English 1301 students:
For our Friday, October 12, blog, please submit a comment of two well-developed paragraphs in which you evaluate the overall purpose of Amy Chua's essay, "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," pp. 410-14. She has claimed that her purpose was to entertain her readers, but many readers have countered that her purpose was to persuade. In your comment, please include at least four quotations, citing the page of each one in parentheses, to support your points.
For more context on her controversial parenting ideas, before you write your comment, please watch this short interview video:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-tiger-mom-amy-chua-responds-to-uproar/6395/
After you submit your comment, please reply in one well-developed paragraph to at least one of the other students' comments.
Before class this Monday, October 15, please read pp. 393-422, and please bring your textbooks to class.
Have a good weekend,
Dr. K
Amy Chua's essay is based off persuasion and values being different in separate places. In the article «Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior» by Amy Chua, we find out about her encounters with the Chinese method for raising your youngsters, and how this has influenced her and her family. Chinese moms don't really should be Chinese, yet it is a term to depict an extremely strict parent with bizarre methods for instructing their kid. A Chinese mother is, as opposed to a «Western parent» , extremely centered around their kids' conduct and scholastic level, and in this way they give more opportunity to instructing their youngsters, contrasted with Western guardians.
ReplyDeleteAnother point Amy Chua says in her article is how Chinese moms can converse with their children. To epitomize this point, she utilizes a model from her very own adolescence, which appears to be like Sophia and Louisa's. In light of this experience, the essayist additionally utilized this word with her own little girl when she acted without regard. To Amy Chua this is superbly typical, and it appears that she is exceptionally upbeat about the way that she can state precisely what she signifies, «Chinese moms can state to their girls, »Hello greasy—lose some weight.« By difference, Western guardians need to tiptoe around the issue, talking as far as »well being« and never under any circumstance saying the f-word…
https://skoleanalyser.dk/why-chinese-mothers-are-superior-essay-analyse/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-tiger-mom-amy-chua-responds-to-uproar/6395/
I think you did good describing Amy Chau's thoughts and reasons. Also, I like the vocabulary you used.
DeleteIt’s a good point that you said “Chinese moms don't really should be Chinese, yet it is a term to depict an extremely strict parent with bizarre methods for instructing their kid.” Amy Chua said Chinese parents have strict parenting method but we should know that all of Chinese parents don’t have same method of parenting. Some parents are strict and other parents aren’t. I think we have to be careful to not make the mistake of hasty generalization while reading her essay.
DeleteYou really took her words and pointed out her main points ad structured them in a great way.
DeleteIn Amy Chau's essay, she talks about how Chinese parents have a different way of teaching than other parents. She talks about how in her life, she has rules set for her daughters, "Sophia and Lousia, were never allowed to: attend a sleepover, have a playdate, be in a school play, . . ." (Chau 410) She had these rules because the Chinese parents need to make sure that the kids have time to focus strictly on education and nothing else that could distract them. The Chinese way of parenting is pretty different from the "western parents" parenting style. Chinese parents can just say "garbage" (Chau 412) when the child is disrespecting the parent which gets the child thinking about what they did wrong and makes them be a better person without the child taking it to heart thinking that the kid is garbage and can't do anything. Chinese parents have a mindset that their kids are the best of the best at everything they participate in. Chau says that "the worst thing you can do for a child's self-esteem is to let them give up." (Chau 413) She also says that "the best way to protect your child is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they are capable of, ..." (414)
ReplyDeleteLoved the way you described her reasoning and how you integrated your quotes. I also used the quote from 414 about Chinese preparing their kids for the future. Which to me is the best way you can raise a child. It's so weird how people think being strict means being mean. Sometimes it's just not that easy and simple.
Deleteyou did a very good job explaining the Her main purpose. you used very good examples of how she was raised and how she raises her children. I believe you are right that the purpose is to show the different ways of parenting. like the the example about the parents are preparing their kids for the future.
DeleteI believe that Amy Chuna's essay purpose is to persuade her reader. I believe she was showing the reader that Chinese parenting is better than "western parenting." This is noted in her essay when she said " a lot of people wonder how Chinese parents rise such stereotypically successful kids." This shows that raising children using Chinese parenting methods is a better parenting method. She also stats that " the Chinese seem to produce children who display academic excellence, musical mastery, and professional success..." When she says this, it make it seem like that the Chinese are more superior. In the essay, it shows that Chinese parents are very strict. In the essay there is a list of things that Amy Chuna did not let her children do. The list includes that they are not able to "attend a sleepover, have a playdate, be in a schoolplay, get any grade less than an A, etc..."
