In “Mother tongue” by Amy Tan talks about her experience as a young child whose mother didn’t speak “proper” English; She Described her mother language as “Broken”. Tan recalls often having to translate for her mother in various time. She found herself feeling embarrassed of the way her mom spoke. One- day Tan was delivering a speech when she noticed her mom was in the crowded and it was the first time her mom heard her talk with such big words.
After that she noticed she articulates different with everybody; she describes it as a “language of intimacy”(Tan 418) Throughout the article Tan argues that ecause of the way her mom spoke people didn’t take her serious, and perceived her as not very smart. Tan feels that if someone has limited English he/she will be heavily judged by those around them. l agree with Tan, my mom who has very limited English is often heavy judged by those who hear her speak. Because of this my brothers or I will translate for her.
People judgements are quickly made after meeting my mother and i. Tan also explains that because of the way people pursived her she was guided by teacher to go into a field with math or science because Asian students tend to score higher in that rea “. perhaps they also have teachers who are stering them away from writing and into math and science which is what happened to me . [f]ortunately, i happen to be rebellious in nature and enjoy challnge of disoproving assumptions made about me”. (Tan 433).
Similar to Tan point in “The joy of reading and writing: Superman and me” by Sherman Alexie, share his story on how he fell in love with reading and writing despite being redicule by his peers. Growing up in a middle class family in the reservation both Indian and non indian didnt expect much from each other “[a]s Indian children , we were expected o fail in the non-indian world”. (Alexie 17 Alexi and Tan had to fight and prove that the assumption people made where wrong and they where diffrent they both refused to let people decided what they were. “I refuse to fail. I was smart.
I was arragonet.. ” (Alexi 17) Alexi like Tan share that, these perception and label people gave them , where not them ; just because they’re parents have broken english and or just because they were expected to fail doesnt mean they couldnt be succesul and achive anything they wanted. For exapmle people would have never guess that Tan mother who spoke broken” english read “[her mother] reads the Forbes reports, listens to wall streeet week, converses daily with hher stockbroker ,reads all of shirley MacLaine book ease- all kinds of things i cant begin to understant”(Tan 419).
This shows that Tan mother read to what some people whould be difficult to understand, Even if Tan may look more inteligent she has diffuculty understanding the text. But infront of strangers people might think Tan reads the forbes report than her mother , because we might judge based upon how her mother and her speak. Only because her mother spoke “broken” english nd Tan spoke perfect english doesnt mean ones more smarter than the other.
When i read this passage it remainded me of Sofia Vergara in the TV Show “Modern Family” in one of the episodes she says “i know what i mean… Do you even know how smart i am in spanish” she said this after people judged her so heavily because of her accent they though she was “dumb” , like many other who dont speak standard english they are viewed as“ uninteligent” but it doesnt mean they arent the launguage barrier complicates people from getting their point acrross , so they resort to unsing rudmimentary english words. Another xaample is when Alexie was a young child “[h]e reads Grapes of Wrath in kindergarden when other children are struggling through Dick and jane. If hed anthing but a indian boy lining in the reservation,he migh have been called a prodigy.
But he s an indiad boy living in the reservation and is simply a oddity. ” (Alexie 17) this is a clear example of alexie being judged becuase of his echticity people didint expect much from indinas over all. Alexi says “[a] smart inian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by inidans and non-indian alike . They wanted me to stay quite ewhen the non indian eacher asked for anseres.. We were indians children who were expected to be stupid”(Alexie 17) Alexi went against all the expectations of how a “indian” kid should be , and Tan proved that people judgements are often wrong and should define who a person is.
Anothe big point present in both , Tan and Alexie artictle is the idea of “Litmitatiions ” the idea that becasue Tan mother spoke a broken language it impacted Tan as well and limited her in diffrent ways . “. my mother English almost had an effect on limiting my posiibiliies in life as well. “(Tan 420) Tan bealived that because of her mom it effected her on achivments est ; and Alexie though that because he was a Indian he was limitid on how much he could succed being Indian . Writing was something beyond Indians. “(Alexie 18). Being limited is like walking with a dchain once the chain has beeen streched out you cant continue to talk any further but once you free your selve you crave the feeling of going beyond. Alexie belaived that because he was Indian it was okay to fail because many of the Indian where still tied in that chain of being limited and they accepted it that if you failed it wasnt a big deal ” Those who failed were ceremonilly accepted by other Indiana.. “(Alexie 17)
Every one has limitation but those who dont fight agaisnt will not know whats beyond it, reading both Alexi and Tan made me realize that if it wasnt from them standing up anf going beyond they would have proven that what people asusmed they were was true. I considers my self Mexican American because i was brought to the US when i was only a year old i grew up in the US and because of the skin of my color i was judged people didint expect alot from me , someone once siad “Your people dont go to college “. Espacialy now with the current presidnent in the US their is sence of judement because of what he said about
Mexicans according to him i am a “ repist , drug dealer” Just like Tan and Alexi it will motive to me to show those who judged and didnt expect anything from me that they were wrong i will overcome every obsticle in my way to prove them wrong. Because of this it made me more alert of what going on. It made me try not to assume or judge anyone on basis of the way they speak, race , bealives ,ect. Judging people is the most inncacurate , and wrong habit to do because it only creates distances you from meeting new people and it could efect them person who is being judged.