In this guise, I was forced to ask for information or even to complain and yell at people who had been rude to her. /Type /ExtGState 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. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. She is just as special a person, despite what language she uses or how she uses it. I didn't see, I heard it. It's my mother tongue. -she uses four types of English (the English she grew up with) 6 0 obj It's my mother tongue. "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. 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. Spend some time evaluating the essays structure, and analyze whether it is right for Mother Tongue. Would it have been better as a novel or a poem, or is a short narrative the way to go? d. Her mother is the audience (reader) for The Joy Luck Club, a book about mother-and-daughter relationships. 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. As the second generation of Chinese immigrants, Tan faces more problems than her peers do. In the essay, Tan discusses her relationship with language, and how her mothers influence has shaped her use of English, as well as her attitude to it. That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of. (para. How many subjects does Tan explore in the essay? Do you feel that people's abilities can be judged fairly by these kinds of tests? Award-winning novelist, short story writer, and essayist. 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. Learn. Indeed, Tan conjectures that many Asian American children are probably encouraged to pursue careers in jobs requiring maths and science rather than English for this reason. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. How did Tans teachers identify her when she was in high school? State your opinion in an essay, and support it with evidence from at least two of the essays. Whereas, for me at least, the answers on English tests were always a judgment call, a matter of opinion and personal experience. nNSm`NO8 SL6x 9 tG%rzo=>ca3`!VW19>:HmoM!>? _E nYKyrO [%eLm ii+;t9xt;md/C?dSh[`N:)$9HAJI%i2. Although Tan clearly appeals to pathos through personal narration and characterization, she makes some appeals to logos. On what were these descriptions and perceptions based according to paragraphs 15-16 of "Mother Tongue"? On what were these descriptions and perceptions based according to paragraphs 15-16 of "Mother Tongue"? eNotes Editorial, 10 Nov. 2019, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/in-amy-tan-s-short-story-mother-tongue-explain-258339. What are the "different Englishes" (para. 3. How does she establish ethos by this juxtaposition? /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) -understand how her mom talked and how it was hard for others to understand her How is Amy Tan's use of the phrase "mother tongue" ambiguous? How does she use language in the rest of her story to portray this rebelliousness? Mother Tongue is an essay by Amy Tan, an American author who was born to Chinese immigrants in 1952. Psst 98% of Kibin users report better grades! Lately, I've been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. And then I said in perfect English, "Yes, I'm getting rather concerned. She said she had spoken very good English, her best English, no mistakes. How did Tans teachers identify her when she was in high school? Edit. The mother tongue shapes. It is not simply, as she first thought, that one type of English is correct and the other incorrect. Interesting Literature is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk. 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. If all the words in a numbered word group are correct, write C above it. Explain why Tan calls herself a rebel in "Mother Tongue" and how this identity led to her becoming a writer. Mother Tongue questions & answers for quizzes and worksheets - Quizizz English Mother Tongue Deleted User 87 plays 15 questions Copy & Edit Live Session Show Answers See Preview 1. She makes this argument in various ways. /Type /XObject Log in here. What is the context of Mother Tongue? What does that phrase mean to you? -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." What organizational pattern does Tan use in "Mother Tongue," and how does she control her tone? defining her mother's tongue and other's interpretations of it (their reactions), -how other's react to her mother's tongue - pretended not to understand her or hear her, did not take her seriously, and did not give her good service. 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. -describes how her mom influenced her writing and this is why her mom is the audience. But because she is rebellious and likes to challenge peoples assumptions about her, Tan bucked this trend. 2. This question is about the essay "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan. 8, Tan)". Because of her broken English, Amy's mother was told by the doctors that they lost her scan and did not apologize nor care about it. This establishes ethos as she admits that her specialty is in being a writer. You can read Mother Tongue here before proceeding to our summary and analysis of Amy Tans essay below. 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. Tan grew up in Northern California, but when her father and older brother both died from brain tumors in 1966, she moved with her. Tan divides the essay into three sections. 11th Grade - Poems by Emily Dickinson: Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. However, in Amy Tan's story, I believe she is making a statement about her mother's form of English: her mother's tongue. 