A Rhetorical Analysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan

899 Words4 Pages
In Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue”, the author’s firm belief that a lack of strong language skills causes a deficit of one’s power in society is is shown through her use of rhetorical devices. The essay focuses on the experiences Tan’s mother, a Chinese immigrant, facing challenges due to her poor English skills. Because of her mother’s lack of perfect English, Amy Tan, now an avid writer, tells of how she was affected. By utilizing contrast in the essay, Amy Tan depicts the way in which spoken language can alter how much power other’s view you as having. Additionally, Amy Tan, a woman with near flawless English language skills, depicts through anecdotes involving her mother that a lack of perfect English results in an inability to effectively…show more content…
By putting two paragraphs with varying ideas on her mother’s intelligence, Tan utilizes contrast. Speaking of her mother, Amy Tan says that she understands more English and is more intelligent than one would infer from her so called fractured English. In order to back this statement up, Tan writes that her mother “reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall Street Week, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirley MacLaine's books with ease.” (Tan) All of these kinds of things, the author recognizes she cannot begin to comprehend. Following this praise of her mother’s knowledge of business, Amy Tan switched gears to explain how outside sources view her mother’s knowledge and understanding. Mrs. Tan had believed she was being cheated of her money by her stockbroker in New York and was anxious to find answers about the whereabouts of her money. Deciding that someone with perfect English would put up a facade of greater power and intelligence, Amy Tan’s mother had her call. Because of her limited English skills, Amy Tan’s mother had less power in the business world. Furthermore, Amy Tan repeats the use of contrast in her essay when she describes her own use of the English language. When speaking to her mother, Amy Tan found herself saying, “Not waste money that way.” This seeming incorrect version of
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  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan

    923 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue”, the author’s firm belief that a lack of strong language skills causes a deficit of power in society is shown through her use of rhetorical devices. The essay focuses on the experiences of Tan’s mother, a Chinese immigrant, facing challenges due to her poor English skills. Because of her mother’s lack of perfect English, Amy Tan, now an avid writer, tells of how she was affected. By utilizing contrast in the essay, Amy Tan depicts that spoken language can alter

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