Author and professor of Law at Yale University, wrote a book entitled “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” where the op-ed title from the Wall Street Journal, “Why Chinese Moms are Superior”. This book and article were written to show where the Western parenting style falls flat and where the Chinese, or, Tiger Mother parenting style has better trade-offs. Her argument does have some well thought out points, but does not have the persuasiveness to make people reexamine their own parenting style.
Amy Chua is trying to show that the Chinese/Tiger Mother parenting style is more effective in raising children then the Western parenting style. Supporting this argument she explains that when it comes to teaching a kid how to do something whether or not they like it, they will begin to like it once they have mastered it, because they will get praise and admiration from those who see or hear what they are doing. “This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun” (Chua 262). Her daughter, Lulu, went through this when she was trying to teach her a piano piece and her daughter was having a hard time and wanted to give up on it, but Amy Chua, her mother, persuaded her to keep going. Eventually, Lulu got it, and when she played it at her recital, everyone loved it and said that the piece was perfect for her. This made her happy and she wanted to keep playing it.
She later goes on to talk about how calling a child names is a way of getting them to work harder at something. They
In the writing of, America’s Top Parent, Elizabeth Kolbert outlines the parenting strategies of different mothers. Most notably, she talks about the “Chinese Mother,” which does not technically mean this individual must be of Chinese descent. Throughout the essay, Kolbert talks about another essay, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. The author of that essay, Amy Chua, believes in a binary world. Meaning that there are two kinds of mothers, “Chinese Mothers”, and “Western” mothers. Chinese mothers believe in extreme parenting, whereas Western mothers “think they are being strict when they insist that their children practice their instruments for half an hour a day” (Kolbert). On the other hand, Chinese mothers have much more specific rules
make them stop teasing and making fun of her. I think if she did say
For instance, showing affection and care towards the child can form bonds between the child and the parent, which leads to better trust, no stress for the child or for the parent, and possibly a confidence boost. Chinese parents do the opposite causing stress to the whole family and can sometimes lead to high blood pressure and high stress levels. In worse cases, it can lead to physical abuse and hate towards each other in the family causing the family to fall apart. Another way Chinese mothers are not superior is that they limit their children’s everyday life.
Amy Chua stirs up a controversial topic of the differences between Chinese and Western parenting styles in the article “Adapted from Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother”. One may believe that the Chinese way is too harsh as others may believe Western parents are too lenient. Any parent can relate to one or both parenting styles that Chua is discussing. This article is reaching out to parents who are unaware of the Chinese and Western parenting styles. To give the readers a better understanding of how each parenting style works. This article was based on Chua’s personal experiences as a Chinese parent.
“In one study of 50 Western American mothers and 48 Chinese immigrant mothers, almost 70% of the Western mothers said either that ‘stressing academic success is not good for children’ or that ‘parents need to foster the idea that learning is fun.’ By contrast, roughly 0% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way. Instead, the vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be ‘the best’ students, that ‘academic achievement reflects successful parenting,’ and that if children did not excel at school then there was ‘a problem’ and parents ‘were not doing their job.’ … Chinese parents spend approximately ten times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children. By contrast, Western kids are
Couple go through a discussion on how they should raise their children. Parenting style in countries such as China, Japan, and Korea have different views than Western’s parenting style in the United States. In recent years, a term Tiger Mother has brought an idea that these mothers have a strict parenting philosophy that incorporates firm parental control and high standards for excellence (Chua, 2011). Parents everywhere agree that raising a child is a complex and daunting task, in which, parents have encompassed both their beliefs and practiced into their own parenting style. Both stories, Mother Inferior was written by Hanna Rosin and Why Chinese Mothers are Superior was written by Amy Chua, explore the different parenting styles and methods. Mother Inferior focuses on allowing children to freely express themselves, while Why Chinese Mothers are Superior
In the article, “Adapted From Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” Amy Chua, the author, gave some very valid points about how Western children and Chinese children are raised very diversely. Chinese parents are more strict and Western parents are more laid back. Most of the authors points that she made were backed up with statics so they were reliable and valid. There were just a few she didn't back up it was just her opinion. The statements about how the Chinese mothers raise their children are not agreeable or realistic. In all the authors article was valid and had some great points.
