I wasn't able to find many similarities between my family story and others. I believe that my family story is one that is so unique that it often cannot be matched but a common theme within a lot of our family stories was the courageousness of a family member. For me, it was my grandma Gina who stood up to her family for her son while the family looked down upon her and her children. For John it was the courageousness of his great-great-grandparents who hid a family friend from danger when he was in need. This type of immense selflessness is portrayed in both stories.

Orwell English analysis

Language is something that the human race can not live without. The English language is one that is closely analyzed and used to communicate issues not only in English speaking countries, but all over the world. The English language is statistically the one used the most worldwide and many English texts and audio . The English language has been abused and thwarted in order to create different political and societal views. In George Orwell's speech, "Politics and the English Language," he analyzes thow the English language has been misused all over the world.
George Orwell's proclaims that English speakers have damaged the English language and he goes as far as to call modern English, "ugly and inaccurate," because we do not put time into perfecting and getting the most truth out of our language. Our language, as George Orwell states, perpetuates thoughts that are incorrect because of our lack about the language in which we speak.
I have to disagree with the fact that the English language emerged as a sub conscious development of other languages that already existed. "...The half-conscience belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes." I believe that the English language was one that was probably very closely studied when formed . Although we have created the English language, George Orwell does have a point when he says that we have permanently damaged what we now consider to be the English language. George Orwell speaks of the Modern English which has been altered by slang and other languages that have penetrated into English-speaking societies.
In current times, many people speak in a way in which people have not spoken before. Orwell believes that we have done irreversible damage to the English language.

Cycles in The Joy Luck Club

Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club contains numerous cycles that create its complex plot. One of the cycles that stands out the most is one that many American immigrants deal with, and it passed down from first-generation immigrants to second-generation immigrants. The problem of immigrant identity is one that spews many different issues as well as advantages that are generally passed down to their children in a cyclist manner.  When a new immigrant comes to America there is often a language barrier, cultural differences, as well as feelings of isolation. In The Joy Luck Club, Chinese mothers who are first generation American immigrants pass down their intense Chinese mannerisms and views of America to their daughters who are American born. This cycle of immigrant identity problems is one that sparks issues between the mother daughter relationships of the women and their daughters.

Often times the daughters would question the wishes of their Chinese mothers and it would create tensions within the mother-daughter relationships. The story “Two Kinds” examines the relationship between Chinese mothers and their American born daughters. Jing Mei and her mother Suyan Wu went through disaster as Suyan Wu forces her daughter to play the piano to ensure that she would become a child prodigy. The Chinese parenting methods that she encroaches upon her daughter lead to estranged relationships between them, only leading to more separation due to cultural issues.

Parenting & being Chinese & Stuff

I cannot fully condone nor dismiss the "Tiger Mom" method of parenting because it is not one that I have experienced myself. That doesn't mean I haven't formed many, many, opinions.

I have gone to school with many individuals of Asian ethnicity and I think it is safe to say that the majority of Asian students do exceedingly well in school as well as their extracurricular activities (which often are playing classical instruments such as the piano and violin). Honestly, I think the Tiger Mom method of parenting is one that is worth trying, it has been proven to be successful and has turned out many famous scholars and prodigies.  In an article by Amy Chua, the infamous "Tiger Mom" she states:

What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences.

This is a concept that is portrayed in the Joy Luck Club story "Rules of the Game" which is a story about a young girl who became a successful child chess prodigy. In the story the young girl tells the story of her mother and how she caused her to stop playing chess due to her nagging and taking credit for the successes of her daughter. I think this shows one of the failures of the very strict Eastern ways of teaching that are practiced by Chua and many other Chinese parents alike. It shows how a little girl can take interest in something and perfect it but with too much constant pushing and prodding can be turned away from it.

There are both peaks and pits of the "Tiger Mom" method of teaching and I believe that Amy Tan does not believe that it is wrong nor is it the optimal way to be parented.

Introduction Story

I believe that Amy Tan used the "Twenty-Six Malignant Gates" introduction in order to reinforce that family structure that is represented within the story. The introduction tells the story of a mother who warns her disobedient daughter to stay within the parameters of their home so that if she were to fall, she would be able to hear her daughter cry.  The mother warns her daughter of the Twenty-Six Malignant Gates which would cause her to fall if she did not stay close. When the daughter speeds off in a rage due to her mother's words, she instantly falls at the end of the block.

Throughout the entire book there is an emphasis on mother-daughter relationships. In the story the true story that the mother tells o shows the idea that the mothers are all-knowing and very wise. The stories told by the mothers throughout the story show that they have had many life experiences that have shaped and transformed them into the individuals that they currently are, as well as teach them how to raise their daughters.

I think another reason why Amy Tan used this introduction was to emphasize the importance of storytelling within the Chinese culture, and to show how the stories are passed down throughout generations. Despite the fact that the daughter does not appreciate her mother’s words at the time, in her adult years, if she becomes a mother she will be able to tell the same precautionary story that her mother told her.