In Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue,” it is obvious that language plays an enormous role in our life. Language can influence and give us an insight into another culture different from our own. Amy Tan discusses the many ways in which the language she was taught and native to was important and powerful throughout her life. Language can be defined in various forms, but I hold and acknowledge Amy Tan’s explanation: “Language can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.” I can…

Analysis of "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan In the narrative essay, “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, the author sets out the story between her mother, whose English is her second language, and Tan herself can speak native English very well. The essay covers the tonal shift of Amy Tan 's psychological change, from grudge to understanding. Although she begins the essay saying, " I am not a scholar of English or literature. I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the…

Identity and Culture Amy Tan’s ,“Mother Tongue” and Maxine Kingston’s essay, “No Name Woman” represent a balance in cultures when obtaining an identity in American culture. As first generation Chinese-Americans both Tan and Kingston faced many obstacles. Obstacles in language and appearance while balancing two cultures. Overcoming these obstacles that were faced and preserving heritage both women gained an identity as a successful American. In the work of Amy Tan’s “Mother’s Tongue” she provides a look…

daughter of a lower class Chinese immigrant, Amy Tan experiences various interconnected prejudices first hand. Namely, Tan’s life has been a reflection of the outside influences of racism and classism; portrayed even more by how those ideals are discreetly demonstrated by the notion of what proper English is, and the importance surrounding its use. In “Mother Tongue”, an essay describing the various forms of English spoken by herself and her mother, Tan analyzes the direct relationship between the…

In “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan describes the several different kinds of English her that she speaks. It is an interesting concept to think about the fact that more than one variation of a single language exist. After reading “Mother Tongue” I began looking at my own life and seeing if I could recognize the different variation of English that I have come in contact with. After some serious thought, I realized that I have not only come into contact with many different kinds of English, but I speak many…

communicate. In the article, “Mother Tongue,” by Amy Tan, discusses a time, where she had to deal with learning three types of “Englishes” from her mother which includes simple, broken and watered-down English. Having to deal many struggles and worrying about being criticized can be agitating due to the fact, that she wanted to be seen as speaking and writing proper academic English. But through thick and thin, Tan believes that the “Englishes” she learned from her mother is very important and shouldn’t…

In the essay “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan, the author, gives a different, a more upbeat outlook on the various forms of English that immigrants speak as they adapt to the American culture. Using simple language to develop her argument, she casually communicates to the audience rather than informing which helps the audience understand what is being presented at ease. Her mother plays an important role in her outlook of language, because she helps her realize that language not only allows one to be a part…

upon me for my inability to speak English properly. However, in the essay “Mother Tongue”, the author Amy Tan gives a different, a more optimistic outlook on the various forms of English that immigrants speak as they adapt to the American culture. Using simple language to develop her argument, she casually communicates to the audience rather than informing, which helps the audience understand what is being presented. Tan’s mother plays an important role in her outlook of language because she helps her…

(Date) “Mother Tongue” Response Essay In the essay “Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan emphasizes the idea that the language we are taught in childhood plays an important role in our lives. She writes about the profound effect language has on her life and how she is inspired by her mother’s “impeccable broken English” to become a writer (317). Tan describes her mother as an educated person who can read sophisticated and technical literature written in English with ease. However, Tan’s mother is often…

Despite growing up amidst a language deemed as “broken” and “fractured”, Amy Tan’s love for language allowed her to embrace the variations of English that surrounded her. In her short essay “Mother Tongue”, Tan discusses the internal conflict she had with the English learned from her mother to that of the English in her education. Sharing her experiences as an adolescent posing to be her mother for respect, Tan develops a frustration at the difficulty of not being taken seriously due to one’s inability…