ReplyDeleteIn the essay she even says that if a child disrespects their parents, the parents would lower their self-esteem. An example is when Amy Chuna was younger, she disrespected her mom and her "father angrily called me 'garbage'... This shows that Chinese parents can be harsh. Also in the essay, if a Chinese kid were to get any grade lower than an A, "the devastated Chinese mother would then get dozens, maybe hundreds of practice tests and work through them with her child for as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A." This shows that Chinese parents have extremely high expectations. This can be very hard on kids, especially when their child does not understands the subject in question. In the essay says that "Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything." This make it seem like that Chinese parents don't care for their kids and make them pay the price.
I agree with you and the thought of the author using a method of persuasion. The ideal of tough parenting is also a great way to get through to children especially to raise them to be successful. The artist did a great job of providing examples of the parenting and also showing what comes out of it.
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ReplyDeleteIn Amy Chua’s, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” excerpt she writes about the differences between western and Chinese parenting styles. I believe her purpose was to explain her own experiences and show how she believes her parenting style is right for her. Although this can easily be seen as persuasion of her own ideas being “superior” she states in the interview that she then had to restrict herself from being too harsh on her 13 year old daughter. As within the excerpt she is made to be seen as this harsh and just horrible mother when in fact she is just trying to show how immigrant parents see their kids. For example she states, “Chinese children must spend their lives….making their parents proud,” which to me is not a bad thing. Parents want the best for their child so if they fall that tension of “i have to make mom proud” it might in fact push the child to do better. She then also states, “Chinese secretly believe they care about their children and are willing to sacrifice much more for them than westerners.” I also believe this is her just explaining her side of things. That although westerners are more compassionate with their kids that, that does not always mean they care more. This is not always they best way Chua explains that, “Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future. I 100% agree with this statement because the children will love what their parents did for them when they have more understanding of how life works, then that of westerner kids. Finally Chua states, “letting them see what they’re capable of,......and inner confidence that no one can take away,” this is saying that Chinese parents instill in their kids long, life lasting aspect that will shape them for who they are as adults. Chua’s whole purpose is simply just explaining how she grew up and how she intends on raising her kids. It’s not a bad thing to be so strict, especially when all immigrant parents want is the best for their children especially if they came to America for their kids.
I like how you said that her purpose was to explain. I saw that too rather than to persuade or entertain.
DeleteAmy Chau’s Essay is beautifully written, it include personal opinions and inhances personal experiences that “To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work.”(Chau 411) This sentence helps the readers understand that Chau uses stricter rules so that her children grow up to be successful. Not only does this make sense I can personally agree with this statement, although I am Caucasian my grandparents were very strict and that has made me successful in the long run. Chau also states “ My father called me “garbage” and it made her feel horribly and ashamed.” (412) This is also another statement that can help her audience understand that it may look cruel to us, but that was how she learned from her mistakes.
ReplyDelete“Second, Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything” (413) I belive this statement is factual, although this can be turned into a negative thing i believe that if you do good in your heart than you should not expect to get anything in return. My statement means that if you teach your children well you should be proud that they grew up right and that they dont owe you anything. All parents believe that they know what’s best for their kids and Chau states this in her paper (413). Being able to teach your kids freely and not have to answer to anyone but yourself helps parents feel authority and as if they have respect. I believe that Chau did not mean to persuade anyone’s to do her tactics but to realize that different cultures have rules to help their kids to be successful.
I think the overall purpose of Amy Chua’s essay is comparing parenting model between Chinese parents and Western parents. She suggests that there are some big differences, saying “I think there are three big differences between the Chinse and Western parental mind-sets” (412). She says the basic difference is that Western parents care a lot about their children’s self-esteem while Chinese parents don’t. She says that “But as a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child’s self-esteem is to let them give up” (413). It sounds to me that she wants to persuade Western parenting model instead of Chinese parenting model.
ReplyDeleteLike in the essay, “Children don’t choose their parents. They don’t even choose to be born. It’s parents who foist life on their kids, so it’s the parents’ responsibility to provide for them” (413), I agree with this opinion stating children need not being permanently indebted to their parents. That feeling could make children feel pressure all the time. I think this kind of children’s owing feelings relates to the Confucian culture. Like she says, “Chinese children must spend their lives repaying their parents by obeying them and making them proud” (413).
