Amy Tan Language Barriers

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Amy Tan's claim is English can be interpreted in different ways. From my perspective, the author's goal has not changed. After analytically reading the article my perception of it is the same. The goal is to broaden the audience's perspective on the language barrier. Therefore, providing knowledge on how English can be interpreted in different ways. The goal is to prove that there are many forms of English that are interpreted in many ways.
After conducting an active reading of the article, the key points from my writing notes have remained the same. The key points are language barriers, the use of broken English, and incorporating all forms of English into one. These points are made clear through Tan's description of her translations for her mother. The points support the author's purpose of informing the audience of the language barriers that are common in many households. Her sole purpose is to relay how although a person's English may not be fluent it does not make it any less relevant.
The intended audience for my essay is first-year college students. The potential challenges I may face supporting my argument is them not relating to issues involving understanding others that may have broken English. Many students may not have interacted personally with someone that speaks English in a different manner than themselves. However, there are many …show more content…
There are language barriers within most languages but ironically English is one of the hardest languages to learn. For foreign students that know firsthand the struggles of learning the English language and have dealt with being an interpreter for their parents, this essay will give them solace in knowing they are not alone and have no reason to be embarrassed. It is just as hard for individuals whose native language is English too fluently comprehend and speak other

Amy Tan Mother Tongue Thesis

In Amy Tan's article "Mother Tongue," some of the main points were how people are treated who have broken English, the language barriers, and limited resources and how to overcome such obstacles. It also deals with the emotions associated with Amy Tan, as a young child having to pretend to be her mother, just because her mother was not being taken seriously. Tan's article reminds me of how it feels to learn another language, such as Russian for myself. While I began learning Russian, I have dealt…

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Amy Tan Mother Tongue Thesis

Mother Tongue Amy Tan is an American writer and author of many writings focusing on mother-daughter relationships and Chinese American experiences. She is best known for her novel “The Joy Luck Club,” which describes the painful relationship between four Chinese American daughters and their mothers. Mostly all of her writings include some of her personal stories between her and her mother on day to day experiences. In the novel “Mother Tongue” Amy decides to share her personal background and the…

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Mother Tongue Language Analysis

For years, the language barrier has been a stopping force of the world coming together as a whole. Deborah Tannen, “How Male and Female Students Use Language Differently” and Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue” both talk about language barriers that are present in society. Today’s society proposes many language barriers. Of these language barriers, two prominent illustrations would be male and female versus immigrant and citizen barriers. Male and female differ in the way they communicate by slang usage and…

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How To Tame A Wild Tongue

Most people may have some form of language barrier, no matter what background they came from. Difference is what define the world around. People tend to oppress the unfamiliar ones. Whether a little contrast of two colors or a comparison of their nations, the diversity shapes the identities of people. In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” by Gloria Anzaldúa and “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, both have similar subject as they both discussed how different forms of the same language are recognized in society. They…

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Essay 4 English 103

Karyn Pham Professor Gray English 103 6 April 2014 Essay 4 In essays “Living in Spanish” by Marjorie Agosín and “Mothers Tongue” by Amy Tan, the narrators both experience the struggle of language and its barriers in America. In their essays, they explain that having the capability to speak proper English and assimilate themselves to American customs were ways of surviving in the US. Although there were many obstacles and challenges faced when adapting to America, they did not dismiss their true…

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Amy Tan Rhetorical Analysis

Amy Tan's purpose for this essay is to characterize her frustration and grit like behavior towards the limitations society imposes on imperfect English. Where this can first be seen is at the beginning of the second page where Tan is explaining how she had "realized the limitations of her" mother's English around the age of fifteen. Tan's mother would use her to make phone calls to get information or "complain and yell at people who were rude to her". Therefore, Tan's frustration comes from the fact…

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Comparing Mother Tongue And Myth The Latin Women

traditions, languages, and appearances, cause stereotypes in society. It is one of the most popular problems in communities, and people could not do anything except face with it. According to “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and “Myth of the Latin Women” by Judit Ortiz Cofer, the authors illustrate how American evaluate people who are from different cultures, how discrimination affects to their life, and how people find solutions to solve their problems. In the article “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan emphasizes…

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Amy Tan and Lena Essay

reoccurring issues that arise between the four mother-daughter pairs in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. The mothers have all been raised in China and suffered greatly as oppressed beings, until escaping to America and facing entirely different problems, including raising their Americanized daughters. The daughters struggle to fully understand their mothers’ intentions and reasons. The language hurdles, cultural barriers, and desire to belong create conflict in communication between the mothers and daughters…

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Essay on language between us

Language is a bridge that may be used as means as communication. We may not fully understand what one person may be saying, but it’s full of observation and imagery. In her 1990 The Threepenny Review magazine essay “Mother Tongue,” author Amy Tan describes the effects of her mother’s broken English and how it helped her shape the way she saw things. Unlike Tan, both my parents were well educated and spoke English as our primary language. I was able to read and write well in English; but as time…

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The Protagonists In The Alchemist And The Joy Luck Club

A story is only as good as its villain, and in the case of the historical fiction novels, The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, the antagonists drive the actions of the heroes, and move the story along. In turn, the antagonist also teaches the characters lessons necessary for them to reach their ultimate goal. Although an antagonist is traditionally seen as another character, the antagonists that these authors use are almost never human. The primary antagonists in these…

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