Mother Tongue Amy Tan Analysis
The objective of this essay is to respond or react to the story, “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan. From a bibliography perspective, Amy Tan is the daughter of immigrants fleeing China’ Cultural Revolution in the late 1940s (Hall & Emblem, 1996). The author of the story was born in Oakland, California in 1952. Amy Tan has a Chinese name, An-Mei, which is an illustration of the essence of being ‘blessing from America.’ In the development of her essay, Tan focuses on optimizing the platform to narrate her experience and reflect on the issue as a bilingual child with the ability to speak both English and Chinese. The essay is an original publication on 1990 in the Threepenny Review (Hall & Emblen, 1996)
Are Languages a Frontier to Find a Better
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The essay provides the platform for Tan to express her love for language. Additionally, she uses the essay as an indication of the fact that ‘broken English’ does not translate to lack of intelligence (Hall & Emblen, 1996). In the essay, Tan tends to focus on her mother because of the ability to learn through her experiences concerning the cruelty of people against individual they perceive to be less off in comparison to what they are within the society. In most cases, she believes that people aim at exploiting her mother based on her inability to speak clear English. The essay proves to be a narrative describing Tan’s life and experience with her …show more content…
Tan has been able to use her rebellious nature to do what she loves, which is writing about language. Notably, she has been able to use this urge to do what she wants to do rather than execute what the society would expect her to do with her life. Additionally, I believe that the essay offers more than just the description of Tan’s love for language. I believe that language is a significant tool, which society members can use to comprehend and conceptualize social and cultural issues, as well as diversities. In the essay, I was able to learn on the different uses of language highlighting the contextual importance of language as a tool for communication. For instance, in documenting science reports, engaging scholars, interacting with friends, and families, individuals tend to use different languages or mode of communication for effectiveness and efficiency in the presentation of the
Rhetorical Analysis Of How To Tame A Wild Tongue
1343 Words | 6 PagesWritten by Gloria Anzaldua, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, is an opinion easy , a retrospection of her past and a story about identity and recognition of a wild tongue. The following is a rhetorical analysis and personal response of this easy . My analysis will be divided into 4 separate parts including intended audience, main claim, purpose and situation. (a) Intended audience : The first thing that anyone who even skims through this easy would notice is Anzaldua’s multi-lingual language use.
The Power Of Language In Amyy Tan's Mother Tongue By Amy Tan
943 Words | 4 PagesIn her writing, Tan often describes her experiences as the child of Chinese immigrants, growing up in northern California and living in American culture. Tan explains how she has learned to embrace the many Englishes her mother speaks and how her background has also caused her to have different Englishes. While others classify her mother's English as "broken" she finds no fault in it. In Tan's view, just because something is broken does not necessarily mean that it is in need of fixing. In her essay, author Amy Tan addresses the connections between languages and cultures in describing the different Englishes her mother uses.
Mother Tongue Thesis
1108 Words | 5 PagesWhile at a public speaking, Tan realized that she was using all these large words that her audience understood but her mother did not. “I was saying things like, “The intersection of memory upon imagination” and “There is an aspect of my fiction that relates to thus–and-thus…the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother” (Tan 58). Tan’s mother was in the room while Tan was giving the speech and that was when she realized that language could be a powerful tool that can connect each other in different ways. The English language can also bring people together who speak English but not in such a common way. “We were talking about the price of new and used furniture and I heard myself saying this: “Not waste money that way” (Tan 58).
Similarities Between Mother Tongue And How To Tame A Wild Tongue
504 Words | 3 PagesThe power of language We all have some form of language limitations, no matter where we come from and what our background is. “Mother tongue” by Amy Tan and “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldua both share similar themes in their stories that demonstrate how they both deal with how different forms of the same language are portrayed in society. In both stories they speak about what society declares the right way of speech and having to face prejudgment, the two authors share their personal experiences of how they’ve dealt with it.
Compare And Contrast Private Language And Mother Tongue
813 Words | 4 PagesShe struggles occasionally from day to day tasks. Since Tan’s mother English was poor, she tends to ask Tan for help “...she used to have me call people and the phone and pretend I was she” (300). Tan’s mother would tell Tan to pretend to be her to complain, ask for more information, and even
Analysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan
846 Words | 4 PagesIn this article, Tan 's argue that her mother 's "Broken English" has caused unfairness, disinterest, and limitations throughout their life. Tan 's mother was discriminated a lot throughout her life, all because of her "Broken English". Growing up speaking "Broken English" has caused Tan 's mother to be treated unfairly. For example, in one body paragraph, Tan talks about her mother having her to call people on the phone pretending to be her.
