Two Kinds

The central struggle in Amy Tan 's story "Two Kinds" is a battle of wills between the narrator, a young Chinese American girl, and her mother, a Chinese immigrant. "Two Kinds" is a coming-of-age story, in which the narrator, Jing-mei, struggles to forge her own sense of identity in the face of her strong-willed mother 's dream that she become a "prodigy." Jing-mei is caught between her Chinese mother 's traditional ideas about how to raise a daughter, and her own development as a Chinese American girl straddling two cultures.

story of her grandmother and her proud heritage. Overall, she is trying to change her daughter’s

a struggle between love and family tradition and ways. In the two stories a young girl

However, she feels that her family’ Chinese heritage is holding her back. During a piano lesson, she fantasizes about an umbrella she believes is a girls from school, “ I want to open it, twirl it around by its slender silver handle; I wanted to dangle it on my wrist on the way to school the way the other girls did” (Gish 419). Her day dreaming proves her desires to be be someone else even nothing that she wishes her American piano teacher could replace her own mother. However, when the family is involved is a small fender bender, the main character truly believes her mother in injured and begins to realize that she truly does love her mother and the life she has. This supports the theme of being happy with the life you have been

Even though Jing-mei thought she was safe from having to learn to play the piano because her family did not have one and could not afford one, her mother traded housecleaning services for a piano and lessons with a neighbor who was a retired piano teacher in the apartment building in which they lived. She told Jing-mei that she would be practicing for two hours every day. This was when Jing-mei realized that she was not going to be free to be who she wanted to be and her mother

between the daughter and mother about the piano lessons, and how the daughter refused to

Introduction Three stories; one theme. The stories Langston Hughes’s “Salvation,” Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds,” and Sandra Cisneros’s “Eleven” are excellent short stories that delve into the minds and thoughts of their characters. Sharing from first-person allowed each story to reveal the thoughts of the main character. The stories share the heartache of children as they face difficult and unruly situations that are forced upon them by adults in their lives. These three stories share the same theme of children trying to be forced into mold of which they did not wish to fit.

Chong’s place, a man who lived in their apartment building for him to teach Ni Kan piano lessons. “I soon found out why Old Chong had retired from teaching piano. He was deaf.” (Tan 3) Since Mr. Chong was deaf, Ni Kan did not take the piano lessons as serious as she should have. She pretended to follow Mr. Chong instructions and would not play the right keys as Mr. Chong would teach her.

The narrator recieved the piano because her mother wanted her to become a prodigy. Her mother traded free cleaning services in exchange for the piano. The narrator’s piano teacher, Mr. Chong, was deaf and his eyes were to slow so he could not see if the narrator was playing the right notes, so she did not try and never became better. At the narrator’s recital her lack of effort at her lessons became visible to the audience. Despite this fiasco her mother wanted her to keep on practicing.

To comfort her from the daily challenges that she was experiencing, at the age of 7 is when Alicia started her piano lessons. Alicia’s mom would not deny the fact that her daughter had a

“Two Kinds” by Amy Tan is the story of Jing-Mei, the daughter of a Chinese immigrant. Jing-Mei spent her childhood rebelling against her mother’s unwavering attempts to mold her into a child prodigy. These attempts include Jing-Mei’s foray into the world of music: piano lessons. At the conclusion of the story, Jing-Mei notices something intriguing about one of the songs she played as a child; Robert Schuman’s “Pleading Child” was simply half of a larger song that also consisted of another piece called “Perfectly Contented”. Noting that the pieces are two halves of the same song helps reinforce themes of identity and immigrants’ view of America as a land of promise and opportunity.

of the child's musical abilities... Joe is a prodigy, and would play piano, especially if there was company, he loved to perform before people... The lawyer found his playing quite attractive, and would specifically request a rendition when he dropped in on business. He noticed something else in the child... The way he moved his hands across the keys, the metronomic sway of his upper body seemed to dance

the story two kinds from the joy luck club by amy tan is about that in the year 1949 the communist party took control over china. major number of the chinese fled to the united states of america. they hoped their children born here would have a bright future in this new country. the daughter of this chinese american citizen is forced by her mother to become a prodigy in everything. the mother makes her daughter to take piano lessons but the family cannot afford a piano teacher and a piano.

The story is about stealing an apple for her daughter. The Father named, Mario the bread winner in the family. Gloria his wife and Tita her daughter, the one that wants an apple. This is a story of how wrong decisions become greater burdens to a family.

This story is about Mr. Nguyen who is a Vietnamese immigrant. They lived in a low-income housing in San Francisco with his daughter who called Amy Nguyen. One day, his cousin, who called Eddie, came to visit them and talked about American Dream with him. Eddie talked him he should share his experience, but Mr, Nguyen didn’t want to share his experience. A few days later, he thought he need to talk with his neighbor, who called Kathy, about they both made noise to bother the neighbors, so he decide to bring a turkey to his neighbor. Then he knocked Kathy’s door, his son open the door and ask him what’s happened. Unfortunately, the turkey was dripping on his neighbor’s shoe. Before Mr.Nguyen explained or said anymore, the boy punches him already. Mr.Nguyen didn’t run away and started to think about “What if”. While he was thinking, Kathy came back and stopped her son. A few days later, Eddie called Mr. Nguyen and talked him about a TV show that called 60 minutes. He told Mr. Nguyen that he should shared his story on this TV show and it was a way to make a lot of money. FInally, he accepted it. The next day, his cousin and Chinese TV reporter came and asked about his story. When he lived in Vietnamese, his cousin had escaped to America and always sent some pictures and letters to him. When his daughter was born, he and his wife, Ly, had a hard time. They had to