Annotation blog #4: Mother Tongue by Amy Tan

1) Summary/Main Ideas

Amy starts off stating, “ I am not a scholar of English or literature” and later writes,” I am a writer. I am someone who has always loved language. Language is the took of my trade.” She tells us that the “standard english” she learned in school and through books wasn’t the same type of english she used with her mom. Tan admits that she was once ashamed of her mother’s english because it was “broken” or “limited”. She shared a story on how her mother went to the hospital asking for her CAT scan and the doctors said that they had lost it. Her mother even told her that she spoke perfect english to them with no mistakes but they didn’t get  her CAT scan. When Amy went to talk to the doctors about her mother’s CAT scan they found it only because her english was perfect and fluent. People have asked Amy why their isn’t many Asian Americans into American literature, and Amy goes on saying how statistically Asian-Americans do better in math and sciences because the english at home was probably “broken. Teachers probably steered them towards math and science. She ends the essay saying she has realized that all her stories are for her mom, so she has began writing stories using all the Englishs she grew up with: the “simple”, “broken”,  and  “watered down” englishes that will let her mom say “So easy to read”.

2) Quotes & Reactions/Responses

-“ That was the language that helped shape the way I say things, expressed things, made sense of the world”

I think this is true with all of us because no matter the quality of language our moms speak we still learn and respect them. We are raised by the words from our parents and get used to the accents and “brokenness”.

-“Whereas, for me at least, the answers on English texts were always judgement call, a matter of opinion and personal experience.”

I made a connection with this because English is different than all the other subjects in school because you use your own person experiences into your essays and writing. This makes it easier for classmates or teachers judge you based on your writing. There is a yes or no answer in English so people interpret writing differently, good or bad.

-“I wanted to capture what language ability tests can never reveal: her intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts”.

I liked this quote because testing can’t tell you who you are as a person. I felt that way when i got my SAT scores, I thought it defined me and who I was. That isn’t the case, Standardized testing isn’t as important as everyone makes it. It doesn’t tell you who you are or will become. This year no one cares what i got on the SAT.

3) Questions for Discussion

-  When she was talking about how there aren’t many Asian-American writers is because they grow up in a home without broken english, is that the case for all races? (example:Mexicans, Indians, etc.)

- Why were her friends understanding of her mom’s english different? Some understood 50% and some understood 80-90%. Did her mom improve not embarrass her?