Learning a Language: How Difficult Can It Be - Article Example

Download file to see previous pages... He moves to Paris to attend the French lessons. The experience was not an easy one and the fact that the teacher was harsh and judgmental did not make things any better. However, he believes that with time, he will be able to master and talk fluently in French by stating that “Much work and someday you talk pretty, people start to love you soon” (Sedaris 14). Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue”, on the other hand, describes how the language she had been using in official duties was different from what she used at home. When delivering speeches, the author would use well-structured and grammatically correct sentences. This, however, was not the case when talking to her husband or mother. Despite being able to use the right language in official settings, the “mother tongue” had impacted on her as evident when she says “I think my mother’s English almost had an effect on limiting my possibilities in life as well” (Tan 3).
The two stories used fictitious characters to pass the intended message. In “Me Talk Pretty One Day “, the characters included the narrator, his classmates from different countries and the teachers. In “My Mother Tongue”, they were the narrator, he mother, and husband and the various people they interacted with. According to Griffith, the use of fictitious characters has several advantages (40). However, the major one is that it makes the reader easily identify with the story. This happens since the characters used are able to reason and behave just the way human beings do thus making the story interesting. When David says that “The teacher marched in, deeply tanned from a recent vacation, and proceeded to rattle off a series of administrative announcements”, the reader will easily create a vivid picture of the situation. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More