The Report:

I have chosen “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan because she directly touches on the social and cultural differences that many people experience through language alone. The purpose of Amy Tan writing this essay was to explain to people her love for language in and of itself and to make people aware that just because someone has, in her terms “broken english”, does not mean that they are not intelligent. Amy focuses on her mother much throughout this essay because she has learned through the experiences of her mother that people can be cruel to people they see as less off than what they are. People try to take advantage of her mother because she can not speak clear english.

The stance that Amy takes is one of great courage in the sense that she is willing to do what it takes to make a difference. Even though that she has been told that she is the worst at writing she continues to write because she has a strong natural love for language. Through her determination she has become successful. I have discovered through reading this essay that Amy Tan is a strong person who is passionate about the art of language.

The Summary:

Mother Tongue is an essay by Amy Tan describing her life with her mother in America. How the broken speech of her mother has had an influence on her life. Amy Tan tells the story of how she becomes to have a strong natural love for language. Amy describes how we speak differently to family compared to how we speak to people out in public. More importantly Amy describes that we have a completely different language that we speak within our own families and a different language that we speak out in public. Amy relates to the experiences of her mother here in America to describe why she believes that we speak a different language to our families compared to the language we speak in public. Amy also talks about how by her helping her mother has giving her the ability to learn and experience how language is used as a tool within the social and cultural aspects of society. Amy’s rebellious nature has giving her the strength to continue her pursuit as a writer and lover of language.

The Response:

Now that I have read Amy Tan’s essay and understand it I am able to conclude that Amy Tan has actual practical first hand experience that can back what she is claiming. It is because of the rebellious nature of Amy Tan that she become a writer as compared to a scientist or another field that favors mathematics. The most important thing is the fact that Amy Tan decided to do what she wanted to do despite of what others thought she should do with her life. I would also conclude that this essay had much more of meaning and than just describing her love for language. It also presents to us that language tool of understanding our social and cultural differences. Amy also presents that language has a place within everything for example a certain type of language was required to write a science report, a different type of language used by scholars and at home and with friends one might speak even a completely different language again.

The Analysis:

Amy Tan being addresses her audience of, I would guess, of scholars at a very simplistic level to get their attention. “I am not a scholar of english or literature” This tactic would be a good technic to use because if she presents her self as portraying that she knows everything the room full of scholars would not take her serious and some may even become bias towards her. Amy Tam does a good job of putting herself as an equal with her audience. Amy Tan uses her skill with language to address her audience in an effective way.

Amy Tan then immediately goes on to say that she is a writer. Now she uses her qualifications as a writer to convince her audience that she knows what she is talking about. Amy Tan presents that she has experience. “I am a writer. And by that definition, I am someone who has always loved language”. Amy Tan at this point has earned the respect of her audience. Now at this point Amy Tan is free to tell her story. Amy talks to the audience about her experiences with language from living in America with her mother. She used no hard complicated terms she only spoke simple terms that normal everyday people could understand and relate to. Her method is one of the best methods of approach of telling her story because it had the effect that allowed everybody to relate to what she was talking about.