Mother Tongue Essay

Free Articles

Today we live in a society that is frequently called a “salad bowl” . It is called a “salad bowl” because it consists of assorted different people from assorted different backgrounds. We all live together in a society. but we still retain our ain distinct spirits which helps to lend to the profusion and diverseness of society. Unfortunately. today we besides live in a society in which some of these groups are marginalized and looked down upon by others. Hence. frequently times as persons we feel the demand to compromise the manner in which we communicate our thoughts so that we can appeal to the positions of the bulk. Two writers explore how their effort to compromise about caused them to go detached from their roots. In “Mother Tongue. ” by Amy Tan. Tan negotiations about turning up as a immature kid in America and larning the English linguistic communication. She speaks about turning up as a author and her mother’s progressive enunciation which had a major influence on her. On the other manus. In her essay. “Censoring Myself. ” Betty Shamieh negotiations about being an American dramatist and holding to ban herself because of how her work was viewed. Both writers explore the influence that their background had on their ability to show themselves. As persons we should non be afraid to show ourselves because of our differences. instead we should utilize our differences and demo how our differentiations make us really alone.

First. In “”Mother Tongue. ” Tan negotiations about how her mother’s limited English enunciation skewered her perceptual experience of her female parent. Tan mentions how. “Like others. I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English” ( Tan 273 ) . This shows how Tan viewed her mother’s English speech production abilities. She describes it as if her female parent spoke damaged English. which needed to be mended or repaired. For Tan it was imperative that she spoke proper English and used proper enunciation. therefore she was ashamed of her mother’s English. Tan fell under the feeling that her mother’s English speech production abilities reflected the quality of what she had to state. Since her female parent expressed her words in an imperfect mode. sunburn believed that her ideas were besides imperfect ( Tan 274 ) . Her perceptual experience was besides supported by how people in society responded to her female parent. Tan states that people in section shops. Bankss. and eating houses would non take her female parent earnestly. They would supply her bad service. feign non to understand her. or act as if they were deaf-and-dumb person ( Tan 274 ) .

We Will Write a Custom Essay Specifically
For You For Only $13.90/page!


order now

This farther contributed to Tan’s feeling of embarrassment and shame towards her female parent. Tan besides describes an incident in which her female parent went to the infirmary and was told that the infirmary had misplaced her CAT scan. The infirmary did non demo any compunction for losing the scan. nor did they guarantee her that they would turn up it. that is until her female parent had Tan speak to the infirmary ( Tan 275 ) . As a reader this shows us how linguistic communication is perceived and the function that it plays in the lives of persons. For Tan it was imperative that she was able to intermix in and be like others. so that she wouldn’t be ridiculed. Fortunately. she was able to recognize the positive influence that her mother’s enunciation bought her.

Furthermore. Tan’s female parent teaches her to believe in a different mode than the other kids in her school. Tan states that her developing linguistic communication accomplishments were influenced by her household and in this instance her female parent. hence it affected her consequences on achievement trials. Since her female parent taught her to believe otherwise she was unable to execute every bit good in English as she did in math and scientific discipline. Later Tan realizes the value of this different systematic manner of thought and it contributes to her rebellious nature towards her instructors who suggested she’d be much better in technology. accounting. or anything else than English. since she was of Asiatic descent. She decided to dispute this stereotype. and thanks to her female parent became a author. who didn’t write utilizing disputing enunciation that required a batch of idea. but instead enunciation that could be read and understood by audiences such as her female parent.

This is the ground she starts composing about her female parent: “I wanted to capture what linguistic communication ability trials can ne’er uncover: her purpose. her passion. her imagination. the beat of her address. and the nature of her thoughts” ( Tan 277 ) . She acknowledged the profusion that her mother’s heritage provided her and so she decided her first reader and critic should be her female parent. Overall this taught Tan that she didn’t demand to compromise to the high quality and complexness of the English linguistic communication. but instead she could show her ideas in a simplistic. yet effectual manner which could be understood by everyone.

