Jing-mei's mother quizzes her on various topicsincluding state and national capitals, complicated mathematics, and weather predictionin hopes that she might possess a talent like the children. indiiigo. What is the difference? This question is about the essay "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan. 5. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. Describe how others (those who do not know her intimately) see Tan's mother versus how Tan describes her in "Mother Tongue." And when the doctor finally called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect English -- lo and behold -- we had assurances the CAT scan would be found, promises that a conference call on Monday would be held, and apologies for any suffering my mother had gone through for a most regrettable mistake. -allows Amy to go in to saying how she was effected by her mother's tongue. %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan Flashcards | Quizlet She is motivated to make this argument to explain her method as a writer and her intellectual, literary, linguistic, and personal progress in uniting her two identities and to show that these identities need not be separated. 6. The talk was going along well enough, until I remembered one major difference that made the whole talk sound wrong. department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her. endobj Accessed 2 May 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Tan was born in Oakland, California, two and a half years after her parents fled China's Communist revolution and settled in the United States. What organizational pattern does Tan use in "Mother Tongue," and how does she control her tone? She makes this argument in various ways. /Length 7 0 R While it may be difficult for some people to understand it, it is part of who she is, and it does not reflect negatively on her mother because it is "different." ACCTG 205: CH 1 Vocabulary. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Tan uses it with this definition, but also utilizes it to refer to the language her mom spoke (Chinese). Read the excerpt from Amy Tan's essay "Mother Tongue - Brainly It is their "language of intimacy," even though he is a native English speaker. Discuss how Tan broadens the essay's relevance by going beyond just her personal experience and raising issues that would be germane to her audience. Respect for making big celebration, he shows up. She goes from being ashamed of her mothers speakingfeeling that other people will judge her familyto being proud of the rich culture behind her mothers English. Tan notes the difficulty of finding a term to describe the style of English her mother, as a Chinese immigrant to the United States, speaks. She is the second of three children born to Chinese immigrants, Daisy and John Tan. Tan doesn't concern herself with the fundamentals of language, she explains that her job isn't to learn and explore language, but to apply it. She mentions the figure that most Asian students in schools are not enrolled in artistic courses, such as creative writing. The main idea of Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue" is the limitations that imperfect English can impose in society and the richness that such English can bring to writing. Does the story feel complete as is? Mother Tongue by Amy Tan: 10 Tips for a Literary Analysis - Kibin Blog Students' essays will probably address slang and jargon that they use, standard English that they use for most of their school experiences, and possibly formal English that they may use with relatives or in work situations. Underline the verb in parentheses that correctly completes the sentence by agreeing with the subject. /CreationDate (D:20210407080443+03'00') When Amy first decided she wanted to be a writer, she was not encouraged to do so: English was her second language, and the peculiarities of the language (which confuse native English speakers, such as analogies) often confused her. She majored in English at college and began writing as a freelancer. It is not simply, as she first thought, that one type of English is correct and the other incorrect. Math is precise; there is only one correct answer. -wanted to capture what language ability tests can never reveal "her intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts." Whereas, for me at least, the answers on English tests were always a judgment call, a matter of opinion and personal experience, (para. I am going to show you a few of these devices and give you some awesome tips on how to incorporate them into your analysis of Mother Tongue.. Mother Tongue is a story that describes how Amy Tan's mother was treated unfairly because of her "broken English". Amy Tan "Mother Tongue" Flashcards | Quizlet She had more difficulty answering questions presented in English class due to the nature of language, being able to be interpreted in more than one way. What motivates her to make such an argument?" Discuss how and why parents identities and personalities are often a source of embarrassment or tension when people are young. ", how did amy describe her mother's english, math and science (precise and exact answers). 