Analysis Of Two Kinds By Amy Tan

The definition of an underachiever as stated by Webster is “one (such as a student) that fails to attain a predicted level of achievement or does not do as well as expected.” In the short story “Two Kinds” written by Amy Tan, Ni’Kan is the queen of underachievers. She determines at a young age to become defiant to her mom. After experiencing disappointment from letting her mom down, Ni’Kan determined that she would not become a child prodigy and intentionally failed throughout her life.

In the short story, "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan, a Chinese mother and daughter are at odds with each other. The mother pushes her daughter to become a prodigy, while the daughter (like most children with immigrant parents) seeks to find herself in a world that demands her Americanization. This is the theme of the story, conflicting values. In a society that values individuality, the daughter sought to be an individual, while her mother demanded she do what was suggested. This is a conflict within itself. The daughter must deal with an internal and external conflict. Internally, she struggles to find herself. Externally, she struggles with the burden of failing to meet her mother’s expectations. Being a first-generation Asian American,

Amy Tan uses symbolism to show the cultures and how this interacts with the conflict of the story. One example is she used the game of chess as more than

The title of this short story “Two Kinds” is describes the theme of this story. The mother had stated that there are only two types of daughters. “Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind.” (pg 412) Jing Mei did not understand the truth or meaning behind that declaration until after her mothers death. Jing Mei realized that her mother only meant that she could be an obedient child by listening to her mother while at the same time follow her own heart and want her own prodigy in life. The last paragraph in this story also indicates the theme of two halves being equal to one. The two songs “perfectly contented” and “pleading child” was actually two halves of one song. Despite Jing Mei and her mother’s differences

Having a child is one of the most wonderful moments when a person becomes a parent. Although it is foreseen that each couple always hope their children succeed academically, sometimes they overestimate their children’s potential and put a lot of expectations on them. In Asia, such as Japan, China, and South Korea, these expectations become burdens for the children, which may lead them to become rebels. The story “Two Kinds” of Amy Tan will illustrate Asia parents’ expectation throughout the aspects of the educational system, parental involvement, and single-child family as well as the gender issue.

The short story, “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, portrays a conflict between a Chinese mother and daughter. Jing-Mei mother, Suyuan, comes to America after losing everything in China. When she came to America, this is where all her hoped lays. She believes that anything is possible and that America is the land of opportunity. Because of this, she has high hopes for Jing-Mei becoming a successful child prodigy. So, Suyuan tries everything she can to find Mei’s talent. First, she tries to make her daughter into a Chinese Shirley Temple, but doesn’t work. Then she tries intellectual tests that were from known magazines, but that doesn’t work either. Finally, Suyuan decides that Mei would be a pianist. Suyuan gathered up her money to buy Mei a piano and

The feud between Jing-mei and her mother destroyed their relationship for years, causing them to become distant from each other. Jing-mei’s mother pushed her so far that she no longer wanted to become a prodigy. Overwhelmed by anger, Jing-mei sees her reflection and no longer cares about impressing her mother. She emphasizes, “I won’t let her change me, I promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not” (Tan 223). Having the mindset like most teenagers, Jing-mei no longer wants to impress her mother; she wants to be her own self person. During Jing-mei’s adult years her mother gives back the piano for her 30th birthday. As she starts playing, she perceives that she has natural talent when she “Played a few bars, surprised at how easily the notes came back to me” (Tan 233). It was not until Jing-mei began playing the piano after all those years, that she realizes her mother was right about the talent she had all

“It was not the only disappointment my mother felt in me” (Tan 327). Growing up with a mother like mine, disappointment came very easily. In Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” the mother and daughter were always on edge because the mother expected too much and the daughter could never meet up to the standards that she had set. After thirty years went by after their big falling out the mother gives the daughter a piano as a sign of forgiveness, but the daughter has a remaining feeling of guilt for a long time. In my story, my mother expected a lot from me, and and my big mistake that changed our lives forever was forgiven, but I will carry that shame forever.

In the story Two Kinds by Amy Tan it tells the tale of conflict between a mother Suyuan and her daughter Jing-mei over piano lessons. Two Kinds deals with a clash between a mother’s belief of hard work and persistance and a daughter's belief that being a prodigy is unachievable. Amy Tan shows generational differences among immigrant families negotiating the mythology of the American Dream.

In the short story Two Kinds by Amy Tan, she writes about a child named Jing-mei and her experiences with her mother pushing her to become a prodigy, all while her mother deals with being a Chinese immigrant that just moved to the United States. The two countries obviously share very different cultures and this plays a part in the story as she pushes Jing-mei to live ‘The American Dream’. Her mother strongly believes that in America you can be whatever you want to be. This, to some, may not be true, however this idea is strongly pushed in the Chinese culture. This is shown when Jing-mei fails to do any prodigious task that her mother puts in front of her which leads to her mother being ultimately disappointed in Jing-mei. Her failures ends up causing a huge argument between Jing-mei and her mother. The argument could be called the climax of the story. This confrontation wouldn’t have happened if Jing-mei’s mother didn’t have the huge idea that The American Dream is a legitimate thing, and Jing-mei’s mother wouldn’t have that perception of America if the Chinese culture didn’t present the United States as such a place. Based on Chinese culture and perspectives, there are numerous fallacies concerning the American Dream, and these are displayed in Amy Tan’s short story “Two Kinds”.

“In 2009, 33 million people in the United States were second generation immigrants, representing 11% of the national population. The children of such immigrants in the U.S., also known as "second generation immigrants," experience a cultural conflict between that of their parents and that of mainstream U.S. society” (Wikipedia 1). Amy Tan the author of “Two Kinds”, and the young character in the story both are a second generation immigrants, who have struggled in their life with parents, about the culture they assimilating and their real culture.

For millions of immigrants, America has been seen as the land of opportunity where anyone could become anything he or she wanted to be. A family that believes strongly in the American dream can be found in Amy Tan’s short story, “Two Kinds.” The story centers around the daughter of a Chinese immigrant who desperately wants her daughter to become successful. In the story, the author shows the difficult lives immigrants face when moving to a new culture. In this short story, the theme shows the protagonist’s conflict with her mother on the type of daughter her mother wants her to be. The author establishes the theme of how difficult mother-daughter relationships can be through characterization, setting, and symbolism.

As an adult, Jing-mei’s mother offers her the piano once more, and Jing-mei accepts the gift. Appreciating the encouragement and faith her mother bestows upon her Jing-mei decides to care for the piano. The piano piece

Like many immigrants think, America is the land of opportunity. People from all over the world,

Jing-mei’s inability to connect with her mother arises from her upbringing. Mrs. Woo pushed Jing-mei to extremes with her parenting and failed to realize the lasting trauma it had on her daughter. Jing-mei as a fragile child wants nothing more than for her “mother and father [to] adore [her]” (233). The developing girl is looking for acceptance through her parents, but Mrs. Woo does not understand the positive reinforcement required in those early stages of development. Instead