In the short passages that we read, Two Kinds and Friday Night Lights, we are introduced to expectations and the downfall that can lead to character conflicts. After reading both of these passages a central idea that I can conclude is, “parents and other people’s expectations and how they can cause conflicts.”
In the passage Two Kinds, we are introduced to a girl named Jing-mei and her mother. Jing-mei’s mother had big expectations when she came to America after losing everything in China, Jing-mei even said “my mother believed you be anything you wanted to be in America.” After the introduction, we are introduced to Jing-mei’s mother’s idea of Jing-mei becoming a prodigy, this is our first expectation, in the beginning Jing-mei was all for
One thing that the author was trying to get across is that people have to fight for what they want. Nothing is simply handed to anyone. In “Many Rivers to Cross”, she goes through a lot of adversity. The divorce with her husband was one, but the main one was her mother’s suicide. Usually after someone dies in a person’s life, a whole new window is opened. The young woman realized a lot after her mother’s death. The effect of her mother’s death was that she knew from then on that she had to live her life the best way she can. She was so tired of letting everyone down. This was her revelation, “And it was to honor my mother that I did fight with my father, that man who could not tell the living from the dead,” she said, “And really it is to honor Mrs. Hazel Griffin and my cousin Valerie all the woman that I love” (Jordan, 68-71). The struggles that the character in “Two Kinds” goes through is continuously disappointing her mother. What was most difficult for her was that she lives in a foreign family, a Chinese family, which most people know that they can be really strict people. Every time her mother set her up to do something that she did not want to do, she failed at it and that made her mother upset. The author is showing the reader the effects of that through the emotion of the child. But she did come to a revelation with herself. She knew that her mother could only do so much
She was my mother,” (31). Jing-Mei says this to her aunts after her mother had died, and she had to take your position in joy luck. She felt like she never really knew her mother because of their miscommunication. Suyuan Woo, Jing-Mei’s mother, had many hopes and good intentions for her daughter. While Jing-Mei wanted to be herself and still please her mother, Suyuan wanted her daughter to be a child prodigy. Always wanting the best for her daughter, Suyuan hoped Jing-Mei would one day become an extraordinary pianist. Although Jing-Mei played the piano, she never put forth much effort into the music because her best was not good enough for her mother. Nonetheless, she stopped playing the piano. “I could only be me,” (154). She could not be something that she was not; she could not live up to her mother’s expectations. This symbolized one of Jing-Mei’s songs, “Pleading Child.” Suyuan continues to put all the pressure on Jing-Mei so that she will not become like her mother for all the reasons she had come to America; hopes for a better life.
“Two kinds” is a story, a Chinese girl whose life is influenced by her mother. Her mother came to America after losing everything in China. Jing-Mei’s mother was immigrated early to America from China who has “American dream”. Her mother had high expectations on her daughter and did not care how it could affect her. It made Jing-Mei become a stubborn and rebellious person. “In the years that followed, I failed her so many times, each time asserting my own will, … for unlike my mother, I did not believe I could be anything I wanted to be, I could only be me. (104) She expressed her anger by going against her mother's expectations in ‘who I am’, it inferred that such tendency come from her childhood experiences. Jing-Mei was frustrated because she could not satisfy her mother.
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,
Many teenage kids have had the feeling before that they have tons of pressure on them. In Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club and H.G Bissinger’s novel Friday Night Lights teenagers have a difficult time dealing with all of the pressure that is being placed on them by their parents and the expectations that their parents have for them. In “Two Kinds” from Amy Tan’s novel the Joy Luck Club Jing Mei’s mother is trying to push her to become a prodigy and Jing Mei is beginning to crack under the pressure. Also in H.G Bissinger’s “Dreaming of Heroes” Mike Winchell is trying to live up to his late father’s legacy of being a great Permian football player.
sobbed Jing-Mei(Tans Stanza 66).”Only two Kinds of daughters,those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!” shouted Suyuan Woo ,which was the cause of the title of the novel “Two Kinds”(Tans Stanza 67).Jing-Mei shouted back “Then I wish I weren’t your daughter,I wish you weren’t my mother” which made her feel good that at last she showed this side of her.She felted the disappointment of her mother especially on how she failed her many times ,but she didn’t believe she can be anything she wanted to be ,but can only be herself. This goes against her mother 's belief on how she can become anything she wanted to be in America ,but the daughter wants to go her own way.
