-other peoples reactions; how it affected Amy (would make calls for her mom) [/Pattern /DeviceRGB] The same was true with word analogies, pairs of words in which you were supposed to find some sort of logical, semantic relationship -- for example, "Sunset is to nightfall as is to ." And I believe that it affected my results on achievement tests, I.Q. Amy Tan - Books, Short Stories & Movie - Biography 6) rather than paraphrasing what she said? The talk was going along well enough, until I remembered one major difference that made the whole talk sound wrong. If raised in Italy, it is Italian; in France, it is French. This text is a great starting point for discussions on culture, language and more. What organizational pattern does Tan use in "Mother Tongue," and how does she control her tone? << /Subtype /Image /AIS false literature. Her mother attends a lecture that Tan is delivering, and Tan realizes that her mother is hearing Tan speak a kind of English that she does not use at home. Math is precise; there is only one correct answer. The phrase "mother tongue" refers to the language people learn to speak first. And then I said in perfect English, "Yes, I'm getting rather concerned. For example, people with European accents may be perceived as "snooty" or "uptight", while those who speak in AAVE (African American Vernacular English) can be seen as "ghetto" or "thuggish". Some visitors on a search for new healing substances (looks, look) at medicinal plants. 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. Students may conclude that Tan and her mother did not have a close relationship if they support this opinion with valid examples. This English is expressive, grammatically distant from proper forms, hard to understand for some native English speakers, and perfectly comfortable to Amy. Finally, she wraps it up nicely with a note about how she now uses those various forms of English in her career. More recent to this story, her mother had been diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, but when she went to the doctor's office, the CAT scan was lost and no one was remotely concerned with her need to understand her prognosishaving lost a husband and son, both to brain tumors. 7) According to Tan, why are so many Asian Americans encouraged to study math and science in college? Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. defining her mother's tongue and other's interpretations of it (their reactions) -defining her interpretation, others interpretation, and how it influenced her writing structure 1st part -1-7 -awareness of the diff types of English -nature of her mother's English All of these questions will help you pinpoint the essays effectiveness. Does it drag on too much? But it does have a loose progression. Already a member? 18, Tan)". What Tan is classifying in this essay is the different kinds of English she uses. She had cashed out her small portfolio and it just so happened we were going to go to New York the next week, our very first trip outside California. So mad he lie to me, losing me money. I hesitate to use the word plot in the case of Mother Tongue because it doesnt seem to have much of one, at least not in the traditional sense that most fiction stories do. What is Amy Tans primary identity according to what she says in paragraphs 1-3 of "Mother Tongue"? Amy Tan, in full Amy Ruth Tan, (born February 19, 1952, Oakland, California, U.S.), American author of novels about Chinese American women and the immigrant experience. 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. Because there are quite a few different tones in this short story, they transition from one to the other. She recognizes that her mom is in fact able to comprehend complex sentences in English, but just struggles to express herself clearly in the language. 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. How do you think Kemal Ataturk would have responded to later Islamic modernists such as Sheikh Kabir and perhaps Saira Khan? Eliasib. 11th Review / Critical Thinking Questions. It's my mother tongue. Include details from the text. a. fragment Tan explains, "This was understandable. Tan calls this clipped informal language her mother tongue, because it was the first language she learned and it helped to shape the way she saw the world and made sense of it. Though Mother Tongue is a very short narrative, its rich in content. A Summary and Analysis of Amy Tan's 'Mother Tongue' When her mother told her that what she had written was easy to read, Tan knew that she had succeeded in her aims as a writer. Write a journal entry from the perspective of Richard the Lion-Hearted during the Crusades. /SM 0.02 What we would call proper English symbolizes both Tans acceptance into American society and a separation from her mother. 8, Tan)". How do they differ? This question is about the essay "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan. 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. Do you agree or disagree with Amy Tan's conclusions about standardized tests? What is the author's purpose, style, and tone in the story? 6 0 obj Mother Tongue by Amy Tan questions & answers for quizzes and worksheets ______ to influence. Tan talks about growing up with different forms of English and how that affected both her childhood and adult life. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. I've heard other terms used, "limited English," for example. "Mother Tongue" // Amy Tan Flashcards | Quizlet This is a key part of Feathers from a Thousand Li Away, and it helps us to understand Tans conflicted attitude towards her mothers use of language as explored in Mother Tongue. Mother Tongue Quiz Flashcards | Quizlet -influenced Amy's writing (four Englishes) In a short essay "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan reveals her background and describes different kinds of English that she had to speak in her childhood and adolescence. She mentions the figure that most Asian students in schools are not enrolled in artistic courses, such as creative writing. Along with her BS in marketing from Florida State University and MA in museum studies from Johns Hopkins University, she has spent the past 7 years learning how best to reach and teach people using the power of words. Tan calls this a language of intimacy. I gone to boy's side, they haveYMCA dinner. "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan | Free Essay Example - StudyCorgi.com What is the difference? Even though the focus of the essay is the author's experiences with languages and her mother's influence on her writing, an underlying theme of the essay is the identity of a first-generation American. Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan Comprehension 1. WhowasJohnWilkesBooth? "How Poetry Comes to Me" TPCASTT // Gary Snyd, "Common Ground" TPCASTT // Judith Ortiz Cofer, SpringBoard English Language Arts: Grade 10, myPerspectives: English Language Arts, California (Grade 9, Volume 1), Glencoe Literature Course 4: The Readers Choice. Envisioning her mother as the reader allowed Tan to write with more fluidity. Accept any answers that address the concern of the question and are elaborated by examples or details from the literature or from life. 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. I had to get on the phone and say in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, "This is Mrs. 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 worth. Symbolism is when an author uses an object, person, or place to represent a deeper concept. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. think my mother's English almost had an effect on limiting my possibilities in life as well. ", how did amy describe her mother's english, math and science (precise and exact answers). In "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan explains that she uses multiple "Englishes" in her daily life. Like off the street kind. This establishes ethos as she admits that her specialty is in being a writer. 6. Because dogs are legally required to be on a leash, letting your dog run free in the park is a(n) _______. You can read Mother Tongue here before proceeding to our summary and analysis of Amy Tans essay below. She says this because it could have impacted her in developing the English skills that were expected in school. In this connection, it is noteworthy that Tan chooses to focus on the school tests she undertook before concluding that her mothers broken style of English has been misunderstood not just literally (by some people whove known her), but in terms of the misleading perceptions of her it has led others to formulate. What does the title "Mother Tongue" suggest? She reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirley MacLaine's books with easeall kinds of things I can't begin to understand. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. 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. "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan Flashcards | Quizlet -she uses four types of English (the English she grew up with) This progression is typical of many stories, both long and short, but in this case you can apply it to tone as well. Like other children of immigrants to America, the perceptions of her language abilities almost limited her career path in math or science, yet Tan eventually realized her own American Dream of becoming a full-time writer. At the CAT scan, Tan's mother wasn't taken seriously due to her not being able to speak fluently. Latest answer posted March 28, 2020 at 9:26:15 PM. The nature of the talk was about my writing, my life, and my book, The Joy Luck Club. Why? To see how other students have handled their analyses, check out these example essays on Mother Tongue.. What does that phrase mean to you? 3. What are some good things Andrew Carnegie did? You had agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn't arrived.". What argument is Tan making here about language and its connection to our identity in "Mother Tongue"? How does Tan avoid stereotyping Asian Americans in general and Chinese in particular in this essay? In "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan uses people's inclination to assume as a way of exploring the subject of identity. Describe how others (those who do not know her intimately) see Tan's mother versus how Tan describes her in "Mother Tongue." She says even her husband started speaking this kind of English together and that it has come to represent intimacy. During this conversation, my mother was talking about a political gangster in Shanghai who had the same last name as her family's, Du, and how the gangster in his early years wanted to be adopted by her family, which was rich by comparison. Tan elaborates this idea by scrutinizing her mother's language, her own use of English and society's response to different people's English usage. This shows how the way English is spoken affects how one is treated. Tan says she uses "simple English" around her mother, and while this isn't the same form that her mother speaks, it symbolizes the bond between her and her family. But because she is rebellious and likes to challenge peoples assumptions about her, Tan bucked this trend. Amy Tan born in 1952 in California to Chinese immigrants. When Amy gave this talk to an audience that included her mother, it caused her to reflect on the distance between the language that she uses in the world of her career and the language that she grew up with at home and still uses with her husband in the present day. Latest answer posted October 28, 2019 at 10:43:03 PM, Latest answer posted November 08, 2020 at 3:49:32 AM. Tan wrote 'Mother Tongue' in 1990, a year after her novel The Joy Luck Club was a runaway success. The argument Tan makes is that she has become a better writer by fusing these types of language than she was when she used the acrolect alone. 