In her essay. “Censoring Myself” . Betty Shamieh negotiations about being an American dramatist and holding to ban herself because of how her work was viewed by others. She states: “I have been censored in many ways. But I think the most open illustration of censoring I have yet faced is my experience with a undertaking called the Brave New World Festival” ( Shamieh 294 ) . For the Festival she wrote a soliloquy about being the sister of a suicide bomber in bereavement because she was unable to forestall his barbarous act of terrorist act. Her attack towards composing this drama was to advance anti-terrorism. but due to the rough calamity of 9/11 she felt that there would be some possible recoil. When she was asked to execute her soliloquy at the Brave New World Festival. she was really disbelieving of being criticized. therefore she asked a celebrated actress named Marisa Tomei to move in the drama ( Shamieh 295 ) . Post 9/11. president Bush let it be known on national telecasting that he thinks citizens better “watch what they say” ( Shamieh 294 ) . This shows the sum of tolerance that was granted towards single look station 9/11. where anything that was said could be viewed in visible radiation of terrorist act. As an Arab American Shamieh acknowledged that her work would be a beginning of unfavorable judgment. but she felt the demand to show her position and in making so had to compromise so that she could acquire her drama preformed.

Furthermore. Shamieh’s drama was ridiculed for its content. so being afraid of losing her topographic point in the festival she produced another piece that could be preformed. This shows the censoring she faced with her work and her demand to compromise her composing so that it would appeal to the bulk. Shamieh states that: “Arab American creative person are mostly faceless in this state and I felt that. by dropping out. I would be assisting those who are seeking to maintain it that way” ( Shamieh 295 ) . This portrays Shamieh’s want to show her positions and to stand for the Arab community. who’s voices were neglected. Basically she was seeking to give a voice to the voice less. She subsequently presents a narrative about an Arab-American miss who ends up on a hijacked plane and talks the highjackers out of their programs. Once once more her purpose was to advance anti-racism. but in a humourous manner. yet her new drama was non merely censored. but this clip wholly taken out of the festival. This shows the ability persons had in being able to show their thoughts.

Bing an Arab American. Shamieh had the right to show her positions. yet despite this. her work was viewed under a incorrect visible radiation and taken out of the drama. This taught Shamieh that as persons we will frequently confront censoring for many grounds. whether it may because of our race. ethnicity. gender. sex. etc. For Shamieh. this experience taught her to compose about the things she cared approximately. the things that represented who she was. She acknowledged that she was baning herself by non bring forthing a drama about the Palestinian experience. which was a immense portion of who she was ( Shamieh 296 ) . As persons we will frequently confront unfavorable judgment from others. but the of import thing is to show our voices so that we can pass on our thoughts and portray ourselves under a proper visible radiation.

Hence. frequently times as persons we feel the demand to compromise the manner in which we communicate our thoughts so that we can appeal to the positions of the bulk. Writers Betty Shamieh and Amy Tan were both subjected to seeking entreaty to others. They both explore how they found themselves and try to state readers to show their individualism. As American citizens. bulk of us come from different backgrounds which gives us a broader position. We should seek non to bury our roots and neither should we go entrenched in seeking to appeal to others who see us under a different visible radiation. We as single bring about diverseness and cultural profusion to America. hence we should non be afraid to pass on our thoughts in a mode that represents who we are. When we invariably feel the demand to compromise we frequently lose our individualities and our ain alone individualism. We are distinct persons and we should use our differences. instead than seeking to conceal or bury them. If we do non stand up and show our positions so others will show them for us. So. therefore we need to pass on our thoughts in an effectual mode. while still retaining our original spirits in the salad bowl.

Plants Cited
1 ) Neweib. Janice. “Mother Tongue by Amy Tan. ” The Mercury Reader: A Custom Publication. New York: Pearson Learning Solutions. 2011. 271-277. Print. 2 ) Silverman. Jonathan. and Dean Rader. “Censoring Myself by Betty Shamieh. ” The World Is a Text: Writing. Reading. and Thinking about Visual and Popular
Culture. Upper Saddle River. New jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall. 2011. 294-296. Print.

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

x

Hi!
I'm Katy

Would you like to get such a paper? How about receiving a customized one?

Check it out