Mother Tongue by Amy Tan.

Andrea Orozco
Anicca Cox
English 100A
January 31, 2010


I find it quite amazing how language has the power to shape up the person you might become someday in the future. In the memoir, “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan shares with us that her mother’s “broken” English impacted Tan’s life greatly. I believe that this might be one of the reasons why Tan believes in the power of Language.

I thought her memoir was actually very touching, especially if the reader like myself is able to somewhat relate to her past experiences. Like Tan, I myself a few times have had to disguise my voice and pretend to be my mother. In my case, having parents who are immigrants and speak no English can be a bit difficult especially when it comes to translating. Transitioning from one language to the other can also be difficult, so difficult that at times I find myself speaking Spanglish.

Many people don’t take the time to realize how empowering language can be and how important it is as well. In my opinion, Tan’s purpose was to show the importance of tongues and the positive impact it can have on a person like herself.

When comparing Tan’s memoir to Sante’s memoir you can see the similarities that each writer has in their piece of writing. For example, as the reader you notice that each writer is very appreciative of their tongues. I can also point out the fact that each writer notices the transition in languages as they speak and the way it differentiates depending on who they are speaking with.