The story “Two kinds” introduces the protagonist 's as young Jing-Mei, and antagonist as her mother. The story’s physical setting takes place in San Francisco, the city Jing-Mei’s parents resided after immigrating from china.
The mother in “Two Kinds”, is culturally accustomed to raising a child to be obedient and expects her daughter to bare her extreme parenting measures. With the daughter’s mother coming from China she
“My mother believed you can be anything you want to be in America…” Amy tans mom said that in the opening of, Two Kinds, novel excerpt. This story was about a small Chinese girl who moved from china to America searching for a new opportunity. Her mom wants to raise her like how a traditional Chinese mom would raise their daughters. Her mom views
The biographical connection that the author “Amy Tan” draws in her short story “Two Kinds” with her main character Jing-mei, crosses in more than one side. First of all, they both are Chinese American whose struggle in their identities with their Chinese immigrant mothers. “Due to a cultural conflict and lack of proper understanding of each other’s perceptions” (Priya 1), and as a big gap developed between the two daughters and their two mothers, in which resulted a complex relationship between them.
Our mothers have played very valuable roles in making us who a we are and what we have become of ourselves. They have been the shoulder we can lean on when there was no one else to turn to. They have been the ones we can count on when there was no one else. They have been the ones who love of us for who we are and forgive us when no one else wouldn’t. In Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds,” the character Jing-mei experiences being raised by a mother who has overwhelming expectations for her daughter, causes Jing-mei to struggle with who she wants to be. “Only two kind of daughters,” “Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!”(476). When a mother pushes her daughter to hard the daughter rebels, but realizes in the end that their mothers
In the story two kinds the author Amy Tan creates theme by using the conflict in the story. The central conflict in the story is between the mother and Jing-mei. The conflict comes from both of the characters depending on the perspective. The conflict starts when the mother wants jing to be great or be a prodigy because she believed that in america you could do anything or be anything you wanted.The only problem was jing didn’t want to be a prodigy she didn't want to be what her mother seen in her. So this creates the conflict of her mother forcing her to do things she didn't want to do to fulfill her dreams for jing.
The short story, “Two Kinds”, written by Amy Tan, is written from the point of view of the character named Jing-Mei. There are three experiences which demonstrate her viewpoint. In the first experience, Jing-Mei is being told by her mom about the “American dream”. At first, she strives to pursue this prodigy. Her mom would test her every night after dinner. Through Jing-Mei’s eyes, she starts to realize that it was not the life she wanted to live. Lines in the story illustrate this when he says “I won’t let her change me, I promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not.” (p.406). In the second experience, Jing-Mei performs in a talent show. Her mother forced her to learn how to play the piano. After seeing a little girl playing the piano
The short story “Two Kinds” written by Amy Tan is about conflict between a mother and daughter. A mother tries to live her life through her daughter and her daughter rebels. The prominent theme of this short story would seem to be "unfulfilled dreams”. After losing everything in China, the mother of Jing Mei comes to America with the dream that Jing Mei will have it all: fame, fortune, and most of all success unlike herself. Little does she know, her dream will be short-lived.
In the story "Two Kinds" Jing-Mei suffers with a mother who wants Jing-Mei to become something she isn't. The story starts off with Jing-Mei mother cutting her hair to make her look like a prodigy or star. Then throughout the story Jing-Mei mom becomes more obsessed that she gets Jing-Mei a piano and makes her learn how to play. Now Jing-Mei hates the piano and also