Two kinds- Amy Tan PDF

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Two kinds- Amy Tan...

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Thesis The story reveals the cultural differences by focusing on the conflicts between the mother and the daughter in terms of expectation, hope, identity and the definition of “American dream”.

Introduction (dinner - joy luck club) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhtjwGZlaew

Explain cultural difference between China and USA 1. Chinese culture is deeply rooted in confucianism, and it emphasizes respect for authority. Most Chinese parents expect their children to respect and obey, and Chinese parents are likely to say “it is for your own good” to encourage children do what they are not willing to do. Whereas American parents tend to treat their children as friends. 2. American parents and teachers prefer to encourage children in their development, while most Chinese parents seldom praise children and typically focus on the failures. 3. Most Chinese parents are willing to do everything for their children, while American parents tend to develop their kids' independence. 4. Most Chinese parents typically have higher expectation for their children, and they deem certain career, such as attorney and doctor, are perfect jobs, and the kids’ success will bring honor to the family. While American parents want the kids to enjoy the study and life. https://international.uiowa.edu/news/american-and-chinese-parenting-styles

In-text evidence

Ho pe

Mother

Daughter

Believe everything, and it is this belief that she escaped from China to live a new life. 1. In-text: first para, and she believed that Jing-Mei could do be prodigy. 2. Interview: Believed hope, believed all possibilities, believed in miracles, believed in god, ghost, curses, reincarnation.

At the beginning, Jing-Mei believed mother and followed mother, but she felt frustrated and desperate after her numerous failures and seeing her mother’s disappointment. She decided to live her own life. “And after seeing my mother’s disappointed face once again, something inside

of me began to die. I hated the tests, the raised hopes and filed expectations. … I won’t let her changed me, I promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not.” (P337) Ex pe cta tio n

Mother expected Jing-Mei to be Chinese Shirley Temple, a genius with excellent memory, or a famous piano virtuoso.

At the beginning, Jing-Mei was deeply impacted by her mother, and would do whatever she wanted. However, after she found out that she was just an ordinary child and began to feel tired of her mom’s unreasonable expectation, she gave up and rebelled. For example, she did not practice piano from her bottom of heart, and she destroyed her first debut on purpose. “But I was so determined not to try, not to be anybody different that I learned to play only the most ear-splitting precludes, the most discordant hymns.” (P340) After she heard what her mother bragged to Lindo Jong, she “was determined to put a stop to her foolish pride.” (P340) )

Su Being famous is being successful. cce ss In the quarrel with Jing-Mei, mother muttered “If she had as much talent as she has temper, she would be famous now.” (P339) Ide Mother was deeply impacted by Chinese culture. In “Two ntit kinds”, most of the time, when mother showed up and y spoke, her sentence is short, and the tone is like giving an order or lamenting. Mother grew up in China and came to the USA in 1949. (P335) “” You look like Negro Chinese(P336)

Jing-Mei have no concept about success. At first, she followed her mother, but disagreed with her mother after numerous failures and wanted to be herself.

“Playnote right, but doesn’t sound good! No singing sound”(P338) “Just like you. Not the best. Because you not trying”(P338) “Four o’clock.”, “Turn off TV” She reminded Jing-mei to practice the piano. (P343) Th e wa y of ex pre ssi ng lov e

Mother has suffered a lot in China, and she wanted the daughter to have a better life in the future in America. But in fact, mother’s harsh educational way pushed the daughter far away from her and also wounded the daughter (Source: Interview). Mother tried her best to provide everything to Jing-Mei, For example, she traded housecleaning service for daughter’s piano classes, parents saved up to buy the daughter a used piano which “was the showpiece” of their living room. (P338 and P341) “But sometimes the prodigy in me became impatient. ‘If you don’t hurry up and get me out of here, I’m disappearing for good.’ it warned. ‘And then you’ll always be nothing.’” (P336) Although this is Jing-Mei’s illusion, but it conveyed that mother’s harsh way has negative impact on the daughter, it made the daughter feel anxious about her performance and her pursuit of success. Mother claimed that only the obedient daughter can live in her house (P343), because she thought that this was for the daughter’s good.

The daughter could not understand her mother’s thoughts and behaviors.

After briefly summarizing mother’s life in China, JingMei said “But she never looked back with regret.” and in the terrible quarrel with mother, Jing-Mei yelled “I wish I were dead! Like them.” These words deeply stimulated and hurt mother (P335 and P344). According to the Guardian’s interview with Amy Tan, her mother Daisy did have 2 babies die in China. According to the Interview on Youtube, Daisy seldom talked about her secret - the daughters, in China. From the Chinese mother’s standing, losing babies is a eternal pain that she might not want to touch, but the daughter peeled her scar off in a cruel way. On Page 339, Mother scolded daughter for not being thankful for what she had done for her. And in the Youtube’s interview, Tan also expressed her misunderstanding about what her mother often said, that if she was in China, giving advice to those three daughters, they would appreciate that.

