In Tillie Olsen's story "I Stand Here," I feel that even though Emily's mother seems as a victim of her circumstances, she is responsible for Emily's neglect. Emily was a happy and bubbly child and her woes only started when her mother decided that she was too much of a burden as she sought for work and had to send her to her father's relatives. It is only after the visit that Emily's life changed for the worse. Furthermore, the argument of neglect is anchored in the statement that although the woman downstairs did not view Emily as a miracle, she still took care of her during the daytime. Additionally, the fact that the mother saw that the nursery school teacher was evil, she still took Emily to the establishment (Olsen 293). The neglect by the mother culminates in the instance where she takes Emily to a boarding institute where personal attachment and belongings are prohibited all in the name of taking care of the other children.
In Amy Tan's story "Two Kinds," I agree with the mother's belief that "you could be anything you wanted to be in America." America is still the leading place for ingenuity where hard work will always pay. Due to the diverse nature of its population and historical conflict between various factions, it is possible to assume that issues such as race, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation might affect reaching one's goals. However, America is famed for its ingenuity in the face of strife. Furthermore, it is not needed for one to be a genius but only to put their best efforts and they will achieve their American dreams. Overcoming the challenges such as race and gender has enabled individuals to excel in sports and television, proving that you could be anything you wanted in America. Furthermore, the writer shows that she did understand the piano even after many years of not practicing showing that if only she had persisted, she could have been a genius as her mother wanted (Tan 148).
From the two stories, I believe that mothers can win if they put their best efforts. If only Emily's mother had persisted in personal care of her daughter and not institutionalizing her, she would have achieved a warmer relationship with her daughter. Furthermore, the mother in the second story only needed to show her daughter how she could become anything she wanted. What if she could have accompanied her daughter to the piano classes and taken them herself? Maybe her daughter would have been inspired and improved her attitude.
Works Cited
Olsen, Tillie. I Stand Here Ironing. ProQuest LLC, 2002, pp. 292-298.
Tan, Amy. "Two kinds." The Joy Luck Club (1989): pp. 132-148.
