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Symbolism in two kinds by amy tan
Two kinds by amy tan analysis essay
Analysis for two kinds by amy tan
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The short story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan describes a girl, Jing-Mei, who has a mother that expects her to become a prodigy. The story also talks about a girl, Waverly, who makes her mother proud because she is a prodigy. In the short story it states “Of course you can be a prodigy, too,” my mother told me when I was nine” (Tan 1). Jing-Mei was always told by her mother she could be something great. Her mother always expected her to be talented and passionate about something, but Jing-Mei was never passionate because her mother was always telling her what to do. On the other hand Waverly was much different. For example “ Waverly Jong had gained a certain amount of fame as ‘Chinatown’s Littlest Chinese Chess Champion”’ ( Tan 3). This describes
In the story, Two Kinds by Amy Tan, the most predominant object would be the piano. The mother has it set in her head that her daughter, Jing-Mei can and will become a child prodigy. The mother hires a teacher that lives in their apartment building. Jing-Mei constantly feels like she is a disappointment to her mother. Her mother had very distinct goals for Jing-Mei and this is way she always felt that she was disappointing her.
The story "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan is about a mother and daughter who have strong conflicting ideas about what it means to have a sense of self. This may be partly due to the mother growing up in China, which is a very different culture than the American culture where endless opportunities are available to anyone who wants to pursue them. Jing-mei's mother wants her daughter to be the best, a prodigy of sorts, and to have the kind of life, full of hopes and dreams that she did not have. In the beginning of the story Jing-mei liked the idea of becoming a prodigy however, the prodigy in her became impatient. "If you don't hurry up and get me out of here, I'm disappearing for good." It warned. "And then you'll always be nothing" (500). After disappointing her mother several times Jing-mei started to detest the idea of becoming a prodigy. The idea Jing-mei's mother had for her to become a prodigy was too much pressure for a small child and was something that Jing-mei was clearly not ready to be. As a result the pressure that her mother laid upon her only made Jing-mei rebel against her mother and she resisted in giving her best. Jing-mei did this because she only wanted her mother's love and acceptance for who she was not only what she could become. Furthermore, Jing-mei's point of view of being the kind of person that one can be proud of was very different from her mother's point of view.
Our mothers have played very valuable roles in making us who we are and what we have become of ourselves. They have been the shoulder we can lean on when there is no one else to turn to. They have been the ones we can count on when there is no one else. They have been the ones who love us for who we are and forgive us when no one else wouldn’t. In Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds,” the character Jing-mei experiences being raised by a mother who has overwhelming expectations for her daughter, which causes Jing-mei to struggle with who she wants to be.
In "The Rules of the Game," a short story about a young Chinese-American girl, Waverly Jong, embarks journey to become a chess master. Waverly's mother believes she is a key component during this journey. Even though the mother actually has no true role in Waverly's adventure, she continues to believe it is her as the one who is succeeding. This belief is a necessity for Waverly's mother because she has nothing for herself. Waverly's mother has to live through her daughter because of her own lack of success.
For many of us growing up, our mothers have been a part of who we are. They have been there when our world was falling apart, when we fell ill to the flu, and most importantly, the one to love us when we needed it the most. In “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, it begins with a brief introduction to one mother’s interpretation of the American Dream. Losing her family in China, she now hopes to recapture part of her loss through her daughter. However, the young girl, Ni Kan, mimics her mother’s dreams and ultimately rebels against them.
...earning from her mother, she will define herself as well. Indeed, it is not easy growing up. It is painfully hard to defy the person that you most admire, in this case her father. But at some point in our young lives we must break free from the conformity of our parents' world in order to give birth to our "self." This is what Alice Munro shows us through "Boys and Girls."
...ith Jing Mei and her mother, it is compounded by the fact that there are dual nationalities involved as well. Not only did the mother’s good intentions bring about failure and disappointment from Jing Mei, but rooted in her mother’s culture was the belief that children are to be obedient and give respect to their elders. "Only two kinds of daughters.....those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!" (Tan1) is the comment made by her mother when Jing Mei refuses to continue with piano lessons. In the end, this story shows that not only is the mother-daughter relationship intricately complex but is made even more so with cultural and generational differences added to the mix.
