Just as the meaning of Hester’s “A” expands not just “Adultery” but also “Able,” and perhaps “Angel” (321). This novel has an uncertainness that “opens possibilities of meanings” for its readers (321). He thinks that readers continue to “speculate on what the “A” additionally suggests: Arthur (Dimmesdale), Ambiguity . . .
Is simple English should be defined as “limited” or “broken”? In “Mother Tongue”, Tan talks about her family’s different “English”. By quoting her mom’s words and narrating her own experiences, Tan showed us what “mother tongue” looks like and stated the opinion that “simple” is “clear” plus “natural”. From the background information we can know that Tan is a native of California. While she was receiving standard English education in school, she also mastered her family’s different “Englishes”, which were created by her mom, a native speaker of Chinese.
Having the translators present is important because many parents are English language learners. Families that speak a language other than English may suffer from being cut “off from important information” (Mendoza, 2003, p. 1). By giving the speech with translators present, she is making sure that everyone present will be able to understand the language of the speech she is giving and receive answers to questions they ask. The handout that she gives is an important example of sensitivity as it gives the parents a hard copy of important classroom information. Having a handout with this information could be an important tool for the parents to utilize all year long.
Thomas Barrett Mr. Nichols English 101 18 September 2013 Reading Analysis: Mother Tongue – Amy Tan You may be wondering how I chose a story with a name like “Mother Tongue”, and to be completely honest, I chose this story by allowing my girlfriend to open my book at a random page, in order for me to have a story that I “care” about. The story follows the dramatic, non-stereotypical life of Amy Tan as a young adult. I mention the “non stereotypical” subject, because she has made it a point in this short story to inform us of her struggle finding her educational path as a young adult. As a young Asian-American, she was pressured by her school to follow a path based in math, but throughout the years, it was apparent to her that she was better suited for a major in English. The bulk of the story explains her experience with different writing styles after her decision to focus everything on English.
When Tan first started writing fiction she thought writing using wittily crafted sentences would show how well she had mastered English. Eventually she realized that when writing that you should envision what type of person is going to be reading your stories, and since Tan was writing about mothers she envisioned her own mother. This when she started writing stories using all the englishes she had grown up
When she communicates with people, they cannot fully understand what she says. Tan talks a lot about her mother and uses different “Englishes” to communicate and solve problems. She also finds balance about how to use Language. She begins to use many “Englishes” to complete her story, instead of using the original flowery language in writing. Eventually she succeeds in creating her career.
She made a book which was about her writing, her life, and of course her book. She included many English’s that are used till this day in different immigrant households and how some people can understand their type of English and others don’t. Amy Tan describes how growing up her mother’s limited English limited her perception of her. She would sometimes feel ashamed of her English because it reflected upon others in restaurants, banks, or department stores. In Mother Tongue Amy made a great point when she spoke about how when she was fifteen years old her mother would have her call people on the phone and pretend it was her in order to ask and receive the correct information she needed.
My interest in writing led to my desire to read. Mrs. Byrd, my kindergarten teacher, first taught me how to read books. During class one day, she asked me if I wanted to learn how to read. She always saw me trying to read different things so she started helping me with reading books. So beings that I was curious about everything I did not turn her down.
In "Mother Tongue" Amy Tan evaluates the many different forms of English that people from all over the world use as they immigrate to America and become familiar with American culture. Amy Tan's mother plays a valuable role in telling of how her own language has evolved. Tan's essay conveys credibility, reasoning, and cultural experiences. Rhetorical strategies such as pathos, logos, and ethos are vital in complete comprehension of the purpose that Tan hopes to make with the essay. Amy Tan discusses how "broken" or "fractured" English used around the world compares to common English used in the United States (Tan 764).
Another example of how Bruno was avoiding thinking about what was happening around him was when he said, “I expect we’ll have to wait here till it eases off and then I’ll get to go home” (Boyne, page 212). He was ignoring the reality, the facts, instead he is thinking ahead, about going home. This book has definitely showed me, we need to be more aware of the circumstances we are in. Innocence leads to tragedy. Before I read your book I often thought of the cruelty of the WWII and I could hardly imagined the world with people not protesting