Amy Tans My Mother Tongue - 1796 Words

In â€Å"Mother Tongue,† Amy Tan describes how her mother’s English impacted her views of the world as she was growing up, which made her experiences more valuable. With Chinese parents growing up in America, Tan noticed some issues her mother came upon with the English language, such as how society assumes that language and intelligence are equivalent of one another. Describing her mother’s English, she explains the struggles of others compared to herself as â€Å"Some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese. But to me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It’s my mother tongue...vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery...that helped the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the†¦show more content†¦The particular language(s) people grow up with greatly impact the way they view the world because it allows for multiple ways of expressing different perspectives and feeling s. Experiences encountered will be defined by the ways people interpret each situation, and language provides a vital means of shaping the basis of people’s thoughts. The relationship between Christa and Mr. Blum, in which their German culture connects them, as well as the relationship between Tan and her mother, strengthened by their use of language, can be compared because their culture bounds them together to provide a connection that enhances their experiences and views of the world. Culture not only provides significant experiences, but it also bounds one as they develop notions of responsibilities. Some people have feelings of responsibility when it comes to the culture they come from. In his speech, â€Å"A More Perfect Union,† Barack Obama explains his feelings and thoughts of how he feels responsible for Reverend Wright because they are connected by their culture and experiences they shared with one another. They have known each other for more than twenty years because Reverend Wright introduced Obama to Christianity, however he accused the U.S. government for fostering racism and creating lies that attacked people of color.Show MoreRelatedMother Tongue By Amy Tan883 Words   |  4 PagesIn Amy Tan’s essay â€Å"Mother Tongue,† it is obvious that language plays an enormous role in our life. Language can influence and give us an insight into another culture different from our own. Amy Tan discusses the many ways in which the language she was taught and native to was important and powerful throughout her life. Language can be defined in various forms, but I hold and acknowledge Amy Tan’s explanation: â€Å"Language can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.† I canRead MoreMother Tongue By Amy Tan1553 Words   |  7 Pages(Date) â€Å"Mother Tongue† Response Essay In the essay â€Å"Mother Tongue,† Amy Tan emphasizes the idea that the language we are taught in childhood plays an important role in our lives. She writes about the profound effect language has on her life and how she is inspired by her mother’s â€Å"impeccable broken English† to become a writer (317). Tan describes her mother as an educated person who can read sophisticated and technical literature written in English with ease. However, Tan’s mother is oftenRead MoreMother Tongue1199 Words   |  5 PagesRhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Mother Tongue† written by Amy Tan â€Å"So easy to read†(p.4). Amy Tan ends her essay, â€Å"Mother Tongue† with this short and even grammatically wrong sentence. She tells us this mother’s brief review is a proof of success of her writing. Why does she think that easiness is an essence of her writing? She suggests answers to this question by her essay. In her essay, Amy Tan effectively convinces her readers that â€Å"broken English† is not an inferior language, but justRead MoreMother Tongue By Amy Tan1306 Words   |  6 Pages Mother Tongue is a story that describes how Amy Tan’s mother was treated unfairly because of her â€Å"broken English†. As the second generation of Chinese immigrants, Tan faces more problems than her peers do. Her mom, who speaks â€Å"limited† English, needs Tan to be her â€Å"translator† in order to communicate with the native English speakers. Tan has felt ashamed of her mother â€Å"broken† language at first. She then contemplates her background affected her life and her study. However, she changes her thoughtRead MoreHow I Learned to Read and Write by Frederick Douglass and Mother Tongue by Amy Tan1178 Words   |  5 Pages How I Learned to Read and Write by Frederick Douglass and Mother Tongue by Amy Tan are essays that share a common theme. The theme is opposition and how it is necessary to build strength. In the essay How I Learned to Read and Write, Frederick Douglass explains that he was born into slavery and faced his own ignorance with a resolve to overcome this challenge. Faced with oppression by the master and mistress of the house, a young Frederick Douglass used any means necessary toRead MoreCritical Analysis of Mother Tongue Essay907 Words   |  4 Pageshave chosen â€Å"Mother Tongue† for the subject of my essay. I chose this essay because Amy Tan has a unique writing style which has tone that is clear and identifiable. Tan makes her arguments in a way that is easily understood. While her tone is sometimes humorous and captivating, it still clarifies some serious issues. These qualities among others leave Tan’s work to be desired by almost any reader because her tone and style are both genuine and upfront. This essay will talk about how Tan’s work in herRead More Amy Tans Mothe r Tongue Essay1106 Words   |  5 PagesAmy Tans Mother Tongue The Essay written by Amy Tan titled Mother Tongue concludes with her saying, I knew I had succeeded where I counted when my mother finished my book and gave her understandable verdict (39). The essay focuses on the prejudices of Amy and her mother. All her life, Amys mother has been looked down upon due to the fact that she did not speak proper English. Amy defends her mothers Broken English by the fact that she is Chinese and that the Simple English spokenRead MoreThe Sandwich Generation Essay897 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Amy Tan begins by announcing, â€Å"I am not a scholar of English†¦I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the English language and its variations in this country and others.† 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 introduction Tan decided to use presents the reader with a strong sense of the kind of individual she is. By saying â€Å"I am not a scholar of English†, Tan is revealing howRead MoreLanguage : The Power Of Language1575 Words   |  7 Pagesever realize the impact of language in your life? In my opinion, language is not as simple as people seen in general. Usually the way people see language just as a tool for communicating with others. For me, behind the general usage of language, it also has a big role in our life because a language has the power to stand and show each person’s identity. Inside the Gloria Anzaldua’s essay â€Å"How To Tame A Wild Tongue† and Amy Tan’s essay â€Å"Mother Tongue† claim that language is an identity. Because theyRead MoreEssay on Amy Tans Mother Tongue845 Words   |  4 PagesAmy Tans Mother Tongue In Mother Tongue, Amy Tan talks about how language influenced her life while growing up. Through pathos she explains to her audience how her experiences with her mother and the Chinese language she came to realize who she wanted to be and how she wanted to write. The author, Tan, has written the books The Joy Luck Club, and The Kitchen Gods Wife. She is Asian-American, her parents are originally from China, but moved to Oakland, California. The audience in