The main purpose for what I have ready in Amy Chua's essay, which is a very well written essay, is that she is trying to show comparison and contrast between Chinese parenting against Western parenting. In Chinese parenting it even explains in the article that “Chinese children must spend their lives….making their parents proud." Which shows a stereotype of how Chinese parenting should be portrayed.
ReplyDeleteThe main differences that the author talks about between each type of parenting is that as a Chinese parenting model, they are quick to say very degrading things to their children, but they mainly do that to make them have a harder drive to succeed. In the article it also says, “Chinese secretly believe they care about their children and are willing to sacrifice much more for them than westerners.” I believe that parents should do what is best for their children, but also make sure to have a healthy impact on them because what you treat them like while they are young can affect how they become when they are older.
I agree with you. She uses many different example of how Chinese and western parent raise their children. Like you said Chinese parents appear tough on the outside while raising their children, but really deep down support them. They just do this in private
DeleteI think that although Amy Chua claims that her purpose in writing “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” was to entertain the real purpose of this essay was to persuade other parents to parent the way she and other Chinese mothers do. She claims that the stricter guidelines that she put on her daughters are the reason that they are successful. She believes that her and other Chinese mothers understand that “nothing is fun until you are good at it” (pg 411) and that western parents believe if you spend too much time on something it will become old and boring. Chua seems to think that the way that she is raising her children is a better approach than western parents in general and that her children and other Chinese children are superior because of that. She says that because a western mother has to “tiptoe around the issue” (pg 412) a Chinese mother has the upper hand because they can “get away with more.” (pg 412). Although I feel that Chua is persuading the reader that Chinese parenting styles result in superior children, she does not try to sugarcoat the realities of their life style. On page 414 she even says “the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they’re capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.” Which I’m sure comes with a whole different world of childhood than many of us grew up with.
ReplyDeleteActually, I would disagree with you. If you watch the video she explicitly states that that was not at all her intent. She even goes so far as to say she would not fully recommend that type of parenting, and even relaxed her reigns on it. Also, it is not as if a Chinese mothers’ intent is malicious- it is actually quite the opposite. She states how much she and other moms like her desperately love their children and just want the very best for them. She even goes so far as to say Chinese mothers are more likely to give up everything for their children to succeed, no matter the cost. This is obviously shown in many immigrant or first generation mothers who know not to take opportunities for granted and to push their children to be the absolute best they can be.
DeleteIn Amy Chua's essay it is obvious that she is showing compare and contrast between Chinese parenting and western parenting. In my opinion it sounds like she is trying to persuade the reader that western parenting is better for the child. She talks about a few stereotypes such as "Chinese children spend their lives to make their parents proud." Amy Chua feels like Chinese are more strict on their children than western parents are. In my opinion I think parents should be allowed to parent how they want as long as they aren't abusing or harming the child in any way. Its up to the parents to establish what they want for their children and how they want to raise them.
ReplyDeleteLike how you added the compare and contrast style to this, I personally didn't use it because I thought the author was leaning towards a more informative, persuasive topic.
DeleteI agree she went out of her way to give examples and even personal examples of Chinese parents. It's likes shes trying to convince us that western parents are better also but honestly i was over all confused.
DeleteI disagree that Chua is trying to persuade that the Western style of parenting is better. It seems that she is trying to persuade how Chinese style of parenting is able to make their kids successful in life.
DeleteI agree that her purpose was to persuade because she tries to prove why Chinese parents are "better".
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ReplyDeleteAmy Chau’s Essay is fantastically written, it includes personal opinions and promotes personal experiences that “To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work. This sentence helps the readers understand that Chau uses stricter rules so that her children grow up to be successful. Not only does this make sense I can personally agree with this statement, although I am Caucasian my parents were very strict and that has made me greatly more successful in the long run. Chau also states, “My father called me “garbage” and it made her feel horribly and ashamed. This is also another statement that can help her audience understand that it may look cruel to us, but that was how she learned from her mistakes.
ReplyDeleteSecond, Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything. I believe this statement is factual, although this can be turned into a negative thing, I believe that if you do your absolute best, you should not expect anything else. My statement means that if you teach your children well you should be proud that they grew up right and that they don't owe you anything. All parents believe that they know what’s best for their kids and Chau states this in her paper. Being able to teach your kids freely and not have to answer to anyone but yourself helps parents feel authority and as if they have respect. I believe Chau didn’t mean to persuade anyone to her point of view, but to realize that different cultures have rules to help their kids become successful.
