Amy Tan is the writer of the article Mother Tongue”. She is the author of different novels including children books, essays, and memoir. Tans work has appeared in McCall’s, Atlantic Monthly, the New Yorker, and other magazines. Her novel she is recognized the most for is The Joy Luck Club ( 1989). Amy Tan states that she is not a Scholar of English but a writer. Amy focuses on her mother much throughout this essay because she has learned through the experiences of her mother that people can be cruel to people they see as less off than what they are. People try to take advantage of her mother because she can not speak clear english. In “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan explain that english was the language that helped shape the way she saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world. …show more content…
Tan uses different English language words when it comes to the academics. The discussion consisted of her writings, her life, and her book. For instance, Tan held a group discussion in regards to her new book and her mother was present during the discussion. Then she realizes her mother is listening to what is being said in the discussion. She begins to reflect on the English that is used when she talks to her mom. Her mother’s native language was chinese but understood little English. So the discussion lost her mom 's attention because she could not understand anything that was being said because the lack of use of English. When talking to her mom she said unto her mother when some new furniture caught their attention “Not waste money that way” …(634). Amy Tan 's husband himself doesn’t see a difference in the english that is spoken to tan 's mother. In fact, he understands the way Tan and her mother communicates so it actually became the way he speaks to his
One of the main characters in the short story “The Things They Carried”, written by Tim O’Brien, is a twenty-four year old Lieutenant named Jimmy Cross. Jimmy is the assigned leader of his infantry unit in the Vietnam War, but does not assume his role accordingly. Instead, he’s constantly daydreaming, along with obsessing, over his letters and gifts from Martha. Martha is a student at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey, Jimmy’s home state. He believes that he is in love with Martha, although she shows no signs of loving him. This obsession is a fantasy that he uses to escape from reality, as well as, take his mind off of the war that surrounds him, in Vietnam. The rest of the men in his squad have items that they carry too, as a way of connecting to their homes. The story depicts the soldiers by the baggage that they carry, both mentally and physically. After the death of one of his troops, Ted Lavender, Jimmy finally realizes that his actions have been detrimental to the squad as a whole. He believes that if he would have been a better leader, that Ted Lavender would have never been shot and killed. The physical and emotional baggage that Jimmy totes around with him, in Vietnam, is holding him back from fulfilling his responsibilities as the First Lieutenant of his platoon. Jimmy has apparent character traits that hold him back from being the leader that he needs to be, such as inexperience and his lack of focus; but develops the most important character trait in the end, responsibility.
In their articles, Chang Rae-Lee and Amy Tan establish a profound ethos by utilizing examples of the effects their mother-daughter/mother-son relationships have had on their language and writing. Lee’s "Mute in an English-Only World" illustrates his maturity as a writer due to his mother’s influence on growth in respect. Tan, in "Mother Tongue," explains how her mother changed her writing by first changing her conception of language. In any situation, the ethos a writer brings to an argument is crucial to the success in connecting with the audience; naturally a writer wants to present himself/herself as reliable and credible (Lunsford 308). Lee and Tan, both of stereotypical immigrant background, use their memories of deceased mothers to build credibility in their respective articles.
The things we carry may define the type of person we are in a broad but effective sense. For example, a construction worker might carry a hammer, a mailman some mail , and a police officer would carry those beautiful pieces of paper we call tickets. In carrying these items, each person may experience a different type of day in the framework of their lives. A mailman might get chased by a dog, while a cop may be chasing the “dog”. Each item may dictate our particular interest in objects and gives insight into the psychology of an individual. This was done in 1946 by a man named Tim O’ Brien. His novel titled “The Things They Carried”, first appeared as an excerpt in Esquire Magazine and told the story of the men in war with the things they carried. In the pages of this excerpt, one is able to see an epiphany performed by the soldiers. This epiphany relates to the items they had carried around during their missions and is geared especially towards the leading character, Lt. Jimmy Cross, of the excerpt. A coming of age is derived from this individual, which also sheds light on the psychological atmosphere of the men serving the Vietnam War.
