Two Halves of the Same Song Essay - 758 Words

Two Halves Of The Same Song One of the crucial components of Amy Tans Two Kinds is her choice of narrator. This narrative voice develops the story by adding to the characters. By using this narrator, Amy Tan allows the story to come alive through the eyes of a child. Jing-Mei, who is the daughter of a Chinese immigrant, paints the picture of her relationship between herself and her overbearing mother. Being the protagonist of the story, Jing-Mei is able to portray what she is going through as the storyteller. This choice of first person narrative allows the audience to look through the eyes of a young Chinese-American girl and take part in her coming of age. If the author chose another character as narrator, the childlike†¦show more content†¦I wont be what I am not(195). In being able to witness the first person narrative account, the readers are able to hear an honest view of what is happening, therefore Jing-Mei is able to build the trust of her audience. The altercation that Jing-Mei has with her mother after the talent show led to her verbal attacks as she shouts, I wish I were dead! Like them(200). The words spoken between Jing-Mei and her mother are realistic and throughout the story the tone is set by anger and disappointment, but nearing the ending it changes directions. The narrators voice grows from a child into a woman. Jing-Meis mother offers the piano that they fought over years ago as a peace offering. Jing-Mei finally realizes that her mother never lost hope for her, but only wants her to be the best she could be. Nearing the end of the story and from an adult perspective, Jing-Mei dwells on the piano piece that she had struggled to play at the recital. It is titled Pleading Child and proves to be a very slow and difficult piece of music. She later on sees that the title across the page is titled Perfectly Contented which proves to be quick and happy. The two halves of this song can be compared to Jing-Meis life. During her childhood she feels unsatisfied with her choices and only after her mothers offering of the piano she is able to find inner peace and reconcile her failures. The fact that Amy Tan utilizes Jing-Mei as theShow MoreRelatedA Literary Analysis of Two Kinds by Amy Tan Essay example976 Words   |  4 PagesTHEME The title of this short story â€Å"Two Kinds† is describes the theme of this story. The mother had stated that there are only two types of daughters. â€Å"Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind.† (pg 412) Jing Mei did not understand the truth or meaning behind that declaration until after her mothers death. Jing Mei realized that her mother only meant that she could be an obedient child by listening to her mother while at the same time follow her own heart and want her own prodigyRead MoreAnalysis Of Two Kinds By Amy Tan1567 Words   |  7 Pagesof short stories about Chinese mothers and their assimilated daughters. One of these stories is â€Å"Two Kinds,† which looks into the life of Jing-Mei Woo and her struggle to gain a sense of self. Some key themes in The Joy Luck Club are the generational and intercultural differences among Chinese-American families, the complex mother-daughter relationship, and the journey of self-discovery. The ti tle â€Å"Two Kinds† can take various meanings in relation to the context of the story, and Amy Tan skillfullyRead MoreTwo Kinds Character Analysis Essay935 Words   |  4 Pages A mother’s belief in the American dream causes her to incessantly encourage her daughter to be an Americanized prodigy in Amy Tan’s Two Kinds. An immigrant from China, where she lost everyone and everything in her life, Jing-mei’s mother sets about training her daughter to achieve the best quality of life America can offer. At first excited, Jing-mei, tries everything her mother sets before her. The conflict arises when Jing-mei begins to feel the effects of her failed attempts and her mother’sRead MoreEssay on Watching Tennis and A Subaltern’s Love Song969 Words   |  4 Pagesand A Subaltern’s Love Song Introduction The themes and ideas are so similar that if one was to briefly explain what both poems were about, you would think that they were exactly the same poems. Yet what really separates these two poems is their technical side. Form The form of a poem can be mainly observed by looking at and listening to the poem. Rhyme scheme, verse length, and line length are but a few examples of a poem’s form. A Subaltern’s Love song is a relatively long poemRead MoreTwo Kinds by Amy Tan Essay981 Words   |  4 Pages In the short story, Two Kinds by Amy Tan, a Chinese mother and daughter are at odds with each other. The mother pushes her daughter to become a prodigy, while the daughter (like most children with immigrant parents) seeks to find herself in a world that demands her Americanization. This is the theme of the story, conflicting values. In a society that values individuality, the daughter sought to be an individual, while her mother demanded she do what was suggested. This is a conflict withinRead MoreAnalysis Of Brooke Fraser s Kings And Queens 1423 Words   |  6 Pages‘Arithmetic’ is a very simplistic, acoustic song off her first album ‘What to Do with Daylight’ (2003). ‘Kings and Queens’ is off her newest album and is a highly produced song containing elements of rock, pop and electronic sounds. These two songs I have chose n use various music techniques and show the development of Fraser’s music over the past decade. ‘Arithmetic’ (AR) and ‘Kings and Queens’ (KQ) share three similarities with its arranging techniques as both songs use common time 4/4 and a major tonalRead MoreThe Relationship of Mothers and their Expectations of Daughters in Amy Tan’s Two Kinds751 Words   |  4 Pagesones we can count on when there was no one else. They have been the ones who love of us for who we are and forgive us when no one else wouldn’t. In Amy Tan’s â€Å"Two Kinds,† the character Jing-mei experiences being raised by a mother who has overwhelming expectations for her daughter, causes Jing-mei to struggle with who she wants to be. â€Å"Only two kind of daughters,† â€Å"Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!†(476). When a mother pushes her daughter to hard the daughter rebels, but realizesRead MoreEssay on The Ideal Parent1070 Words   |  5 Pagesthe time from all kinds of kids who come from all sorts of different ba ckgrounds. It seems in the world today parents get all the negative attention, and it seems like all the good they do go unnoticed by the public. Two different kinds of mothers were presented in the stories Two Kinds by Amy Tan, and I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen. Sometimes children complain about their mothers, each wishing they could have different type of mom. The lives and situations of each mother were differentRead More An Analysis of Blakes The School Boy Essay1745 Words   |  7 PagesAn Analysis of Blakes The School Boy  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   The School Boy is a typical example of Blakes Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience in its themes and imagery. Like many of the other poems in this work it deals with childhood and the subjugation of its spirit and uses imagery from the natural world. While first published in 1789 as one of the Songs of Innocence there are strong reasons why Blake moved it to the Experience1 section of the 1794 edition. If we compare it to other poems inRead MoreFrederick Douglass And The 21st Century1146 Words   |  5 Pagesmuch, was more organized on how he wanted to learn. In other words, he had an actual plan mapped out instead of just winging it. Mr. Douglass was not rich whatsoever. As a matter of fact, he was a slave. He didn’t have much, but the young lad had two positive personality traits that guided him on his path to learning to read and write. Douglass was very perpetual. Despite the fact it took him longer due to not having a constant teacher, and not being able to get a chance to find a book or paper