Amy Tan Foils

The Photos in “A Pair of Tickets” The short story “A Pair of Tickets” which was written by Amy Tan, describes an impressive trip experience of Jingmei Woo. She is an American-Chinese and her mother has passed away several months ago. The turning point in her life is someone has found her twins sisters, who were abandoned by her mother in the war period.

The American Dream: A Raisin in the Sun The American Dream is defined as the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination and initiative. However, in 1950s to the 1960s when the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry was written the American Dream was defined slightly different. Post World War II the idea of the American Dream was owning a home -in a decent neighborhood, starting your own business- becoming an entrepreneur, a good paying job- with longevity, and family planning-

The two stories “Champion of the World” by Maya Angelou and “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan discuss different problems within America. Angelou is an African-American woman while Tan is a Chinese-American woman. Angelou and Tan live in a different background. Angelou’s time period is more serious than the other causing her to be stronger. The characters both have different perceptions, but Angelou’s awareness is more eye opening making her valiant.

“The Sun and Moon,” by Chrysanthemum Ti, follows the author’s transformation from someone who felt inadequate to someone who was able to unearth her personal success. Once overshadowed by her brother, the author is able to portray the path she traveled on in order to come upon this life-changing realization. Throughout the poem, Ti discovers that not only does she have her own success, but also that she can inspire others to find their success. In “The Sun and Moon,” the author uses symbolism and metaphors to suggest that a person’s success is not diminished by the success of others.

The Rebellious Daughter: Analyzing the Theme of Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” The story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan explores the deep familial emotions between a mother and her daughter. Jing-Mei’s mother had left China to come to America after losing her family, and had been raising Jing-Mei in America with her second husband. Despite her mother’s grand hopes for Jing-Mei to become successful in America by becoming a child prodigy, Jing-Mei did not share the same opinions.

South Korea is the world’s plastic surgery capital with advertisements littering the walls of subways and increasing similarities in outward appearance among the workforce. Pressures are on for South Koreans and other Asians as family members nag and job applications routinely require an attached picture (Marx). Because of increasing interconnectedness and plastic surgery, cultural views in Asia have evolved into a unique blend of personal and societal preference that may be partially associated with Amy Tan’s “Fish Cheeks”. Contradicting popular belief, the culture of Asian plastic surgery is not intended to ‘Westernize’ the outward appearance; the general aim of face-altering-life-changing procedures is unique in its style and connection

Success is the core of American society, as it drives innovation and motivates people to work harder in order to achieve their goals— but at what cost? The short fiction story, Two Kinds written by Amy Tan exemplifies the consequences of overvaluing success versus relationships. Tan explores the American Dream and its effects on a strained relationship between a Chinese immigrant and her Chinese-American daughter. Cultural indifference creates a constant power struggle between Jing Mei and her mother in Two Kinds that ultimately leads to the demise of their relationship.

In Oliver Twist there are many characters that serve as foils to each other. One example of this is the characters of Rose and Nancy. Both young ladies of around the same age, they serve as an example of the life both of them could have had if things would have ended differently for them. While Rose has the good life, Nancy does not. Nancy’s existence has been hard, while Rose has known nothing but love and care throughout her life.

This is the classic story between parent and child in Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds.” The theme of this story revolves around a mother who wants nothing but the best for her daughter. Mrs. Woo, the mother of Jing-mei, is a struggling immigrant who had lost everything in China and believes in the American dream by stating, "My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America” (639). She puts Jing-mei into various activities to figure out what she could be good at.

Amy Tan is a contemporary American writer born in Oakland, California on February 19, 1954. She was born to Chinese immigrants Daisy and John Tan. Her works explore mother-daughter relationships and Chinese-American experiences. Tan’s best-selling novels were The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, The Hundred Secret Senses, Saving Fish from Drowning, and The Valley of Amazement. Chinese American Literature began in the 19th century and flowered in the 20th century.

A dream presents a goal to a person in hope for a better future. For example, the American Dream presents a person, who becomes successful, has a honest earning, and has a secured future. Many articles, like Cal Thomas’s, Brandon King’s and Bob Herbert, and the Great Gatsby discuss the American Dream. They describe how the American dream does or does not hold true in modern society. Majority of the American Dream like having a honest earning and a secured future impact today’s society; whereas, some parts of the American Dream like becoming rich does not.