Rhetorical Situation: PURPOSE
Please put in the comment box below what you think the PURPOSE of “Mother Tongue” is. Please just copy-and-paste from you Rhetorical Worksheet. Respond to at least one other posting.
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The purpose of Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” was to give a personal experience of speaking different types of English. The main character (the author) uses emotion in her text and gives very personal examples, like her mother, to show the effect of speaking and understanding English in America. One example would be how Tan spoke a very specific type of broken English to her mother but when speaking to others she would speak a more grammatically correct and detailed English which ended up sounding unnatural to Amy, just because her mother was in the room while Amy was giving a lengthy speech to others
She is trying to inform people about her life, and he story about why she writes in broken English. In the story she talks about how talking to her mother effected the way she spoke and how she talked different when speaking to other people. She then embraces her broken English into her style of writing.
The author is trying to help the reader understand that every person isn’t the best at a certain language, and not to judge them based on their lack of proper communication, because they can understand everything you can understand, but in a different language. “Mother Tongue” is just a way for the author to communicate with her mother. Usually her mom isn’t able to communicate her thoughts properly from her broken English, but she is able to “translate” it to others.
The author is trying to help the reader understand the importance of effective communication; Amy Tang starts off the piece with a concern, realizing that she speaks different Englishes. With the examples given I’m sure this concern can apply to many people. So then the question becomes which English is right. which Amy tang answers towards the end concluding that all Englishes are right as long as it served it’s purpose.
Amy Tan is trying to accomplish the goal of convincing the audience that “broken” English does not equal a low quality or imperfect mind. She is trying to persuade, inform, and educate. I know by how Amy mentions that “broken” English is not damaged and does not need to be fixed.
I agree with your response, that that is an important point she brings up in the text.And she definitely proves that there is no problem with it, as she explains that even with the way her mother speaks she, Amy Tang, understands clearly. And reading the content of what her mother says, she knows what she wants to say, and what she’s talking about.
I also concur with your response because even though people told her that writing wasn’t her strongest she tries to embrace it. She doesn’t think that there is anything wrong with the language and believes it’s a more simplified version, which allows people who have trouble with the language to understand.
I agree with you, because Amy states in her essay that those who speak broken English have passion in what they are saying that any test that tests one’s ability to speak English well wouldn’t understand.
This personal essay provides the narrative of language being abstract. She does not aim to persuade her reader to speak English accurately, but to mindful of how their environment impact their language.Informing the audience, that she can understand her mother way of speaking English better than other, proves upon her idea of language being by her environment. Being in the same household as her mother, has created the sense of understanding as family. However, she does show fear in the lack of comprehension of her mother English by others, for example when her doctor refuse to give her appropriate services
as a patient.
I think the purpose of the author Amy Tan writing this essay is trying to show the impact of language on life experience. I know this because for example, Amy Tan’s phone call to her mother, or any way of communicating with her mother, indicates that her life experiences are limited by the language barrier. I think what Amy Tan wants to express is that language is used to express oneself.
I agree with you. Broken English has generally had an impact throughout Amy’s life. She grew up listening to her mother’s broken English that Amy, herself, would speak broken English when having a conversation with her mother. Her mother, knowing her English is limited, would basically force Amy to speak English for her. She also include how by growing in this kind of environment can affect her school stuff. Amy was influenced and fascinated by the English languages and been through some things that she wrote this personal essay.
I see evidence of this comment all through out the piece. Well said.
The author is educating the readers to understand what she has understood and learned since she was able to speak english. Her personal experiences with language reflects back on what her and mother are used to in home language compared to the general society language she has been exposed too by friends.
Amy Tan is trying to make known to readers on the non-existent limitations to a language like English. She’s also makes readers understand that the way you are taught or gown up with a certain type of language context makes you different from others that’s ok to express. This can been throughout her personal essay when she discusses her mother’s different way of speaking English and how it is seen to other’s, “Like other’s I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I since then says that. 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, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness” (Tan 2) However in her eyes “Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world.” (Tan 2) Tan makes reader make note that Tan saw beyond her mother’s English and made her perception of the world painted colorfully only until she accepted her mother’s English as the way it was and not through the eyes of other’s. She makes it known to be expressive in where u grew up instead of being ashamed as she was.
