Amy Tan Essay Examples
The short story “Two Kinds,” is a story in which a young Chinese child is struggling with her mother that wants so badly to change her into this average American girl. Or so the daughter thought, her mother was trying to get her daughter to understand that she can achieve anything that strives to do…
In the story “Aria” by Richard Rodriguez and “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan both authors write about their experiences and struggles as a bilingual child. In “Aria” and “Mother Tongue” they describe their private language as an expression of intimacy with their loved ones. Growing up at one point they felt embarrassed and ashamed of…
Mother Tongue is about the authors struggles with her linguistic identity, her mothers “fractured” or “broken” variation of english and the relationship with her mother. At the beginning of the piece we are told about the different types of english she would speak with her mother and with everyone else; we are then told how…
1. Amy uses emotional appeals throughout her essay as she does in her first couple paragraphs. Amy says “I am a writer” to show that she simply loves to write down her mind and that is it. 2. Tan’s argument is simply referring to the somewhat embarrassment she has when people notice her mother’s broken…
1. Amy uses emotional appeals throughout her essay as she does in her first couple paragraphs. Amy says “I am a writer” to show that she simply loves to write down her mind and that is it. 2. Tan’s argument is simply referring to the somewhat embarrassment she has when people notice her mother’s broken…
Amy Tan begins by announcing, “I am not a scholar of English…I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the English language and its variations in this country and others.” How does this opening set up your expectations for the rest of the essay? Why do you think she chose to begin by…
Amy Tan is a passionate writer of books such as “The Joy Luck Club” and other published works. Now that we have read her text read her text “Mother Tongue”, we learn new things about her as a writer. In my first response to Amy Tan’s passage I described her as a self-motivated author as…
Even though Tan and Orwell have two different approaches to showing a struggle to fit into society, they are actually in agreement that people who come from different places struggle to fit. This common ground becomes apparent through the emotion behind each authors’ writing. In both Tan and Orwell’s writing they show a variety of…
In “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, Tan explores the connection between one’s language and their identity, she examines not only how language affects the development of ones identity, but also the role it has in the way one is perceived by society. Tan shares a few anecdotes illustrating the role language played in shaping her…
Amy Tan and Maya Angelou come from extremely different cultures, and trying to feel accepted in American Culture. Both authors discuss a feeling of being an outcast and how their cultural differences set them apart. However, Amy Tan effectively uses narration and description to depict her sense of isolation from the dominant American culture. Angelou’s…
A person spends most of their developing years under the guidance of their parents or guardians. They affect how we think, how we feel, and how we act. These are among the people who hold the greatest influence. Amy Tan’s ‘Two Kinds’ and Jamaica Kincaid’s ‘Girl’ both deal with the relationship between a young girl…
The essay is chiefly about the writer’s own rumination and judgment about how “broken English” compared to Standard English. Moreover it came to her sense that language not only “authorizes” individuals to participate as members of a designated community, it is also a essential key in enabling individuals to establish and define the dimensions of…
In this chapter we are introduced to the Joy Luck Club which originated all the way back in China when Jing-Mei Woo’s mother Suyuan was in the city of Kweilin. At the Joy Luck Club a group of old Chinese women sit around and eat and after that they sit down in a table to…
In Amy Tan’s short story “Two Kinds” we see the strained relationship between a Chinese immigrant mother and a first-generation American daughter. Throughout the text, Jing-mei’s mother continually pushes her to become a prodigy. She is so obsessive of her daughter’s excellence, that she does not see the emotional damage she creates. Jing-mei reacts negatively…
Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” and “Best Quality” depict a struggling and often stressful relationship between a defiant daughter and an overbearing mother. June Mei and her mother Suyuan engage in a destructive battle between what is possible and what is realistic. June, although headstrong, seeks her mother’s approval and adoration. Suyuan, although patronizing, yearns for…
