The Burden Of Expectations In 'Rice And Rose Bowl Blues'

Gabrielle Tuckerson

Ms. Ambrose

English II; 1st Period

29 March 2023

The Burden of Expectations

Parents sometimes have extreme expectations of their children. They think they know best and want the best for their children–but it doesn’t always work that way. In some families, the expectations parents have for their children are the reason their children rebel. In “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, the main character, Jing-mei has to face the expectations of becoming a prodigy that her mother is adamant about; the repeated disappointment her mother experiences causes Jing-mei to feel like her mother is sabotaging her and makes her rebel against her mother. In “Rice and Rose Bowl Blues” by Diane Mark, the speaker is forced to cook instead of playing

An example of connotative diction is when “ . . . [her mother] conspired to have [her] play in a talent show” (Tan 227). It is clear Jing-mei’s mother is disinterested in her daughter's dreams; the use of the word “conspired” implies that her mother did this behind her back despite knowing she doesn’t want to do it. Demonstrated by imagery, the story shows how bad the relationship between Jing-mei and her mother was. Emphasizing her attitude, the narrator expresses how “[she] wedged herself more tightly in front of the TV” (Tan 230) to convey how she rebels by completely ignoring her mother and continuing to watch the TV. As Jing-mei’s mother is telling her that she has to go play piano, the reader can imagine how she gets more and more angry as her daughter disregards what she is saying. Finally, the narrator emphasizes to the reader how the relationship between Jing-mei and her mother deteriorates more and more as time

Emphasized by the details in the poem, the rebellion in the speaker and how she does what she wants regardless of her mother is shown. Explaining her rebellion, the speaker discloses how “[she] secretly traced / an end run through / the grains in / between pourings'” (Mark 20-23). This shows how the speaker undermined her mother and watched the game when she was supposed to be cooking the rice; the rebellious behavior the speaker experiences is shown. Moreover, the connotative diction in the stanza helps the reader understand how the speaker feels about her mother's desire for her to cook instead of play football and how she completely ignores those desires. Highlighting her amusement, the speaker announces that [she] laughed loudly, / asking him / where / he’d heard / such a thing” (Mark 33-37). Readers learn how absurd the speaker thought that statement was through the use of the phrase “laughed loudly.” It helps the reader understand how the speaker is not going to let her mother demoralize her for being zealous about football. As a result of the use of details and connotative diction, the reader understands that the speaker disregards her mothers wishes and plays