Character analysis of a daughter and her chinese immigrant. To jingmeis mother, america is the land of opportunity. Amy tans short story two kinds is a portrait of a mother and daughter locked in a battle between cultural identity and autonomy, which. She receives a lot of pressure from her mother to be a prodigy. Her parents were strong believers in holding onto their chinese traditions and beliefs. Ni kans mother wants her to become a prodigy, but ni kan just wants to be herself. A key point i picked up upon reading this story was the impact assimilation can have on a person. Likewise everyday use by alice walker shares the same issues of dealing with different cultures and family dynamics. A storys setting is usually described in the beginning of the story, giving an explanation of. May 26, 2010 character analysis on jingmei in two kinds two kinds, by amy tan is a story in which a chinese mother believes that her daughter can do anything in the united states as long as she puts her mind to it and decides to push her daughter, jingmei, into being a prodigy. Point of view in amy tans short story, two kinds 123. Background two kinds is a story in amy tans immensely successful first book, the joy luck club.
Jingmei is the daughter of suyuan, and the short story tells of how the two characters battled over the process of turning. Dec 23, 2012 quick look at character and theme in amy tan s two kinds by a college prof like rebecca. In two kinds by amy tan we have the theme of hope, identity, rebellion, responsibility, blame, independence and acceptance. While everyone has conflicts with their mothers at some point, amy tan is able to make this particular conflict interesting because the mother is such a comic, tragic, determined, and foreign character. Two kinds is the last story in the second of four sections of amy tans immensely successful first book, the joy luck club. Read the excerpt below from two kinds by amy tan and answer the question that follows. I found amy tans short story, two kinds, to be an emotional and touching story. The mothers comic and tragic traits are shown through her attempts to make jingmei into shirley temple. Many of amy tan s stories feature a mother who grew up in china and a daughter who is born in america and rejects many of the traditional.
Two kinds by amy tan my mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in america. The book is divided into four interconnected segments with each of them containing a group of stories which can stand alone themselves. In fact, in the beginning i was just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so. Her mother came from an upper class shanghai family. Two kinds by amy tan by brianna downing, sarah green, hannah lukacs, lauren pyle, and elizabeth tlapek english 104th period round. Told in the first person by a woman named jingmei woo, the story is a memory and after reading it, the reader realizes that tan could explore the subject of hope. Oct 11, 2017 in two kinds by amy tan we have the theme of hope, identity, rebellion, responsibility, blame, independence and acceptance.
The time setting of the short story can be deduced from the clues that jingmei offers about her mother. Jingmei june woo, suyuan woo, canning woo, wang chwun yu and wang chwun hwa chwun, lindo jong, waverly jong, tin jong, vincent jong, winston jong, huang tyanyu, huang taitai, marvin chen, shoshana chen, lindos mother, rich schields, anmei hsu, rose hsu, bing hsu, george hsu. Many of amy tans stories feature a mother who grew up in china and a daughter who is born in america and rejects many of the traditional. The novel two kinds by amy tan explores the complex motherdaughter relationship between jingmei, a chinese american girl, and her mother, suyuan. Two kinds is a story about motherdaughter relationship suyuan and jingmei. A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, especially a variety of speech differing from the standard literary language or speech pattern of the culture in which it exists. These themes are common ones revisited in many of amy tans books. Tan intended the book to be read as a loose collection of interrelated stories, but it is often referred. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Contrasting characters in amy tans two kinds and rules of the game by taylor ruter roles in families waverlys role in rules of the game jingmeis role in two kinds in two kinds, jingmei possesses quite a different role in her family than waverly does in her family. Who are the main characters in two kinds by amy tan answers. Shes not precisely sure where her daughters talents lie, but she is sure that her daughter possesses great ability it is simply a matter of finding the right avenue for jingmeis talents. This study guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of two kinds. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the joy luck club and what it means.
I pictured this prodigy part of me as many different images, and i tried each one on for size. The short story outlines the main character jingmei june woos childhood and the effects of her mothers high expectations for her life. Two kinds by amy tan, tells the story about a foreign chinese mother, whos own past makes her want to raise her daughter up as an all new kind of american child star. Jingmei, on the other hand, was a confused child at first. In amy tans two kinds, we have the theme of hope, identity, rebellion, responsibility, guilt, independence and acceptance. Her daughter further on explains that, america was where all my mothers hopes lay had. She thought that her daughter, jingmei, would be the one to realize them. Raised by his uncle, he was trained his entire life to be a diplomat between humans and keidran even spending over a year living among humans back before the borders were closed. This was a time where everyone hunted for success, especially for the mother in this story. The storys main events take place in chinatown throughout the 1950s and perhaps early 1960s. Narrated in the first person by a woman called jingmei woo the story is a memory piece and after reading the story the reader realises that.
Several of the stories appeared in periodicals separately, many of them in. Sadly, his perfect human speech and years of education in interspecies cultures. The story two kinds by amy tan demonstrates all of the elements mentioned above. Narrated in the first person by a woman called jingmei woo the story is a memory piece and after reading the story the reader realises that tan may be exploring the theme of hope. Jingmei and suyuan are the two main characters in this story by amy tan. Raised by his uncle, he was trained his entire life to be a diplomat between humans and keidran even spending over a year. The most important characters in two kinds by amy tan are jingmei woo and mrs. Teaching two kinds by amy tan connected teaching and.
