English I International Honors
Concrete Detail/Quotation
Commentary
1.”Two Kinds” by Amy Tan
Theme. “ “You have natural talent. You could be a genius if you want to." "No, I couldn't." "You just not trying," my mother said. And she was neither angry nor sad”
Tan and her mother have grown since the beginning. When Tan’s mother finally accepts the fact that Tan will not always do what she chooses but can make her choices towards her own future and doesn’t need constant badgering. It was when she said that Tan was talented and just wasn’t trying but “was neither angry nor sad” when saying it that it truly displays her true motherhood and the theme of acceptance was clearly stated. That is when Tan learns that
…show more content…
she is a “natural talent”. (86 words) 2. “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan Exposition: “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America.” The first sentence gives a clear point of view of the mother’s perspective and makes the reader infer what might the conflict be. Knowing this much it catches the reader's attention and makes them either relate to the mother or daughter situation. Tan drops the reader into her childhood and forces them to decide which side is right. Both sides have both good reasons for their belief, the mother wanting the best for her daughter but having clouded judgment. The daughter and her unwillingness to see what's best for her but still not being able to choose what’s best. (99 words) 3. “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan Conflict "Then I wish I weren't your daughter, I wish you weren't my mother," Conflict has been expressed throughout the whole story. The difference in personal opinions by both Tan and her mother is the cause for all of the anger and misfortune. There were many times in the story where the conflict has been expressed but personally when Tan says that she “wish I weren’t your daughter”. This scene has had a great deal of pain and emotion towards the daughter and mother. It was the point in the story where the reader finally sees the problem and how serious it is. (86 words) 4. “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan Rising Action: “In fact, in the beginning I was just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so. I pictured this prodigy part of me as many different images, and I tried each one on for size.” In the beginning of the story both Tan and her mother have the same viewpoints in Tan being a prodigy. The leading events were when both were looking for ways that Tan can excel in and become a prodigy. they said that she “tried each one on for size.” but when she started talking she said that she WAS “just as excited”. Thus this rising action which led to the big climax was when they were prepping and looking for a suitable choice prodigy. (84 words) 5. “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan Climax: “ I felt the shame of my mother and father as they sat stiffly through the rest of the show” The story was felt with intense feelings and climatic events in Tan’s life. It was when she finally found a talent that she entered the talent show and humiliated herself immensely. She completely and utterly embarrassed herself and instead of thinking of herself she automatically “felt the shame of my mother and father”. This scene is considered the climax to me because of the viewpoint in Tan and how she instead of not trying just refused to go to practice. (93 words) 6. “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan Falling Action: "Then I wish I'd never been born!" I shouted. “I wish I were dead! Like them." It was as if I had said magic words. Alakazam!-her face went blank,” After what Tan had went through she once again had to deal with her mother’s wrath even after the talent show.
The argument was not a resolution but the tipping point to the resolution. They both were having a dispute over whether or not Tan had to go piano practice and that is when they’re argument got intense. Out of complete and utter anger that she wish she “were dead! Like them.”. She was referring to her mother’s previous miscarriages and obviously didn’t want to hurt her mother immensely but had so much built-in anger that she let it alot. (98 words)
7. “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan
Resolution: I saw the offer as a sign of forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed. "Are you sure?" I asked shyly. "I mean, won't you and Dad miss it?" "No, this your piano," she said firmly. "Always your piano. You only one can play."