This proves that Tan has accepted the imperfection of her mother language and has viewed her way of English is a language so unique. The influence of her mother native language upon her English, has been associated with Tan’s household. This cultural and traditional relations allow Tan to ignore the perfect structure of colonial languages that have been instilled unto her mother.
The author is trying to educate society of the different types of English that exist and how these English can affect a person’s life like it did to Amy. For example, in the text “Mother Tongue” it says, “including people’s perception of the limited English speaker”, “my mother’s limited English limited my perception of her”.
Not only that, but the author is trying to make a case for her mother’s way of speaking English, noting how it influenced her way of thinking growing up and how it strengthens her bonds to her family, leading her to write literature with her mother in mind as the reader.
I completely agree with you Lisbeth. I also think that the authors purpose is to shead light on how society treats people that are not perfect and how unfair it may be. Lastly I think that she is tring to lets us know that we shouldn’t give up because of of our little imperfections.
The author is trying to inform and educate her audience about what it might be like in the mind of someone who speak a “broken” language and how your reaction can affect their life. I know this because e the author gave examples of her personal experiences.
The author is trying to inform people of the stereotypes and biases that individuals who speak broken English deal with daily. I know this because she first talks about her mother, someone who speaks broken English, and details herself having to cover for her mother’s English and perform tasks for her, such as talking with people on the phone on her behalf. She also tells us that she used to be ashamed, believing that her broken English reflected the poor quality of her thoughts. Now, however, Tan understands that broken English does not reflect any difference in the quality of thoughts and one’s intelligence.
As you stated, I believe that the main point of Amy Tan writing Mother’s tongue was to educate and point out the stereotypes people associate with broken english. This then said stereotype eventually leads to discrimination and lack of understanding of immigrants who speak in non standard english.
I definitely agree with this assessment. Amy Tan is trying to inform everyone of all the biases around the different usage of English. I also liked how you showed evidence from the text by stating the times Tan’s mother was discriminated due to her English. I also liked how you included Tan’s feeling about her mother’s use of language. It made it easier to agree with the claim.
I agree with your statement. People can’t judge someone’s intelligence based on their broken English. Even if it’s hard to understand that person, it doesn’t mean that they have inferior thoughts compared to people who can speak English normally.
The author is attempting to share her opinions on the use of language. At the beginning of the text, the author claims “I am not a scholar of English or literature. I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on the English language.” That claim shares the authors state of authority on the matter of language. The author then continues to share her personal experiences of how she and her family use language in different situations, to show her opinions on how language is influential.
The author goal in this text is that she wants to educate people that there isn’t a “right” way of speaking English as there is, for each person, their own “right” way. As she states, “I can think of no way to describe it other than broken as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed.” One would only say this if they perceive a certain type of speech to be a “fixed” or correct way.
This is intended for people who also have broken English. The audience are immigrants who can’t speak English correctly and can understand the broken-down form. She talks about how she ignores what people think about her writing because all that mattered was that her mother though it was easy to read.
I believe the author is trying to shed light on both the discrimination that comes with speaking broken English and also show readers and writers that you don’t need to use perfectly formal English to get your point across and to show emotion in your writings. I know this because of the way she talks about her personal experiences. She tells us about how her mother was discriminated against until she had her daughters help and tells us about how she thinks about her mother when she writes and how her mother could get her emotions across with only few words.
I somehow forgot the fact that “broken” English not only may be discriminated against when being spoken but also when written so thank you pointing that out again and emphasizing how important that can be.
I completely agree with your statement. I believe Tan is trying to demonstrate how society perceives people who speak “broken English”. There is discrimination against them because people believe speaking “broken English” is equivalent to not making intelligent thoughts. However, Tan proves this notion wrong by illustrating how her mother could understand her book at the end of the text.
I completely agree with this purpose. In my opinion, the author was definitely shedding light to discrimination from language differences. You can definitely see that through the previous experiences and troubles her mother had. Great work Keegan!
