Amy Tan

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…

The passage, “A Pair of Tickets” is an excerpt from the book, The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan. Tan’s book is a narrative that derives from Tan’s life growing up as a Chinese-American. Jing-Mei “June” Woo is a thirty-six year old woman who has always considered herself to be “American” as she was born and raised in San Francisco, California. June finally travels to her motherland as a result of her recently deceased mother’s desire to reconcile with her long lost daughters. Throughout her journey…

“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 novel, “The Joy Club,” with her…

Kinds: Whose American Dream? America, commonly known as the home of the free and the land of opportunity, but do any of those things prove to be true if you do not see them from that positive perspective? In the short story Two Kinds, written by Amy Tan, a young girl is faced with the barrier of being a daughter to an immigrant women from China. The obstacles that we read about can be perceived in different ways, however, we only see them from the specific point of view of the daughter. This…

ways and customs. In the case of Amy Tan, her mother was affected by her inability to speak English as coherently as others. Her “broken English,” as Tan calls it, caused her to be treated unfairly in society. In “Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan discusses this phenomenon in American culture, and uses stories from her own life to develop a unique stance on the issue. Through the lens of personal anecdotes and other appeals to pathos, Amy Tan connects with…

5The story “Two Kinds” is written by Amy Tan. The story is about June's mother starting test to see if her daughter is a prodigy. One day, the mom sees a young Chinese girl playing piano on the Ed Sullivan Show, and then uses that idea to have her daughter June starting playing the piano. June starts piano lessons with Chong, who her mother exchanges lessons for cleaning services. After a while, June prepares to play the piano at a recital, which her mom and her friends come to watch her.…

In the 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…

We Can All Relate Somehow As Amy Tan shows embarrassment over her mother’s English, my parents didn’t know any English. They could understand more of it over the years but they couldn’t get themselves to speak it. I have always felt limited by my English skills, especially in school. In the reading by Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue” I relate to the whole essay. Has I was reading along in my head I was remembering all my own experiences as she mentioned in “Mother Tongue.” With my limited English I had…

Though at a glance one may act as if they know everything, they are often not wise enough to see where they truly stand. Sometimes a good fall is necessary for an individual to acquire such wisdom. The short story, “Rules of the Game,” written by Amy Tan, demonstrates how easily one can assume their stance in a struggle for power. Waverly Place Jong, a young girl not yet ten years old, finds herself in a struggle for power with her mother when she becomes a national chess champion. When the…

The reader is able to see this story though Jing-mei's eyes. This point-of-view helps the reader see her actions and feelings in a more personal way, rather then a third person presentation. One can actually understand the internal conflict more clearly. She lets her true identity poke through when she says, "I am in China, I remind myself. And somehow the crowds don't bother me. It feels right. I start pushing too" (860). In this story, there really isn't anything disclosed to us which produces…