Tan talks about the different types of English and the different circumstances she uses them. Most of her writings deal with issues of language and her relationship with her mother who spoke very broken English. She also talks about how that we are categorized on the way we speak. I want people to understand my point of view about what the author is trying to say because I can definitely relate to her paper because I came from another country and my English as a child considered broken but as I got older in school I learned, so not my Spanish considered broken. Tan indicates several different feelings when talking about her mother’s English. The article 's theme of is Language and the different forms of English’s that we are supposed to learn is well argued because not every culture speak proper English due to having to learn the English language on their own instead of getting taught the English the right way. The Author …show more content…
She also talks about how people who barely speak clear English call it Broken English even though to her its clear English it just lacks a certain wholeness and soundness but not broken. There is no such thing as broken English does not mean they are not bright. Tan bases the story on her mother’s broken English because she gets ashamed because people don’t take her
In Shaun Tan’s Arrival, the pictures prompt me to give an underscore of sound to them. Adding sound can strengthen the artist vision for the audience. For the first section of pictures, I would start off underscoring a sound of a ticking clock. Then, I would fade in sound of a stirring pot. After that, I would send in the sounds of a whistling tea kettle.
What she previously thought was “bad” English is merely a language variation, each variation with its own history and culture. Lanehart now believes these variations need to be celebrated and that they don't always need to be corrected. The more Lanehart learned, the more she believed that English can vary as long as we can all understand each other. Lanehart decides she doesn’t want to correct people anymore.
She is trying to say here that anyone who can speak more than just English are hurt from completely mastering only English. These people that speak more than English are described as not better
“So many words were still unknown that when the butcher and the lady at the drugstore said something to me, exotic polysyllabic sounds would bloom in the midst of their sentences. Often, the speech of people in public seemed to be very loud, booming with confidence. The man behind the counter would literally ask, ‘What can I do for you?’ But by being firm and so clear, the sound of his voice said that he was a gringo; he belonged in the public society”(12). Rodriguez describes the way English sounds to him creating an image that the language was very complex to in his perspective.
In the autobiography, “The Fortunate Traveler: Shuttling between Communities and Literacies by Economy Class”, written by Suresh Canagarajah, he describes his academic trajectory from a child learning English to an accomplished bilingual writer. Written in chronological order, Canagarajah begins by noting the importance of English in his family. Canagarajah’s parents would use English as a form of code switching to keep secrecy between themselves; because of this he begins to learn English and was able to decipher the codes and effectively prove that being bilingual gives a person a greater advantage over being monolingual. As he begins his school life, Canagarajah begins to realize that different countries have different writing styles and that his style might not be properly understood by people of different discourse, based of the education of the reader.
Tannen explains that people measure their behavior against the potential for gossip. Girls want to be popular, and boys want to be respected, but neither wants to give away info that can be used against them. However, women are more likely to take the risk; in fact women seeking to be liked may sacrifice their respect by tell their “friends” secrets about themselves and others . It’s convincing that gossiping in this society means if a person spills a secret to someone they barely knew, this could cause trouble, and a person who receives that secret will circulate that story of an uncertain truth. I would argue that acting like this shows a lack of courage because it's a false way to gain popularity or status in the group.
These rhetorical devices further the message Anzaldua is trying to present of how it is difficult for someone to learn a whole new language. First of all, is the use of anecdotes in “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”. Anzaldua provides many anecdotes within her writing to give the reader an example of the struggles she had as a child learning english. For example, when the commences Anzaldua says “ I remember being caught speaking Spanish at recess-that was good for 3 licks on the knuckles with a sharp ruler.” The use of this anecdote makes Anzaldua’s writing more potent because she is giving the readers examples of the consequences that were given if one were to speak spanish.
In 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.
This is a problem that may be passed unnoticed because many of us may believe that this is no longer a problem in our society but sadly keeps happening today. Through her use of pathos, by telling her story, the author is persuading people not to discriminate based on the language others speak. Her purpose is to inform the reader about this issue and hopefully help prevent it from continuing to happen. Anzaldua adopts a declamatory tone in order to help her
The 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.
Tan that despite its evident differences to Cofer’s memoir is discussing the same trials ethnic, culturally diverse people experience. On page 881, Cofer recounts her first public poetry reading where an older woman mistook the Puerto Rican author for a waitress that ignites passion to the reading, “her lowered eyes told me that she was embarrassed,” [4] at the sheer power and conviction of Cofer enforcing that she is an educated Latin woman that deserves respect for her identity. While academically Tan’s teachers would always direct her to STEM subjects as viable career options which contradict the author's passion for writing despite not being on-par with the typical standard of what’s expected of a Chinese-American girl. However, what sets both pieces apart is that Tan does this examination through her mother and her own experiences as Chinese-Americans, while Cofer’s memoir encapsulates her own struggles that intertwine with the vast Latin woman’s
Tan expresses the life experiences of Chinese immigrants to the United States and attempts to depict the relationship of a mother and daughter through her significant piece of writing ‘The Joy Club’. Therefore, all these authors somehow portrayed their early struggles and their view point towards life from their literary
Throughout the article, Tan uses a number of personal examples to show and support her point. These examples span from phone conversations and hospital visits to standardized tests. By using examples that cover a wide variety of topics, Tan is able to demonstrate the large effect that her mother’s style of english had and how it was woven into her whole life and not just a part of it. Particularly in the hospital example, Tan also brings in the stereotyping of people who speak “broken” english as not being very smart. In bringing this issue that is at the very root of our society, she darkens the tone to melancholy.
After reading Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, my perspective changed about the struggles for people who are not as good at English. All throughout this article Tan uses personal experience from her mom to show the readers the struggle while also using primary sources to back up her claim. All the evidence backs up her initial claim and as the reader your perspective changes after reading about how she personally was effected. The author 's main claim of Mother Tongue is to persuade people so respect people who struggle with English because she has serval personal connections, she has fact based proof, and she is an experienced writer on this topic and in general. All throughout the reading she uses many personal stories and personal experiences on how difficult it was for her mother to go through her everyday life.
Amy explains the many variations of English that she had been exposed to and still uses. She points out even though her mother, Mrs. Tan, uses the "broken" version of English, Amy still understands her mother. I agree because Amy never stated she had any