Amy Tan writes‚ in this essay‚ about the language that she and her mother used in their family while Tan was growing up. She makes a great effort to explain that their language‚ English‚ was never "broken" or "simple" as most people would say about it. Although she could speak perfect English‚ her mother could not. But‚ she grew up with her mother’s English way of speaking‚ and therefore learned to consider it as a natural language. She is trying to make a point here by saying that there is absolutely
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Amy Tan is an author who uses the theme of Chinese-American life‚ focusing mainly on mother-daughter relationships‚ where the mother is an immigrant from China and the daughter is a thoroughly Americanized --yellow on the surface and white underneath. In her book‚ the mother tries to convey their rich history and legacy to her daughter‚ who is almost completely ignorant of their heritage‚ while the daughter attempts to understand her hopelessly old- fashioned mother‚ who now seems to harbor a secret
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only be a mere reflection of skill without its own story‚ as Amy Tan once said "The goal of every serious writer of literature is to try to find your voice and your art because it comes from your own experiences‚ your own pain." Amy Tan herself writes all of her work with her mother in mind as the reader‚ her inspiration. She writes to show the beautiful and passionate side of her mother that people can’t see. In "Mother Tongue‚" Amy Tan describes how all of the Englishes that she grew up with‚ normal
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Tongue by Amy Tall Kaé Murray-Francis September 2‚ 2011 Florida Memorial University Recently‚ in my College Writing II class‚ I had the opportunity to read‚ “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan. I enjoyed reading the essay so much that I decided to write my own analysis. “Mother Tongue” is an essay based on the power of language and the will to communicate. However‚ the essay is not just about language itself‚ but also about the relationship between a mother‚ Mrs. Tan‚ and her daughter‚ Amy Tan‚ who moved
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Two Kinds by Amy Tan A: Synopsis This short story‚ ‘Two Kinds’ is more focused on the relationships between mother and daughter. The narrator of this story‚ Jing Mei recalls of the days when her mother wanted her to be a prodigy in America. Her mother moved to San Francisco when she lost everything in China. At first‚ she thought that her daughter would be like Shirley Temple as they watched how talented Shirley Temple was in acting. And one day when the narrator’s mother saw a young Chinese girl
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The author‚ Amy Tan is a second generation Chinese immigrant. Her parents are both Chinese immigrants. Her father and one of her brothers passed away during her early teens. At that period‚ she found out that her mother had been married before in China. She left her divorced ex-husband and three daughters in China. In 1987‚ after her mother recovered from a serious illness‚ they took a trip to China where Tan reunited with her half-sisters. The trip offered Tan a new perspective on her mother and
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English 101 Mother Tongue Amy Tan makes a valid point about the use of different Englishes that are spoken in different places and to certain people. What one says may sometimes vary based on the person‚ situation‚ or event as well. How one speaks and what they pick up on happens in the home and other people see them differently based on the way they speak. Different languages become difficult to translate as well because there isn’t always a similar word in the translating language. Many people
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Famed author Amy Tan was born on February 19‚ 1952 in Oakland California. Her father was an electrical engineer and a Baptist minister. Her mother believed in Chinese spirits and left behind three daughters when she immigrated to America. Tan was raised in Northern California‚ but when her older brother and father both died from brain tumors‚ her mother took her and her younger brother to Europe. By the time she graduated high school‚ she had been attended eleven schools. She also got arrested for
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Not My Dream In the story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan‚ we are shown the struggles of a young girl Jing-Mei. Her struggle is that of a young girl growing up and trying to find her own sense of identity. Her troubles are compounded by her mother‚ who convinces her that she can become someone important. Because of her mother’s constant overbearing behavior‚ Jing-Mei does everything she can to annoy and displease her mother even to the point of being a failure. This fight to find
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impression does Amy Tan present of herself in “Fish Cheeks”? How? In “Fish Cheeks”‚ Amy Tan gives an impression of being insecure and overly dramatic. She is especially insecure about being Chinese‚ and this is evident in several points during the text. She has a crush on a white boy‚ Robert‚ who she describes first and foremost as “not Chinese‚ but as white as Mary in the manger”. Comparing him to Mary‚ a holy figure‚ almost suggests an idealization of Robert because of his race. Amy also wishes
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