Reading blog #2: Amy Tan

Reading Blog #2: Amy Tan
1. "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan is a story about her mother and the language she speaks. Tan talks about the different types of English she uses and in what situation she uses them. Her mother's broken English inspired her to write.

2. 1. "Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery"(1).

  • Although her mother's english isn't perfect, she isn't illiterate and unintelligent. Her mother's language helped her shape and understand the world today. I relate to this because when I am with family, they know their English isn't as great as my cousins and I, but they still communicate with us fine. Languages are fun to learn and it is part of someone's culture. 
     2. "It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than 'broken,' as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed.."(2).
  • As far as I can tell, she is attached to her mother and really wants to describe her mother's English as "broken." She is comfortable to her mother's English and it symbolized home. Her mother is an example to many immigrants in America that have to face challenges. People don't take them seriously because of the way the speak English and it is harder for people to accept them. 
    3. "I wanted to capture what language ability tests can never reveal: her intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts"(4).
  • I really like this line because standardized tests don't show someone's full potential. It is just a way to confuse students and make them look dumb when they are actually super smart. They don't show the qualities you have a student or show who you really are. Tan's mother had a lot of passion towards her language. 
3. How many readers relate to this story? 

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