amy tan
Zoey Harrison
Professor Wood
English 1301
24 September 2014
Language Barriers and Prejudice Being judged based on surface level qualities can make anyone feel unwelcomed and looked down upon. Someone might even be treated with less respect because of the way they talk or pronounce a certain language. In the article "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan describes her relationship with her mother, who speaks "broken" English that essentially, isn’t broken at all. She shares her stories about the struggles of growing up with a mother who spoke imperfect English and the prejudice she received in turn for it. However, Tan didn’t let her mother’s “limited” English bring her down; instead she used it in her own personal narratives to tell a meaningful story. She conveys the theory that people’s intelligence should not be judged based on how well they speak a language. People don’t deserve the prejudice they receive for speaking differently and should ignore the loathing and set higher standards for themselves to go further in life than ever imagined before.
In this article, Amy Tan shares her personal encounters growing up with a mother who spoke imperfect English. She examines the diverse forms of English that she uses in her daily life. Tan grew up with many variations of English including her mother's “broken English” which was seen as limited and fractured. However, Tan sees her mother's language as vibrant and easy to understand through her mother’s sense of detail and imagery. Tan began to write fiction towards a target audience who would read her stories and decided to write with her mother in mind. When her mother read her stories and thought they were "So easy to read", Tan knew she had accomplished something very important. Ultimately, she concluded that no one should ever be evaluated on their intellect based on how properly they speak a language. Tan’s views on the pointless prejudice in today’s society truly reached me through my sense of pathos. I don’t understand
Professor Wood
English 1301
24 September 2014
Language Barriers and Prejudice Being judged based on surface level qualities can make anyone feel unwelcomed and looked down upon. Someone might even be treated with less respect because of the way they talk or pronounce a certain language. In the article "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan describes her relationship with her mother, who speaks "broken" English that essentially, isn’t broken at all. She shares her stories about the struggles of growing up with a mother who spoke imperfect English and the prejudice she received in turn for it. However, Tan didn’t let her mother’s “limited” English bring her down; instead she used it in her own personal narratives to tell a meaningful story. She conveys the theory that people’s intelligence should not be judged based on how well they speak a language. People don’t deserve the prejudice they receive for speaking differently and should ignore the loathing and set higher standards for themselves to go further in life than ever imagined before.
In this article, Amy Tan shares her personal encounters growing up with a mother who spoke imperfect English. She examines the diverse forms of English that she uses in her daily life. Tan grew up with many variations of English including her mother's “broken English” which was seen as limited and fractured. However, Tan sees her mother's language as vibrant and easy to understand through her mother’s sense of detail and imagery. Tan began to write fiction towards a target audience who would read her stories and decided to write with her mother in mind. When her mother read her stories and thought they were "So easy to read", Tan knew she had accomplished something very important. Ultimately, she concluded that no one should ever be evaluated on their intellect based on how properly they speak a language. Tan’s views on the pointless prejudice in today’s society truly reached me through my sense of pathos. I don’t understand