I agree with you on how Chau's father says she is garbage and in our eyes that looks cruel and harsh but it is only to made her learn from her mistakes and grow on them and bot make those decisions again.
DeleteAmy Chua explains that many people wonder how Chinese parents raise the stereotypically children, the ones who are math geniuses. Then she goes on to say she can now answer those peoples questions because she is now a mother of daughters with rules she had set for them. For example, they could not “ attend a sleepover, have a playdate, be in a school play” etc..(pgs.410-411). Chua makes sure to explain that although she is a chinese mother, she is not the only race that does this, she lists several others like “Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian” and “western parents”. (pg. 411).Chua gives a personal example of how her western parent friends make their children practice their musical instruments for 30 mins to and hour and they feel strict but she makes her daughters practice 2 to 3 hours. She goes on to say that Westerns mothers and Chinese mothers have been in a study where the Western mothers said that pressuring your child to work hard on academics was not good and that the children needed to somewhat want to do it themselves. Whereas Chinese mothers had an overall zero percentage of agreeing with those statement and believed that “successful students showed good parenting”(pg.411) on their parent. In this study these Chinese mothers believed their children can be the best students and if their children didn’t excel then there was a problem.
ReplyDeleteChua said that many Chinese mothers do not like the cultural stereotypes. But there are many studies to show how these mothers believe academics are their top priority for their children. She says that maybe it is because “Chinese parents can get away with things that Western parents can not”.(pg. 412) Chua gives childhood experiences explaining how because her parents thought so highly of her, when she was disrespectful to her mother , her father called her garbage and that made her feel terrible but not in a way that “didn’t damage” her self esteem. She said as an adult she tried this same technique with her daughter but when she told her parent friends, some were very upset and others were very shocked. Chua throughout the story gives contrasts between Western Parents and Chinese Parents. For example, she says that Western parents are always cautious about what they say to their children because they are scared to hurt their self esteem. Whereas Chinese Mothers tell their children exactly what they think so that the children understand where they stand with their parents.
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ReplyDeleteI see Amy’s purpose as definitely entertainment. The things she is saying may sound harsh, but that is mainly due to the fact that you cannot hear the tone in which she is saying it simply from reading. This show’s in “I’ve noticed that Western parents are extremely anxious about their children’s self esteem.” (pg 412) The way she is saying this may come off as judgey or rude but it see it for what it is- a truthful and open statement. She also has pieces in here which show how much Chinese parents love and care for their children. In the quote, “Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe that their child can get them.”(pg 413) She expresses how much Chinese parents actually think of their children. If your parent didn’t believe you could do better they may say “it’s okay” or “you tried”, which does not help them succeed. I know this tactic intimately as it was how I was raised in regards to grades.
ReplyDeleteI initially went into the paper thinking “this won’t be so bad, I’m sure she isn’t too blunt,” but was actually surprised. After just reading the essay I was set to give it a somewhat biased and harsh review. This changed, though, once I watched the video and began to understand what she meant. The interview really showcases her quote “They [Chinese Parents] would give up anything for their children.” (pg 413). It is all to clear that this is genuinely the case, and that it’s not brutality making them parent this way, but deep unconditional love. Near the end of the paper she gives another example of how a Chinese mother gives her love, “There’s nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn’t.” (pg 414) This, as a young person, I can greatly attest to as being true. Throughout these paragraphs Chua is simply explaining the differences in parenting styles, not trying to persuade for one side of the other.
I totally agree that when Amy Chua wrote "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior" her purpose was to entertain the reader. She gives many examples on how Chinese and Western mothers are so different compare to each other. Amy might have been dramatic when describing Chinese mothers when it comes to raising their children but that is her way in making her essay entertaining to the reader.
DeleteWhen I read “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” I believe the article was to entertain and also to inform. However, Amy Chua organizes the story by compare and contrast. Throughout the essay she lists the differences in how Chinese mothers and Western parents raise their kids. For example when she states “...even when Western parents think they’re being strict, they usually don’t come close to being Chinese mothers (Chua, 411). Amy compares them on how western parents could never reach the level of strictness of Chinese mothers. In addition, Amy Chua includes that “Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable-even legally actionable-to Westerners” (Chua, 412). It seems odd to Western parents on the way Chinese mothers raise their children, because it is something they don’t see very much where they live.