Amy Tan, first, describes different Englishes she speaks under two scenarios. She talks with standard-form English in her speech to a large number of people, but uses language like her mom unconsciously during family conversations. The author thinks that her mom’s “broken” English limits both their daily life and her own potentials. During her childhood, Tan has to help or represent mom to communicate with
"The Things They Carried," is a fiction story-telling book about the Vietnam War by Tim O'Brien that describes the physical and emotional burdens the men carry not only during their time in Vietnam but also years after leaving the warfront. The book is a series of stories told with O'Brien as the main narrator. O'Brien tells of the journey he takes alongside his unit, revealing his fight for courage and decision to commit to the serving in the war. It is a groundbreaking meditation on war, memory, imagination and the redemptive power of storytelling.
In The Things They Carried, there are many emotional burdens that each solider has to withstand. These burdens are, for the most part, physically present in everyday life as a soldier, while others, like the love of someone back home, may not be as physically noticeable. The book follows the life of Lt. Jimmy Cross, the leader of a regiment fighting during the Vietnam War.
Both the brains and the hearts of the audience have been convinced. She also used many rhetorical strategies, like emotional appeal to convey her rough childhood to the reader. She gave numerous examples of being discriminated, and stereotyped because of their race. Tan’s audience reaches out to family members who speak broken English. Amy Tan also comprehends that although people may not be able to speak perfect English, they can comprehend what others are saying, and that you shouldn't discriminate others because of their race. A persons understanding of someone who speaks “broken-English” could be very limited, but the wisdom of the “broken English” speaker is
In the work of Amy Tan’s “Mother’s Tongue” she provides a look into how she adapted her language to assimilate into American culture. She made changes to her language because her mother heavily relied on her for translation. She was the voice of her mother, relaying information in standard English to those who were unable to understand her mother’s broken english. She tells about her mother’s broken english and its impact on her communication to those outside their culture. Her mothers broken english limited others’ perception of her intelligence, and even her own perception of her mother was scewed: Tan said, “I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mothers ‘limited’ English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say.” (419) The use of standard english was a critical component to Tan’s assimilation into American culture. Standard English was an element she acquired to help her mother but more importantly is was an element that helped in her gain success as a writer. Tan changed her ‘Englishes’ (family talk) to include standard English that she had learnt in school and through books, the forms of English that she did not use at home with her mother. (417-418) Tan realized the ch...
In the story “The Things They Carried”, narrator Tim O'Brien talks about the soldiers, who were fighting in the Vietnam War. The soldiers are carrying physical and emotional burdens on their shoulders. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross the protagonist is in the Vietnam War with his other soldiers. As a leader, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carries maps, compasses, and the responsibilities of his men’s lives; however, he is hardly focusing on his duties. During the war, he is missing his girlfriend Martha, and to feel connected with her. That is why, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carries her letters, two photographs, and one good luck pebble in his mouth. One day during the war a horrifying incident changes his focus towards war from his girlfriend. In the war, one of the soldiers Ted Lavender gets shot on his way to the bathroom which affects heavily Lieutenant Jimmy Cross’s mind and causes him to cry in his foxhole. The next morning, he burns all of his girlfriend things, so he can focus on the war. The
Despite growing up amidst a language deemed as “broken” and “fractured”, Amy Tan’s love for language allowed her to embrace the variations of English that surrounded her. In her short essay “Mother Tongue”, Tan discusses the internal conflict she had with the English learned from her mother to that of the English in her education. Sharing her experiences as an adolescent posing to be her mother for respect, Tan develops a frustration at the difficulty of not being taken seriously due to one’s inability to speak the way society expects. Disallowing others to prove their misconceptions of her, Tan exerted herself in excelling at English throughout school. She felt a need to rebel against the proverbial view that writing is not a strong suit of someone who grew up learning English in an immigrant family. Attempting to prove her mastery of the English language, Tan discovered her writing did not show who she truly was. She was an Asian-American, not just Asian, not just American, but that she belonged in both demographics. Disregarding the idea that her mother’s English could be something of a social deficit, a learning limitation, Tan expanded and cultivated her writing style to incorporate both the language she learned in school, as well as the variation of it spoken by her mother. Tan learned that in order to satisfy herself, she needed to acknowledge both of her “Englishes” (Tan 128).
