Amy Tan Argumentative Essay

Amy Tan uses the precious jewelry that loses value when the Chinese mothers pass it down to their American grown children to demonstrate that the mother’s hope and wisdom also possess no value for the child because it was molded by a different culture that does not fit in with their way of life. In an effort to help their children, the mothers only place a heavier burden on them to carry their Chinese culture while balancing it with their American lifestyle. Topic Sentence 1:
The Chinese mothers pass down their jewelry when their children are in a predicament presented to them by their American life; however, the jewelry does not possess qualities the American grown children need and therefore the mothers cannot use it to help them.
Quote …show more content…
Quote 1:
“To Chinese people, fourteen carats isn’t real gold. Feel my bracelets. They must be twenty-four carats, pure inside and out” (49).
Commentary:
-In the Chinese culture gold symbolizes high status and good fortunes therefore Lindo’s pure gold symbolizes her pure intentions of wanting to pass this on to Waverly. However, this gold only provides high status in the Chinese culture and Lindo cannot pass it onto her daughter since it doesn't convey the same connotation in America.
-Furthermore, the gold only carries this meaning if it is pure, therefore not mixed in with any American ideas that Waverly possesses having grown up in America.
-The gold only further sets Lindo apart from her American grown daughter who grew up in a culture that wears fourteen-carat gold.
Quote 2:
“‘Not so good, this jade,’ she said matter of factly, touching the pendant, and then she added in Chinese: ‘This is young jade. It is a very light color now, but if you wear it every day it will become more green’”