Rhetorical Analysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan

The essays, "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan and "Public and Private Language" by Richard Rodriguez are recollections of both of the author’s personal encounters and difficulties with the gap that was created between their families by differences in languages. These two writers grew up with bilingual families, in which English was not the primary language. Consequently, they had a hard time accepting and understanding the issues surrounding the different languages they spoke with their families at home, and within society. Because of this, the gap between their public and private languages that had been created through the introduction of a second language slowly grew larger, and eventually impacted their relationships with their family and caused them to view them in a different light. In their writing, Both Tan and Rodriguez reflect on their personal experiences and memories and illuminate the effects that a private language can have on various aspects of life.

When she describes her mother’s language as being “broken” or “fractured”, it helps the reader to understand how they are being portrayed according to the way they speak. For example, she states that when her mother went to the hospital for an appointment, she had spoken very good English. Unfortunately, she did not understand why the hospital did not apologize when they had lost the CAT scan. This demonstrates that because her mother did not speak really good English, they felt no sympathy for her. Although she explains that her mother reads things such as the Forbes report, and listens to Wall Street Week, she still does not understand how her mother belies how much she actually understands. Also, she sort of criticizes English because it is not precise as math which only has one correct answer. She states that English was not exactly her strong suit. Lastly, the author uses pathos to describe how she thinks her mother’s English almost had an effect on limiting her possibilities in life. For example, Tan states that she does think that the language spoken in immigrant families play a large role in shaping the language of the child, as a reference to the beginning of the story when she says that language is a tool of her

“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and the text by Diana Eades focus specifically on the form of language used and the discrimination it entails. Amy Tan describes the language used by Daisy Li as “broken or fractured English” (Tan, A, 1990). This is an example of language discrimination as it criticises and condemns the variation or form of English spoken by Li, which is Chinese-English. This language discrimination is also prominent in the experience of Daisy Li conversing with the stockbroker in New York, as she forces her daughter to speak for her. This is due to the certain limitations accompanied with her particular form of English.

Mother Tongue is a story that describes how Amy Tan’s mother was treated unfairly because of her “broken English”. As the second generation of Chinese immigrants, Tan faces more problems than her peers do. Her mom, who speaks “limited” English, needs Tan to be her “translator” in order to communicate with the native English speakers. Tan has felt ashamed of her mother “broken” language at first. She then contemplates her background affected her life and her study. However, she changes her thought at the end since she realizes things behind language might be more valuable than language itself sometimes. Through the various different literary devices and rhetorical strategies such as the ethos, pathos, and logos appeals, as well as a

Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” As I read Amy Tan’s narrative essay of “Mother Tongue”, it seemed to me that as her mother spoke up to other people they found her irrelevant to talk to. It was as if they were brushing off an annoying fly that landed on their shoulder. I felt empathy for her mother as I read on in to Amy Tan

English is an invisible gate. Immigrants are the outsiders. And native speakers are the gatekeepers. Whether the gate is wide open to welcome the broken English speakers depends on their perceptions. Sadly, most of the times, the gate is shut tight, like the case of Tan’s mother as she discusses in her essay, "the mother tongue." People treat her mother with attitudes because of her improper English before they get to know her. Tan sympathizes for her mother as well as other immigrants. Tan, once embarrassed by her mother, now begins her writing journal through a brand-new kaleidoscope. She sees the beauty behind the "broken" English, even though it is different. Tan combines repetition, cause and effect, and exemplification to emphasize

Amy Tan, in her essay, “Mother Tongue”, delves into an interesting commentary on how language has impacted her life. As a Chinese-American, Tan’s mother did not speak English completely correct. While this is not a big deal to Tan now, it used to be at one time. People treated her mother like her incomplete vocabulary made her an incomplete person (Tan 651). Tan recalls several instances where she had to intervene as a proper English speaking advocate for her mother.

In Mother Tongue, Amy Tan talks about how language influenced her life while growing up. Through pathos she explains to her audience how her experiences with her mother and the Chinese language she came to realize who she wanted to be and how she wanted to write.

The purpose of Amy Tan’s essay, “Mother Tongue,” is to show how challenging it can be if an individual is raised by a parent who speaks “limited English” (36) as Tan’s mother does, partially because it can result in people being judged poorly by others. As Tan’s primary care giver, her mother was a significant part of her childhood, and she has a strong influence over Tan’s writing style. Being raised by her mother taught her that one’s perception of the world is heavily based upon the language spoken at home. Alternately, people’s perceptions of one another are based largely on the language used.

Language as a combination of single words and different ideas affects us everyday in life. In the essay “Mother tongue” by Amy Tan, the author describes how her mother’s English influences her in her career and life that the “mother tongue” does not limit her as a writer, but shaped her and her perception on life instead. And her attitude to her mother’s English changes from the initial embarrassment to the final appreciation.

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 to speak the way society expects. Disallowing others to prove their misconceptions of her, Tan exerted herself in excelling at English throughout school. She felt a need to rebel against the proverbial view that writing is not a strong

On one side, Amy Tan “Mother Tongue” shows how Amy Opens doors for her mother. One example of this is when Amy says “Just last week, I was walking down the street with my mother, and I again found myself conscious of the English I was using, the English I do use with her. We were talking about the price of new and used furniture and I heard myself saying this: "Not waste money that way." My husband was with us as well, and he didn't notice any switch in my English. And then I realized why. It's because over the twenty years we've been together, I've often used that same kind of English with him, and sometimes he even uses it with me. It has become our language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk, the language I grew up with ” (Tan 363). This opens a door for her mother by being in and understand a conversation that she is not normally involved in. This is as simple as Amy talking to her mom in her mother’s language. This is similar to an adult explaining something to a child in the in

Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” is Tan sharing her experiences and opinions on how her mother’s way of speaking English lead her to improving her own English, on and off paper. In the first two sentences, “I’m not a scholar of English or literature. I cannot give you more than personal opinions on the English langue and its variations in this country or others.” Tan makes herself someone approachable and relatable. She holds this belief true by explaining and giving an example of her mother’s in “broken English”. This especially made me identify with her because, while my mother speaks perfect English, her extended family speaks with an extremely thick Caribbean accent, that if you didn’t grow up around, you would think it was a different language

Amy Tan’s literacy narrative “Mother Tongue” is about the different dialects of English, she is familiar with. She explains that her intelligence is judged by the way she speaks. Amy Tan, explains memories from her life where she encounters many forms of English. Her mother, a Chinese immigrant spoke “broken English.” She describes her mother as someone who was able to understand English, well the mother claims that she understands everything, but when it came to speaking, she spoke without the correct grammar. Due to her mothers broken English, Amy Tan has adapted to the type of English her mother speaks, their own type of English language. Tan feels as if the English she is speaking with it outside world is more complex than the English she

In the essay, “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan lays out examples of noticing the different Englishes in her life and how she incorporates them into her writing. She also breaks down the different versions of English that have taken root in her life. Tan notes that she includes all the Englishes of her life in her book, The Joy Luck Club. Tan, the daughter of immigrants, learned to navigate between the “perfect” English of her professional life and the “broken” English of her youth. The author’s main claim of there being no perfect way of speaking English is one that can be easily recognized because Tan gives clear examples of the diverse versions of English in her life, she pinpoints moments in which she sees the differences and discovers how to accept and acclimate these differences to her life and career.