In the text tan uses a variety of stylistic devices to express herself, tans use of parallel structures is used frequently throughout the piece, for example she starts the first paragraph with the phrase i am not a scholar of english and the second with i am a writer. In tans essay she quotes her mothers speech to demonstrate her mothers broken english, it was a very. In mother tongue, tan writes about the awareness and discrimination about broken english compared to standard english. May 28, 2006 mother tongue, by amy tan i am not a scholar of english or literature. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Amy tan, the author of mother tongue very well makes the point across about cultural racism without showing any anger or specifically pointing out racism. Amy tan is an asianamerican writer whose works focus a lot on relationships between mothers and. Rhetorical analysis of mother tongue by amy tan 929. Tan elaborates this idea by scrutinizing her mother s language, her own use of english and societys response to different peoples english usage. The primary purpose of tans mother tongue is to orient the readers about the authors intepretation of differentiating standard english and broken english. Amy tans essay mother tongue is a wonderful tale that addresses the substance of languages and how language is not only a tool of communication, but a sociological tool of measuring individual. Nicholas wiest beverly williamson english 111 september 21st, 2012 critical analysis essay i have chosen mother tongue for the subject of my essay.
Waverly lives in san francisco chinatown with her parents and two brothers. Critical analysis of mother tongue essay 907 words bartleby. The piece has a strong depiction of the asian american struggles through the adaptation of the. Mother tongue is an essay by amy tan describing her life with her mother in america. Amy tan s purpose of writing mother tongue is to remind the native english speakers to respect the broken english speakers and to find out the worthy thoughts concealed by the imperfect languages. She takes her mothers talk that is full of grammatical mistakes and conversation with the stockbroker as examples, which gives us an impression that her mother is not well educated. Mother tongue is about the authors struggles with her linguistic identity, her mothers fractured or broken variation of english and the relationship with her mother. Societies ability to run smoothly, efficiently and benefit as many people as possible, hinges greatly on communication and how effectively it is used. I think thats why i was so moved by amy tans nonfiction essay, mother tongue. Nov 06, 2009 amy tans mother tongue summary in the article mother tongue, amy tan emphasizes the idea that we all speak different languages unconsciously and that we are categorized by the way we speak. Mother tongue amy tan summary essay custom essay writing. Thoughts on mother tongue by amy tan happinessequalsoutlook.
As an asianamerican writer, tan engages with issues around language and identity through her work. Mar 04, 2015 mother tongue summary and response amy tan, a chinese american writer, in her narrative, mother tongue, argues that language should not be perceived as a limitation to someones speech and instead should be seen as a tool that magnifies a persons intent and nature of hisher thoughts with every word that heshe is able to use. In the essay mother tongue by amy tan shows how english does not have only one type, but a variety of ways to be used and understood. Analysis of mother tongue by amy tan essay 184 words. She loves writing and thinks about how language influences everything. Primary purpose of tans mother tongue english literature essay. She has to tell people her mothers english is broken or fractured.
The mother tongue characters bill bryson this study guide consists of approximately 29 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the mother tongue. This study guide consists of approximately 29 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the mother tongue. Jul 18, 2016 paragraph 1 shes not a genius in the english language. Different forms of language and their different roles in daily life always fascinate her. In her essay mother tongue, although she says that she writes with her intended audience being her mother, i believe her audience is other writers, possibly ones that also come from an immigrant background. Analysis of mother tongue by amy tan 9 words 4 pages. Amy tan is an asianamerican writer whose works focus a lot on relationships between mothers and daughters. Tan makes her arguments in a way that is easily understood. How the broken speech of her mother has had an influence on her life. Mother tongue summary and response amy tan, a chinese american writer, in her narrative, mother tongue, argues that language should not be perceived as a limitation to someones speech and instead should be seen as a tool that magnifies a persons intent and nature of hisher thoughts with every word that heshe is able to use. The joy luck club is a novel by amy tan that was first published in 1989. Summary for amy tans mother tongue the essay is chiefly about the writers own rumination and judgment about how broken english compared to standard english.
Even though language is not an object you can hold, amy tan still uses language to symbolize different, more ambiguous concepts. My high school teacher wants us to read and find out the meaning in this. Tan, a fiction writer, addresses the extent to which she engages in codeswitching, using different types of english in. Tans purpose is to show how broken english speakers are dissuaded from preferfecting it and how. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of mother tongue by amy tan. Her mother tells her lots of things she thinks waverly needs to know to survive in the big world, but unfortunately, moms advice comes across as passiveaggressive nitpicking.
Mother tongue amy tan thesis mother tongue is a term that can refer to another persons native language. However, after further analysis, i see she could have been targeting specific groups. The piece has a strong depiction of the asian american struggles through the adaptation of the english language. Mother tongue is usually reffered to the first language a person is taught, however i think tans use of the word mother tongue is much more intimate in a sense that she feels that her english. Mother tongue by amy tan by sharon charles on prezi. Symbolism in mother tongue by amy tan image by steve johnson via flickr symbolism is when an author uses an object, person, or place to represent a deeper concept. Another purpose of writing such book is the fact that amy tan has spent much of her time in america, but she was born in china. Mar 09, 2003 summary for amy tans mother tongue the essay is chiefly about the writers own rumination and judgment about how broken english compared to standard english. Amy tan is the author of the personal essay mother tongue. First draft people speak different languages to communicate with one. The struggles of communication communication is arguably the most essential and powerful part of everyday life. By bloodandguts69 summary for amy tan s mother tongue the essay is chiefly about the writers own rumination and judgment about how broken english compared. At the beginning of the piece we are told about the different types of english she would.
