Amy Tan Cultural Identity - 1636 Words

Although the popular insult â€Å"uncultured swine† is wildly amusing, it can never actually be true. Everyone has a cultural identity that is shaped by factors such as heritage, upbringing, education, and personal experience. Since these are defining aspects of a person’s life, it is no surprise that the cultural identity borne from these factors have a huge impact on his point of view. One’s culture greatly influences the way one views others and the world. In the short story â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan, the differences in the cultural identities of Jing-mei and her mother greatly impacts their perspectives and attitudes. Due to their divergent cultural identities, Jing-mei and her mother have opposing views on Jing-mei’s abilities and†¦show more content†¦Consequently, she did not know the range of opportunities that were present in America and took them for granted, unlike her mother, who recognized and pushed her daughter toward them. More than anything, Jing-mei wanted to be her own self, not what her mother wanted her to be despite having Jing-mei’s best interests at heart, both the result of their generational and cultural divide. Her careless perspective on life resulting from her American identity are strongly juxtaposed with her mother’s hard-working and optimistic views. Furthermore, Tan describes when the pair’s brewing tension due to their cultural differences culminate when Jing-m ei refuses to practice after a failed performance and her mother yells, â€Å"Only two kinds of daughters†¦ those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!†(67). This defining moment clearly lays out the obvious divide between the cultures of Jing-mei and her mother. Jing-mei has been greatly influenced by the individualistic, independent ways of the United States, whereas her mother has retained her more traditionally Chinese values of respect and obedience. The â€Å"two kinds† of daughters represent the two cultures that Jing-mei and her mother embody, and how these differences influence their separate views on their place in the world. Jing-mei’s mother believed that if a person worked hard enough,Show MoreRelatedAmy Tan Chinese Cultural Identity1615 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel, Amy Tan s parents adopted a pluralistic identity. According to E. D. Huntley: Daisy and John Tan continued to cling to many elements of the culture of their homeland, living essentially insular life and socializing mainly with the members of California s Chinese community, although their ambitions for their children included a certain degree of Americanization. (2) Despite the fact that Amy TanRead MoreAmy Tan: A Brief Biography757 Words   |  3 PagesAmy Tan is an American Chinese writer most notably known for her critically acclaimed novel The Joy Luck Club, amongst many others. Amy Ruth Tan was born on February 19, 1952, in Oakland California to John and Daisy Tan. Both of Amy’s parents were Chinese immigrants who fled from China to escape hardships. Amy’s mother, Daisy, divorced her abusive husband and left behind three daughters before immigrating to the United States and marrying Amy’s father, John. The marriage produced three children,Read MoreAmy Tan s The Joy Luck Club1385 Words   |  6 Pages Amy Tan s The Joy Luck Club Mona A. M. Ahmed Zagazig University, Egypt The purpose of this paper is to investigate pluralism, acculturation and assimilation in Amy Tan s novel The Joy Luck Club (1989), a finalist for the National Award, and a recipient of the 1990 Bay Area Book Reviewers award for fiction. Amy Tan (1952- ) is a Chinese American novelist; she is the daughter of John Tan, a Chinese electricalRead MoreAmy Tan Overcoming Faulty Relationships and Self Identity Essay1514 Words   |  7 PagesAmy Tan struggled with many issues caused by her dual cultures, which she expressed thoroughly in her works. Daisy and John Tan were post war immigrants and the parents of Amy Tan (Amy Tan). Tan was given the Chinese name An-Mei, which stands for blessings from America (McCarthy). To them she was the blessing that they had received after their own struggles. Tan’s father came to America after WWII to become a minister (Amy Tan). Even though it seemed like Tan’s life was running smoothly tragedy struckRead MoreThe Two Kinds By Amy Tan1272 Words   |  6 Pagessecond generation immigrants, experience a cultural conflict between that of their parents and that of mainstream U.S. society† (Wikipedia 1). Amy Tan the author of â€Å"Two Kinds†, and the young character in the story both are a second generation immigrants, who have struggled in their life with parents, about the culture they assimilating and their real culture. In the â€Å"Two Kinds† story the author illustrates the struggle between her American cultural identity, and her mother’s Chinese culture, as likeRead More The Search for Identity1422 Words   |  6 PagesThe Search for Identity in â€Å"It’s Hard Enough Being Me† by Anna Lisa Raya, â€Å"Who Will Light Incense When Mother’s Gone† by Andrew Lam, and â€Å"Two Kinds† by Amy Tan Identity in America is becoming a worldwide issue for everyone who has immigrated here. In the three essays that I have looked at, I have seen the same issue being discussed. It is the theme of being treated differently and looked at differently. The stories talk about how children come from different areas from the world and try to fitRead MoreMother Tongue by Amy Tan Essay1070 Words   |  5 PagesIdentity and Culture Amy Tan’s ,â€Å"Mother Tongue† and Maxine Kingston’s essay, â€Å"No Name Woman† represent a balance in cultures when obtaining an identity in American culture.   As first generation Chinese-Americans both Tan and Kingston faced many obstacles. Obstacles in language and appearance while balancing two cultures. Overcoming these obstacles that were faced and preserving heritage both women gained an identity as a successful American. In the work of Amy Tan’s â€Å"Mother’s Tongue† she providesRead MoreAnalysis Of Two Kinds By Amy Tan1567 Words   |  7 Pages One of the most complex relationships is that of a mother and daughter. Amy Tan is an author who writes about her life growing up as an Asian-American in Chinatown. Her novel The Joy Luck Club is a series of short stories about Chinese mothers and their assimilated daughters. One of these stories is â€Å"Two Kinds,† which looks into the life of Jing-Mei Woo and her struggle to gain a sense of self. Some key themes in The Joy Luck Club are the generational and intercultural differences among Chinese-AmericanRead MoreAmy Tan s The Joy Luck Club And The Kitchen God s Wife Essay1609 Words   |  7 PagesFebruary 25, 2016 LWA: Amy Tan Born on February 19, 1952, in Oakland, California, Amy Tan is introduced to the world as an American novelist. Amy Tan is known for being a worldwide artist, as she published two of her famous novels, The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God’s Wife. Often, people would think that successful people had a great start at a young age; yet, Amy Tan had experienced a rough childhood until she later became successful. Both of her parents, John and Daisy Tan, are Chinese immigrantsRead MoreHanif Kureishis My Son the Fanatic and Amy Tans Two Kinds: Modern Cultural Theme of Dual and Transitional Identity745 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ In a world which is only now beginning to emerge from the shackles of colonialism, both former empires and the nations once subdued by their hegemony have entered a transitional period defined by uncertainty and the loss of collective identity. Compounding matters is the delicate balance that expatriates from former colonies turned independent countries, suc h as Pakistan, India, and Hong Kong, must seek to achieve while residing in the former motherland of Great Britain. For the most ambitious