Rhetorical Analysis of Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue”

Amy Tan is an American author. Her works frequently focus on the relationship of mom and child interaction in an Asian cultural environment. Tan’s mother struggled to speak good English as a foreigner. Amy Tan mentions in her article “Mother Tongue” (1990), immigrants are treated differently because of their inability to speak appropriate English, and foreigners do not typically excel in fields involving English since English is not their main language. Amy Tan attended San Jose State University and the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied English and linguistics. In 1987, she was a highly successful freelance business writer when she returned to China with her Chinese immigrant mother (Wikipedia). Amy Tan argues in her article “Mother Tongue” that a speaker’s mastery of a language betrays their knowledge, thoughts, and value. She backs up her allegation by demonstrating how others dismissed her mother because of her “broken” English. 

Amy Tan opens her quick story “Mother Tongue” by informing her audience that she is “not a scholar of English or literature,” and so she is unable to provide much more than her prior understanding of the English language. She continues to show the readers how attracted she is through the language by assigning grading scales ranging from complicated to simple English. Amy Tan begins the narrative by describing a recent event where she wrote about a gangster who wanted Tan’s family to adopt him due to Tan’s family’s high social position at the time. But, over time, he surpassed Tan’s mother’s family in wealth. That caused them to reconsider history, today, and perspective. She employs this story to draw the reader into her essay and to create a sense of approachability with herself and the rest of the audience. Despite her English language skills, she wants her audience to take her statement seriously and appreciate her myth. As a result, the essay’s objective reminds individuals that they deserve to be respected as human beings but not for their speaking ability. 

The central idea of Amy Tan’s article “Mother Tongue” is that in society, impoverished English people are often overlooked and criticized, and hence do not receive the respect that they deserve. Tan expands on this concept by examining her mother’s language, her use of English, and society’s reaction to various people’s use of English. In 1990, the text was published. The basis for author Amy Tan’s work has been impacted by her relationships. Amy Tan’s fundamental purpose of writing “Mother Tongue” was to demonstrate how immigrant parents experienced various issues throughout their lives as a result of their inadequate English skills.

Tan was being assessed based on her race, and her teacher expected her to perform something science-related rather than writing. She becomes a writer and learns several types of English to prove them wrong. She also learned how individuals swap languages or modify their linguistic code depending on who they are with and where they are. One day it was her book lecture day, and she was using the standard form of English in front of her audience. For example, she said, “The intersection of memory upon imagination” (Tan 1). As soon as she looked at her mother, who was present as a member of the audience, she realized that the language she used was completely different from the English she used at home or with her mother. The type of English she uses with her mom is very simple and relaxed. For instance, she would say, “Don’t waste money that way” (Tan 1). From the example, we can assure that her English is being impacted because of her mother tongue as she has to switch her language. For me, I think this is kind of the same situation for all immigrants whose parents are not English speakers. To communicate with people they use a different language than their family. 

In the article “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan uses pathos so that her audience can relate with her and her mother’s situation. In the article, she used the words “broken” and “poor” to describe her mother’s English. But in some way she did not like to say that and throughout the article, she feels it restricts from other views of her mom. To demonstrate Tan said, “You should know that my mother ‘s expressive command of English belies how much she actually understands” (Tan 1). From the example,  we can say that her mom had a high knowledge but her English was not perfect. To prove that Tan wrote about her mom’s everyday schedule. There she explained that even though her mother is not fluent in English, she tries to read all of Shirley MacLaine’s books and the Forbes report. Tan also mentioned that when she was a child, she had to pretend like her mom over the phone. 

Tan brought up an incident that one day when her mother went to the hospital to get her CAT scan the hospital claimed to have misplaced her test report and did not help her further because her English was not standard. The people at the hospital claimed they did not understand what she was asking for. Despite her worries that she had lost her husband and kid to brain tumors, they just rejected her. But when they called Tan and listened to her speaking they instantly rectified the matter and apologized to her mother. Tan then explained that because her mother was using normal English with the native speakers, they did not value her and took her for granted. This incident made the writer angry and felt disgusted while also demonstrating her dedication. Her highly emotive language makes the audience follow in her footsteps and shows them the injustice she suffered. Because as a writer, she had the opportunity to convey what had happened to her mother, but there have been many other mothers throughout the world who have been insulted because of their poor English. Amy Tan not only intended to connect with her audience through this example, but she also wanted to inspire people to take action against discrimination against immigrants who are suffering every day of their lives.

As we all know, Amy Tan writes, this article is based only on her own experiences. She tried to demonstrate with all the incidents she and her mom faced but no consideration for other viewpoints. But her journey is identical to that of many other immigrant children. The intended audience of Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” is all kinds of people such as immigrants, non-immigrants, and her mom. Also, people who criticize others’ accents and the way of talking. She also uses this piece to underline the influence teachers have on their students, as well as how they might negatively affect them at times. This is a story about a mother and her daughter. As a result, it can affect everyone, both young and elderly. As a result, Tan utilizes her argument to convey the notion that discrimination based on a person’s literary abilities is unethical and unappealing.

To conclude, Tan combines believability, heartfelt requests, and reasonable thoughts throughout the article to support her claim that people should not be judged based on how they speak. She also said that at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what society’s language norms are or the standard form of speaking, as long as our close people appreciate our work. For instance, Tan mentioned how her mom enjoys reading her book or article and gives her a compliment by saying “So easy to read.” (4). Tan has always been thankful to her mother and has learned to appreciate and accept her mother’s English, which she used to despise, and to find peace in it and herself. Lastly, Amy wanted us to remember, it’s fine if you have your unique accent. The mother tongue is significant since it is the first language that a kid hears after birth. It also serves to develop our emotions and thoughts as it is close to our hearts.

Works cited 

Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” The Threepenny Review, no. 43, 1990, pp. 7–8. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4383908. Accessed 6 Oct. 2020.

“Amy Tan.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Nov. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Tan.