English 1301 students:
For our blog on Friday, November 2, please submit a comment during our class time, 12:00-12:50 or 2:00-2:50 p.m. depending on your section, of at least two well-developed paragraphs. (A well-developed paragraph is about 8-10 sentences, so your two paragraphs should be about 20 sentences altogether.)
In your comment, please discuss how you plan to use anecdotes in your classification essay, using Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue," on pp. 466-71 in our textbook, as a guide to using anecdotes. In your comment, quote from Tan's essay at least twice and cite page numbers in parentheses after each quotation.
After you submit your comment, please submit a reply of one well-developed paragraph to at least one of the other students' comments. Please reply thoughtfully to the selected comment (rather than just stating that it is a good comment).
Reminders: Please read pp. 474-83 in our textbook before class on Monday, November 5. And please bring your textbook to class with you that day (and every class day 😏).
Your full-length rough draft for the classification essay is due on Wednesday, November 7.
Have a great weekend,
Dr. K
in my classification essay, i tend to use acedotes as a classification startup."Fortunately, i happen to rebellious in nature and enjoy the challenge of disproving assumptions made about me" is going to be my main source for my essay. This essay isn't great for a large amount of reasons, but ill just find a way to make sense of what you made us do. I will tell why we use the classes, and what do the students do to make an event for that class. I'd state why they are or aren't effective and go on about types of activities. Learning or having fun with the students to encourage better understanding of what we're celebrating or commemorating. I would try to stretch these paragraphs to make a 4 page essay on something similar to whatever you call an essay. Learn how to cite some sources and turn it in that monday. Although, Mothers tongue has really nothing to do with my essay, i like to focus on my other sentence for my foundation for the essay, "a terrible line, which i can't pronounce." Also maybe throw in the respond to the other students part on here because i don't care for really any people in this classroom, and having discussions with people i don't know is really the main thing that makes me want to leave this class. I don't want to talk to the others and reading is the main reason this class is available. I don't mind a few every blue moon but if it weren't for the attendance being almost mandatory, i would skip this class every time we didn't have an essay started or completed.
ReplyDeleteI like the example of the anecdote in the beginning. I also like that you already used some anecdotes in your essay. It is very descriptive and very clear to understand. I like that you are going to state that if a event is effective or not. I think you could have an example of an event that you think is effective or not. it is a good idea to learn how to cite your resources. It is also a good idea to stretch your essay to four pages.
DeleteI also really like how you used the example that you used in your own essay. From what you have here it will fit nicely in there, it is worded well. It is a very good idea to stretch out your essay to four pages.
DeleteThe Way I would use anecdotes in my essay by describing my experience I had when I went to an event. I want to make sure that i go into as much detail as I can. Like when Amy Tan told us about a gangster " in his early years wanted to be adopted by her family..."(467) I also want to say what activities that each event has. Like for the Day of The Dead event, people can paint skulls, paint picture frames, and make key chains. I want to use anecdotes to describe what a person visiting the event can do. An example I use is the Corn Maze event where students can socialize with other students or with their family. Another examples is the concerts the ASU band has where people can relax and enjoy classical music.
ReplyDeleteAnother way I could use anecdotes is to describe what other participants think of the event. Amy Tan used this anecdote to say how much of her mother's English her friends can understand. In the essay she says "yet some of my friends told me they understand 50 percent of what my mother says. Some say they understand 80 to 90 percent. Some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese." (467) I can describe how some of the students think of Ram Jam. Like i have heard that it was really fun with good food and awesome music. Another example I plan on using is how my fellow campers felt about Ram Round Up. I can put their testimonies like "camp was really fun and I enjoyed learning some of ASU's traditions. That is how I would use anecdotes in my essay.
I see you also chose the line from Amy about the gangster showing up to her wedding to show the amount of details. That line was also really effective for me to visualize what Amy was talking about and to better grasp her story. I am also thinking of using some anecdotes to show how people feel about certain events however I am thinking about using good and bad feelings.
DeleteWhen I am writing my essay I will use anecdotes in almost the same way Amy Tan did. I would like to use them as little bits of experience into what was happening in what I was talking about or the situation. Anecdotes are very useful for "painting" a better picture with your words and allowing you to use real people examples in your writing. They allow you to use more graphic details and have a more "colorful" writing. For example when Amy Tan told us about the gangster with her name, "in his early years wanted to be adopted by her family..." (467) this gives us a small window into her life and she goes on to describe the scene to us giving a nice visual image to think of.
ReplyDeleteAnecdotes can let us look into someones personal life just as a well giving nice visuals to think over. For example in AMy Tans story she recalls back when she was a girl, "When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she...". These little snaps of her childhood coupled with her mothers "voice" we get show us what growing up for her was really like and allow us to better grasp for reasoning. Using anecdotes myself I want to also bolster my main points and really help the reader understand what I am saying.
