Ashley Brightman English 122 Critical Analysis Final Draft PDF

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Ashley Brightman English 122 Final Draft: Mother Tongue

The article, “Mother Tongue, written by Amy Tan, has one very evident main claim. It is that one's intellect may not be judged upon the amount of knowledge or spoken words of the English language. She states her claim clearly in the header of the article. She says, "Don't judge a book by its cover...or someone's intelligence by her English." (Tan, 2006, p.20). This claim is strongly supported throughout the article. By using herself as a person of example growing up learning different types of English and the judgements placed upon her, she was able to provide strong evidence. The accomplishments Tan made allows for one to see that the pre-conceived notions placed upon her were incorrect. The article's main claim of how one should not be judged based upon how you see or hear someone is well supported because Tan includes personal experiences, the experiences her mother faced, and proves to be a great author even though she incorporates her native tongue into her writing.

There are three main key points I found within the article that supports the author's purpose. One key point Tan makes is that she does not believe her mother's intelligence is based off how much she understands within the English language. Tan supports this point by talking about all the things her mother can do that involves the English language. This claim is supported when Tan states that her mother "reads Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker" (Tan, 2006, p. 21). This evidence shows that even though Tan's mother knows little of the English language she is still able to understand and accomplish tasks. Tan was able to make a very valid key point. If her mother can accomplish tasks that includes reading and talking using the English language,

she must have good intelligence. Being able to understand stocks and have conversations with someone about them shows that she has a good understanding of what is going on. The goal of getting this task presented with the evidence provided was met. Tan was able to get one to understand that her mother was able to achieve knowledgeable tasks with being able to speak little English.

The second key point Tan makes is that she too, at one point, began to believe the perceptions others had about her mother. Even though she herself has described her mother’s English as "broken" or "fractured" it still bothered her. When describing how Tan feels about her mother's broken English she says, "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. I've heard other terms used, "limited English," for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people's perceptions of the limited-English speaker." (Tan, 2006, p. 21). This passage shows that Tan understands that her mother's English may sound broken to others but that doesn't mean her mother's perception is limited. At one-point Tan began to think of her mother's English as broken at one point as well. She began to believe the judgements of others. She also knew deep down that her mother had great perception but could not express it through her English the way she had thought in her mind. Tan met her goal in letting her audience know that she understood why they may call some spoken English broken. She did this in a way where she was able to make a connection to those who may judge but also expressed her opinion on those who spoke broken English such as her mother.

Another supporting point was that she was able to use the variations of the English language she shared with her mother to connect with her when writing. She also wanted to be able to use her writing to reveal to others what the English language could not

show of her mother’s intelligence. This was shown when Tan states, "I wanted to capture what language ability tests could never reveal: her intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech and nature of her thoughts." (Tan, 2006, p. 23). She also says, "when my mother finished reading my book and gave her verdict: 'So easy to read'." (Tan, 2006, pg. 23). The evidence supports her given claim by showing how she can use the English language she has spoken with her mother over the years to connect with her mother and possibly other readers. She can show others that may have been in the same position that it is not about what other people think of them but how they think of themselves. I believe this evidence is very strong in supporting her claim. Tan could've chosen to write a book to appeal to those who spoke strong English, but it meant more to her to write a book to appeal to others like her mother.

In conclusion, I believe the author's purpose of the article, Mother Tongue, was to shed light to those who judge other's intelligence based off pre-conceived notions. I feel that the author's key points expressed the purpose of the article well. Others didn't understand or may have underestimated her mother's intelligence. Even though this was the case Tan was able to prove that her mother was still able to achieve great things. Tan was able to use her mother's variations of English to appeal to a different type of audience within her writing that made her proud. This article gets one to think of the many times we may have judged someone before we got to know them. We may judge someone by their looks, the way they talk, or who they spend their time with. We must learn to understand that we cannot judge a book by its cover. We cannot think of someone or their intelligence based off these factors. Furthermore, we need to be mindful of what we think a person or even ourselves can achieve based from these factors as well. Don't ever let a person tell you that you should be doing something other than what you have your heart set out on achieving. You can do anything you set your mind to.

References:

Tan, A. (2006). Mother Tongue. Read, 56(4), 20. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohostcom.ezproxy.snhu.edu/login.aspx? direct=true&db=f5h&AN=22499184&site=ehost-live&scope=site...