After reading amy tans essay mother tongue, i have come to several conclusions. Mother tongue by amy tan summary first language english. Mother tongue gives an example of a woman struggling with various identities bestowed upon her. Oct 29, 20 mother tongue is an essay by amy tan describing her life with her mother in america. In mother tongue, tan mainly talks about her realization of the existence and effects of the broken english of her family. Mother tongue analysis essay living in america does not necessarily mean that someone is american and regardless of being born in california amy tan knew that she is not simply american, at least, not all of the time.
In mother tongue, amy tan wrote about broken english. First you get at view of it as from a writer, a defined and prestigious view of the different englishes available for ones use. Mother tongue by amy tan amy tan starts her essay clarifying she is not a scholar of english or literature, but a writer. Her mother had a brain tumor and her father and brother both died of brain tumors. And by that definition, i am someone who has always loved language. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Mother tongue, written by amy tan provides a description of the forms of english languages adapted by different individuals during their migration to the united states of america and their adjustment to the american culture. In mother tongue, tan writes about the awareness and discrimination about unbroken english compared to standard english. Summary for amy tans mother tongue free essay example. The way that english is used through this essay changes as you gain different perspectives. The author is a fictional writer who is fascinated by language in daily life and uses language as a daily part of her work as a writer. Death in venice chapter 5a epidemics is in the form of contradictory rumors in the german newspapers. Mother tongue is a personal essay by the american novelist amy tan. The main idea of amy tans mother tongue is the limitations that imperfect english can impose in society and the richness that such english can bring to writing.
It is a great beauty of a book, and i am so proud of you for standin. Quotations by amy tan, american novelist, born february 19, 1952. Amy tans mother tongue summary in the article mother tongue, amy tan emphasizes the idea that we all speak different languages unconsciously and that we are categorized by the way we speak. The essay is chiefly about the writers own rumination and judgment about how broken english compared to standard. She also grew up to be ashamed of her mothers poor speaking skills. Mcgee of 303 and lectures on amy tans mother tongue, a.
Dec 02, 2012 mother tongue analysis essay living in america does not necessarily mean that someone is american and regardless of being born in california amy tan knew that she is not simply american, at least, not all of the time. A summary of amy tans mother tongue freebooksummary. She grew up taking phone and making phone calls for her mother. Amy tan tells the story of how she becomes to have a strong natural love for language.
Analysis of mother tongue by amy tan in the narrative essay, mother tongue by amy tan, the author sets out the story between her mother, whose english is her second language, and tan herself can speak native english very well. In tans essay she quotes her mothers speech to demonstrate her mothers broken english, it was a very trivial story but the thing that is worth looking at was her mot. Moreover it came to her sense that language not only authorizes individuals to participate as members of a designated community, it is also a essential key in enabling individuals. It is important to note that amy tan not only uses the article to give us an insight into her world of writing and the continuous commitments she made to better her mastery of the english language, but she also expresses different rhetorical. Because tan wrote this essay about her mother, she mainly describes the responses her mother gets with her broken english.
In other words, mother tongue is called first language or the dominant language an individual can have over other he has had to learn over time. Is she trying to make her mother proud, or is she showing how her immigrant family gets discriminated or is it for some other reason. Critical analysis of mother tongue essay 907 words. Mother tongue by amy tan summary free download as word doc. She holds a bachelors degree in english and a masters degree in linguistics 1973 from san jose state university. Later she talks about a lecture she had some time ago tan was talking about her writing, her life, and one of her books. Amy makes the reader realize how really not being american can affect how well you could handle everyday situations. Jun 01, 2011 amy tan is a first generation american born to chinese immigrants. Her essay talks about how you have to write to your.
I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the english language and its variations in this country or others. 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. She also speaks smart english, but she also speaks her childhood english. Jun 21, 2017 mcgee of 303 and lectures on amy tans mother tongue, a. What i mean is what is amy tan trying to say by writing this story. Besides amy, the tans also had two sons peter, born in 1950, and john, born in 1954. Amy tans observations of discrimination based on language. Mother tongue is a personal essay by the american novelist. This piece in particular, published in 1990, explores tans complicated. Mother tongue by amy tan key points and summary emmanuel. See a complete list of the characters in the joy luck club and indepth analyses of jingmei june woo, suyuan woo, anmei hsu, rose hsu jordan, lindo jong, waverly jong, yingying st. Amy describes how we speak differently to family compared to how we speak to people out in public. We need to communicate to get new and innovative ideas across, to state opinions, to sort our arguments and most.
Amy tan is an accomplished fictional writer with five books in her name among other literary works. She also explains how fascinating the language is for her. Amy tan has ethos on the subject of english and how it is used in a variety of tongues because her mother is chinese and immigrated to california. Take your hr comms to the next level with prezi video. Jan 25, 20 after reading amy tans essay mother tongue, i have come to several conclusions. Tan elaborates this idea by scrutinizing her mothers language, her own use of english and societys response to different peoples english usage. Amy tan s essay mother tongue is a wonderful tale that addresses the substance of languages and how language is not only a tool of communication, but a sociological tool of measuring individual.