"Mother Tongue"

This wasn't my favorite essay of the essays we have read for class so far but I have full respect for Amy Tan after reading it. I really value that she did not let authority figures, her teachers, tell her what she is good at and what she would succeed at in life. Just because she got straight A's in math and science doesn't mean she has to major in them or a field related to them. I really like that she chose to major in English. Sure, she wasn't the best at it, but it was something she was passionate about and that she loved to do. I sort of had the same problem because all through my school years I got straight A's in everything. Sure, I'd get a stray B here and there, but they weren't solid B's in any particular subject. And I don't mean to sound arrogant at all, but I was just really good at school. But when it came to the later years in high school, all my peers were focusing on classes in which the subject interested them. But I did not have any particular subject that I was really passionate about. I'd like certain parts of my classes. I enjoyed reading novels in my English classes and some parts of my math classes interested me but nothing that I thoroughly enjoyed and could see myself doing for the rest of my life. So, what did I choose to major in? Elementary Education - a job in which I get to teach all of the subjects. And I think that this major suits me well.
Amy Tan is a strong woman for what she had to deal with in her life. I don't want to pity her, but I feel bad that she had such a hard life. She must have had to grow up fast in order to take care of herself. I don't think that her mother was incompotent, I just think it must have been hard to live in a world where you do not understand everything and have to have your daughter make phone calls just so that you would sound literate and so they would listen to you. I just think it's horrible that so many people take advantage of someone just because they don't speak "perfect" English. Just because someone doesn't speak the language perfectly doesn't mean they're stupid. People can be so ignorant sometimes.
I like the part when she talks about her mother's "broken" and "limited" English. She "winces" everytime she hears or says that. The fact that she cares so much about her mother and doesn't want to think of any aspect of her being "broken" or "limited" really says a lot about her relationship with her mother. Even though Tan had to do some "grown-up" things when she was young for her mother, she still looks up to her and cares so much for her. She doesn't want her mother to feel dumb because she knows that she isn't. I admire her strength and persistance, and most importantly, her love for her mother.