This story is about a young, ambitious woman
who lived with her grandmother after she turned four. This person was raised according to Islamic religious principles. The author of this story used emotive words to entice readers to keep reading. She describes the anguish she felt while staying at her grandmother's house. When she did things that her grandmother considered an error, she was always slapped, pinched, and had her head slammed against the wall. The use of emotional language by this author can also be seen in the last segment of the excerpt when this young lady had become a genius. The author says, “Bursting with pride and affection, Sarkar Amman generously distributed sweets and rewards with me with a one-day holiday and a kiss!” (Sultaan 6) The girl was both emotional and surprised as nobody had ever kissed her before.
The author used logical facts in her story
The excerpt talks about the overall lifecycle of an ideal Islamic girl from the time she is born to the time that she is of age to start reasoning. The author talked about events, such as Bismillah. The reader’s immediate response is a pity for the young girl who is the principal character in the story. The tone that was presented in this literary work was benevolent. The author portrayed the main character, who is herself, as a victim of circumstances making the readers feel sympathetic.
The potential audience of this piece is
the people that are currently undergoing difficulties in their lives, precisely, orphans who live with guardians that mistreat them. This literary work provides them with some sense of hope that life may have devoid them. I believe that this piece reached and impacted the lives of the target audiences.
Mother Tongue by Amy Tan
Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue is an interesting piece that describes the impact on an individual’s native language is conceptualizing and speaking another language. The language used in this story was more of affectionate than emotional as she expressed an understanding of why her mother communicates in 'broken English.' However, the story of her mother suffering from a malign brain tumor becomes emotional and dawns the tone of the narrative.
The narrator of this story used several logical facts
Most immigrant families find it hard to cope with their new locations and to comprehend English fully. Amy shares with the readers some questions that she has been asked such as, “Why do Chinese students go into engineering?” indicating that Asian American immigrants fear creative writing programs (n.p.). The author used an example of a Chinese family she is a part of. The narrator’s mother tries to express herself in English but cannot construct a logical statement. However, the author of this piece understands the mother since that is the language that she was brought up in.
The perception that a reader has immediately after reading this story
is that we must never forget the milestone that we have been through and our origin. The author knew all the things that her mother talked about and had gotten used to it to a point where she felt that her language was just okay.
The tone used in this piece is assertive
as all the characters, including the narrator, are confident with the language that they communicate with. The tone affects the reader by building a sense of persistence and self-confidence. The potential target audiences of this narrative are the Asian American immigrant families and the people that live with them. I feel that the literacy narrative reached this target population and enhanced their understanding of why Asian American immigrants do not major in language arts.
Works Cited
Sultaan, Abida. Memoirs of a Rebel Princess. Oxford University Press, 2013.
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” The Essay Experience Fall 2013, http://theessayexperiencefall2013.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/files/2013/09/Mother-Tongue-by-Amy-Tan.pdf. Accessed 30 January 2017.