Outside sources: 1. China ●

China is in the turbulent situation of dynasty change in the early 1900s. The feudal system has influenced China for about 2000 years.

a. During the first decade of the century, Chinese people began to fight Qing Dynasty (which represented the feudal thought) because they were not satisfied with Manchu’s rule. b. In 1912, Qing was overthrown, and Republic of China was founded. c. In late 1915, Yuan Shih-Kai declared himself as the emperor of Empire of China. d.

1939 to 1945, World War Two. China was the main battlefield in the second World War.

e. In 1949, the Communists seized control and established the People's Republic of China was established by the Chinese Communist Party. https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/j/the-joy-luck-club/critical-essays/modern-chinese-history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_China#Republic_of_China_(since_1912) ● 2. Mother’s secret “Her own life, and that of her mother and grandmother in pre-revolutionary China, has been dogged with astonishing drama, tragedy and violence.” “Daisy - Amy's mother - was forced into a feudal marriage, but later ran away from her abusive husband, blaming him for the deaths of two of her five children. Leaving her husband without a divorce was a criminal act - let alone leaving him for another man, as she did. John Tan, her second husband, was an electrical engineer from Beijing - he fled the country for the US; Daisy was captured, raped and thrown into jail - her trial, says Tan, was covered in the Shanghai tabloids - before she, too, was able to escape to California and join him. Daisy left China expecting to send for her three daughters, but they were trapped once the "bamboo curtain" came down. It was 30 years before she saw them again, and for many years she never spoke of them to her new family. “ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/mar/03/fiction.features

3. Amy Tan - "Two Kinds" Interviews a. Parents did not force Tan to learn Chinese b. Mother’s family became poor after her father’s death - stain, mother felt ashamed

c. Warnings, mother’s way of expressing her love for Tan d. Metaphors e. When Tan was 12 years old, she had disagreements with mother and wanted to get independent f.

Tan felt the way that mother spoke is a visceral and violent imagery, eg: squeeze your brain

g. Her mother’s secret - how did she feel by leaving 3 girls in China Tan trying to live up to the mother’s expectations Mother: the Chinese daughter would be thankful for her if she could be there and provided advice and protection while Tan showed no appreciation - conflict h. Realization: ●

Mother gave her most precious things to daughter, protected Tan most and taught her the strengths

●

Enemy - Harsh words and push wounded Tan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWNmAjiBqok 4. Joy Luck Club a) “Chinese people had Chinese opinions, and American people had American opinions. Usually, the American opinion was better.” -Rose Each daughter struggled with the expectations of their mothers. The mothers were not allowed to remarry after their husbands left or died without adding shame to their families. Yet the daughters were all going through divorces, remarriages, not wanting to be married at all.

My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America. (Lawn 335)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

You could become instantly famous. (Lawn 335)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

You can be best anything. What does Auntie Lindo know? Her daughter, she is only best tricky.”

(Lawn 335)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

She had come here in 1949 after losing everything in China (Lawn 335)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

At first my mother thought I could be a Chinese Shirley Temple.1 We’d watch Shirley’s old movies on TV as though they were training films. (Lawn 335)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file. I pictured this prodigy part of me as many different images, trying each one on for size. (Lawn 336)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. (Lawn 336)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

If you don’t hurry up and get me out of here, I’m disappearing for good,” it warned. “And then you’ll always be nothing.” (Lawn 336)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

The girl staring back at me was angry, powerful. This girl and I were the same. I had new

thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won’ts. I won’t let her change me, I promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not. (Lawn 337)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

She was proudly modest like a proper Chinese child. (Lawn 338)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

Only ask you be your best. For you sake. You think I want you be genius? Hnnh! What for! Who ask you!” (Lawn 339)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file. But I was so determined not to try, not to be anybody different that I learned to play only the most ear-splitting preludes, the most discordant hymns. (Lawn 340)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

And right then, I was determined to put a stop to her foolish pride. (Lawn 340)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

Only two kinds of daughters,” she shouted in Chinese. “Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!” (Lawn 343)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

A few years ago, she offered to give me the piano, for my thirtieth birthday. I had not played in all those years. I saw the offer as a sign of forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed. (Lawn 344)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file.

And after I played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song. (Lawn 345)

Lawn, Beverly. 40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 5th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 20160805. VitalBook file....