Rhetorical Analysis Of Mother Tongue
458 Words | 2 PagesRhetorical Precis #4: “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan Amy Tan’s purpose in her article “Mother Tongue” is to show the influence of her mother’s style of english. She also relates this to a more broad topic of the idea that there are many different types of english that people speak that are tailored to whoever they are speaking to. She begins this piece by stating plainly that she is not an english scholar. Instead of decreasing her credibility it actually increases it and paints this piece as a more personal set of observations rather than a bland overview of the entire language.
Amy Tan Mother Tongue Thesis
528 Words | 3 PagesWriter and novelist Amy Tan in her essay “Mother Tongue”, narrates that speaking “broken” or “fractured” English is not a bad thing. Tan’s purpose is to show the readers her interpretation of different Englishes and what affect her mother had on her. Amy Tan builds a case in “Mother Tongue” that just because some people don’t speak English perfectly, doesn’t mean that they are stupid or ignorant. Tan uses metaphors such as “broken” (8) and “fractured” (8), these words are strong metaphors due to the fact that they give the reader an easy understanding of what Tan is trying to say. Tan uses these metaphors as a way of describing how her mother spoke, while trying not to offend her.
Summary Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan
419 Words | 2 Pages“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan is the short story about the importance of language and how it is a key for communication. Tan emigrated from China to Oakland, California and she was a first generation of Asian-American. The author is very fascinated by the language and she believes that the language has the power of emotions, a visual image, a complex idea, and a simple truth. She also believes that there are many different types of “Englishes”.
What Is The Main Idea Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan
143 Words | 1 PagesIn Amy Tan‘s essay “Mother Tongue” (1999), she describes her life with her mother in America and how the broken speech of her mother has had an influence on her life. Amy Tan talks about the different “Englishes" she speaks to communicate with different people. Also, she tells us about her love for English and how she becomes a famous writer in America. In her essay she tries to shows us that language, culture, and education shapes us into who we are and the more you study English the more you learn and English will change your life a lot.
Mother Tongue Analysis
1081 Words | 5 PagesThe article 'Mother Tongue ' by author Amy Tan is about the variations in the English language the author uses in her life. She describes her English when giving a speech to a other people, English she uses when speaking to her mother, and English she uses in her writing. She tells of difficulties faced by both her mother and herself from these many differences. Amy 's goal in this article is to show that a person does not have to speak proper English to be seen as smart or intelligent.
Liars Don T Qualify Summary
941 Words | 4 PagesBoth “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and “Liars Don’t Qualify” by Junius Edwards utilize literary elements to convey the struggles people of color face in America. The short stories, “Mother Tongue” and "Liars Don’t Qualify” differ in perspectives supporting its message. “Mother Tongue” displays a 1st person perspective to support its message of the underminement of immigrants in America. The story is told from the perspective of a young girl, who grew up in America alongside her mother, a Chinese immigrant. She grew up switching between traditional English and a more shattered version of English when speaking to her mother.
To Speak Is To Blunder Analysis
1635 Words | 7 PagesOur identity is a place upon many attributes of a human being. Whether the person is someone who goes on promoting themselves to the world or not, and it shows how people communicate to others around them. Language is one of the main components that unveils the person’s identity in their everyday life, and they are many different ways to approach a person’s language. Relating to the article of Yiyun Li, “To Speak is to Blunder,” she knows two languages that has its positive and negative outcomes in her life. I to relate to her understanding of language, but a different view of what language means to me.
Amy Tan Research Paper
737 Words | 3 PagesWhen she was around others she would talk differently than how she talks with her mother. “…all the forms of Standard English that I had learned in school and through book, the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother” (118). Throughout her story she refers to the English her mother speaks as “Broken English” because her mother would say sentences like “Why he don’t send me check, already two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived” (119). Her mother didn’t have much difficulty understanding or reading English. When Tan was younger, she would feel embarrassed when her mother would speak because many people couldn’t understand her well.
Analysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan
711 Words | 3 PagesSummary of "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan In "Mother Tongue, Amy Tan writes about how her mother 's broken English affects her life. She begins this narrative essay by talking about the day she became aware of the different forms of English that she was using at home and during formal events. Amy says, "The talk was going along well enough, until I remembered one major difference that made the whole talk sound wrong. My mother was in the room. And it was perhaps the first time she had heard me give a lengthy speech, using the kind of English I have never used with her" (Tan 1).
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