Mother Tongue - Book Review

Mario Ochoa

Professor Dauer

English 110

25 February 2016

We Are All Versatile

        In “Mother Tongue,” the author, Amy Tan, emphasizes the idea that we all speak different languages unconsciously and that we are categorized by the sound and vocabulary that we speak. Tan’s emphasized self-identity through the lens of her mother’s own experience from the criticism she had to face for so many years. As resilient as her mother was, she would have to overcome many skeptics who preyed on her confusing speech. Listening to this journey is profitable for anybody who has been victimized by the misconceptions that foreigners are labeled with, such as my dad. By creating higher self-esteem and the willingness to prove our ambitions through hard work ethic, we can provoke a revision of pre-judgments as well as stereotyping.

        In a world where people are only as strong as they think, Tan does a great job of listing her mother’s capability of adapting to such difficult task- the English language. Even though her mother was categorized as having limited ideas due to the slight language deficiency, Tan rejects the idea that her mother only spoke “limited” or “broken” English. Tan spoke out about her mother’s two tongues and reminded the audience just how great her potential was, “…you should know that my mother’s expressive command of English belies how much she actually understands. She reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirley MacLaine’s books with ease—all things I can’t begin to understand” (Tan 453). The message that Tan presents us with is that everyone’s true knowledge is kept hidden from the naked eye. Her mother put the most amount of tasks in front of her as a learning process that helps her succeed at her own pace. This goes to show the amount of work ethic that a determined individual possesses. She later on goes to say, “ I wanted to capture what language ability tests can never reveal: her intent…passion…imagery…” (456). Generic stereotypes were all that Tan heard during grade school, and she never really thought about the consequences they had on people until the victims become a subculture in the eyes of the public. Even though the Asian culture would be mistreated in numerous of ways, her mother was ignored when she had concerns about her health, a waiting game that was intolerable. This was just one of many events that made Tan feel devoted to setting the bar high in her culture by later going on to change her major from pre-med to English. Since English was a stepping-stone in her studies, she swallowed it with pride, subduing the old stereotype and revealing a more realistic one; she went the opposite direction than the judgmental population.

        Unfortunately, the complexity of the English language barrier is most sought out for all immigrants around the United States; my dad had similar altercations with society for the same reason. Like all newcomers to this country, my dad was strong-headed but lacked the skills, not the intelligence. It was here where he established his family along with his home to be forever. Willing to set change, he made it a quest to breakout into a new language. English language classes for newcomers began very textbook, so in his mind he felt restricted to his potential. It did not take long before he became the elaborator for some classmates of his. Because he never shied away from public speaking, his confidence would bulk up and show in real life conversations. Eventually, his practice would give him just enough comfort to explore much more extensive opportunities in a land where menials have very little to choose from. He knew having it fluent wouldn’t be enough, so he set out to work towards obtaining a G.E.D. in a very short time span. This was the same man who slept in factories; worked day and night since he was six-years-old, never saw the light of acceptance, sacrificed for his loved ones. He never gave up; he knew what kind of reality he was chasing-to make a better life for himself, and to make his beneficial attributes well known, as a contributing member of society.

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