The Opposites Of Fate Mother Tongue Analysis
Author Amy Tan uses different variations of English to make her essay “The Opposites of Fate, Mother Tongue “easier to read, more relevant, and understandable (2003, p. 20-23). Writers tend to elaborate more when they know their audiences. When they do not, they use more factual information and formal words and methods to get their points across. This is more the case when trying to reach those in their profession, and not the case with their families, and friends. Using blended English will make writing easier to read, comprehend, and reach a broader audience.
A variation of English Tan uses is an informal almost slang form of English she uses with her mother and spouse. In the essay introduction, Tan states “Don’t judge a book by its cover or someone’s intelligence by her English” (Tan, 2003, p. 20). She recognized the forms of English used to speak to her family are very unique and knowing the differences can have a
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It should make one more versatile and adaptable, like Tan’s mother. Growing up Tan tells a story about pretending she was her own mother in a conflict communicated over the phone; she expressed her shame about the situations that broken English had put her in. Unfortunately, her mother’s English was so poor there was no other way to mitigate the situation. Using “broken” English, her mother always seemed to resolve her issues and go about her life quite easily. If her mother spoke a broken form of English and managed to accomplish things in life, one should be able to write this way. “Not waste money that way” (Tan 2003, p. 20). We all know this is not proper English, yet readers are able to comprehend what is being said. Consequently writing in a blend of styles could render a piece confusing and harder to comprehend if not done properly, so getting everything to blend well like The Mother Tongue should make any piece informative and
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