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Summary of why chinese mothers are superior by amy chua
Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” by Amy Chua
Summary of why chinese mothers are superior by amy chua
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Although Chua does include many logical arguments through the use of personal storied, her very narrow angle of vision may cause her readers to disagree with her beliefs. In Amy Chua’s “How Chinese Mother Are Superior”, she compares very strict Chinese parenting methods to the more flexible western methods. She states that by punishing and shaming a child, the child will become more confident once her or she achieves the intended goal and this can lead to greater success in the future. It is also evident that she believes in having total control over her children’s life when she says, “Chinese parents believe they know what is best for their children and therefore override all of their child’s own desires and preferences” (Page 4). Throughout her essay Chua uses several rhetorical devices to support her harsh parenting style. …show more content…
She uses “in contrast” a lot through out the essay to really mark the differences between the 2 parenting styles. She says things like “things are always hardest in the beginning, which is where western parents tend to give up” (page 2). It is clear that is wants to undermine western parents and make them look almost like a joke. The intended audience for her essay is most likely the Chinese mother who will completely agree with her and the western parents who will her completely insulted by it. This essay is striking to any western parent who reads it because she is trying to make them feel inferior and trying to make them reevaluate their parenting
Like the name of this article suggests, the writer's main purpose is to persuade the audience to make them believe that Chinese mothers are indeed superior. To support her argument she uses different methods to appeal to her audience's favor: she uses statistics of researches about Chinese mothers and Western mothers opinions, opinions that are mostly about how parents should or should not do when they are raising their children. She also uses passages of her life as a Chinese mother to support her argument. Also, she points out a few characteristics of western parents that are completely opposite to how a Chinese mother raises their children, which made her argument stronger. Nevertheless, there were some fallacies in her logic. One of her main fallacies is what we call "Hasty Generalization".
Amy Chua utilizes evidence to verify that Western parenting practice is wrong and not as effective as Chinese parenting practice. In her article, Chua comments, “Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable-even legally actionable-to Westerners, “Hey fatty-lose some weight.” By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue” (Chua 54). She also gives her observation as evidence to convince Westerners treat their kid wrongly. She adds her observation in her article “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior,” “I also once heard a Western father toast his adult daughter by calling her “beautiful and incredibly competent.” She later told me that made her feel like garbage” (Chua 54). Brooks, in opposite, does not fight against to prove Chinese parenting techniques are completely wrong. However, he just want to give evidence so that Chua and Chinese, in common, understand Western parenting practices are good in some ways. In Brooks’ article, he clears, “So I’m not against the way Chua pushes her daughters” (Brooks 59). Furthermore, David Brooks writes in his article “I wish she recognized that in some important ways the school cafeteria is more intellectually demanding than the library” (Brooks
In the book, “Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman,” written by Marjorie Shostak; is a culturally shocking and extremely touching book about a woman who had gone through many struggles and horrific tragedies in her life. This book also emphasizes the perspective of most of the women in the society. There are many striking issues in this book that the people of the !Kung tribe go through.
Amy Tan 's novel, The Joy Luck Club, explores the relationships and experiences of four Chinese mothers with that of their four Chinese-American daughters. The differences in the upbringing of those women born around the 1920’s in China, and their daughters born in California in the 80’s, is undeniable. The relationships between the two are difficult due to lack of understanding and the considerable amount of barriers that exist between them.
In the graphic novel American Born Chinese, written by Gene Luen Yang, there are many significant signs that symbolize meanings that challenge the reader to understand exactly what he or she may be reading. One of these signs that constantly appears is self-acceptance for one of the main characters, “Jin”. Jin is a young boy who has just moved and enrolled in Mayflower Elementary and has no idea what to expect. Jin soon realizes that he is not just going to have to get used to his new school, but he also has to learn to accept that he is going to differ from most of his classmates. This is important in many ways. Since Jin is not only culturally different as well as physically different he has many tough obstacles to overcome. Throughout the novel Jin’s self-acceptance is constantly tested. Why is Jin an outcast? How does he deal with this problem? And what is the result? Lastly, how does Jin’s situation relate to our society today?
The Chinese New year marks a time of celebration, tradition, and new beginnings. The Chinese people celebrate their hard work during this time by resting and enjoying time with family. The tradition to rest, and close businesses is so that luck may come upon them for the upcoming year. In the novel, Donald Duk written by Frank Chin the Duk family takes these traditions very seriously. They are a Chinese family living in America, in the Chinatown district of San Francisco where this novel takes place. The Duk family has immigrated to San Francisco however their children including the protagonist, Donald Duk was born in America. Donald is an eleven-year-old boy who struggles with his overwhelming need to be American and his undeniable Chinese
Chinese parenting is competent at times but there are other times where it is more suitable to follow other forms of parenting such as the Western style.These findings have important consequences for the broader domain of parent-child relationships. Whether it is Chinese parenting or Western parenting the relationship between family members is crucial. According to Amy Chua, Chinese parenting is more effective in helping the child attain a better future through the parents’ interests, while Western parenting style reflects mainly the interests of the child.