Questions have been raised on whether Chinese parenting raises more flourishing children than Western parenting. Despite what people think, in Amy Chua's essay “The Roar of the Tiger Mom”, she portrays the differences between the beliefs of Chinese parenting and Western parenting. Chua introduces the views of a Chinese parent compared to the views of a Western parent. The methods used by Chinese mothers in raising their children are drastically different from Western mothers. Each defends their methods and believes the other group is doing their job poorly. In the end, both types of parents just want one thing-- successful children.
It is true that the ways the parents raise their children will decide how well the children grow, especially the mothers who impact their children the most. There is no right or wrong in how a mother takes care of her children. All of them want the best for their children. The only difference is the level of intensity in how to raise a child. In Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior, Amy Chua, a professor at Yale Law School believes that the ways Chinese mothers raise their children are the most effective ways. Her main purpose of this article is to state the differences between Western mothers and Chinese mothers which
What does it mean to be American? The American identity has always been a complicated discussion. It is by nature identified by diversity. Many think it has to do with the birthplace of the person and others think it has to do with their inheritance. In 2011, Amy Chua published Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother as a memoir. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother presents the evolution of this American woman. The elements of Chuas evolution seemed to involve; native identity; inherited identity; resisted identity and resolved identity.
This lesson enables her to resolve her issues and compromise with reality instead of using force,
Because America is such a diverse country, there are many differences between cultures of various immigrant groups. Members of each culture, have their own beliefs and values regarding what they think is right. The cultural diversity allows for each person to have a different view of things. Amy Chua’s essay “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior,” she describes her way of parenting her two daughters following Chinese values about education. She explains how Western parents are much more lenient than Chinese parents with their children and education. Chua gives examples of how she raised her daughter Lulu and Sophia which lead them to achieve success. She makes comparisons between Western and Chinese parenting styles throughout the essay and concludes that both types of parents want the best for their children, but just approach parenting it in different ways. In the article, “Chinese vs Western Mothers: Q&A with Amy Chua,” Amy Chua is interviewed by Belinda Luscombe where she clarifies how her Chinese method of parenting did not hurt her children the way many readers thought it did. Chua explains that her relationship with her two daughters is very strong and believes there are many effective ways of parenting in addition to the Chinese approach. Chua’s essay shows the Chinese immigrant approach to parenting and gives insight into why so many children of Chinese parents are so successful. Discussing the cultural differences shows the risk of stereotyping groups where feelings
Often, a parent will push their interests onto their child, thus removing the child’s agency. In an interview, Sally Jupiter, Laurie’s mom, says, “[…] I guess, in a lot of ways, it was me who pushed Laurie […] into this line of work” (-- 312). Laurie even claims that she “was living out [her] mother’s [fantasy]” (-- 217). As David Elkins explains in his article, “—,“ often, parents are trying to be helpful and have good intentions, but there are parents who “push their children to succeed in the interest of their own egos [or] use their children to relive their own childhood dreams” (Elkins --). Sally believes she is bettering Laurie’s life as she says, “[…] she’ll start thinking in terms of what I saved her from instead of what I condemned her to” (--312). The expectations which Laurie must live by have a negative influence on her, causing her to question the meaning of her life and making her bitter (--, 33, --). Elkins notes that “millions of children across America feel overwhelmed and pressured,” and sometimes may go through depression because of it (Elkins --). There
Which parenting style will lead to a child becoming successful and stable in life? Many argue about the answer to this question. There are four main types of parenting styles. There’s authoritarian parenting which follows a set of strict rules and doesn’t necessarily nurture the child; apathetic towards their emotions, demanding a sort of blind obedience from the child. Authoritative parenting which takes a more moderate approach; setting high standards, nurtures, and responds to the child’s emotions. Permissive parenting which is reluctant to impose rules and standards, preferring to allow kids to regulate themselves. Finally, there’s the hands-off parenting in which the parent doesn’t involve themselves
Lulu, 7, was sitting at the piano keyboard attempting to play the piece “The Little White Donkey.” She had been trying for hours, unable to master playing the two different tempos in her left and right hands. Convinced her daughter was purposefully playing incorrectly, Chua, Lulu’s mother, threatened her with getting rid of her favorite toys, no lunch, no dinner, and no birthday parties or christmas presents for four years. Calling her daughter a lazy pathetic coward, Chua kept her Lulu at the piano through the late hours of the night with no food or bathroom break. Granted, by the late AM Lulu could play the piece correctly, but that episode raised many questions about the merits of what became known as Chinese parenting.