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  • Essay / Rhetorical Analysis of Amy Tan's Mother Tongue

    Introduction: In the essay "Mother Tongue", Amy Tan believes that everyone speaks different languages ​​in certain contexts and is labeled based on how they speak. The author is interested in how language is used in our daily lives” and uses language as an everyday part of his work as a writer. Context: Throughout her life, she recognizes her difficulties in applying correct English instead of the bad English used at home. She became aware of the way she was speaking at a lecture about her book The Joy Club and realized that her mother who was in the audience didn't understand what it was about. This was because she never used proper English at home or when speaking to her mother. Thesis Statement: She believes that using correct English and broken English is essential in communication, depending on who you are talking to. The next time she noticed this about his English was while she was walking with her parents, she said "don't waste money that way." This is due to the language barrier in his home, which is only used by his family. His mother grew up in China and spoke Mandarin. His English was always seen as bad to everyone outside the family, making it difficult for him to understand when someone spoke English correctly. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Topic Sentence: Amy assured everyone who met her mother that although her English seemed “broken,” it did not reflect her intelligence. Although people gave this label to her mother for the way she spoke, she rejected the idea that her mother's English was "limited." She highlights the fact that even her mother recognizes that her opportunities and interactions in life are limited by the English language. Evidence and Citation: Amy Tan realizes that the way you communicate within the family dynamic, especially for immigrant families, plays an important role in the child's growth. This allowed him to recognize that perhaps his family's language had an effect on the opportunities available to him in his life. For example, in her experience, she notices that Asian students do better on math tests than on language tests, and she wonders whether or not other Asian students are discouraged from writing or oriented toward math and sciences. Commentary: Tan changed her major from pre-med to English and decided to become a freelance writer even though her boss told her she couldn't write. She ended up writing fiction and famously failed to live up to the expectations people had of her due to her struggle with writing and language. With her mother as an influence, Tan decided to write her stories for people like her, people with "broken" or "limited" English. In the essay Mother Tongue, Amy Tan strives to persuade readers from her experiences as a multicultural family that the effectiveness and price an individual pays in ensuring that their ideas and intentions do not change in reason for the way he speaks, whatever. they use “perfect” or “broken” English. Tan also clarifies to readers that "her mother's expressive command of English belies what she actually understands." She uses many examples to take readers into her life experiences and discover this truth. She uses first-person perspective throughout the essay and adds her first-hand knowledge of growing up with multiple languagesspoken at home. This was done to validate his argument and highlight the importance of this issue in his life as well as his culture. Topic Sentence: The example she uses is where she tells the story of her mother's difficulties with a stockbroker because of her. “broken” in English, Tan quotes his mother’s words “Why didn’t he send me a check, already two weeks late. So angry that he lied to me, causing me to lose money.” Amy Tan did this to give readers an idea of ​​how this particular situation played out and how her mother's English affected the results. The author's writing is also very moving and somewhat angry throughout the essay, which makes her and her family very sympathetic characters. Tan's specific concern is shunned by both white America and the Asian population. It also reinforces her views, putting her in an equally frustrating position from an American perspective with the stereotypical views of Asians. Many people in college looked upon her funny because she majored in English instead of math. People of Chinese descent are associated with math or science, due to the stereotypes Asians receive. This is based on studies conducted that a majority of Asians actually excel in math and science. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Evidence and Citations: Amy also observed that many of her instructors also leaned toward math and science and a former boss even told her that writing was not the greatest attribute and that she should focus more on her account management skills. Comment: The author states that "maybe they also have teachers who steer them away from writing and toward math and science, which is what happened to me." Topic Sentence: The author used the form of a nonfiction essay to explain how language played a major role in his life. It also allowed him to show readers how his relationship with the English language and his mother evolved over the years. In her essay, Mother Tongue, Amy Tan describes many incidents that helped shape her outlook as a writer. Uses of first-person narrative describe his experiences with his mother and how his mother's use of the English language influenced his upbringing, such as a story his mother once told him about a wedding guest of his mother "Du Yusong having business like a fruit stand". . Like the off-the-street type. He is Du like Du Zong – but not the inhabitants of Tsung-ming Island... This man wants to ask Du Zong's father to welcome him as if he were his own family. Du Zong's father did not look down on him, but did not take him seriously, until this tall man looked like a mafia. Now an important person, it is very difficult to invite him. Comment: She may have chosen to focus on this type of sentence structure because it gave readers a sense of awareness of her life and also to make it easier for them to understand the factors that shaped her style as a 'writer. Concluding Paragraph: In conclusion, after reading Mother Tongue, it became very evident that her mother played an important role in the author's life. However, after further reading, I determined that it could have been aimed at a specific group of people. She also explains her story to people who read her works, as much of her.