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Amy Tan No Name Woman

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Recommended: Influences to social identity formation

People are consistently changing the way that they look, act and some of their beliefs just to fit in with society. There’s an invariably never-ending desire to want to feel accepted by others. Social pressure is what drives humans to do things that we know are wrong. We are often categorized in different groups where we fit in and were we don’t. Between culture, wealth and gender, the pressure is high to fit in. No one wants to standout like a sore thumb, so is disguising yourself justifiable just to feel welcome? Our world commences when we are born and begin adapting to our upbringing. “But to me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural.” (Amy Tan “Mother Tongue” WP pg. 232). The main character speaks about her friends, some understanding little of her mom’s “broken English” and some, none at all. However; that’s …show more content…

Concluding it was on the account of social pressure that caused her wanting to become a different person around other people. Maxine Hong Kingston “No Name Women” wrote about the issues with her Chinese culture on social pressure causing them to do things that they knew were wrong. Her mother shares a story about her aunt committing suicide after giving birth to a fatherless child. They had a suspicion she was pregnant, but never brought it up in discussion. The day she gave birth, both mother and child were found dead at the bottom of a well. “Now that you started to menstruate, what happened to her could happen to you. Don’t humiliate us. You wouldn’t want to be forgotten as if you had never been born.”(WP) Did her aunt really commit suicide for being shameful for being pregnant out of wedlock? And was her mother sharing her this story as a warning not to follow in her foot step and get pregnant before marriage, because if you did, there were consequences. “The villagers are watchful.” (WP) The villagers as in society, and yes everyone may be

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This is the classic story between parent and child in Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds.” The theme of this story revolves around a mother who wants nothing but the best for her daughter. Mrs. Woo, the mother of Jing-mei, is a struggling immigrant who had lost everything in China and believes in the American dream by stating, "My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America” (639). She puts Jing-mei into various activities to figure out what she could be good at.

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Imagine a world where there is a group who decides how people are going to look, act around each other, and perceive different issues and controversies. Now imagine that this represents our world. There is no need to imagine because this is how the world is since the beginning of humankind. For hundreds of years, there has been society pressures on many topics and issues. From race to body image, pressures to be “perfect” in the eyes of a powerful social group is present in any period of time in the Anthropocene Era.

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For example, when Lou Ann is pregnant and riding on the bus, she explains how relaxing it is to be pregnant because men do not, “rub up against her when the bus made sudden stops and turns.” Lou Ann feels as though the only way she can be left alone without being inappropriately touched is when she is visibly pregnant. Just because Lou Ann is a woman, she is leaned against and rubbed on by men. In addition, Taylor describes herself as, “Lucky that way,” because she does not have a father. Taylor hears so many stories and witnesses so many examples of poor treatment of women that she considers herself lucky to not have a father, a juxtaposition to the depression many children feel growing up without a parent.

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In today’s society the general attitude towards an individual is conform or be an outcast. It is seen in schools where people who do not fit into specific cliques become outcasts, the weird people. It is seen in the work place as well. People have conformed to standards set by society simply because society has said to do so. Society asks people to change themselves to fit in.

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Insanity or Insecurity Society, It is always changing, just like the people in it. No one wants to look out of place in the world so they do what they can to fit in. Everyone does it differently it might be acting a certain way, or changing style, but with fitting in comes rejection. Just like trying to fit in, dealing with rejection is done differently, most people try to fix the problem before they start to get labeled.

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Everyone has a natural desire to fit in. Everyone has a natural desire to be accepted by others. These desires are strong enough to cause individuals to give up there uniqueness. We are all told at a young age that everyone is different and that is wonderful. However, societal norms contradict this idea.

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Summary of "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan In "Mother Tongue, Amy Tan writes about how her mother 's broken English affects her life. She begins this narrative essay by talking about the day she became aware of the different forms of English that she was using at home and during formal events. Amy says, "The talk was going along well enough, until I remembered one major difference that made the whole talk sound wrong. My mother was in the room. And it was perhaps the first time she had heard me give a lengthy speech, using the kind of English I have never used with her" (Tan 1).

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It is a sensitive topic and may even not be accepted in society. The woman is apprehensive and does not know what will happen next if she does decide to get an abortion (Norton). The relationship between the characters shows that the woman depends on the man’s approval but also seeks acceptance and

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In society, there are many standards that people must uphold to. In western society, it is uncommon for men to have long hair or for women to have short hair. Naturally, people will be conscientious of their differences between other people and try to change them or cover them up, and often times people who do not follow the standard are looked down upon. This leads to people trying to fit into the groups around them almost thoughtlessly. However, when people conform without thinking, it can lead to dangerous consequences.

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When thinking of personal experiences, “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks touches on the emotional topic of abortion. Even though this poem was published decades ago, it can still be seen very relevant to this day. Accepting abortion and the outcome can indeed be a challenging task for many, while others seem to adapt to it without much of a problem. Gwendolyn Brooks’ writing lets us take a look at the mothers view point of abortion and how a mother responds to her new situation. Throughout the poem, the speaker shows signs of grieving concern of the topic of abortion and its outcomes by presenting emotions of regret and memories, shame and guilt, and contradicting herself to almost justify what she has done.

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When she was around others she would talk differently than how she talks with her mother. “…all the forms of Standard English that I had learned in school and through book, the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother” (118). Throughout her story she refers to the English her mother speaks as “Broken English” because her mother would say sentences like “Why he don’t send me check, already two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived” (119). Her mother didn’t have much difficulty understanding or reading English. When Tan was younger, she would feel embarrassed when her mother would speak because many people couldn’t understand her well.

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