ReplyDeleteThe author includes many facts on how Chinese mothers differ from Western mothers all through the essay. Although she does add that, “all decent parents want to do what’s best for their children” (Chua, 414). Even if Western and Chinese mothers have different ways in raising their children they both have the same good intentions. They both care for their children very much. Chinese mothers seem very strict and western Mothers may appear more lay back when raising their children, that is because “it’s a misunderstanding on both sides” (Chua, 414). Both mothers might not agree with each other on how they look after their children because they are used to what they know and see. Western and Chinese mothers come from completely different countries and do not have the same ethics that is why they differ from each other.
I also believe that the essay was organized by compare and contrast. The writer talked about the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western culture parents and how one of them was superior. The author uses many different facts about Chinese culture to demonstrate how they differ from Westerners. Good comment.
DeleteIn Amy Chau's essay "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior" she states that everything you are good at, you have to practice in that specific area. Chau is strict to her daughters because she wants them to become very successful later down the road. When she go called garbage from her father it was cruel and hard for her in our eyes but in her eyes it made her learn from her mistakes and make better decisions.
ReplyDeleteDifferent cultures around the world have different tactics of teaching their children of how to become successful. that is what Chau is trying to state, I don't think she is trying to persuade anyone. The statement of " Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything" is not right because you teach your kids how you want, so they can become successful later on in life.
In Amy Chua’s essay, she creates a purpose of trying to persuade the reader that the Chinese style of parenting is successful type of parenting. Even though the Chinese style of parenting is very harsh towards their kids and expect a lot out of them such as expecting them to produce kids who display “academic excellence, musical mastery, and professional success.” (Chua 411) Many Chinese mothers, Chua argues would feel like they “‘were not doing their job’ “(Chua 411) if they didn’t excel in their school studies which results in them making their kids academic success one of their most important priorities for their child which often results in smarter and more successful kids. Chinese parents are stricter than Western parents in the fact that they aren’t afraid of hurting their child’s feelings and “can do things that would seem unimaginable” (Chua 412) to give discipline to their kids. Chinese kids get good grades because their mothers expect nothing but perfection from them if not they would face a “screaming, hair tearing explosion” (Chua 413) from them. Due to the strict parenting by Chinese parents, many of their kids end up being successful in life.
ReplyDeleteAmy Chua writes this essay to persuade the audience on why she thinks that chinese mothers are superior in raising children as opposed to western mothers. In the essay she gives a list of what she allowed her daughters to do and what they couldn’t do. One of the things that they weren't allowed to do was “attend a sleepover”(pg.410) and “have a playdate”(pg. 410). Her reasoning behind this was that having friends and “playing” with them would cause her daughters to lose focus on their academics. She talks about how western parents think that they are being strict to their children, when in reality compared to what chinese parents do, it’s a cakewalk. When it comes to practice for instruments, western parents consider 30 minutes good and that an hour is a lot of time. “ For a chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part”(pg.411). She then goes on and explains that the next two to three hours is the difficult part. That is one of the ways she tries to persuade the audience on why chinese moms are superior.
ReplyDeleteShe also talks about how western mom’s are concerned with their children’s self-esteem. Chinese parents will literally tell their children that they are garbage. “ ...when I was extremely disrespectful to my mother, my father angrily called me ‘garbage”...”(pg. 412). When her father called her that she was the one who felt like garbage for treating her mother like that. She didn’t have her self-esteem ruined, she was determined to be more respectful; to her mother. However when is comes to western parents they are always concerned about how their child is going to be and what their stress level is. Chinese parents have no concern with this, they will literally insult their children by calling them names like, “ ‘stupid’, ‘worthless’, or a ‘disgrace’.”(pg. 413). This doesn’t hurt the children, it encourages them to do better and prove their parents wrong. This is why she feels that chinese parents are superior.
In the essay “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”, the author seems to be trying to persuade the reader that Chinese mothers are better than “Western” parents. The author uses several examples of how Chinese parents are harder on their children than other parents are. “The fact is that Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable to Westerners.”, is a quote from the essay that shows the author believes that Chinese parents can get away with more than Western parents. The author shows that Chinese parents are direct when addressing a problem while Western parents tend to tiptoe around the issue or subject. Amy Chua states in the essay that Western parents become conflicted with their own thoughts of success or achievement and it gives them mixed feeling about if they should be disappointed by how their kids turn out.