I think it’s great that you are using your personal experience. I agree that using anecdotes does show kind of like a “painting” a better picture. I also agree that it allows somebody’s personal experience to really come forward and let other people see. I think you should bolster the main points in your essay. Great comment!
DeleteI'm also going to be using anecdotes the same way as the author. The way she sets it up, allows for a more interactive experience with the reader. It places emphasis on the examples in her story and this gives the reader a better understanding and experience when reading the essay.
DeleteIn my classification essay, I will be using many anecdotes to start out. I will be telling a short story about my educational views here at Angelo State University. As of most people I figured they would be doing more on the entertainment side, I decided to be different. It might be difficult for me due to that I have more experiences with the entertainment that goes around Angelo State University, however I feel like I can make it at least the standards pretty easily. I might even get to the fourth page if I really can think about more anecdotes. In the beginning, I will talk about my experiences at the lectures about how they bring people to join by having food provided for free to everyone. Food brings many people to attention especially when it comes to free food to college students. I will also talk about how they advertise vigorously around the campus and our emails. They advertise to an extent that is repelling rather than trying to get students to come to that event. I might use few of Amy Tan’s anecdotes as a guide to help with these anecdotes I will be having in my classification essay. Those anecdotes of hers include whenever she uses that the students use excuses to try to get an extra time to work on an assignment. But instead, I might say that students might come up with excuses to not attend the lecture or class by having a family emergency or whatever might come up in their brain at the time. I could write about how the students understand the some of the lectures that have went to & their thoughts about them. Tan said “Some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese,” made me decide to write about their thoughts. I can write about how the art museums relaxing and amusing but as well can be educational. That it how I would use her anecdotes as a guide for mine in my classification essay.
ReplyDeleteI like that you are planning to relate your experiences with these events to other students that go to these same events with stories.
DeleteI think it’s great way that you would use an educational views in your essay which are a different side from most people’s view. I think it is a good idea to attract the reader’s attention because it’s different from most people’s essays so it would be fresh for readers. I also like the point that you are going to write about other people’s thought about an event. I didn’t think about writing down other’s thought in my essay. I think it would be very interesting and novel essay if you write that way.
DeleteIn the essay “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan she uses several anecdotes to inform her audience on her way of life. She starts out the essay by stating that she is by no means an english scholar. However she is a writer and is fluent in both english and mandarin chinese. She speaks about how there were many different types of englishes that she grew up speaking.” I am fascinated by language in daily life”(pg 466) She then goes on to elaborate on this by telling a story about her and her mother having a conversation about when her mom heard her speak “proper english” for the first time. When having conversations with her mother she uses broken english as a better way of communicating with her. She was with her husband at the time and he didn’t even realized she switched from her regular english, to the broken with her mother.
ReplyDeleteShe describes how she doesn’t like the term “Broken English”. This statement makes her wince, because she doesn’t think that it’s broken; broken meaning that there is something wrong with it, and it needs to be fixed. “ I have described it to people as ‘broken’ or ‘fractured’ English.”(pg 468)She then goes and tells an anecdote about how when she was younger, her mother made her call people on the phone and pretend she was her, because her english was much better. I plan on using anecdotes when it comes to providing example of events that I have attended. Using these short stories, is a good way of conveying the message to the audience by relating the topic to their personal life. Using the anecdote method and unconventional ways of classification, I plan on writing the best essay I possibly can.
I like how you are going to use these examples from personally events that you have attended, that will help structure a great essay.
DeleteIn my essay i will use anecdotes just as, Amy Tan in " Mother Tongue" used. She gives an example (Page 467, Paragraph 4) when her and her mother are walking down the street having a conversation about a price. She realizes her and her mom are always using the broken English language without realizing. She uses the examples in her essay to help the reader better understand her point. In my essay i will be using examples from the events iv attented to help the reader better understand the classification essay.
ReplyDeleteI would use anecdotes in my classification essay by describing my thought and impression what I felt at an event. I want to describe in as much detail as possible. Like when Amy Tan wrote about her experience and thought “Here’s an example from the first draft of a story that later made its way into The Joy Luck Club, but without this line:…” (470), I want to give readers a specific experience example and my thought of it. I would tell about exactly what I saw and felt, the name and meaning of the event, and the purpose of it.
ReplyDeleteAlso I would use anecdotes in my essay by comparing new ones to familiar ones for me. I want to write about what I felt refreshed and things I have never done before and compare those things to my previous experiences. Like when Amy Tan compares her mother’s English to English which she learned and used in school, “it suddenly seemed to me, with nominalized forms, past perfect tense, conditional phrase, all the forms of standard English that I had learned in school and through books, the forms of English I did not use at home with my mother” (467), I could use anecdotes by describing a comparison of experience from the event and previous experiences.
