Amy Tan: Mother Tongue - Essay Example

Amy Tan: “Mother Tongue.” Amy Tan’s essay, “Mother Tongue,” is an exposition on the use of the English language. The essay is particularly relevant in today’s world, in which the internet ensures that rigid geographical boundaries no longer form an impenetrable barrier to communication. Societies are increasingly multicultural and multi-lingual and languages are in a state of flux. In this scenario, the requirements of language need to be redefined, making Tan’s essay very interesting. Tan discusses the different ways in which she uses English. Although she uses a formal style of essay writing, and analyses language forms and cultural pressures, Tan’s piece is not confined to scholarly discourse. On the contrary, the essay has a very personal tone and is more of an autobiographical narrative than an academic piece. Language is not the central theme of the essay and other motifs are woven into it. Tan’s essay demonstrates her deep love for her mother, explores her search for identity and emphasizes the dynamic character of language. Tan’s writing shows her deep love for her mother. Of all the forms of language which she discusses, it is her mother’s language which she truly loves and treasures. She emphatically declares that this is the language “that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world” (1-6). Tan’s love for her mother is so great, that she admits that her mother is the most crucial influence in her life and she views the world through the lens of this love. Tan’s love for her mother makes her resent the depiction of her mother’s English as “broken” or “fractured” (2-1) and she vehemently defends her mother’s speech. To her, it is beautifully whole: “vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery” (1-6). She hits back at those who find her mother’s English incomprehensible by asserting that “my mother's English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural” (1-6). She points out that her mother is eminently capable of understanding the finer nuances of English, from stockbroker reports to Shirley McClain’s bestsellers. Tan’s love for her mother’s language is but an extension of her love for her mother. Her mother’s language is a symbol of her mother as it reflects “her intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts” (4-1). Her mother’s English is the expression of her beloved parent and is treasured as such by Tan. Tan’s acceptance and defense of her mother’s language is a sign of her affection for her mother. Tan’s different languages demonstrate her search for identity. As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, Tan first wants to renounce her differences and conform to the mainstream. This attitude causes her to confess that “my mother's “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English” (2-2). Tan’s shame at her mother’s way of speaking proves her embarrassment with her Chinese antecedents and her urge to reject her ethnic identity. However, as she matures, Tan embraces her roots and assumes a unique identity. Instead of rejecting her mother’s language, she incorporates it into her speech patterns and goes on “to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with” (3-6). Tan develops a unique voice of her own, which fuses all the different facets of her own and her mother’s speech patterns. Tan refuses to conform to the assumptions made by her teachers as to her English skills. She declares, “I happen to be rebellious in nature” (3-4). She resists being pushed towards the sciences and defiantly becomes a writer. She chooses her own identity. Tan finds a voice and a language which reflects her identity as a Chinese American. Tan firmly supports the dynamic character of language. She is critical of achievement tests which have rigid parameters of rating language skills. In her personal experience, she did not excel in such tests because “The answers on English tests were always a judgment call, a matter of opinion and personal experience” (3-1). She holds that such tests are not a true measure of language skills, as they prioritize logic and semantics over creativity. Tan asserts that language is continuously influenced by family background. She believes that it is not only the language spoken by peers which impacts a child’s language, but also “the language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families which are more insular, (that) plays a large role in shaping the language of the child” (2-8). She suggests that there can be no single rigid form of English, as children from multi-ethnic backgrounds bring their own unique interpretations and speech patterns into their way of speaking. Tan discounts the importance given to the traditional forms of English. She sarcastically points out her attempt to use “wittily crafted sentences, sentences that would finally prove I had mastery over the English language” (3-5). She realizes that these rigid patterns are only an unnecessary burden and discards them, finding her own voice, which is a blend of her American and Chinese speech patterns. Tan shows that a truly effective language is flexible, changing and a reflection of the various cultures of its speakers. “Mother Tongue” explores the various dimensions of language. But this is only the surface theme of the piece. Beyond that, it is a moving narrative of a beautiful mother-daughter relationship and the search for identity. Tan unambiguously expresses her pride in her mother’s language and personality. Tan’s essay is very thought-provoking as it prompts an analysis of the influence of immigrants on the language of their adopted country and the disadvantages which have to be overcome by their children. Tan also subtly points out the link between command over the English language and racial discrimination in American society. Tan defines language as a living entity, which is not only about syntax and grammar, but an expression of identity and love. “Mother Tongue” is a tribute to the richness which different cultures and ethnicities contribute towards language and to society. Works Cited. Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” Title of Collection. Ed. Editor's Name(s). City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Page range of entry. Print. Read More