Amy Tan writes speaks to the ways in which the culture, traditions and the language differ across regions. The narrator in the story shares similar experiences as Tan’s mother was also an immigrant who migrated from China. But there is conflict between the two as the daughter is less receptive to embracing the idea that her mother has for her and her assimilation into a new culture. The truth is that the narrator’s mother represents the typical mother in the society who wishes that her child will get the best of everything that life has to offer. The language barrier is one of the challenges that these immigrants face as they also have to contend with the changes in the culture and traditions of the native country. As a result, Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” shows that the culture, language, and traditions will change significantly when immigrants move to another country.
Tan shows that language and adapting to the language of a new culture is very important. In looking at the experiences of the narrator, I can easily recall a friend of mine who recently came from China to the United States. She had a number of challenges trying to integrate into the classes as her English was poor. A part of that problem stemmed from the fact that her family continued to speak Chinese at home and she got very little chance to practice the native tongue of the Americans. Of course, their dreams had been to get to the United States as this would allow the children in her family to have more opportunities to explore the freedom of assimilation into a new culture. My friend has now developed a love for the native language of American.
Families are important to developing language skills. In retrospective, I can agree with Tan’s assertion that her mother’s English had a more profound effect on her language development (Tan 422) but she was able to develop a better command of English and help her mother years later. In my daily encounter with students from other cultural backgrounds and my personal experiences as one who speaks two languages, I realize that the home has a greater impact on limiting the possibilities of acquiring a new language. Tan reinforces this idea and suggests that like my friend, children will eventually learn to reject the “non-English” representations of the family and learn the new language in school.
My mother is also of Chinese descent and she always expects that I set the highest standards for learning. This pattern is similar to women in the Chinese culture. Women are often seen as the ones who are aware of the need to propel their children forward and this result in the children helping their parents to adjust to new environments. Based on the culture of the Chinese people, mothers play an integral role in the development of their children and offer emotional and financial support. My mother understands the challenges that I have faced as I often share with her the stereotypical assumptions that people make of Asian children that they are extremely smart. I do well in my studies and this is a result of my parents’ encouragement and guidance as my parents help me to adjust to the changes in the language structure. I believe that unlike many Chinese parents who have difficulty adjusting to the cultural and language changes of America, my parents recognize that having a solid grasp on the language is important to conducting business with those who speak the standard language. But, many older Chinese find it difficult to adjust to the language and have different versions of the English language. This leads to miscommunication and a lack of understanding of the culture of immigrants.
The Chinese culture is rooted in education and this makes them one of the most successful minority groups in the United States. In other words, Chinese cultural values reflect a strong focus on education. Many Chinese parents, including my parents are afraid that Chinese children will become way too involved in the culture of their new homes that they will lose the cultural heritage and the language of their native country. But, changes are inevitable and this is clear in the way that the Chinese immigrants have moved from the traditional roles in the labor market as that of laborers with low levels of education. They have elevated their status in many ways and have ensured that their children adapt to the educational changes and opportunities that living in the United States allow. My parents have worked hard over the years because of their early roots in China and their low level of education. In fact, they are some of the few Chinese natives who moved to the United States with a high school education. But, they have instilled in me the value of having an education and appreciating the reality that hard work results in a better quality of life.
Despite the racial discrimination that many Chinese face because of their immigrant status, this has not changed my parents’ views that education would be the driving factor that would help me to avoid racial discrimination. Similar to other cultures, Chinese place great emphasis on education as the process is easier than in their native country. Both my parents have inspired my brother and me to work hard to achieve academic success. There is no distinction as to which child is expected to achieve more. This is different from some other Chinese students who constantly point out that their parents maintain the Chinese cultural practice where girls are expected to carry out the domestic roles in the homes while the boys are expected to do none of the household chores. But, thankfully my parents are different as they believe in equality of the sexes and encourage both of their children to do well in school.
References
Tan, Amy, Mother Tongue, Fifty Essays, Print
