My mother had gone to the hospital for an appointment, to find out about a benign brain tumor a CAT scan had revealed a month ago. She said she had spoken very good English, her best English, no mistakes.
What effect does her mother's English have on tan?
Her mother's “limited” English limited Tan's perception of her. Tan believed that her mother's English reflected the quality of what she had to say -that the imperfections in her speech meant that her ideas were just as imperfect.
What point is tan making with the example of her mother and the hospital?
Discussion Questions for “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan 1) What point is Tan making with the example of her mother and the hospital? The hospital staff failed to pay her mother the respect that was due solely based on the premise that she couldn't speak good enough English (as per their standards).
How does Tan know for sure that the hospital employee was treating her mother differently because of her different English?
How does Tan know for sure that the hospital employee was treating her mother differently because of her different English? Because the hospital employee told Tan that her mother was hard to understand . ... Because when Tan got on the phone, the hospital employee was rude. Because the hospital employee also spoke Chinese.
What happened to Tan's mother when she went to the hospital?
‘Tan Mom' hospitalized for pneumonia, in medically induced coma . She entered cardiac arrest . After her cardiac arrest, Krentcil, a smoker, was put on life support in a medically induced coma.
How did Amy Tan feel about her mother's English as a child?
Amy Tan shares a story about her mother's limited English. When she was young, she was ashamed of her mother's imperfect English which others described as “ broken” or “ fractured” English. Because of her mother's imperfect English, she was forced to pretend to be her mother to call people on the phone.
What is the main idea of mother tongue?
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 . 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.
How did people react to Mrs Tan's use of English?
People view Tan's mother as inferior in society and as a less intelligent individual because in their view, she speaks English in a less cultured and proficient manner. They feel uncomfortable when she uses English, show her less respect, and even tend to be condescending.
What does Tan say she has realized she does when speaking and writing?
Tan realized that she was using a different type of english to talk to her mother than when she was talking to the younger kids she was giving speeches too . in line 31-49 describe in your own words the english spoken by Tan's mother. ... some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese.
What is the tone in Mother Tongue?
⚡Tan uses the diction in her work to show the reader her mothers troubles mastering the English language. In addition, her tone is defensive, remorseful, and angry . Using this diction, emotion, and tone she is able to feel what its like to be in her shoes and to see from her point of view.
Why did Waverly quit chess?
To retaliate against her mother for bragging about Waverly's outstanding chess playing , Waverly decided to quit the game.
What is special about Amy Tan's Mother Tongue?
The purpose of Amy Tan's essay, “Mother Tongue,” is to show how challenging it can be if an individual is raised by a parent who speaks “limited English” (36) as Tan's mother does, partially because it can result in people being judged poorly by others.
Does Amy Tan speak Chinese?
Brought up bilingual (in her dreams, she speaks fluent Mandarin ), Tan was soon refusing to speak Chinese in public. She became an interpreter for her mother, of whose imperfect English she was ashamed. “It's something I resented as a child,” she recalls, “though you can look at it with humour.
How does Tan feel about her mother's tongue?
Tan believed that her mother's English reflected the quality of what she had to say -that the imperfections in her speech meant that her ideas were just as imperfect.
What rhetorical devices are used in Mother Tongue?
Amy Tan used rhetorical devices such as anecdote and oxymoron to express her embarrassed and guilt, but loving attitude toward the broken English language of her mother. Amy Tan has used a combination of rhetorcial devices to express her emotions and feelings through words.
How does Amy Tan feel about her mother?
Tan said her mother's moods and constant talk of death meant living in a constant state of “high suspense .” “I was often worried I might say the wrong thing and my mother would kill herself,” she said. ... “I adored my father and he adored me, but he also adored my mother.
