Category: Two Kinds

Introduction

The author Amy Tan uses the topic Two Kinds to demonstrate that the child can either follow the parent’s expectations by living the dream of their parents or still following their own path and becoming unique. Parents start thinking and imagining about their children’s expectations from the moment they found out about the sex of the child. After finding out that they are expecting a Babyboy, some parents start imagining attending their graduation in a medical school. After finding out that they have a baby girl, they start fantasizing about how they will teach her to cook and how she will grow up to be a strong woman. However, after being unable to achieve some dreams in life, some parents turn their children’s expectations. A parent who wanted to become a doctor and did not manage might want the child to become one to satisfy their ego. Other parents would want their children to pick their path and follow their route; for instance, a parent who is a lawyer would like to have their child follow their footstep in practicing law. Other parents, like the mother of Ni kan would like their children to be the best to boost their self-esteem.

Two kinds

The author paints a good image of the relationship between the mother and her daughter. The mother was determined to see her daughter excel and amount to be the best in life. She could see the potential in her that could propel her to greatness. She starts by telling her that she can amount to anything she wanted in life. Consequently, the mother compares her with others, and she is seen trying out different paths to help her daughter discover herself. The daughter was very obedient and would always give her best in trying what the mother had suggested. Her mother provided everything necessary that could help her discover her talent. We can see her encouraging Ni Kan to watch more of Shirley’s movies on TV and went to an extend of enrolling her in a Shirley Temple. She also created time to take her through academic work from magazines she collected from the cleaning houses.

However, Ni kan relationship with her mother started deteriorating after failing in several tests. For instance, her mother was disappointed after she is unable to memorize a Bible chapter. She became frustrated that her high expectations and hopes were cut short. Nevertheless, her mother kept the hope of helping Ni Kan discover herself. She was ready to assist her daughter on the journey of choice. After seeing a girl playing piano, she encouraged her daughter and even paid piano classes to see her daughter excel. But this girl never took the classes seriously, and her failure is demonstrated on the day she was to perform in church. Her parents invited friends to witness the success of their child, only to face shame. Things got worse when she refused to practice the piano even after her parents went out of their way to buy it. Following, a series of failure Ni kan relationship with mother rekindled during her thirtieth birthday. Unfortunately, her mother passed on before she could enjoy her daughter’s excel.

Ni kan comes from a humble family, judging from the type of work her mother was doing. However, irrespective of her poverty, she still believed that her daughter would grow up to conquer the world. She believed that with good nurturing, her daughter could become anything she desired in life. She is seen doing her best to support any adventure that would propel her daughter to greatness. But Ni kan failed to take her mother seriously, leading to a broken relationship. By the time her mother is dying, she had tried her best to assist her daughter even if the results were not pleasing. Children should come to the reality that their parents want nothing but the best for them. Each parent wants to see their children conquering the world. However, there is nothing much the parent can do if the child is not willing. It is also advisable for parents to listen to their children’s interests to help them make the right decisions in life. Children should not be handled like machines; alternatively, they should be engaged before making any decision.

Migration does not only imply migrating from one country to another, but postulates the existence of harsh realities such as the fear of acceptance, conflicting cultural differences, and most importantly the struggle with identity, that tag along. The short story “Two Kinds” by American writer Amy Tan and the short novel “Home Fire” by Pakistani-British author Kamila Shamsie connects to the varying immigration issues, the existence of cultural divisions and cultural beliefs and failures of nationalism against immigrants of certain descent. Out of the four directions that exist in this world, East meets West after so many realizations and tragic encounters. Insisting on acceptance of domestic norms means asking immigrant groups to relinquish some intellectual attributes of their difference. It would be deceiving oneself sanctimoniously to believe that this happens without suffering or pain, but pure tolerance capability. It is the moral obligation of the host to attenuate this suffering and compensate for the agony: the greatest compensational reparation is an increased level of respect and equality.