7. Writer discussed: Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue" (Link to story) Amy Tan is speaking of writing her book "Joy Luck Club" (there's a scene below), so in that sense it works as a good example of a literacy narrative in that Tan writes about writing something. 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. 1. Those tests were constructed around items like fill-in-the-blank sentence completion, such as, "Even though Tom was, Mary thought he was --. What is Amy Tans primary identity according to what she says in paragraphs 1-3 of "Mother Tongue"? Why? 22 terms. Edit. On what were these descriptions and perceptions based according to paragraphs 15-16 of "Mother Tongue"? b. eruption They resemble chapters in a book as they each have a different focus, while still relating all to each other and being interconnected. But now you have to do a literary analysis on itand suddenly its short length seems like more of a burden than a blessing. eNotes Editorial, 28 June 2020, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-argument-is-tan-making-here-about-language-2353688. Get started for free! /Length 7 0 R She observes that her mother is treated differently because of the way she speaks. Whereas, for me at least, the answers on English tests were always a judgment call, a matter of opinion and personal experience, (para. So mad he lie to me, losing me money. What is the context of Mother Tongue? . What motivates her to make such an argument? /SA true Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use. While my English skills were never judged as poor, compared to math, English could not be considered my strong suit. 2. Each story holds a key to understanding her main argument points. In this guise, I was forced to ask for information or even to complain and yell at people who had been rude to her. I've heard other terms used, "limited English," for example. Respect for making big celebration, he shows up. It is the simple difference between theory and practice. She wouldn't budge. It is their "language of intimacy," even though he is a native English speaker. } !1AQa"q2#BR$3br She said they would not give her any more information until the next time and she would have to make another appointment for that. How does each have its own type of power? /ca 1.0 2. Why or why not? State your opinion in an essay, and support it with evidence from at least two of the essays. Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love. -7 space 17 space. 5) Unlike most of the other literature youve read for class, Mother Tongue by Amy Tan is short and pretty easy to breeze through. Write the correct word in the space next to given definition. Answers will vary but should include points similar to the following: a. Tan includes the story to give readers an example of just how her mother's English sounds and how expressive it is. -allows Amy to go in to saying how she was effected by her mother's tongue. Tan." /Filter /DCTDecode Psst 98% of Kibin users report better grades! What is Amy Tans primary identity according to what she says in paragraphs 1-3 of "Mother Tongue"? Mother Tongue - 767 Words | Bartleby << But I wince when I say that. How did Tans teachers identify her when she was in high school? 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cite the text as needed to clarify and support your response. "But I have noticed in surveys in fact, just last week that Asian students, as a whole, always do significantly better on math achievement tests than in English. from Oxford University Ph.D. from St. Andrews University, Amy Tan, like many children of immigrants, has more than one identity, and these identities are primarily defined by language. Tan. 4. Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan - OlyPen He is Du like Du Zong -- but not Tsung-ming Island people. Our experts can deliver a "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan essay tailored to your instructions for only $13.00 $11.05/page 308 qualified specialists online Learn more Main text Consider the story "Mother Tongue." 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. Discuss how and why parents identities and personalities are often a source of embarrassment or tension when people are young. -understand how her mom talked and how it was hard for others to understand her 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. Include details from the text. Find examples of peopleincluding Tan herselftreating her mother disrespectfully. A Summary and Analysis of Amy Tan's 'Mother Tongue' By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) 'Mother Tongue' is an essay by Amy Tan, an American author who was born to Chinese immigrants in 1952. This text is a great starting point for discussions on culture, language and more. Mother tongue commonly means the language first learned by a person, but for the author, Amy Tan, it has a special meaning. Analysis of "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan: DRAFT - GraduateWay Why does she divide the essay into three parts?