A Rhetorical Analysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan

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Would you judge a person based on the English they spoke? In "Mother Tongue" written by Amy Tan she explains exactly how her mothers broken English has not only affected her life, her mothers life, but can also compare to many other Asian Americans lives. Tan states "I think my mother's English almost had an effect on limiting my possibilities in life as well. Sociologists and linguists probably will tell you that a persons developing language skills are more influenced by peers. And I believe that it affected my results on achievement tests, IQ tests and the SAT. She perfectly explains why she thinks her mothers "broken English" affected and limited her possibilities. Because her mother used broken English, Tan, growing up had become used to the English her mother used and she would write papers and essays according to the English she was most familiar with. Even now being an English major she …show more content…

"She said they would not give her any more information until the next time and she would have to make another appointment for that. So she said she would not leave until the doctor called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect English- lo and behold- we had assurances the CAT scan would be found, promises that a conference call on Monday would be held." Tan illustrates a time that her mother was not accurately helped because of the way she spoke. Yet when Tan, who has perfect English, asked for help. She was able to speak to a doctor and make a conference call to find the test results her mother was begging the nurse for before hand. My opinion is that it is in a sense discrimination to base the care you give someone on the way they speak and how well they speak. It is not fair to immigrants or foreigners to be treated unfairly because of there English. Tan gives the perfect example as to how her mother was treated differently and ultimately her life was affected by her broken

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    The author demonstrates a personal example of how communication became a barrier because of the way Tan had to assist when her mother would speak. Tan would often have to relay the meaning of her mother’s message, because her mother’s “broken English” was difficult for others to comprehend. When Amy was younger, she remembers having to act as her mother on the phone, so that people on the other end would treat her mother with the respect she deserved. On one occasion, when her mother went to the doctor to get her CAT scan results on a benign brain tumor, her mother claimed that “the hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CAT scan and she had come for nothing” (Tan, 544 ). It was not until Tan had talked to the doctor that the medical staff seemed to care about any of her mother’s complications. Tan seems to come to the conclusion that a language barrier affects both sides. Not only does it affect Tan, but it also appears to affect the people around her. For instance, this happens when Tan changes her major from the stereotypical “Asian’s become doctors” to an English teacher. She eventually learns to write fiction and other writings that she was constantly told she would never be successful at.

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