Understanding and claiming one’s identity has something to do with the international movement of people upon being a first generation immigrant and growing up in the immigrant destination society. Jing-Mei and her mother are the two different kinds of women because of their decidedly changing and revolving life experiences and backgrounds. The Chinese mother and the American-Chinese daughter are the two kinds of people with extremely different perspectives and expectations of life. The mother grew up in a Chinese society where huge expectations and limited choices existed. The daughter was raised in an American society with limited expectations and unlimitedly varying choices. The flow of life was different in its entirety for the mother as opposed to the life of her daughter in the individualistic land of America. In a civilization where individuality is valued, the daughter desired to be an individual, while her mother demanded something else. Thus, this tale strongly brings out the impact of conflicting immigrant cultural expectations with that of the classic American cultural identity.

Identity is a significant experience not only for the opportunity of belonging somewhere or to achieve a sense of belongingness, but to go far beyond whatever the society thinks of an identity. Opposing to the contradicting immigrant presuppositions and identity struggle in Two Kinds, in “Home Fire”, siblings Isma Pasha, Aneeka Pasha and Parvaiz Pasha are in different parts of the world due to their revolving circumstances. They travel through London in United Kingdom, Amherst and Massachusetts in the United States, Istanbul in Turkey, Raqqa City in Syria, and Karachi in Pakistan to claim their distinguishing identities. In the process of travelling between Eastern and Western countries, they undergo unbearable pain inflicted by their home country of Britain as a result of being a victim of the anti-Muslim community. The struggle is real and represents present-day issues of vulnerability and social precariousness that most of the western nation’s policies and inclinations inculcate in people of Muslim and Middle Eastern origin.

In conclusion, After all we all belong to the human race.

These days, children seek for acceptance for who they truly are from their parents, who believe they can be something else. Sigmund Freud, a neurologist who discovered the psychoanalytic lens, believes there are three parts of the brain; the id, ego and superego. In the short story, “Two Kinds”, by Amy Tan, a young child named Jing-mei, has to go through her teenage years constantly pressured by her mom to become a prodigy. Her mother is a Chinese immigrant who came to San Francisco in 1949 after losing her husband, parents and two twin daughters. Before she migrated to the United States, Jing-mei’s mom never had any of the opportunities that she had wanted. She has high expectations for Jing-mei and tries to give her everything she couldn’t have growing up. But the high expectations and pressure Jing-mei is receiving not only damages their parent-child relationship, but also leads Jing-mei with low-self esteem and loss of her childhood that she should enjoy. This can be seen in “Two Kinds” by using psychoanalysis to view Jing-mei’s id, her mom’s ego and Jing-mei’s superego.

“Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.” – JK Rowling. In “Two Kinds” Jing-mei’s id is to gain her mother’s acceptance. All she wants is for her mother to love her as to who she really is, not a prodigy. Jing-mei started off as a girl who loved to make her mother proud by completing tasks with excellent scores. But with success, there always comes failure. Jing-mei always hated watching her mom disappointed. “Before going to bed that night I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink, and I saw only my face staring back. I began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl!. Something inside of me began to die”. Jing-mei feels that she can’t keep up with what her mom expects from her and begins to gain hatred for herself. Her mother fails to see that by accepting Jing-mei for who she truly is, they can finally have a normal relationship.

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” In “Two Kinds”, it is clear to see Jing-mei’s mother’s ego. Her mom suffered before migrating to San Francisco. She had parents, a husband and two twin daughters. After the daughter’s death, she had an obsession with trying to make Jing-mei a prodigy. Growing up, her mom never had any of the opportunities Jing-mei has, now that they live in America. She tries to give her everything she couldn’t have before so she could be successful. She tries to put a lot of pressure on Jing-mei because she wants to feel like she didn’t fail her. This creates a problem between them, because the things that her mom is trying to give her, is not necessarily what she wants. Jing-mei’s Auntie Lindo has a child named Waverly who is incredibly gifted and is a prodigy. Jing-mei’s mom envies Auntie Lindo for having a prodigy daughter and makes her want to push Jing-mei more into doing stuff she feels like she needs.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” In “Two Kinds”, Jing-mei’s superego is visible. She believes that doing what her mom makes her do, she will finally back off. Jing-mei doesn’t realize that even after she has become a prodigy, her mom will always expect more. Jing-mei has piano lessons and has a tutor who is deaf. She makes mistakes occasionally and will not get corrected due to her tutor’s being deaf. Jing-mei fails and embarasses herself when she finally has to perform due to her lacking and never wanting to try. She never wanted to actually learn and be something different. Jing-mei’s mother finally accepts her for she truly is but it also pains her to see that she failed her.

