Mother Tongue by Amy Tan Essay

In Amy Tan’s essay, Mother Tongue, Tan discusses her struggles growing up as an Asian-American born to Chinese immigrants. She examines certain aspects of the language she speaks and writes, against the language her mother speaks and writes. Amy has a keen grip on “proper” English, most likely due to her being raised in America. Alternatively, Tan’s mother speaks in fragments of English due to her being an immigrant who fled China’s Cultural Revolution (Amy, 1990). Tan realises her different “Englishes” when she was giving a public lecture about her book, The Joy Luck Club, she states how she had given this talk to “half a dozen other groups” (Amy, 1990) and that she suddenly realised one major difference in this group, a difference which put…

The story of the, "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan, expresses a unique perspective on the English language in various people's perspectives of English. As a daughter of a Chinese immigrant, Tan writes about situations where she saw limitations imposed upon her mother because of her language skills. She also discusses the perceptions and judgments that people make when spoken to with imperfect English. Tan stresses in her essay the huge effect that her mother’s language had on her identity as a person…

Amy Tan is a bestselling author born in 1952. She has written several novels focused on mother-daughter relationships. In Mother Tongue, Tan analyzes the different “Englishes” she uses in everyday life and why some are considered better than others. Tan’s mother, a Chinese immigrant, speaks in what some call a “broken” form of English (543). She claims her mother is treated unfairly because of her fractured language. Because Tan grew up speaking the English of her mother, she could understand…

At a young age, children are exposed to different environments which can ultimately affect their character. Where and who they live with might determine how one grows up. For example, Amy Tan was embarrassed of the lack of English her mother knew because of how people treated her. She faced discrimination since everyone taught she should’ve majored in Math and not in English or creative writing. Ben Carson encountered racism and self-doubt. When he was young he felt stupid compared to other…

In the essay “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan. Tan emphasizes that we all speak in different languages in our own way, and how we are categorized by the way we speak. In this essay she is talking about how her Asian mom talks in a different kind of English and how that affected her growing up. Tan has a mother who is from Asia, she speaks in a language that Americans would call “broken English.” Tan said that she would all ways have to make phone calls or talk for her mom when they would go places…

Amy Tan, the author of “Mother Tongue” properly executes this essay by making her points through consecutive aspects and examples to proof the reader of the current cultural racism. Tan focuses on real stories, with enough details for it to make it believable and so to persuade the readers. She uses a soft and calm tone, which in this case, since she is writing for an audience who are ignorant towards this topic, it’s much more efficient than an aggressive or threatening tone. She is trying to…

short story Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, the author, Tan, has a positive attitude towards her mother’s identity and language. We meet an author who, while being ashamed of her mother’s abilities in speaking the English language, is very proud to be her daughter. Tan’s mother’s limited English is humiliating for her during certain parts in the story. She learns to appreciate it more however, as she grows up. Her mother’s different use of the English language, is what shaped her into who she is as a…

is similar to the experience written about in the essay, “Mother Tongue,” by Amy Tan, whose author points out her passion for language and discusses the different “Englishes” she grew up with and their advantages and limitations on her life. In the essay, Tan points out the several Englishes such as the “simple” English she spoke to her mother with and the “broken” English her mother spoke to her with. Tan became aware of the multiple Englishes she deals with when she was giving a talk about her…

Response to Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan, a famous Chinese-American novelist, in her essay "Mother Tongue", tells us she live with a “broken English” mother and it had a negative impact on her English performance. Nevertheless, she never gave up and chose English as her major. Fortunately, her books are recognized by the world and she became a best-selling author. Finally, she using her own special English in her writing career and reveal her mother’s thoughts. Why her mother did not speak…

The essay “Mother Tongue” written by Amy Tan tells readers that she had two different types of languages that she speaks. One is used for the public and the second used at home with her mother. During a large conference she was telling about a book she had written and was using Standard English. Suddenly she remembers that her mother was there and never heard Ms. Tan speak this way. When Ms. Tan was at home with her mother they spoke in the same way and fashion. Many times, in the writer’s…