ReplyDeleteThe writer gives three examples of how Chinese parents differ from Western parents as far as mind-sets go. In the first example, the writer states “Western parents are extremely anxious about their child’s self-esteem.”. She then talks about how that is not the case for Chinese parents, but that they assume strength instead of agility and that is why their kids behave differently. The second example the writer gives is that “Chinese parents believe as if their children owe them everything.”. She states that the reason for this is not clear, but may have something to do with the fact that the parents have sacrificed so much for the children. This includes the time spent training, teaching, and tutoring their kids. The writers’ third example is that Chinese parents believe that they know what is best for their kids. This causes them to make decisions that are crucial for their children, including their desires and preferences. In contrast to Western parents, the author states “I don’t think most Westerners have the same view of children being permanently indebted to their parents.”
I disagree with how you interpreted the first quote you use. It isn't so much that the author thinks Chinese parents can get away with more- she simply highlights that Chinese culture is more tolerant of and allows more leeway for more strictness in parenting. Kind of funny to think about how their culture's rigidity allows them more flexibility of a sort in child-rearing, but there it is. The real hilarity is when the cultures clash in a mixed household. Chinese culture and parenting work fine in China or Chinatown or in any homogeneous community. Bring it into a household where the recipient/child/victim can look around and clearly see all the much more lenient, carefree lives that American kids lead? No, it doesn't tend to hold up so well in more isolated practice. Makes you wonder how the opposite might work out- a standard, fully American family unit of values and practices set in the middle of Beijing or something?
DeleteTo get right into it, the entire point of Amy Chua's essay is to act as a form of self-reflection. It may not seem that way on its surface but there are a few indicators that, when combined with the right perspective, can clue you in on this. We'll begin with building a bit of perspective. First, you need to recognize the humor baked into this particular flavor of word pastry. It's obvious in sections like the list of disallowed actions in paragraph 1 (pages 410-411) with such lackadaisical redundant items as "Be in a school play," and "Complain about not being in a school play." Sometimes the humor is a bit more subtle, as with paragraph 14 (page 413) where it mentions ". . .there would first be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion . . .", and dozens to hundreds of practice tests. Here's where it gets interesting though; it isn't funny because it's exaggerated or far-fetched. Rather, it's the same sort of sardonic inside joke you might expect to hear from war veterans having a casual chat. You would have to have been raised in a similar environment to recognize it, and several other such statements, for what they are (my mother is half Chinese and half Korean- I recognize the inside joke but it makes me cringe more than laugh). Humor tends to make unpleasant things more palatable- or so we hope, at least. It's a particularly useful sugarcoating for the more bitter looks we take at ourselves. Also note that such humor easily and often strays into the territory of sounding facetious. Keep in mind this may not always be intentional. Self-reflection often involves parts of oneself that we are unsure of so it is often easier to gloss over them in this way.
ReplyDeleteAlright, you have a bit of the right perspective now probably/maybe. Now look at paragraph 21 on page 414, where it outright states, "All decent parents want to do what's best for their children." It's alluded to throughout the essay such as in paragraph 15 (page 413) where it states, "Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe that their child can get them." You don't generally have faith like that in someone unless you care for them. Certainly, the essay does not state anything about Chinese parents not caring for their children- simply that they show their care in a different way, as in paragraph 19. Now, look at the asides set in parentheses in paragraphs 9, 15, and 16. Those are, in essence, more of a direct look at the author's frame of mind regarding whatever they're attached to. Notice that they read as a form of justification or even the author reassuring themselves of their good intentions. I've forgotten what I was even writing about at this point. Comment concluded.
I believe the main point that Amy is try to get across to the reader is that Chinese mothers teach their children in a much different way than mothers here in the United States. What she says is true because she shows the differences between the ways we commend our children. In her essay she describes Western mother’s attitude towards their child as a positive manner, showing all the good things the child did then sugar coating what they did bad. On the other hand, she says eastern oriented parents are much more strict with their children. Part of the reason is if their child is doing bad in school, the parents blame themselves for it and will go discipline themselves along with the child. In the essay in paragraph fourteen Amy narrates an example of a Chinese student coming home with an B on their test, the parent will start shaming the child and then get dozens or maybe even hundreds of practice tests and work through them all as long as it takes for that child to get up to an A. This shows a major contrast between western and eastern parents. This shows that the main point of the essay was to clarify the differences between eastern oriented parents and western oriented parents.
