For example, "It has become our language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk, the language I grew up with" (397). Tan is so used to hearing her mother talk in a "Broken" (398) English, which she does not seem to notice much of a difference between broken English and clear English. She grew up listening to her mother talk this way and has gotten used to it. This way when Tan and her mother talk it is how their family talks, their own special way they communicate to one another. Rodriguez shares this same family quality like Tan and her mother’s language.
Even her daughter as well as society later refers her mothers English as broken. And because of that in her younger years, Amy felt somewhat embarrassed by her mothers English. And felt that her view of her mother was legit because of instances as such in (3rd paragraph 507). “I had plenty of empirical evidence to support me: the fact that people in 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
I think that her mother has been labeled or stereotyped. Also I believe that stereotyping is wrong. For instance, when Tan states, “It is the sort of English that is our language of Intimacy, the English that relates to family talk, and the English that I grew up with”. Amy Tan speaks in a “variation of languages like academic, a language she does not use at home, but uses when conversing with others outside her family or in her books”. Tan also uses“different English with her family (mother /husband) that she grew up with”.
She backs up this statement with an example, “My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. In this guise, I was forced to ask for information or even to complain and yell at people who had been rude to her.” (180). This was followed by an example Tan mentioned about how she had to call her mother’s stock broker to tell him that he must send her, her money back that day or else they would travel to
Our “Mother Tongue” is what gives us identity; it defines who we are, and therefore, people should value their native languages. The effect of western education on the relationship between parents and children is also another theme in the article. The initial bad relationship between Tan and her mother is caused by Tan’s feeling that that her mother is uncivilized and uneducated. This problem is common in the present world where once children have attained western education, they start disrespecting their parents or disassociating with them because they feel ashamed of the parents’ mother tongue influenced English. It is important that people learn to appreciate their parents irrespective of their level of education or their cultural background; after all, we owe our lives to
Tan emphasizes that fact that her mother recognizes her opportunities and interaction in life are limited by her English. When Tan was young she used to have to call people on the phone and act as if she was her mother in order to get people to pay attention to her when she had to yell at her mother’s stockbroker for not sending a check. Another occasion Tan describes is when her mother went to the doctor to get her results of a CAT scan, the doctors ignored her. She makes Tan talk to the doctor that they apologize for losing her results of a CAT scan and solve the problem. Tan comes to the idea that the language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families plays a large role in shaping the language of a child and opportunities in life.
Telling the short stories and memories she has from her childhood really gives the reader a strong visual of exactly how deep the conflict was and the way of life it was for her. The image she creates when she says “I did not plaster the family vehicle with National Rifle Association stickers, and the hunter’s orange was never my color.” (Vowell p172) in paragraph one, shows she really does not support any type of firearms organization. She tells this story so well from a narration mode that you could almost see yourself in her shoes. Especially when she states “I had to remove revolvers out of my way to make room for a bowl of Rice Krispies on the kitchen table.” (Vowell p172) Even with her conflict between her and guns she still keeps her opinions about them and decides to stay determined about her political views on firearms. For a teenage girl this is pretty impressive.
Knowledge is not always power because the more you know does not necessarily mean you understand what you have learned. In the short story “Everyday Use”, education seemed to make a rift in the relationship not only between the mother and the daughter, but also between the sisters. Dee was one to always try and outsmart her family members always seeking answers knowing no one knew. It was mama who eventually got the community together to help send Dee to school so her daughter would be happy and satisfied. The values of heritage seem to have been lost with the gain of knowledge when Dee has gone to college.
Maggie knows she deserves the quilts made by her grandmother and aunt far more than Dee does but of course Dee thinks that everything is about her and that she should have what she wants. Maggie probably thinks that Dee will get the quilts because she had seemed to be Mama’s favorite, but not this time. Like Mama says, “This was Maggie’s portion.” Maggie deserves them way more than Dee. It is like they are back in church where once she would give Dee her “slightest whim,” she now refuses. After the fire it left Maggie with scars on the inside and out and that is why she acts so shy and timid throughout her
In addition, she portrays similar tones such as desperation and mournfulness. In fact, in lines 30 to 24 her tone is at it’s most somber state as she expresses her guilt for being a bad mother to her “child” and believes she has not sent this child away prepared for the world’s cruel criticism. Furthermore, the diction is a device that coincides with the tone of the poem. Her choice of words all share a very strong connotation. As previously mentioned she uses the words ill formed and feeble to describe her unfinished writing’s fragility.