” She said they would not give her any more information until the next time and she would have to make another appointment for that. So she said she would not leave until the doctor called her daughter. She wouldn’t budge. And when the doctor finally called her daughter, me, who spoke in perfect English — lo and behold — we had assurances the CAT scan would be found, promises that a conference call on Monday would be held, and apologies for any suffering my mother had gone through for a most regrettable mistake.”
Part 1.
This paragraph in the text Mother Tongue, by Amy Tan, is important because she provides us readers with a scenario that includes her mother going to the hospital where she was trying to find out her exact diagnosis. She emphasizes her mothers form of English, the voice of a chinese immigrant who people seem to perceive differently and some may not understand her way of speaking the language. Doctors informed Amy’s mother that her results were nowhere to be found and her appointment was basically useless. The way her mother is mistreated is Amy’s main point of the text, she feels for the people of her heritage who suffer from similar issues especially the children of immigrant parents. Amy believes the way peers speak English, will later on reflect on the child’s ability to speak the language properly. Lastly, Amy shows us how the response to a person with no language barrier from people will always be different in comparison to the one speaking broken English. She spoke to the doctor and got the answers her mother should’ve gotten since she step foot into the hospital.
“with the grammatical structure “even though” limiting the correct answer to some sort of semantic opposites”
Semantic: adjective – relating to reading in language or logic
“A sunset precedes nightfall” is the same as “a chill precedes a fever.”
Precede: verb – come before something in time
“That was my mental quandary in its nascent state.”
Nascent: adjective – just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential
Part 2.
When I was PR
“Every day after school I went to the library and took out as many children’s books as I was allowed. I figured that if American children learned English through books, so could I, even if I was starting later. I studied the bright illustrations and learned the words for the unfamiliar objects of our new life in the United States”
When I was PR, a girl named Esmeralda who was a transfer student coming from Puerto Rico had come to New York. When she had first arrived she wasn’t able to speak English fluently so the counselors in the school she decided to attend stated that she would have to be held back a year. Esmeralda had to stand up for herself since her mother didn’t know the language either, this quote is significant to me as a reader because it helps me understand who she is. Regardless of what they said to her, she gave them a proposal to keep her in the grade she belongs in. She then proceeds to improve her intelligence so she could beat the odds placed amongst her, she has found that by reading books she would be able to learn. Esmeralda remains resilient in this text just by showing her independence through her situation and determination to adjust to the new schooling system she is in.
“much to the surprise of the fellow walking behind me, who laughed uproariously”
Uproariously: adverb- in a noisy way with a lot of laughing and shouting.
“Other students stared at me, tried to get my attention, or pointedly ignored me. “
Pointedly: adverb – in a direct and unambiguous way, often indicating criticism or displeasure.
“I started up the stairs, my stomach churning into tight knots”
Churning: Verb – move or cause to move about vigorously.
