When one assimilates into a new culture, they are often conflicted because they are put into a setting that they are not accustomed to. People who are put into a new environment often want to feel like they are a part of the new culture and not feel alienated. By letting go of some of the old traditions and culture, they are allowing themselves to experience and adapt to a new environment. Even though parts of the old culture are lost, a new cultural experience is being created which helps widens
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person she is and it shocks her that people do not want to get to know her but instead look at her skin color and assume only the worst. Amy Tan, a writer who is in love with language. Language is connected to your race and ethnicity. It shows that people can have an accent, a form of way to saying things, and a particular way to speak with only a selective few. Amy explains, " Like others, I have described it to people as "broken," or "fractured" English. But I wince when I say that. It has always
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frustration because you cannot express yourself well in another language? How do you deal with the frustrating situation? How is yours similar to or different from Tan’s experience? While reading Tan's essay "Mother Tongue". I found a lot similarity between Tan and her mother as well as myself. what they have experienced is what I am experiencing right now. I started learning English when I was 16. To be honest, I am not a fast learner at language, so I do speak and write in broken English
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Moreover, it is very uncommon to find two people that speak the exact same English because there are many different forms of the language. This argument that Amy Tan makes in her story "Mother Tongue" written in 1990. Tan wrote about growing up in an Asian American home where English was not spoken correctly by her mother. The meaning of "mother tongue" is the first language learned at home in childhood. However, recently many researches showed the importance of correct English while speaking and how does
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I have lived with my grandmother for nine years and I have always seen her as my friend as well as my family, so talking to her comes easy for me. However, my speech differs from when I talk to her than when I speak to friends. I noticed this one day when I caught myself speaking differently while I was talking to my grandmother. I realized that I was a part of two language communities, one being my grandmother and myself which is more formal and respectful, and the other being my friends and myself
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After reading the essay, “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan, our class learned a lot about why we speak the way we do. There are some pretty important factors that determine how we speak, such as where you have lived during your lifespan, where your parents have lived, you and your parent’s ethnicity, who you associate with, or whether you’re in a public or private environment. I have spent my entire life living in the Boston area, so I definitely have my own unique mother tongue. All over Massachusetts
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“Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples, “Serving in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich, and “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan all tackle the issue of one being thought of as something they are not, as a result of his or her unchangeable characteristics. Staples is an African-American man and is often mistaken as a criminal because of his race. When working as a journalist, Staples was running late and “was mistaken for a burglar. The office manager called security and, with an ad hoc
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stories Liked for Myself by Maya Angelou, The Day Language Came into My Life by Helen Keller, and Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, tell of the similar difficulties these women faced when it came to communicating with the people around them. Angelou was a young girl when she found herself unable to speak out loud unto her peers, similar for Keller as she was blind and deaf by an illness at an early age, and Tan was ashamed of her “broken” English that was spoken amongst her family. These three women each faced
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We live in a world where people are judged by the way they look, by the way they talk or even by the groups whom they’re associated with. A person who speaks with a deep accent may be judged for speaking “differently”. Language is a great thing. It’s what we use to communicate with others. Each country has different kinds of languages with different accents. Communication is used everywhere in the world. Everyone communicates all the time. But communication is much more than just talking and listening;
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Natalie Peguero English 112 Section 45 Prof. Mayers November 20, 2013 Aren’t we all equal? One of the most controversial topics today in America is immigration. Should they be deported? Or should they be given a chance for a better future? Immigrants go through abuse daily, they are treated unequal and as minority. Some immigrants’ are given the chance to work; they work hard but are treated and paid miserably. Even the health care provided to immigrants is sometimes cruel because of
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