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. I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the English language and its variations in this country or others. Her mother gave her praise that meant a great deal to Tan: I knew I had succeeded where it counted when my mother finished reading my book and gave me her verdict: 'So easy to read.'. In "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan explains that she uses multiple "Englishes" in her daily life. How would you characterize Tan's tone in the essay? 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. Tan says that her identity as a writer was originally separate from her identity as her mother's daughter. -breaking the paragraphs (spaces) 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. To see how other students have handled their analyses, check out these example essays on Mother Tongue.. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people's perceptions of the limited English speaker. Find examples of peopleincluding Tan herselftreating her mother. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of languagethe way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.. Test. c. rout Mother Tongue is a story that describes how Amy Tan's mother was treated unfairly because of her "broken English". Tan wrote Mother Tongue in 1990, a year after her novel The Joy Luck Club was a runaway success. b. eruption Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Discuss the way stereotypes or bias affect how we see ourselves and others. But I wince when I say that. How did railroads help boost industrialization? vN'p3:OKjd;C~_O>V0 9G^_`*:?*zr You had agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn't arrived.". He come to my wedding. 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. "9 [5 I've heard other terms used, "limited English," for example. Tan grew up speaking the formal acrolect of English she learned at school and the more vivid, less correct variety her mother used. When this occurred, everyone was much more cordial with Amy than with her mother: promises were made and apologies graciously extended. 2. Symbolism, structure, and tone are only a few literary devices you can use for your analysis, but they are the ones thatll help you get the most out of your analysis. What is the author's purpose, style, and tone in the story? 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. What incident in "Mother Tongue" makes Tan aware of the different Englishes that she speaks? Consider the story "Mother Tongue." M.A. Tan calls this a language of intimacy. 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"? We used a similar routine just five days ago, for a situation that was far less humorous. Though Mother Tongue is a very short narrative, its rich in content. 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. Amy's mother refused to leave the office until someone called her daughter. 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. She adores her as any other child would adore their own mom. 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. The nature of the talk was about my writing, my life, and my book, The Joy Luck Club. She is the second of three children born to Chinese immigrants, Daisy and John Tan. 5) Tan wrote 'Mother Tongue' in 1990, a year after her novel The Joy Luck Club was a runaway success. Like off the street kind. >> Still, she said, the hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CAT scan and she had come for nothing. In Amy Tan's short story "Mother Tongue," explain the essence of what "mother tongue" signifies in the story. How could I go about writing four pages about the essay "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan, citing two or more different authors to support my claims? Math is precise; there is only one correct answer. /SM 0.02 -7 space 17 space. Tan mentions several different emotions when talking about her mothers English. How does this story help you better understand the point Tan is making in her essay? Tan grew up in California and in Switzerland and studied English and linguistics at San Jose State University (B.A., 1973; M.A., 1974) and the University of California, Berkeley. What assumptions are people making about Tan's mother in these situations and why? But once Tan had arrived and upon hearing her perfect English, the staff had taken the case up with more urgency. And my mother was standing in the back whispering loudly, "Why he don't send me check, already two weeks late. Tan uses an example of her mother going to New York to yell at her stockbroker, after not receiving her check from cashing out her portfolio, to show us that even though her language skills were sub par, she could still very effectively communicate her feelings and ideas. In this respect, if the parable Feathers from a Thousand Li Away acts as preface to the novel, Mother Tongue, in effect, acts as a kind of postscript. -speech-like; "I was giving a talk to a large group of people." eNotes Editorial, 28 June 2020, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-argument-is-tan-making-here-about-language-2353688. 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. 