Review of Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue"

    Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue" is an interesting insight into the world of immigrants and how specifically, Tan's mother interprets and speaks English. What I like about this story is that it is personal while also appealing to many people who can relate to Tan's points.
   One thing that sort of surprised me was how Tan disliked the term "broken English" when used to describe someone like her mother's English. She expresses her dislike by writing, "It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than "broken", as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness" (39). This line somewhat shocked me because I realized Tan thinks everyday people would look at her mother as less than because of the way she speaks. I have never looked at someone in a negative way because their English did not sound the same as mine. However, it was interesting to see it through Tan's perspective.
   I enjoyed how Tan sort of symbolizes each English she speaks to mean something important to herself and others. Her "simple English" that she speaks to her mother represents their bond and also the immigrants' struggle. Her "proper English" which she uses while giving a speech which also separates her from her mother in a sense. My favorite part of this text however, was when Tan reveals the type of audience she envisioned for her book, someone like her mother. She describes what she hoped to convey to the reader, "I wanted to capture what language ability tests can never reveal: her intent, her passion, her imagery, the rhythms of her speech, and the nature of her thoughts" (42). I enjoyed reading this text overall and hope to read more of Tan's work.