Both her and her mom want her to be a prodigy of Beyonce. Both of their parents want them to become a prodigy of somebody. Jing-Mei’s mom wants her to be a prodigy of Shirley Temple. One other allusion in “Two Kinds” and modern day society is Peter Pan. Peter Pan never wants to grow up and neither does Jing-Mei.
The Rebellious Daughter: Analyzing the Theme of Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” The story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan explores the deep familial emotions between a mother and her daughter. Jing-Mei’s mother had left China to come to America after losing her family, and had been raising Jing-Mei in America with her second husband. Despite her mother’s grand hopes for Jing-Mei to become successful in America by becoming a child prodigy, Jing-Mei did not share the same opinions.
Her relationship with her mother is distant, as evidenced by their stilted conversations, where Jing-Mei struggles to understand her mother's Chinese heritage. However, as Jing-Mei listens to her mother's stories and anecdotes, she gradually begins to understand her mother's perspective and appreciate her Chinese roots. For instance, when her mother talks about her abandoned twin daughters in China, Jing-Mei realizes the depth of her mother's pain and how her mother's experiences have shaped her life. Jing-Mei says, "I saw what seemed to be the prodigy side of me--my mother's fears of my turning out like my aunt. But I also saw what seemed to be the opposite side of me--my father's 'Chinese side'--blending with my mother's fears and the reality of the present" (Pg. 39).
Unmended bonds From the beginning of time, parents and their children have clashed over the child's desire to be unique and independent; which creates conflict with the adults who care for him or her. In the short story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, a Chinese mother and her American raised daughter began to clash as the daughter gets older and begins to feel unable to achieve the expectations of her mother. Jing-mei’s mother strongly believes her daughter is a prodigy. Jing-mei, over time, begins to disagree. After being tested for years in difficult and unrealistic tasks, Jing-mei begins to resent her mother for the things her mother does.
She would present new test, taking her examples from stories of amazing children she had read in Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Good House Keeping, or Reader's Digest….”(Tan 133). Jing mei’s mother had high expectations for her to be like the kids that she read about in magazines or watched on TV. Unfortunately, for Jing Mei, the pressure was too much to handle, and
In conclusion, “ Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, was about Jing-mei and finding herself, even without her mothers help. Shirley Temple and Peter Pan were good moments in the story, but helped discover that just because they were happy moments, doesn’t mean that’s all a prodigy does. Jing –mei thought all the stuff her mom did help her, but it didn’t. It made her think about herself and her life. This is how Two Kinds of allusion affected Jing
In “Jing Mei Woo:Two Kinds”, the mother-daughter relationship reminds me of the relationship Neil from Dead Poet’s Society had with his father. Neil had expressed his interest in acting and Neal’s father shut Neal down describing how schoolwork is more important than being apart of the drama club. Tan’s mother wants Tan to be a certain way without thinking of how it makes Tan feel, “You want me to be something that I’m not!” I sobbed. “I’ll never be the kind of daughter you want me to be!”(Tan 141-142).
Three of the mothers: An-mei Hsu, Lindo Jong and Ying-ying St. Clair show their motherly intentions throughout their daughters' lives, shaping them into what they are now. A mother's best intentions have a great impact on identity once the daughters become aware of these intentions. An-mei Hsu has always tried
People often say that there is no correct or right way to raise a child, and yet parents face criticism all the time. What makes a good or a bad parent? Well, let’s look at the kids. Surely the difference between a musically talented, straight A student, and an average C grade student depends on their upbringing, but that is not always the truth. For some people, their way is the only correct way, and the perfect example would be from one Amy Chau, a mother of two who embraces the stereotypical “Asian parent” role and scorns the “Western” way of parenting.
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother Critique Amy Chua, a professor at Yale Law School, has created an article called Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother that intensively describes differences in the usage of parenting methods in Chinese and Westerners culture. The author has personally raised her children in a highly strict manner so her children succeed in life and academics. Chua often refers to the term “Chinese mother” that describes her parenting style apart from Western parents. The main purpose of this article is to show the two parenting techniques and how they affect the child 's success.
In her novel, The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan focuses on the fact that the bond between a mother and daughter can overcome any ethnic barrier. Despite there being many disagreements and arguments about the ways to live their lives, Tan defies this issue by creating a bond that is unbreakable even though the experienced different upbringings. Certain disagreements keep the novel interesting and create a conflict depicting the problems stemming from this barrier. Through her use of similes, metaphors, and flashbacks, Tan shows how the bond between a mother and daughter can withstand even the strongest cultural differences.
“Two Kinds” a short story out of Amy Tan’s book “The Joy Luck Club” is a representation of the pressures immigrant children face from their parents. In the story, we follow a young girl named Jing-Mei as she embarks down the road to becoming a Prodigy. Her mother believed that “you could be anything you wanted to be in America” (Tan). For Jing-Mei that meant her mother believed she could become instantly famous. “Of course, you can be a prodigy, too”, her mother told her (Tan).
Visual Analysis In 1948, one of America’s greatest artist of the 20th century, Andrew Wyeth illustrated the painting Christina’s World. This artist often created paintings that related to personal or general real life issues. The young woman in the painting happened to be a good friend and neighbor to Wyeth. His paintings often depicted the sorrow and despair of life, just like Chirstina’s.
However, this determination sometimes appears to be obsessive to the point of running her daughter’s life for her. Regardless, she is only trying to help, as she encourages Jing Mei by asserting “‘You can be best anything.’” (1). Because of this, it suggests that although she is very harsh on her daughter at times, it is only to make sure that Jing Mei can use her full potential and not end up losing everything like her
“A mother 's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.” The wise words of Agatha Christie ring true for many across the world; the unconditional love a mother holds for her child. An instinct so powerful and caring, it does not allow for any interference or hindrance.