To conclude, it is visible to see that the constant pressure and high expectations to be a perfect child or a prodigy harms not only the relationship but also the child’s self-esteem and can lead to loss of childhood. This can be seen by using psychoanalysis and viewing Jing-mei’s id, her moms ego and Jing-mei’s superego.

Many kids today want to become successful in life either doing what they love or doing what they have to do to be successful with or without support. In “Two Kinds” and “Rules of The Game” by Amy Tan, both the main characters Jing-mei and Waverly have the same nationality and somewhat the same age. Nevertheless, they have very different perspectives when it comes to taking an opportunity to become successful, also the amount of courage you have to excel on your interest. Furthermore, both characters have different expectations in their family. Mrs.Woo the protagonist of “Two Kinds” Is trying to make her daughter Jing-mei a prodigy on the piano. Jing-mei knows that she is not prodigy material so she always considers the worst outcome. Whereas in “Rules of The Game” Waverly the Protagonist of the story Waverly the protagonist wants to play chess and already has a mindset to succeed, Waverly wants to find out every little detail about chess so her knowledge of chess can expand.

• Don’t claim it unless you can prove it
• give evidence for everything find the BEST evidence
• Anything you say in the body must be summarized in the intro
• Topic sentences Don’t be too vague or too specific
• Need a contrast, not just a difference

Brainstorming Chart

“Two Kinds” by Amy Tan Chinese AAAA American

Both Stories

“Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan – Chinese-American;

The daughter doesn’t care for succeeding in her career but her mother has almost gave up everything for her to be a prodigy

-Mother is only hard on her when she sees that daughter is not trying.

They both care about what people think

Both from Chinatown

They are both relatives

Show off their daughters

-daughter wants to play chess

But the mother doesn’t care for it that much.

– Her mother is very hard on her.

2. Quote Bank:

Reread your two stories and pick out great quotes – quotes that are filled with meaning, and show the CONFLICT of the story and/or quotes that show important things about AGE or CULTURAL difference. You need five quotes for each story. Each quote can be as short as a few words and no longer than two sentences. For each quote write down a few words about the context: who is speaking, to whom are they speaking, and what is happening at this exact moment in the story?

Make sure to put the quotes in quotation marks and also write down the page number.

[note: when you go to write the outline and the draft you can change quotes, you do not HAVE to use these quotes; but if you can find good quotes now it will save you a lot of time later]

Story A Quotes

1. Context: Her mom showing her off

Quote: “This my daughter Waver-ly Jong, she said to whoever looked her way.

2. Context: Mother showing tough love to her daughter when shes playing a chess match

Quote: My mother had a habit of standing over me while I plotted out my games.

3. Context: her mother wants her to pursue her dream

Quote: “my mother had traded house cleaning services for weekly lessons and a piano for me to practice every day.”

4. Context: Waverly now wants to play the piano

Quote: It sounded even richer than I remembered. Really, it was a very good piano.

5. Context: Her mother shows affection toward her

Quote:’You pick up fast,’ my mother said as if she knew this was certain. “You have natural talent.

Story B Quotes

1. Context: Her mother only wants her to succeed not to fail

Quote: If I lost, I would bring shame on my family. ‘Is shame you fall down nobody push you,’ said my mother.P#

2. Context: When daughter is going to piano practice Mother supporting daughter

Quote:”That was awful,” and mother whispered “ Well she certainly tried”

3. Context: Her mother is being really hard on her and watching her every move.

Quote:If I lost, I would bring shame on my family. ‘Is shame you fall down nobody push you,’ said my mother.