Tan’s life situation was finally settled.. Her mother and her finally stopped all the arguing and cleared up their situation. Tan felt the moment on her 13th birthday when she received her childhood piano that she “saw the offer as a sign of forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed”. Tan felt that even after all those years she felt the burden from long ago. It felt like a mutual affection when Tan’s mother said the she was the “only one can play.”. The reader infers that both have grown enough to realize their mistakes and try to fix it. ( 98 words)
8. “Two Kinds” by Amy
Tan Characterization: It was not the only disappointment my mother felt in me. In the years that followed, I failed her many times, each time asserting my will, my right to fall short of expectations. Tan, who is such a tough person proves that she can endure alot and still manage to put on a brave face. In this part of the story the reader sees how Tan is actually broken up by not being able to reach her mother’s expectations and after the incident she feels “not only disappointment”. She also felt that everything she would “fall short of expectations.” The reader can infer that her mother’s negative input when she was younger affected Tan’s viewpoint for new opportunities and her fear of failing and once again disappointing her mother. (95 words) 9. “Two Kinds by Amy Tan Setting: “America was where all my mother's hopes lay. She had come to San Francisco in 1949 after losing everything in China” Tan and her family moved to San Francisco in 1949 after losing everything in China”. The story took place there because of how Tan’s family experienced so much in China like the loss of her siblings during her mother’s miscarriages. They wanted a fresh start in a place where they believed everything was possible and they can overcome anything. The reader can infer by the context clues and the mother’s behavior that she’s had a hard life. You can understand what the mother went through and how she acts the way she does. (93 words) 10. “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan Point of view: “And after seeing, once again, my mother's disappointed face, something inside me began to die. I hated the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations.” A young Tan has witnessed a lot in her childhood and has had memories of feeling not good enough or below average. Not wanting to disappoint her mother Tan worked hard and attempted to gain her mother’s approval. When she was studying for an at home test for her mother and failed she once again her “mother’s disappointed face”. She didn’t like it anymore she “hated the tests...raised hopes and failed expectations.” The reader can infer how hard she took her mother’s disappointment and how she only wants her approval. (91 words) 11. “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan Observation. Reading this story it gives the reader an insight on a little girl who has had a hard life with dealing with an overpowering mother. While reading the passage it ,makes you assume that Tan’s mother has been through alot but wants the best for her child. Sadly, she doesn’t know the expense of her constant badgering. It takes them to learn each other’s beliefs and opinions to understand why one did what the other hated.It gives the reader an insight on how not to just see things and not like it. (93 words)
In 102 Minutes, Chapter 7, authors Dwyer and Flynn use ethos, logos, and pathos to appeal to the readers’ consciences, minds and hearts regarding what happened to the people inside the Twin Towers on 9/11. Of particular interest are the following uses of the three appeals.
Samir Boussarhane During the early 20th century in the U.S, most children of the lower and middle class were workers. These children worked long, dangerous shifts that even an adult would find tiresome. On July 22, 1905, at a convention of the National Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia, Florence Kelley gave a famous speech regarding the extraneous child labor of the time. Kelley’s argument was to add laws to help the workers or abolish the practice completely.
She uses pathos frequently throughout the essay because much of her purpose in writing this story ties into her emotional attachment to her mother. So a lot of the writing includes her trying to get across her personal feelings. A great example of pathos is when she describes a feeling of fulfillment when her mother approves of her book: “…I knew I had succeeded where it counted most when my mother finished reading my book and gave me her verdict: ‘So easy to read.’” (Tan 4). You understand here that Tan’s most important goal of writing is her mother, and much of the rest of the story appeals to pathos using stories of her
During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the fight for equal and just treatment for both women and children was one of the most historically prominent movements in America. Courageous women everywhere fought, protested and petitioned with the hope that they would achieve equal rights and better treatment for all, especially children. One of these women is known as Florence Kelley. On July 22, 1905, Kelley made her mark on the nation when she delivered a speech before the National American Woman Suffrage Association, raising awareness of the cruel truth of the severity behind child labor through the use of repetition, imagery and oxymorons.
The Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April of 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of several civil rights activists who were arrested in Birmingham Alabama, after protesting against racial injustices in Alabama. Dr. King wrote this letter in response to a statement titled A Call for Unity, which was published on Good Friday by eight of his fellow clergymen from Alabama. Dr. King uses his letter to eloquently refute the article. In the letter dr. king uses many vivid logos, ethos, and pathos to get his point across. Dr. King writes things in his letter that if any other person even dared to write the people would consider them crazy.
