Summary Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan

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The idea, that feminism is not limited to the biological fact of being female, but rather encompasses multiple cultural, religious and ethnic factors that shape ones experience as women, is an extremely powerful idea. Women do not share a life experience solely based on the fact that they are women. Culture, traditions, religion can be equally important in determining what life will be like for a woman. Dixon states that “It becomes clear that Western feminism is not a cross-cultural model of feminist identity and that while increased rights are a common goal for women globally, different cultures approach this progress differently and according to their own beliefs”. While reading “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, I was very interested in hearing about the experience she had growing up as a non-native speaker. …show more content…

I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say.” Not only did Tan perceive her mother in a simpler way, dismissing her intelligence and sophistication, but so did many other people who heard Tan’s Mother speak. The way she spoke using incorrect words, simple sentences and improper grammar mad outsiders think she was not a competent interlocutor. Many immigrants are facing similar issues. Because they do not have a perfect command of the language spoken in the country they are dismissed by salespeople, real estate agents, and office personnel. The command of the language also affects the career paths non-native speakers choose. Tan wonders, why there are not more Asian Americans represented in American literature. She thinks that there are other Asian-American students whose English spoken in the home might also be described as “broken” or “limited” and that those students are being steered more toward the precise disciplines such as math and engineering. I can not help but agree with her sentiment since I understand how difficult the nuances of a foreign language can be for someone who learned the language rather than had it

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