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DeleteI would have to agree on the main point of the essay is that Chinese parents are strict. The problem is that the question from the start is asking what makes this a persuade essay rather than a essay for entertainment. You did well on find examples of how the parents are strict. try to relate how to this more of an essay of persuasion. This would than connect to the question being asked.
DeleteIn the first part of Amy’s essay she states, “Chinese parents spend almost ten times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children.” In this first paragraph she tries to persuade to the read in to think that chinese parents focus most of their time into making their children great. Even though she tried to compare chinese parents to other parent as a form of entertainment but failed in doing so. The next example Amy us is that Chinese parents does not understand fun. She states, “ Chinese parents understand that nothing is fun until you are good at it.” What Amy means is that chinese parents only understand what something fun is until you are the best at it. This way of writing showed that Amy tried to focus on entertainment but was really writing reasons as a persuade essay.
ReplyDeleteIn the next paragraph Amy talks about how chinese parents are able to get away with parenting style. She states, “ I was disrespectful to my mother causing my father to call me garbage in our native tongue.” After that statement she says that it was effective way of changing her attitude. Amy also says that other parents ways don’t come near way to the effectiveness of her parents. In the next paragraph Amy says that chinese parents feel as if the child owe the them. Amy states, “chinese parents believe that since they raised the child the owes it to their parents.” This statement shows that Amy was writing more to the side persuasion then merely writing about entertainment.
I like how you said her purpose was to persuade, it made me think of the essay in a different way because I thought she used compared and contrast
DeleteIn Amy Chua’s essay she is comparing and contrasting between Chinese and western style parenting. She tries to persuade how Chinese style of parenting is able to make their kids successful in life. She talks about the rules she had for her daughters for example, they could not “attend a sleepover, have a playdate, be in a school play” (pgs.410-411) unlike the typical western ways. Another example she said she “makes her daughters practice their musical instrument for 2 to 3 hours but her western parent’s friends make their child practice for 30 minutes.” (pg. 411). She also states “even when Western parents think they’re being strict, they usually don’t come close to being Chinese mothers (pg.411) She compares that western parents could never reach the level of strictness of Chinese mothers. She says, “Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable even legally actionable to Westerners.” Her opinion is that Chinese mothers are superior in parenting compared to western mothers.
ReplyDeleteIn Amy Chua's essay, the main point that she is getting at is that the Chinese parents are more actively strict than the Western parents. What she does is compare and contrast the two and shows the differences in what they do that is opposite, Chinese parents are more strict in that they don't allow any kind of freedom, however the Westerners do. Chua also explains that the reason she was this strict with her daughters, is because she personally knew that it would help them in the long run. She also says that there are some instances where Chinese parents didn't have a choice in how they parented, they had to parent in the way that they did because that's what they were used to doing. Her main point is to compare and contrast Chinese and Western parents, and also to show why Chinese parents are superior.
ReplyDeletein her essay, Amy Chua believes that Chinese parents are superior to all other parents in that they are more strict and they raise the brighter and more talented children. Throughout the essay she is comparing Western and Chinese parents and showing their similarities and differences. She says that Western parents can be more lenient with their rules and what the children are allowed to do. Chua talks about how she raised her daughters and how her parenting tactics helped them in their future. Her main point was to show the differences between Western and Chinese parenting and to prove her point as to why Chinese parents are superior.
ReplyDeleteIn Amy Chua “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” she provides the two sides of parenting. A rough one that is used to gain work ethic or a more softer side used to prevent great self esteem and mental health. I think her article can come off persuasive with all the good things that come out of raising a child a little harder than usual. Quotes like, “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.” (pg. 411) or “Chinese parents believe they know what is best for their children and therefor override all of their children’s own desires and preferences.” (pg. 413) show the reasons behind the idea of tough teaching. But it also shows light towards what comes out of it.
ReplyDeleteI think the points like “Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe their child could get them,” (pg. 314) or “the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they’re capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits, and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.” (pg. 314) These can come off as persuasive to the audience because who doesn't want a successful child. She does do a great job of informing the audience about the differences between chinese and “western” parenting but also how the outcomes are usually different. I believe this excerpt is persuasive with how it gave the good outcomes of tough parenting.