar of English and she is not able to give much more than her past knowledge on the English language. She then proceeds to give the readers an idea of how much she is fascinated by language itself and gives it a grading scale from complex english to simple English. Tan presents her short story by giving the readers a recent experience that made her rethink the past, present, and future.…
In the story “Sixty-Nine Cents”, Gary Shteyngart reflects back on his life as a young immigrant. When he finally turned fourteen, Shteyngart lost his Russian accent. With his new-found self, the author speaks of his hopes. Although, with the lack of his family’s money, those dreams would most likely not come true. He reminisces about his desire to go to Florida, get himself a girl, and eat meals often at McDonald’s.…
In the short story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, the author creates a conflict between a Chinese mother and her daughter. The relationship between the mother who wanted her daughter to be prodigy, and her daughter who refused to be prodigy is presented (43). She uses dialogue, irony, similes and metaphors to illustrate and set her writing. Tan’s main message that stands out in the story is parents-to-kids relationship, in this case mother-to-daughter relationship.…