Suggestions for Writing

1. Tan focuses in this essay on the influence her mother’s “broken English” has had on her formation as a writer. Yet the essay has enjoyed a long-lasting popularity that suggests it holds meaning for readers beyond those interested in the life and times of Amy Tan. Write an essay analyzing the rhetorical strategies Tan uses to give this piece broad appeal.

   Question

   uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7

   Chapter 10 - Mother Tongue - Suggestions for Writing: Tan focuses in this essay on the influence her mother’s “broken English” has had on her formation as a writer. Yet the essay has enjoyed a long-lasting popularity that suggests it holds meaning for readers beyond those interested in the life and times of Amy Tan. Write an essay analyzing the rhetorical strategies Tan uses to give this piece broad appeal.
2. At the end of the essay, Tan says that she “began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with” (para. 21). Read Tan’s short story “Two Kinds” or her novel The Joy Luck Club, and analyze where and how she uses different “Englishes.”

   Question

   uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7

   Chapter 10 - Mother Tongue - Suggestions for Writing: At the end of the essay, Tan says that she “began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with” (para. 21). Read Tan’s short story “Two Kinds” or her novel The Joy Luck Club, and analyze where and how she uses different “Englishes.”
3. Tan argues that her novelist’s perception made it difficult for her to do well on SAT-type questions because they were too limiting. Write an essay in which you describe some skills or kinds of knowledge that you have that could not be assessed by a standardized test.

   Question

   uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7

   Chapter 10 - Mother Tongue - Suggestions for Writing: Tan argues that her novelist’s perception made it difficult for her to do well on SAT-type questions because they were too limiting. Write an essay in which you describe some skills or kinds of knowledge that you have that could not be assessed by a standardized test.
4. In this essay, Tan makes the following assertion: “Sociologists and linguists probably will tell you that a person’s developing language skills are more influenced by peers. But I do think that the language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families which are more insular, plays a large role in shaping the language of the child” (para. 15). Write an essay in which you argue whether you believe that a person’s language is more influenced by peers than by family. Use evidence from your reading, personal experience, or observations to support your position.

   Question

   uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7

   Chapter 10 - Mother Tongue - Suggestions for Writing: In this essay, Tan makes the following assertion: “Sociologists and linguists probably will tell you that a person’s developing language skills are more influenced by peers. But I do think that the language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families which are more insular, plays a large role in shaping the language of the child” (para. 15). Write an essay in which you argue whether you believe that a person’s language is more influenced by peers than by family. Use evidence from your reading, personal experience, or observations to support your position.
5. Keep an observational journal for several days, noting the judgments people make on the basis of how a person speaks or writes. Consider your peers, a business environment, or the media. Then write an essay explaining the relationship you have observed between power and language. Does someone’s facility with a language (or, in some contexts, with bilingualism) confer power? Did you observe situations where one’s position of authority makes his or her language acceptable? Did you note anyone who “code-switched,” or shifted his or her way of speaking to accommodate a different audience or community? Work your analysis of these observations into your essay.

   Question

   uZxg83qH9uNZ3NUqyV8wT7hdxc9/5MQeJeZaOsQNhvI0w6Xk3EOeDQ1B873FE1s7

   Chapter 10 - Mother Tongue - Suggestions for Writing: Keep an observational journal for several days, noting the judgments people make on the basis of how a person speaks or writes. Consider your peers, a business environment, or the media. Then write an essay explaining the relationship you have observed between power and language. Does someone’s facility with a language (or, in some contexts, with bilingualism) confer power? Did you observe situations where one’s position of authority makes his or her language acceptable? Did you note anyone who “code-switched,” or shifted his or her way of speaking to accommodate a different audience or community? Work your analysis of these observations into your essay.