One type of effect the Chinese mothers’ expectations has in their relationship with their “Americanized” daughter is negative since the mothers are unable to achieve anything. An-Mei Hsu expects her daughter to listen and obey as the young ones do in Chinese culture, but instead receives a rebellious and stubborn daughter, “‘You only have to listen to me.’ And I cried, ‘But Old Mr. Chou listens to you too.’ More than thirty years later, my mother was still trying to make me listen’” (186-187). Instead of the circumstances improving, the mother is never able to achieve anything; her forcing and pushing her daughter to the Chinese culture goes to a waste. They are both similar in this sense because both are stubborn; the daughter learns to be stubborn through American culture and wants to keep herself the way she is, whereas the mother wants to remove this teaching from American culture and does not give u...
As Amy Chua (2011) points out, there are three differences in the mindsets of Chinese and Westerners when it comes to parenting. The author starts the article with several stories to demonstrate these glaring differences: Chinese parents believe their kids are "the best;" Chinese parents force their children to practice a subject until they master and enjoy it; and Chinese parents call their offsprings "garbage" and "fat" to make them improve. However, according to Chua, the Chinese parenting method, strange to Westerners, has created successful sons and daughters.
The Chinese mothers, so concentrated on the cultures of their own, don't want to realize what is going on around them. They don't want to accept the fact that their daughters are growing up in a culture so different from their own. Lindo Jong, says to her daughter, Waverly- "I once sacrificed my life to keep my parents' promise. This means nothing to you because to you, promises mean nothing. A daughter can promise to come to dinner, but if she has a headache, a traffic jam, if she wants to watch a favorite movie on T.V., she no longer has a promise."(Tan 42) Ying Ying St.Clair remarks- "...because I remained quiet for so long, now my daughter does not hear me. She sits by her fancy swimming pool and hears only her Sony Walkman, her cordless phone, her big, important husband asking her why they have charcoal and no lighter fluid."(Tan 64)
In the short story, "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan, a Chinese mother and daughter are at odds with each other. The mother pushes her daughter to become a prodigy, while the daughter (like most children with immigrant parents) seeks to find herself in a world that demands her Americanization. This is the theme of the story, conflicting values. In a society that values individuality, the daughter sought to be an individual, while her mother demanded she do what was suggested. This is a conflict within itself. The daughter must deal with an internal and external conflict. Internally, she struggles to find herself. Externally, she struggles with the burden of failing to meet her mother’s expectations. Being a first-generation Asian American, I have faced the same issues that the daughter has been through in the story.
There are big differences in how Chinese mothers act towards their children compared to Western mothers including the expression of feelings and approval, the worth of their children, and what is best for them. Amy Chua (2011) incorporates her own personal experiences of being a Chinese mother within her article and compares that to what she witnesses in America.
Mothers such as Chua are convinced that they know what’s best for their child in almost every aspect of their life. Between school and activities out of school, decisions are usually made up by the mother and not by the child in the Chinese parenting method. Western parents would much rather hold back on making every decision, instead teaching the child to make their own decisions and to weigh out the consequences. Again in Chinese parenting, mothers also believe that it is better to be harsh on the child rather than baby them throughout development. Western mothers on the other hand will take a different path and will always keep the feelings of the child in mind when conducting punishment. Both of the methods are correct in some aspects, but sometimes it takes a little more than just a compromise between the two in order to
The main characters in this story are a generation of mothers and their daughters. This story is told in sections as a narrative, where each chapter is recounted by a different woman. The mothers speak of their experiences growing up under the strict conditions in China. They told of how their marriages were predetermined and how they had to do as any male ordered. The daughters, on the other hand, being raised under American ways, told of their hardships with pressure given to them by their mothers. They spoke of American husbands, equality between both sexes, and how they’d rather believe that their futures could indeed be controlled.
“Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” is an excerpt from Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua, a Yale Law professor. In this excerpt the author explains why Chinese children tend to be more successful in life and expresses her dislike towards Western parenting. The first idea Chua explains is a list of activities her daughters are allowed to do and not do in order to focus solely on academic progress. Second, the author demonstrates the contrast in mindset between Chinese mothers and Western mothers by explaining how Chinese mothers feel differently than Western mothers in regards to academic success and learning. Furthermore, she describes how Chinese mothers can demand things from their children. Finally, they can also say