10th ed. Do you agree or disagree with Amy Tan's conclusions about standardized tests? Tan. At one point, Tan writes about being embarrassed about her mother. 1 2 . Amy Tan - Mother Tongue | Genius Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. What is the author's purpose, style, and tone in the story? c. Her mother relies on and trusts Tan to talk to the doctors about the CAT scan. This shows how the way English is spoken affects how one is treated. Like off the street kind. When Amy Tan recalls growing up, her mother would have Amy speak on the phone, pretending to be her mother, so that people would take her more seriously. Math is precise; there is only one correct answer. What is the "associative situation" (para. 6) rather than paraphrasing what she said? Tan is very attached to her mothers English to the point that she doesnt want to refer to it as broken. To her it symbolizes home because its the English she grew up with. What organizational pattern does Tan use in "Mother Tongue," and how does she control her tone? Amy Tan's essay "Mother Tongue" discusses the way that language changes, and the ways it stays the same, inside contexts of immigration and generational time. Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue" questions & answers for quizzes and How does she establish ethos by this juxtaposition? /Type /XObject As for accents, it's usually a stereotype of some sort. Mother Tongue by Amy Tan Analysis - Free Essay Example - StudyDriver.com I was saying things like, "The intersection of memory upon imagination" and "There is an aspect of my fiction that relates to thus-and-thus'--a speech filled with carefully wrought grammatical phrases, burdened, it suddenly seemed to me, with nominalized forms, past perfect tenses, conditional phrases, all the forms of standard English that I had learned in school and through books, the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother. When Tan was growing up, how did her mother's use of English affect Tan's perception of her? Latest answer posted March 29, 2020 at 1:00:09 PM. endobj Life Span 4 . Discuss how this is present in her writing of "Mother Tongue. With the stockbroker, Tan was the one who would step in for her mother over the phone in order to express her mother's thoughts for her. However, in Amy Tan's story, I believe she is making a statement about her mother's form of English: her mother's tongue. The story helps readers understand one of Tan's points: her mother's English does have intent, passion, imagery, and rhythm, and it shows the complexity of her thoughts. Use Tan's ideas about different kinds of English from "Mother Tongue" as a basis to consider the kinds of English you encounter every day. "The S, The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses. mother tongue amy tan chinese american writer amy tan, whose mom moved from her homeland china to america to make better life for her daughter, struggles with 3-2 Writing Plan 5-3 Feedback and Economics Semester 2 SG 40-60. Why? Mother Tongue Questions and Answers - eNotes.com I selected the article Mother Tongue by Amy Tan. Amy sets up this comparison by describing a talk that she gave about a book and had given so many times before that it was entirely familiar to her. In "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan explains that she uses multiple "Englishes" in her daily life. Students are most likely to conclude that Tan and her mother do have a close relationship and should support their opinion with at least three of the following examples: a. How did Tans teachers identify her when she was in high school? How do they differ? Indeed, her mother read drafts of her work. Students' writing should address the specific experiences and messages of the essays that they choose. It's my mother tongue. In "Mother Tongue," do you think that Tan and her mother have a close relationship? 5. >> Then write an essay in which you explain the use of English in your life and communications. This progression is typical of many stories, both long and short, but in this case you can apply it to tone as well. What strategies does she use to make this How did Tans teachers identify her when she was in high school? Lately, I've been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan Flashcards | Quizlet Why does Tan believe that envisioning a reader specifically, her mother enabled her to write more authentically? That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of. Tan highlights this dichotomy when she writes about giving her speech, saying the proper English words that she was using felt strange to say when her mother was in the room. JFIF K K C Amy Tan begins her essay by offering her personal opinions on the English language. The mother tongue shapes. What is similar between Tan's more contemporary version of the American Dream and the novel Of Mice and Men? Mother tongue commonly means the language first learned by a person, but for the author, Amy Tan, it has a special meaning. What is Tan's strategy behind including a lengthy, direct quotation from her mother (para. 5) At the CAT scan, Tan's mother wasn't taken seriously due to her not being able to speak fluently. Remember this quote as you read through and relate the rest of the content to this idea. Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan - OlyPen Du Zong father wasn't look down on him, but didn't take seriously, until that man big like become a mafia. What motivates her to make such an argument? "Mother Tongue" // Amy Tan Flashcards | Quizlet a. fragment Include details from the text. What would be the impact of omitting one of them? Answer: to inform readers based on Tan's childhood experience Explanation: Amy tan is a Chinese-American writer, she is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and her books reflect a lot on what she has experienced witnessing the culture clash between Chinese and North American cultures. Because dogs are legally required to be on a leash, letting your dog run free in the park is a(n) _______. The only way I would have gotten that answer right would have been to imagine an associative situation, for example, my being disobedient and staying out past sunset, catching a chill at night, which turns into feverish pneumonia as punishment, which indeed did happen to me. If you believe she is guilty of some stereotyping, discuss examples. -talking to her mom "My mother was in the room", Tan quotes a "terrible line" she once wrote "That was my mental quandary in its nascent state." << /ca 1.0 Tan talks about growing up with different forms of English and how that affected both her childhood and adult life. My mother had gone to the hospital for an appointment, to find out about a benign brain tumor a CAT scan had revealed a month ago. ~"iW]JL^kP(K/N\' |! And all of the ethnic and regional accents in between. An overarching theme of Tans novel is mothers emigrating to America in the hope that their daughters will have better lives than they did. -she uses four types of English (the English she grew up with) When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. When describing the wording for people who cannot speak English fluently, she makes sure the audience knows of her feelings toward the most common terms. Does it drag on too much? It's my mother tongue. Omitting one of these stories would get rid of one of her key points in the way language can affect a person's life. The "different Englishes" talked about in the essay range from perfect to broken english. But I wince when I say that. Mother tongue Flashcards | Quizlet . WhowasJohnWilkesBooth? But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people's perceptions of the limited English speaker. Illustrate your observations with examples from Tan's essay, your own experience, or others you know. But because she is rebellious and likes to challenge peoples assumptions about her, Tan bucked this trend. Who is the intended audience for "Mother Tongue"? Explain. When they called her daughter, who had perfect English, they suddenly found her scan. /Title ( M o t h e r t o n g u e q u i z l e t a n s w e r s) In both cases, the perception based on her mother's "limited" English gave people the idea that Amy's mother wasn't very bright, or worse, was not worth their time. 20 terms. Tan notes in paragraph 21 that she thinks of her mother as her audience when she writes stories. 6 0 obj Her first novel, The Joy Luck Club, is a collection of related stories told by four mothers and four daughters and was later turned into a film. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Though Mother Tongue is a very short narrative, its rich in content. Why does Tan open her essay by stating, "I am not a scholar of English or literature" but then state, in the next paragraph, "I am a writer"? I am doing an assignment about the essay "Mother Tongue," but I am having a hard time understanding the claim of the author and the target audience. From guilty to gracious, annoyed to appreciative, Amy Tan uses a few different tones throughout Mother Tongue. Identify these tones and explain how they are employed (the language used to convey the tones), and what effect it has on the reader. I came up with the idea that the author's claim is that one's use of language does not indicate their amount of knowledge or worth, but I am not sure if I am thinking of the right answer. It's my mother tongue. Tan uses it with this definition, but also utilizes it to refer to the language her mom spoke (Chinese). Amy Tan's Messages in "Mother Tongue" Short Summary - GraduateWay Tan uses points from her personal life and from her work to show that there is no need to separate one's language and identity. Amy Tan - Books, Short Stories & Movie - Biography (para. What Is the Main Idea of Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue?" - Reference.com At several points in her essay, Tan related anecdotes. -describes how her mom influenced her writing and this is why her mom is the audience. I knew what the tests were asking, but I could not block out of my mind the images already created by the first pair, "sunset is to nightfall"--and I would see a burst of colors against a darkening sky, the moon rising, the lowering of a curtain of stars.And all the other pairs of words --red, bus, stoplight, boring--just threw up a mass of confusing images, making it impossible for me to sort out something as logical as saying: "A sunset precedes nightfall" is the same as "a chill precedes a fever."