Analysis of “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan
In her story “Mother Tongue,” Amy conveys the cultural racism many “limited English” speakers experience through essential daily situations. This rages from hospital and bank services to even government facilities. The article exposes those who are ignorant of immigrants’ actual capacities, and assume that they are as capable as their English sounds. It also proves that these individuals’ “limited English” does not reflect their true identity. Amy has succeeded to uncover a social problem that many are not paying much attention to.
This article interests me because I relate to the story in many ways. I come from a non-native English speaking family. I know for a fact that my father is the wisest man I ever knew. I know that he can argue and talk politics with the best Arabic politicians and easily earn their respect, yet when he speaks English, it sounds more like babies’ talk. And just like in Amy’s article, I often call customer service on behalf of my father if a difficult problem occurs. My father even put me as an authorized user on his accounts too. There have been many times when a poor service was provided to him just because the agent on the phone decided that my father is as intelligent as he sounds. However, the way the agent talks and his tone mysteriously changes when they hear my voice as my father hands me the phone. It changes from rudeness to a complete ridicules respectful way.
I like Amy Tan’s writing style. Amy did not directly point fingers and call specific people or groups racist. Instead, she focused on her story and allowed the reader to make this conclusion. This technique is very effectual because the reader makes the judgment with satisfaction rather than trying to feed it to him or her. Amy also, used solid rhetorical strategies. With reasoning, creditability, and appealing to emotion, Amy won the reader’s trust.
Source:
"Tan, Amy: Primary Sources." Feminism in Literature: A Gale Critical Companion. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 6: 20th Century, Authors (H-Z). Detroit: Gale, 2005. 434-437. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.
This article interests me because I relate to the story in many ways. I come from a non-native English speaking family. I know for a fact that my father is the wisest man I ever knew. I know that he can argue and talk politics with the best Arabic politicians and easily earn their respect, yet when he speaks English, it sounds more like babies’ talk. And just like in Amy’s article, I often call customer service on behalf of my father if a difficult problem occurs. My father even put me as an authorized user on his accounts too. There have been many times when a poor service was provided to him just because the agent on the phone decided that my father is as intelligent as he sounds. However, the way the agent talks and his tone mysteriously changes when they hear my voice as my father hands me the phone. It changes from rudeness to a complete ridicules respectful way.
I like Amy Tan’s writing style. Amy did not directly point fingers and call specific people or groups racist. Instead, she focused on her story and allowed the reader to make this conclusion. This technique is very effectual because the reader makes the judgment with satisfaction rather than trying to feed it to him or her. Amy also, used solid rhetorical strategies. With reasoning, creditability, and appealing to emotion, Amy won the reader’s trust.
Source:
"Tan, Amy: Primary Sources." Feminism in Literature: A Gale Critical Companion. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 6: 20th Century, Authors (H-Z). Detroit: Gale, 2005. 434-437. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.