The mother hires a teacher that lives in their apartment building. Amy tan, a child of chinese immigrants, wrote the story two kinds, telling the tale of a jingmeis rebellion against her mothers desire to change her into a prodigy. Title the short story two kinds, written by amy tan, focuses on the struggles of a young protagonist named jingmei trying to find herself without the influences and pressure of others. The mother has it set in her head that her daughter, jingmei can and will become a child prodigy. You could work for the government and get good retirement. May 22, 2019 two kinds is the last story in the second segment of amy tans highly popular debut book, the joy luck club. Woo tries to mold her daughter into a child actress, but. Suyuan woo the central event in suyuans life is the loss of her twin baby daughters. Contrasting characters in two kinds and rules of the. The story takes place in san franciscos china town. Originally published in 1989, two kinds is a short story written by chineseamerican author amy. Contrasting characters in amy tan s two kinds and rules of the game by taylor ruter roles in families waverlys role in rules of the game jingmeis role in two kinds in two kinds, jingmei possesses quite a different role in her family than waverly does in her family. Amy tan was born on february 19, 1952 in oakland, california.
In the story, two kinds by amy tan, the most predominant object would be the piano. The mother had lost everything including her home, husband and children in china before immigrating to the united states in hopes of a better life. Here, we discuss the setting of the short story two kinds by amy tan. Summary to jingmeis mother, america is the land of opportunity. Character analysis on jingmei in two kinds two kinds, by amy tan is a story in which a chinese mother believes that her daughter can do anything in the united states as long as she puts her mind to it and decides to push her daughter, jingmei, into being a prodigy. Character analysis two kinds by amy tan is a short story about the relationship between a daughter and her chinese immigrant mother. Her book of poems, first published by pecan grove press of st. Two kinds is a short story by amy tan that presents the conflict between a girl, june, and her mother, suyuan. The relationship between a mother and daughter in two kinds by amy tan 972 words 4 pages two kinds by amy tan is about the intricacies and complexities in the relationship between a mother and daughter. Two kinds summary two kinds is a short story by amy tan that presents the conflict between a girl, june, and her mother, suyuan. Symbolism in two kinds by amy tan and everyday use by alice walker. Mother daughter relationship in two kinds by amy tan 123. These themes are common ones revisited in many of amy tan s books. Tan intended the book to be read as a loose collection of interrelated stories, but it is often referred to as a novel.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The primary theme of two kinds by amy tan is the motherdaughter dynamic and the clash between traditional and contemporary values. Suyuan believed that america is where her dreams will be fulfilled. Sep 12, 2011 amy tans two kinds is a short story about a secondgeneration chinese american woman reflecting on her life when her mother had high expectations for her to become the next prodigy. Symbolism in two kinds by amy tan and everyday use by. It is clear that some of the events in the short story reflect events that happened in the authors. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of two kinds by amy tan. As jingmeis mother continually tells her she does not try hard enough to succeed, the conflict between jingmei and her mother escalates. Jing mei is the daughter of suyuan, and the short story tells of how the two characters. Sythe is a ponytailed wolf most at home far away from battlefields and conflicts. Asked in books and literature what is the narrative elements of two kinds by amy tan. Amy tan is a writer that focuses and writes a lot about motherchild relationships.
Two kinds talks about a motherdaughter relationship and the struggles that immigrant families have when they arrive in america. This quiz will ask you questions about the storys title, plot, and characters. Chong, lindo jong or waverly jong are secondary and they are only relevant in connection to the main characters, as they trigger several reactions from their part. Further reading two kinds is the last story in the second of four sections of amy tans immensely successful first book, the joy luck club. Ni kan feels like she always disappoints her mother and will never be able to live up to her expectations. Two kinds characters amy tan this study guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of two kinds. Two kinds she has high hopes that her daughter will be a great success as a prodigy. Two kinds is the last story in the second segment of amy tans highly popular debut book, the joy luck club. In the story, the mother forces her daughter to take piano lessons and does not tolerate laziness and disobedience. The short story outlines the main character jingmei. The idea of being who you want to be in life and overcoming family dynamics is the basis of amy tan awesome story, two kinds. Torilyn wuensch and sam young the setting of this short story is san francisco, california specifically chinatown in the 1960s.
This study guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more. Literary analysis there are many key elements which together make up a story, namely a storys setting, its main characters, the plot, and the symbolism it contains. The narrative voice develops the tone, symbolism, language, and characters in the story which make the story come alive in your thoughts. She immigrated from china to america because of the chance of success. Essay on two kinds type your essay on two kinds below. Who are the main characters in two kinds by amy tan. Her father, of chinese descent, was a baptist minister. Two kinds is the last story in the second of four sections of amy tan s immensely successful first book, the joy luck club. Amy tans two kinds is a short story about a secondgeneration chinese american woman reflecting on her life when her mother had high expectations for her to become the next prodigy. Symbolism in two kinds by amy tan and everyday use by alice.
The main character of the story, who is also the protagonist, is the author herself. She acts rebellious in the beginning, never wanting to do as shes told and always arguing with her mother. What is the summary of the novel two kinds by amy tan. Jingmeis story tells us that she regrets not trying to do her best and how she had taken her mother for granted. Quick look at character and theme in amy tans two kinds by a college prof like rebecca. She has high hopes that her daughter will be a great success as a prodigy. Contrasting characters in two kinds and rules of the gam. Bill wiese man who went to hell 23 minutes in hell duration. Two kinds is a short story from the book the joy luck club by amy tan.
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