This goes to show that Rosa is quite aware of the fact that she is good at sports but not good in academics. Valentine, DuBois & Cooper, 20014, stated that Children’s self-esteem varies with their experiences. These researchers stated; children who have experience of success in academics are more apt to enjoy school, try harder and perform well in academics and vice versa. With this it goes to show that because Rosa’s is aware of her self-efficacy it is now affecting her self-esteem. This is now resulting in her being distracted in these classes and constantly does well in sports. Ferirings &Taska, 1996, stated that, children and adolescents whose parents are warm and have reasonable expectations for them generally display high level of self-esteem. Again it can be seen that the lack of parental involvement is one of the main reason for Rosa’s underperformance in the different subject
In both stories, the main characters had people pressuring them to be something they didn’t want to be. However, they came over their individual dilemmas. Jing-Mei learnt later on in life, after her mother’s passing, while Spear learnt early in life. They both rebelled, but had different attitudes towards approaching their problem. These stories have taught me that in life, everyone will always expect something of you. With some expectancies comes pressure and a fear of failure, but with a strong sense of your true identity, one is able to decide if those expectations are worth fulfilling or not. Only you can make what you want of yourself, so don’t let any one else make you.
For some individuals the predisposition to achieve is higher, this is often based on culture and ethnicity, for example, the character Derek. Derek is a young African American male living in the poorer area of Chicago. Although he is expected to get involved in criminal activities such as drive-bys, like is once friend Malaki; he chooses a different route, by pursuing a career that will carry him far beyond his current socioeconomic status and cultural expectations. Alternatively, Sarah destined for a more promising future based on her culture and ethnicity, however she had to endure many obstacle to achievement. Stuck with guilt, Sara no longer wanted to achieve the goal set out and worked so hard for as a young child. At first she procrastinated by avoiding any opportunities and even quitting dance. Anytime she was face with her goal, in the situation when Derek realized that she is an amazing ballerina and the event of her mother’s death driving to her ballet recital, she would begin to cry, feel anxious and avoid conversation. Nevertheless by the end of the movie, she began to gain interest and seek out ballet class but still felt the need to protect her self-worth by avoiding opportunities’ for failure such as not wanting to audition for Julliard because of doubt and lack of self-efficacy.
“Fate brings people together no matter how far apart they may be.” This quote by a Chinese Proverb embodies how the Hsu household is brought together through the death of the youngest child in the family. In Amy Tan's story “Half and Half,” Rose comes to the realization that faith and “nengkan” can change fate; yet she now realizes “fate is shaped half by expectation, half by inattention.”
In Amy Tan 's Two Kinds, Jing-mei and her mother show how through generations a relationship of understanding can be lost when traditions, dreams, and pride do not take into account individuality. By applying the concepts of Virginia Woolf, Elaine Showalter, and the three stages of feminism, one can analyze the discourse Tan uses in the story and its connection to basic feminist principles.
In my first years of life, I was the diva. I was the star. I was the only one that my mother ever paid any attention to. I was the bomb. Although my father worked very long days to provide my mother and me with a means of sustenance, there was plenty of love from my mom to nurture me as I grew into a bubbly young girl. Entering kindergarten at 4 years of age, I was similar to every other little kid. I was rambunctious, playful, naughty, and unstoppable. If I did not fall sleep in class, I would play with my dolls as the teacher lectured. Sure enough, I was reprimanded and given “time out” every time. But it was all right. My grades were average but I scored high enough to please my parents.
The argument of whether or not parents put too much pressure on their children to excel is understandable from both sides, but statistics show that children are too pressured in school and sports by their parents. Children automatically have pressure on them when they become competitive with other children, and a parent pursuing the pushing of excelling only makes things worse on the child. So, the solution to the problem of parents putting too much pressure on their kids is…the less pressure and more encouragement that a child is surrounded by, the more successful they will be in school, sports, and life. And the more encouraging that they will be to other
Have you ever lost anyone extremely special to you? It’s not a pleasant experience. The grief is unbearable and can haunt you for a very long time. The only positive thing are the memories that you shared together. Those can be both beautiful yet heart wrenching.