Tan shifts tones throughout the paper but ends with a straightforward tone saying “there are still plenty of other books on the shelf. Choose what you like” (Tan 4), she explains that as a reader an individual has the right to form their own opinion of her writing but if they do not like it they do not have to read it because she writes for her own pleasure and no one else’s. All of the women took separate approaches to dealing with their issues but all of these resolutions allowed them to see the positive side of the
... mother never talked about the "disaster at the recital or [her] terrible accusations afterward at the piano bench" (Tan 356), she was surprised when her mother "offered to give [her] the piano, for her thirtieth birthday" (Tan 357). She doesn't accept it at first, but later "[Has] the piano reconditioned, for purely sentimental reasons" (Tan 357).
In the essay, Tan demonstrates: “Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks.” “When I was growing up, my mother’s limited English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English.” “Fortunately, I later decided I should envision a reader for the stories I would write. And the reader I decided upon was my mother, because these were stories about mothers. So with this reader in mind, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English I spoke to my mother, the English she used with me, my translation of her Chinese, and what I imagined to be her translation of her Chinese. I wanted to capture what language ability tests can never reveal: her intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech, and the nature of her thoughts.” So in this quote, it explains how she learned to accept her mother’s broken English and how they have benefited her. In this paragraph, we learned how Amy Tan conveys acceptance in her mother’s broken
Pollan’s article provides a solid base to the conversation, defining what to do in order to eat healthy. Holding this concept of eating healthy, Joe Pinsker in “Why So Many Rich Kids Come to Enjoy the Taste of Healthier Foods” enters into the conversation and questions the connection of difference in families’ income and how healthy children eat (129-132). He argues that how much families earn largely affect how healthy children eat — income is one of the most important factors preventing people from eating healthy (129-132). In his article, Pinsker utilizes a study done by Caitlin Daniel to illustrate that level of income does affect children’s diet (130). In Daniel’s research, among 75 Boston-area parents, those rich families value children’s healthy diet more than food wasted when children refused to accept those healthier but
The movie trailer “Rio 2”, shows a great deal of pathos, ethos, and logos. These rhetorical appeals are hidden throughout the movie trailer; however, they can be recognized if paying attention to the details and montage of the video. I am attracted to this type of movies due to the positive life messages and the innocent, but funny personifications from the characters; therefore, the following rhetorical analysis will give a brief explanation of the scenes, point out the characteristics of persuasive appeals and how people can be easily persuaded by using this technique, and my own interpretation of the message presented in the trailer.
In her short story "Two Kinds," Amy Tan utilizes the daughter's point of view to share a mother's attempts to control her daughter's hopes and dreams, providing a further understanding of how their relationship sours. The daughter has grown into a young woman and is telling the story of her coming of age in a family that had emigrated from China. In particular, she tells that her mother's attempted parental guidance was dominated by foolish hopes and dreams. This double perspective allows both the naivety of a young girl trying to identify herself and the hindsight and judgment of a mature woman.
...ies, she goes back to the piano and finds two songs. She begins to play “Pleading Child,” the song that caused the breaking point of her relationship with her mother. This song, with its fast and aggressive melody, best represents the mother’s aggressive attitude towards her daughter. Then Jing-mei plays the song next to “Pleading Child,” called “Perfectly Contented.” It turned out to be lighter and slower. It is a much happier song. Jing-mei’s determination to be herself, “Perfectly Contented,” corresponds with this song. “And after I played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song.” (499). Like the ying-yang and the songs, Jing-mei’s relationship with her mother may seem disastrous and apart, but together they share a strong bond that makes them whole. Even though the two disagree, like the songs, they form one beautiful song.
Tan succeeds in her use of pathos as she manages to make her mother seem helpless. This is quite a feat, as her obvious strengths have already been displayed in situations such as when yelling at the stockbroker. Tan supports her depiction of her mother as a victim by bringing up how people “did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.” (37)
Jonathan Kozol revealed the early period’s situation of education in American schools in his article Savage Inequalities. It seems like during that period, the inequality existed everywhere and no one had the ability to change it; however, Kozol tried his best to turn around this situation and keep track of all he saw. In the article, he used rhetorical strategies effectively to describe what he saw in that situation, such as pathos, logos and ethos.