Amy Tan Rhetorical Analysis

Comprehension

1. Amy Tan is classifying the different forms of English she uses depending on who she is talking to. The types of English she categorizes, such as academic, professional, family, and bilingual English are individual categories in which she describes how that particular form of language affects her life.

2. Tan describes the different forms of English she uses by the anecdotes, short stories that have a lesson or purpose, she places throughout her text. In the beginning, Tan could have mentioned the different forms of English she uses, so her readers could have better context as to where her anecdotes were leading up to.

3. Tan illustrates each category equally, however, she does not outright tell her audience the shift from

By providing Mrs. Tan’s speech, Tan demonstrates to her readers how her mother’s English is not perfect in a grammatical sense, but it is understandable. The audience gets the impression that Tan’s mother speaks in “broken” English, but it is understandable at what is she trying to say. As well as having a greater understanding on how Tan felt angry when some people labeled Mrs. Tan unworthy to listen to because she had difficulty speaking English. The effect was intentional because Tan included the whole quote to really cement the fact that Mrs.Tan spoke English, but not well. At the same time, it allows Tan’s audience to understand what her mother said and how absurd it is to deem her as

By providing the juxtaposition in paragraph 10 to 13, it shows how Tan’s English changes depending on the situation. Meaning, in a professional setting or situation, Tan would serve as a representative for her mother who is incapable to speak with a polished tone and high level vocabulary.

4. “Mother Tongue” means native language or the first language you know or are accustomed to. In this essay, “Mother Tongue” is referring to how Tan’s mother’s unique way of speaking English has influenced Tan’s English. So much so, that Tan’s English is usually similar as her mother’s and has become a form of speaking she has become accustomed to.

5. For Tan, it is a terrible line because it is creating a facade of being literary superior by using extravagant words. In reality, however, her writing is easy for non fluent English speakers to understand. Tan’s writing is usually accessible because her main purpose is to write, so her mother can understand it. The terrible line is a sentence that Tan herself does not understand because it is too complicated, she also despises it because it is an attempt to sound literate.

Vocabulary