2)? Accept any answers that address the concern of the question and are elaborated by examples or details from the literature or from life. Some visitors on a search for new healing substances (looks, look) at medicinal plants. What motivates her to make such an argument? Why? Chinese custom. Tan notes in paragraph 21 that she thinks of her mother as her audience when she writes stories. This progression is typical of many stories, both long and short, but in this case you can apply it to tone as well. What is Tan's strategy behind including a lengthy, direct quotation from her mother (para. 4 0 obj Tan was born on February 19, 1952, in Oakland, California. The local people call putong, the river east side, he belong to that side local people. Math is precise; there is only one correct answer. The talk was going along well enough, until I remembered one major difference that made the whole talk sound wrong. [/Pattern /DeviceRGB] -Informal - conversational; "So you'll have some idea.." It helps us to understand the way Tan approaches and uses language within the stories that make up The Joy Luck Club. C q" Describe how others (those who do not know her intimately) see Tan's mother versus how Tan describes her in "Mother Tongue." Be sure to consider the anecdotes regarding Tan giving a speech, the stockbroker, the CAT scan, and Tan's experience with the SATs. Amy Tan says that she has come to realize that something unusual goes on with languageat least her own, based upon the Chinese her mother grew up speaking, the English her mother uses as her "second language," Amy's use of this special version of her mother's English, and her own perception that her mother's English was somehow "broken"at least this is how Ms. Tan used to feel. 8. -however, later she decided that she 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. Amy Tan born in 1952 in California to Chinese immigrants. Where "mother tongue" usually refers euphemistically to someone's first language, here it refers. What strategies does she use to make this How did Tans teachers identify her when she was in high school? I've been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. 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 is the context of Mother Tongue? 4)_g|a>x{9}=vyG`?>x}.(72qgn>n * {1Mo$*=rnZ|!:Oc@`g=~l^0r8 WC,f;8vu4[e$Nexug (Byo O9|'uc+#Wv8Ee,9 :?6Ns C;0:j1E 66S~o^xzYX8R9 g= ^NTw{ _s7@ "1s m?M ;o V6'=:h . What would be the impact of omitting one of them? 16, Tan)". All together, we expect forty or fifty volunteers to work on the project. 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. What is the author's purpose, style, and tone in the story? 3 0 obj Identify the message of Tan's essay, "Mother Tongue." What argument is Tan making here about language and its connection to our identity in "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. Tan." endobj 8 . Life Span 4 . This was understandable. She said they would not give her any more information until the next time and she would have to make another appointment for that. 3. 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. But now you have to do a literary analysis on itand suddenly its short length seems like more of a burden than a blessing. What is the author's purpose, style, and tone in the story? What does Tan mean by "the power of language" (para. When she's not working, she's constantly trying to expand her creativity through music, writing, art, and animation. The different forms of English that mother and daughter speak are also a product of their backgrounds: whilst Tans mother is a Chinese immigrant to America, Tan was born in the United States and has grown up, and been educated, in an English-speaking culture. In "Mother Tongue," Amy Tan explains that she uses multiple "Englishes" in her daily life. One time it was a call to her stockbroker in New York. Symbolism is when an author uses an object, person, or place to represent a deeper concept. How do each of these shifts in tone help move the reader along in the story? /Creator ( w k h t m l t o p d f 0 . Chinese way, came only to show respect, don't stay for dinner. 18, Tan)". To what extent do you think that speaking a non- standardized English (through grammatical differences or an accent) "limits . 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. Tan is making the argument in "Mother Tongue" that she became a better writer when she began to use both the types of English she spoke to write books her mother could understand. /Height 155 What is the "associative situation" (para. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. a) her mother was speaking that way on purpose just to embarrass Tan b) Her mother had an undiagnosed mental illness c) her mother's spoken language was imperfect, so her ideas must be imperfect d) her mother wasn't intelligent %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz Tan, Amy. 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. She acknowledges that when she was growing up, she was ashamed of the way her mother spoke. d. infraction, Identify the following term or individuals and explain their significance. Chinese age I was nineteen. But many people who hear her mother speak can only partially understand what she is saying, and some even say they can understand nothing of what she says, as if she were speaking pure Chinese to them. What strategies does she use to make this argument? "Mother tongue," as it is used in the title of this piece, is a pun on the traditional idea. Tan. 3) Tan describes in this essay? I had to get on the phone and say in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, "This is Mrs. Mother Tongue. The McGraw Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. /Producer ( Q t 4 . 