The author is trying to introduce a different interpretation of broken english. I can infer this because amy tan wrote stories using the english she grew up with which is seen as broken english, however, writing stories using those englishes was celebrating it. Instead of being ashamed of it like it’s seen in society.
The author is trying to convey to the audience the disparities faced by those who lack a sound foundation of the English language and is trying to make us all aware of the hardships that these individuals face. I know this because the author is telling her own experience and she creates a setting in which both she and her mother were treated differently based on how the spoke the english language.
The author is trying to persuade others that one’s value as a person should not be dictated by the manner in which they speak a language, rather the way they speak a language should be seen as a unique and colorful facet of themselves. The author’s experience with her mother’s unique variation of English serves to solidify her claim, as she talks about how it shaped her own world view, especially through noticing how ashamed her mother was at it, often needing the author to step in for her in various, particularly formal, situations just so she wouldn’t feel invalidated by society as a whole.
She tried to make the argument personal to make her evidence stronger and shows the disrespect and the judgment that some people who have been affected by their parents mother language or broken English has experienced and how it’s hard to go through it.
The author is trying to show that no matter the delivery method of the language, it is still the same language. Whether it be “broken” English, or “perfect” English, the message that is being conveyed through that language is clear. It is more informative and educational since the author was trying to show that her mother was mistreated and misunderstood because of the way she spoke, while the author, being able to speak English perfectly, was treated fair and much better than her mother.
I agree with your analysis on what Amy Tan’s purpose is when writing “Mother Tongue”. When you mentioned about there be being no “right” way to speak a language, in this case English. I also agree with the what you pointed out about how Tan was pointing out about the more educated your English sounds the better you will het treated. While on the other hand the more “broken” your English sounds the unfairly you will get treated.
Well said. Tan also uses the fact how she understands the different variations of English to prove that English spoken in different ways can have the same meaning. As she stated when she was speaking as her mother on the phone, her mother would say something in “broken” English and she would say it it in “perfect” English which sounds different but has the same meaning.
The author’s goal was to educate people on the differences between broken and well-spoken English, and how they effect the lives of people. She describes how she uses her different types of English in different situations and how it has helped her for the better or worse.
I agree Korina, I believe that she tries to show us how different types of English affect peoples lives. She also tells us how each kind of English can be used in dfferent ways. Very well put!
I agree with you, whilst giving her speech she realizes that her mother is there and worries on how she’ll be able to understand her. She changes her English according to her surroundings and who she is with at the time. She does it so often that she sometimes doesn’t even realize that she is doing it.
I agree with your answer because the author stated her bad performences on tests and english courses compared to her Math and Science courses. Her home language reflects on her daily life in a positive or negative way.
I think the author is trying to inform the reader how broken English can affect people in a way in society. I know because she tells her experiences that she comes across of her mother’s broken English and the society.
I agree with you she tried to make the argument personal to make her evidence stronger and shows the disrespect and the judgment that some people who have been affected by their parents mother language or broken English has experienced and how it’s hard to go through it.
I agree with you Tan used a lot of emotional appeals in her essay which convey the “power of language” as she explained how because of the broken English of her mother there is disrespect and people don’t take her seriously as sometimes they pretend not to understand her or act as if they don’t hear her, as well as the poor service that she receives because of her language.
What the author us trying to accomplish is to have the readers know that each reader has different languages that they consider mother tongue I know this because she is writing about the mother tongue that her and her mother use to communicate to each other.
I liked how you were able to make a connection between the title of the text “Mother Tongue” and to the overall purpose of the text “each reader has different languages that they consider mother tongue”. I see how the type of language one grows up in the household in return turns into a natural language for oneself even though somebody else might not understand it as it was the case for Amy Tan.
The author is trying to accomplish is shock she was coming to the realization on how naturally and how quickly her English changes when she is around her mother, even around her husband. She mentions that once she actually realizes her change that when talking to her mother she is her husband doesn’t even notice that she does it so often. The more often she does it the more “normal” it seems to her.
I agree with what you had to say about Amy tan’s transition of English around her husband as well as her mother and that now it seems normal to her because she does it so often.