Example Of Are Chinese Mothers The Superior Essay

In the present day American society, children are raised in different families with each family having different views about the education and academics of their children, how to help these children become successful later in life, and the role of parents in raising these children. While reviewing two articles: “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” and “Two Kinds” by Amy Chua and Amy Tan respectively, this will provide the explanatory analysis that seeks to find the similarities and differences in these articles. This paper focuses on the narrations of the authors of the articles to determine importance of parenting and educational achievements among the Chinese families.
Most people often view children born in Chinese families with the stereotype that their academic upbringing is superior to the children born in other families. In Amy Tan’s story “Two Kinds” and Amy Chua’s essay “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior”, explain the supposed methods that the Chinese parents, especially the mothers, use in raising their children. Additionally, these articles provide the positive and negative sides of these methods of upbringing to the children. In the first story, Amy Tan presents the idea in the event of Chinese women trying to force their ideas of what makes and individual a success onto their children, these parents are risking their children becoming resentful toward them, which might damage the parent-child relationship. The narrator’s mother whom she grows up living with her, believes that child prodigy can become successful and famous by simply working hard at their particular skills.
On the other hand, Amy Chua believes in her essay that Chinese children are raised academically superior to other children in the United States as she compares Chinese mothers to other mothers. Chua recounts in this essay how she, a Chinese mother, brought up her two daughters, Lulu and Sophia. She performed everything within her reach, including threatening the girls, insulting them, and screaming until she lost her voice to ensure that they attain great grades in school. She kept the girls on strict schedule that left them with no time to indulge in their personal interest, even to the extent of denying them time to watch television.
These authors believe that Chinese parents consider their preferences to override those of their children. In both articles, the parents have expectations for their children. While Chua believes that her children should attain the highest grades and top their classes, Tan also believes her daughter should be good in the best of her talent, which Tan seeks to identify. Additionally, these articles indicate that the parents always put very high targets for their children because they have higher expectations with their children. For instance, Tan believes her daughter is a child prodigy, and attempts to discover her daughter’s special talent. She tries to identify if her daughter could play piano, dance, or even naming the cities of Europe. However, her daughter could not perform to her mother’s expectations, which were set very high. With every attempt form her mother failing to bear fruit, the narrator’s resentment toward her mother increased. In the end, the narrator defies her mother and openly argues and challenges her belief that she is a prodigy, and that she should not be subject to her mother’s satisfaction. Consistently, the two daughters in Amy Chua’s essay appear to achieve the highest grades that they could by mastering in either piano or violin, these were not their interests. Moreover, they did not achieve to the satisfaction of their mother. Both authors assume that non-Chinese parents are too permissive to their children, and that they allow the interest of their children to supersede their interest, an assertion that has been greatly critiqued and dismissed.
On the contrary, while Tan’s article indicates that parents should also consider the opinions of their children about parenting, Chua believes that her parenting style is simply the best, and that all other non-Chinese parents should emulate her style. In “Two Kinds”, the narrator’s mother shows up on her thirteenth birthday to offer her daughter the piano she used to play. The narrator views this as a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness between the two of them, and believes that her mother had eventually accepted the daughter’s view on parenting. In this view, it is evident that the author seeks to prove that, even though the Chinese parenting style might achieve results in some children, other children operate differently, and they need their views to be considered in parenting and making choices.
In conclusion, these articles are very interesting and easy to read as well as informative. The articles present several similarities in Chinese parenting styles, especially the Chinese mothers. From the individuals in these articles, it is evident that these Chinese mothers only exercise control over girls and not boys. However, despite agreeing that the Chinese parenting styles in relation to education might be the best, Amy Tan also believes that parents should also consider their children’s opinions on parenting. Nevertheless, Chua maintains that Chinese mothers are superior in child upbringing.