1. Why does she divide the essay into three parts? When she began to write fiction, she made a conscious decision to write to a specific audience: she decided to write to her mother; as she was writing about relationships between mothers and daughters in her stories. "What argument is Tan making here about language and its connection to our identity in "Mother Tongue"? Amy Tan "Mother Tongue" How do you want to study today? Get started for free! Get inspiration from over 500,000 example essays. And it was perhaps the first time she had heard me give a lengthy speech, using the kind of English I have never used with her. There can be one tone throughout the entire piece or many different tones. -other peoples reactions; how it affected Amy (would make calls for her mom) This is not to say that people of other countries do not learn English as well, but generally there is a language specific to the place where they were born: this is their mother tongue. In Tan's experience with the SATs, it was suggested that Tan's strengths lie within mathematics and science because of her higher scores on those exams; it didn't account for her struggle with understanding the format of the test questions. Sample answer: Communication is more about intent than specific words and word usage. Do you agree that family members have the greatest effect on a child's intellectual development? The "different Englishes" talked about in the essay range from perfect to broken english. Amy Tan also believes her mothers English affected her daughters school results. Just because there are several tones throughout Mother Tongue doesnt mean that there isnt one overarching tone. She majored in English at college and began writing as a freelancer. /AIS false Cell Bio Exam 1. But where Tan really gets to something deep, is this idea how we acquire language. Find examples of peopleincluding Tan herselftreating her mother disrespectfully. Mother Tongue by Amy Tan - Essay Summary, Analysis, Review 742 views May 19, 2022 25 Dislike The CodeX Cantina 17.6K subscribers Welcome to the CodeX Cantina where our mission is to get. What is similar between Tan's more contemporary version of the American Dream and the novel Of Mice and Men? What is Amy Tans primary identity according to what she says in paragraphs 1-3 of "Mother Tongue"? At one point, Tan writes about being embarrassed about her mother. Her mom, who speaks "limited" English, needs Tan to be her "translator" in order to communicate with the native English speakers. . 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." How does Tan feel about her mother's tongue, -her mother's "limited English" limited her perception of her mother. Even though language is not an object you can hold, Amy Tan still uses language to symbolize different, more ambiguous concepts. /BitsPerComponent 8 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. She says even her husband started speaking this kind of English together and that it has come to represent intimacy. And how they tend to excel in mathematics and science due to language barriers. But Tans interest in language, both as a cultural marker and as a way of expressing thought and personality, is also a prevailing theme of the novel. ACCTG 205: CH 1 Vocabulary. She says this because it could have impacted her in developing the English skills that were expected in school. Much of Tans 1989 novel The Joy Luck Club is about daughters and their relationships with their mothers. 4. If too important won't have to stay too long. Tan does illustrate each category she identifies 4. Near the beginning of Mother Tongue, Tan says, I am fascinated by language in daily life. Students' writing should address the specific experiences and messages of the essays that they choose. "And the correct answer always seemed to be the most bland combinations of thoughts, for example, "Even though Tom was shy, Mary thought he was charming:' with the grammatical structure "even though" limiting the correct answer to some sort of semantic opposites, so you wouldn't get answers like, "Even though Tom was foolish, Mary thought he was ridiculous:' Well, according to my mother, there were very few limitations as to what Tom could have been and what Mary might have thought of him. Other Quizlet sets. She said they did not seem to have any sympathy when she told them she was anxious to know the exact diagnosis, since her husband and son had both died of brain tumors. Recently, I was made keenly aware of the different Englishes I do use. The class tests at school which reduced English proficiency to an ability to recognise a correct answer are thus contrasted with Tans resounding final words of Mother Tongue, which see her seeking to capture the passion of her mother, the nature of her thoughts, and the imagery she uses: all things which her daughter has clearly inherited a respect for, and which school tests fail to capture or observe. What is Amy Tans primary identity according to what she says in paragraphs 1-3 of "Mother Tongue"? 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. But I wince when I say that. What motivates her to make such an argument?" It was most gratifying to Amy Tan when her mother read The Joy Luck Club, Amy's first book. Tan speculates that because Asian Americans score so much higher on math achievement tests than on English tests, they are encouraged to pursue math and science in college. But it does have a loose progression. Why? The phrase "mother tongue" refers to the language people learn to speak first. 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. Now all you have to do is analyze them. Tan explains, "This was understandable. An overarching theme of Tans novel is mothers emigrating to America in the hope that their daughters will have better lives than they did. 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. In a country where English is the dominant language, all of the school lessons are taught in it. What organizational pattern does Tan use in "Mother Tongue," and how does she control her tone? w !1AQaq"2B #3Rbr That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world. Review terms and definitions. 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. << Latest answer posted March 29, 2020 at 1:00:09 PM. a. fragment Tan is making the argument in "Mother Tongue" that she became a better writer when she began to use both the types of English she spoke to write books her mother could understand.
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