Mother Tongue by Amy Tan - Essay Sample

Introduction

Mother Tongue is an essay by American author Amy Tan that addresses one of the misconceptions about the relationship between language and intelligence. According to Tan, lack of English language fluency does not translate to incompetency (23). The author uses her mother's example to show that people who struggle with English can still comprehend the language and make critical decisions daily. The argument, located at the end of the essay, reminds the readers of what the author thinks of the relationship between ability tests and a person's intelligence. This paper contains a critical analysis of an essay by Army Tan, Mother Tongue. Tan's argument indicates that there is no relationship between fluency and intelligence. The author's central claim is that broken English does not mean someone is not intelligent, and fluency is not the essential aspect of language.

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Vital Points

Active reading of the article reveals some new vital points that the author uses to support their claim. The first one is that it is possible to lack fluency in a specific language but still comprehend it. That point is brought out when the author says, "Mother's expressive command of English belies how much she understands" (Tan 21). That phrase indicates that her mother's "broken English" failed to demonstrate her excellent comprehension of the same language. She was capable of reading and understanding magazines and listening to shows expressed in the English language.

The second point is that fluency is not the most important thing when it comes to language. According to Tan, "intent, passion, imagery, rhythms of speech, and the nature of thoughts" are the essential elements in the language (23). The author reveals that these were the things that the language ability tests cannot capture, which shows she considers them necessary. Language ability tests only capture fluency and leave out essential parts that contain information about the person's intelligence. Those are the elements that enable communication.

The author also supports the report's evaluation by mentioning her mother's ability to read her book. Tan says, "I knew I had succeeded where it counted when my mother finished reading my book and gave me her verdict: "So easy to read (Tan 20)". Tan is trying to show her readers that her mother's lack of English fluency did not impede her ability to read and comprehend her book. The author was trying to make the reader understand that her mother's lack of fluency was not an obstacle. She also found it easy to read, indicating that her intelligence level matches other people. Had her intelligence been impeded, she would have struggled to read the book.

Cause of Intelligence

Furthermore, the mother's presence in the audience further supports the evaluation of Tan's claim. Tan says, "My mother was in the room. And it was perhaps the first time she had heard me give a lengthy speech, using the kind of English I have never used with her" (Tan 20). Her mother was still able to understand her even though she was using fluent advanced English. That aspect of the essay is evidence that Tan was trying to show her readers that even people with broken English can still understand advanced English. If broken English were the cause of intelligence, her mother wouldn't have been able to comprehend her speech. Therefore, the incidence supports the evaluation that the author was trying to dissociate fluency with intelligence.

The author's target audience is those people who have "broken English." That can be evidenced by, "And the reader I decided on was my mother because these were stories about mothers" (Tan 23). The "mother" represents all those people whose language comprehension and intelligence were negatively judged because of their "broken English." Tan proceeds to add that she began writing stories with such readers in mind (23). The essay is part of the stories that the author wrote targeting such readers.

Some of the choices made by the author to connect with their audience include an emotional appeal. One of those choices is to use a series of visual imagery designed to evoke emotions such as pity and love from the audience (Tan 21-22). The image of a mother hugging her daughter accompanied texts where the author says she was embarrassed about her mother because of her language. The audience may feel pity for the mother because of her situation induces in her daughter. The author's next images with her mother show the audience a visual image of the close emotional relationship. The illustrations help the audience connect with the author because they view her as a human being with a personal connection to her mother.

The author ends up making a strong claim due to the strong supportive evidence that she provides. The evidence that best supports the suit is her mother's ability to read and understand the English language despite being unable to speak fluent English. That is the best evidence because it directly discredits English fluency on language comprehension or intelligence. If language fluency would have been a determiner of understanding, then Tan's mother should not have had such a good grasp as described by the author. Furthermore, if fluency were a determiner of intelligence, she would have struggled with daily activities such as everyday conversations with her stockbroker.

Reading Analysis

Based on the reading analysis, the author's central claim is that broken English doesn't mean someone is not intelligent. The author's description of how her mother was able to comprehend advanced level English is evidence of the evaluation result. Her mother is not fluent in English, yet she can read and understand advanced level English. Furthermore, the fact that the author thinks there is more to language than fluency proves the evaluation.

From this study, we can say that critical thinking can comprehend an article or what someone says by considering their facial expression, tonal variation, or gestures. One then goes beyond understanding and makes informed decisions that are in line with the speaker's intentions and objectives. Critical thinking comprises evaluating the deeper meaning of a speech or a report whereby one has to analyze the information before concluding on anything. For instance, although Tan's mother was not familiar with the advanced English that Tan used in her speech, she could examine the speech's message by observing her daughter's body language. This move depicts critical thinking and analysis, and it is the measure of intelligence. Research involves using what you have or know to understand the hidden or complex meaning. Through analysis and critical thinking, one can easily comprehend information that someone is passing even though they might be using an unfamiliar language.

Conclusion

No one is born a fluent speaker of any language. Instead, people learn and perfect the language of their choice through revision. Revision entails listening or reading again what you missed from a speech or a written document and establishing ways of understanding the key points. Several studies address the concept of fluency and intelligence. However, future researchers can utilize these concepts of critical thinking, analysis, and revision to provide a broad evaluation of how people can enhance their communication skills and comprehension of a new language. Scholars can expand on the means of interpreting nonverbal cues as a speech analysis technique. Besides, the aspect of critical thinking can be applied to divergent fields of decision making and areas of professionalism.

Work Cited

Tan, Amy. Chaos: Mother Tongue. Weekly Reader Corporation, 2006.