4. Context: her mother is ashamed of her and thinks she’s brought bad luck on this family.

Quote:’We not concerning this girl. This girl not have concerning for us.’

5. Context: her mother is saying it’s embarrassing to have a daughter like her.

Quote: ‘It’s not that, it’s just so obvious. It’s just so embarrassing.’ ‘Embarrass you be my daughter?

Paragraph:

Topic Sentence – state a main idea

Background – give context for a quote or paraphrase (in a sentence or two explaining what is happening in this moment and who is speaking)

Evidence – state a quote or paraphrase

Analysis – in a few sentences explain what the quote or paraphrase is showing and how it proves your main idea; talk about what individual words in the quote mean and explain how this shows something

Recap – restate the main point of the paragraph in different words pack a quote from ‘Mrs. Sen’s’ that you think is important to the overall meaning of the story. The quote needs to be at least FOUR WORDS and cannot be more than TWO SENTENCES. Write a paragraph analyzing the quote. Imagine it is a body paragraph for an analysis essay. In your paragraph follow the TBEAR model. Compose in a google doc and upload here.

Outline Template:

Introduction Paragraph:

1. Hook Sentence: Many kids today have big dreams, many kids today don’t have big dreams, they just want to be a normal person making minimum wage.
2. Sentence to introduce the two stories:I think In both stories “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan and “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan they both show two kids with very different perspectives about where they want to go in the future and what they can accomplish.
3. Helpful background about the stories:In the story Two Kinds, the Mother wants her child to become a prodigy by playing piano she gives up almost everything for her child Jing-mei to go to piano lessons but Jing-mei does not want to become a prodigy. In the story Rules of the game the daughter of Linda, Waverly has big goals to be the best player at chess. Waverly goes to many tournament to accomplish her dream, however, her mom is very hard on her and watches her every move to make sure she succeeds.
4. THESIS: Both stories show two kinds with different interpretations due to the fact that one doesn’t want to become a prodigy and the other is actually taking the initiative to succeed.

Body Paragraph Topic Sentence 1: In both the stories Two kinds and Rules of the game they both neglect their parents in different ways.

Evidence: In the story Two kinds the text states,”Then I wish I weren’t your daughter, I wish you weren’t my mother,’ I shouted Whereas in the story Rules of the game it states,

“I jerked my hand out of my mother’s tight grasp and spun around, knocking into an old woman. Her bag of groceries spilled to the ground. “

Analysis: These quotes show that both of the daughters resent their mothers in one way or the other

Body Paragraph Topic Sentence 2: In the story Rules of the game she has a different approach on achieving her dream than in Two kinds.

Evidence: In Rules of the game it states,”A little knowledge withheld is a great advantage one should store for future use. That is the power of chess. It is a game of secrets in which one must show and tell “. In Two kinds:”But sometimes the prodigy in me became impatient. ‘If you don’t hurry up and get me out of here, I’m disappearing for good,’ it warned. “And then you’ll always be nothing”.

Analysis: I think that Waverly wants to wants to pursue her dream but Jinga-mei had negative thoughts about what she is going to do become a prodigy.

Body Paragraph Topic Sentence 3: In both stories Two kinds and Rules of the game the mothers have a different actions when their children partake in their activities.

Evidence: In two kinds, Mr. Chong was a retired piano teacher, and my mother had traded house cleaning services for weekly lessons and a piano for me to practice every day, two hours a day, from four until six. Rules of the game: my mother told Vincent to throw the chess set away. ‘She not want it. We do not want it.’ she said, tossing her head stiffly to the side with a tight, proud smile.

Analysis: In Two kinds the mother had traded the services that she provided just so that her daughter could become a prodigy. Be that as it may In Rules of the game the mothers first impression was to throw the whole chess set away just because it was given by someone else not thinking about what her children want.