Sandra Cisneros 'Mother Tongue' By Amy Tan

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While reading Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, I was thinking of my mother. My mother originally from Paris, France came to the United States in her mid-20s. Being older and while moving to a different country means that she already strongly developed her homeland language. So by coming to the United States she had to learn a whole new language. Getting married and having four kids definitely helped her situation with her English as we were able to advocate her thoughts into words for her, however, that didn't take away the fact that she has a strong French accent and at times was unable to develop her thoughts through speaking as well as a born American citizen. Ashamedly I admit that at times I did view my mother as mentally slow for being …show more content…

With Amy Tans mom, she put herself out there in the public completely open and vulnerable. Like Amy herself wrote, "She reads the Forbes reports, Listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirley MacLaine's books with ease--all kinds of things I can't begin to understand." Completely deferring from the story Sandra Cisneros wrote in "No Speak English", from The House on Mango Street, about the women known as Mamacita who would never leave the house and didn't want to participate in some other country's language other than her own. I got to that realization at the end of her Sandra's story when Mamacita says to the baby boy grown up now and learning the language of the country in which he resigns in, "No speak English, she says to the child who is singing in the language that sounds like tin. No speak English, no speak English, and bubbles into tears. No, no, no, as if she can't believe her ears." Consequently, an immigrant who fears to put themselves out there in the public's eye and let themselves be vulnerable, knowing and accepting that others are going to put them down and treat them unfairly along the way, can never show anyone their true self and express their

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