The Essay written by Amy Tan titled 'Mother Tongue' concludes with her saying, 'I knew I had succeeded where I counted when my mother finished my book and gave her understandable verdict' (39). The essay focuses on the prejudices of Amy and her mother. All her life, Amy's mother has been looked down upon due to the fact that she did not speak proper English. Amy defends her mother's 'Broken' English by the fact that she is Chinese and that the 'Simple' English spoken in her family 'Has become a language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk' (36). Little did she know that she was actually speaking more than one type of English. Amy Tan was successful in providing resourceful information in every aspect. This gave the reader a full understanding of the disadvantages Amy and her mother had with reading and writing. The Essay 'Mother Tongue' truly represents Amy Tan's love and passion for her mother as well as her writing. Finally getting the respect of her critics and lucratively connecting with the reaction her mother had to her book, 'So easy to read' (39). Was writing a book the best way to bond with your own mother? Is it a struggle to always have the urge to fit in? Was it healthy for her to take care of family situations all her life because her mother is unable to speak clear English?
“The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien, is a narrative about a platoon of American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. After a routine check of the underground tunnels, an attack by enemy fighters kills one of the American soldiers. The leader of the American soldiers, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, ultimately feels responsible because his mind was elsewhere due to the stress caused by the war. The soldier’s death causes Cross to destroy all physical reminders of Martha, the reason of his distraction, to achieve his goal to keep the remainder of his platoon alive. O’Brien has created an exceptional work of short fiction, because it meets the necessary criteria: the elements work well together, the situations are plausible, and the story is provocative. The author manages to wield these facets of short fiction to illustrate his theme which suggests emotional baggage that people carry can be just as heavy or heavier than physical baggage.
English is an invisible gate. Immigrants are the outsiders. And native speakers are the gatekeepers. Whether the gate is wide open to welcome the broken English speakers depends on their perceptions. Sadly, most of the times, the gate is shut tight, like the case of Tan’s mother as she discusses in her essay, "the mother tongue." People treat her mother with attitudes because of her improper English before they get to know her. Tan sympathizes for her mother as well as other immigrants. Tan, once embarrassed by her mother, now begins her writing journal through a brand-new kaleidoscope. She sees the beauty behind the "broken" English, even though it is different. Tan combines repetition, cause and effect, and exemplification to emphasize her belief that there are more than one proper way (proper English) to communicate with each other. Tan hopes her audience to understand that the power of language- “the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth”- purposes to connect societies, cultures, and individuals, rather than to rank our intelligence.
Amy Tan tries to spread a non-discriminatory message through her words; telling not judge people based on the way he/she speaks a language. Amy Tan also tries to impose her idea of language bringing people closer. The “broken” English that she invented, just like many immigrants, brought her closer to her mother, even though she was looked down upon in her community due to her ability to speak fluently. This is seen when she had to speak to a doctor when her mother was diagnosed with brain tumor and the doctor told her they had lost the CAT scans. The doctor at this moment was not cooperating with her mother due to her inability to speak English properly. When Amy finally talked to the doctor they were able to find the results and had to give her an apology. This along with many other examples in the essay show how Amy had to help her mother out to get her message across. Using pathos in her stories, Amy Tan is able to connect deeply with those who have encountered such people that speak “broken” English or have judged others in the past. This also makes the audience sympathize for
The purpose of Amy Tan’s essay, “Mother Tongue,” is to show how challenging it can be if an individual is raised by a parent who speaks “limited English” (36) as Tan’s mother does, partially because it can result in people being judged poorly by others. As Tan’s primary care giver, her mother was a significant part of her childhood, and she has a strong influence over Tan’s writing style. Being raised by her mother taught her that one’s perception of the world is heavily based upon the language spoken at home. Alternately, people’s perceptions of one another are based largely on the language used.