In my classification essay I plan to use anecdotes to discuss the educational activities available to the students here at ASU, just as Amy Tan tells little stories about her mother throughout the excerpt “Mother Tongue” to give more of an insight into her different “englishes” (pg. 466). People can relate better to certain situations when they can relate to the person that’s writing the essay. Amy Tan discusses how the English she uses with her mother is “simple” (pg.470), she explains that she uses this simple English with her mother because her mother has a “broken English” and it was easier to speak to her using more simple words and sentences. In my classification essay I plan to use anecdotes to tell stories that relate to college students everywhere and how these educational events put on across campuses are able to get students to attend them. Whether it be food, tshirts or even extra credit there is something pulling these students to these events and there are anecdotes to be told for all of them. These little stories help people be able to relate better and the better a reader can relate to a reading the better they will understand it.
ReplyDeleteIn my essay I will use anecdotes when I talk about events and places I have been to. Amy Tan uses anecdotes is her essay "Mother Tongue". she talks about the different types of English that she has heard. Her mothers English is different from her English when she is talking in front of an audience. Amy's mothers English is different for a lot of people, but for Amy it is completely normal and she always understands what she is saying. She says she doesn't like the term "Broken English" because she doesn't believe there is a wrong type of English she just knows there are different types of English.
ReplyDeleteAnecdotes can really help people understand another persons perspective through their writing. Describing a personal experience helps me understand the writer. Amy's anecdotes especially helped me understand the relationship and the whole different types of English. She helps the reader understand the Chinese culture and the way they speak English. I will use anecdotes so people can see my point of view in my situation. I feel like it will make my essay stronger and will benefit the people reading my essay.
I agree that anecdotes are a strong way to help readers understand something through another person's point of view. Authors use anecdotes to better convey things from their point of view so that the reader can have a better understanding of why the author chose to write the way he/she did. By doing this, it often inclines the reader to become more involved in the reading since they have a more whole understanding of why it was written the way it was. Anecdotes give insight to the reader and can expose information or certain view points that are critical to the essay. Anecdotes are a great tool to use when writing and Amy Tan showed us this in her essay titled "Mother Tongue".
DeleteIn my classification essay, I will use anecdotes to start out the essay. I will start out by talking about the different events that I have been to use my own person experiences. I will go into greater depth about what was happening at these events and even go into greater depth as Tan did when she gives a whole paragraph of her mother talking about the gangster, "He is like Du Zong - but not Tsung-ming Island people."(467; 6) Talking about the events in greater depth will give a greater image of what I am talking about in my essay.
ReplyDeleteTan discribes how certain when talking about her mom to people it is hard for her to describe her English. She says "Like others, I have describes it to people at 'broken' or 'fractured' English." (468; 8). She is trying to show that her, personally, does not believe that anything is wrong with her mothers way of speaking. However, if anyone else was to listen they wouldn't hear it as clearly as she does. She then goes into an anecdote about how when she was younger she had to talk on the phone for her mother. She was having to talk to a stockbroker for her mother because they were shorting her a check, however her mother was very flustered and was needing her daughter to talk for her so they wouldn't necessarily blow her off simply because of how she spoke. I will use her ideas and ways that she used these anecdotes structure they for my own.
That is a really good way of incorporating anecdotes into your essay. I didn't even think about the structure of it. That's really good.
DeleteIn my classification essay, I will be using anecdotes similar to the way Amy Tan used them in “Mother Tongue”. I will be using these anecdotes to connect to the reader on a deeper level that will help them better understand the essay. This will help the reader better identify each event that will be discussed and how they are classified differently. Just as Amy Tan used anecdotes to help the reader understand her ideas and points, I will be using them in hopes of achieving the same goal.
ReplyDeleteIn the essay “Mother Tongue”, Amy Tan says “Here is an example from the first draft of…”,(pg 470) this is an example of how she used her anecdotes to explain her experience more thoroughly. I will also use the anecdotes to help better explain my experiences or thoughts so that the reader will be able to make a connection or understand why I am writing each point. When discussing each event or activity in my essay, I want to be as detailed as possible to make my ideas clean easily conveyable to the reader. By using anecdotes in this way, I will be able to do that. Another way that I will be using anecdotes to better my essay is by using them to compare each event to one another and place them into more detailed sub-categories if necessary. In the essay “Mother Tongue” the writer uses anecdotes to compare the type of English her mother tends to use and the type of English she has learned to speak throughout her life. (pg 467) This is a perfect example of how to use anecdotes to compare two things, in order for the reader to have a better understanding of what is being discussed in the essay.
In Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue", she uses many anecdotes from the beginning to end of her essay. She starts off by saying "I am not a scholar of English or Literature... I am a writer..." (466; 1)I feel she starts out this way in order to lead in to her story about her mother's not fully developed English. She then goes on into an anecdote about a story her mom told her about a political gangster. I will be using this technique in my essay to show more in depth things about the events that I have gone to or am planning on attending at Angelo State University.
ReplyDeleteTan goes on in her essay to tell more about her mother's English, at one point she talks about when she was in grade school and her mother's English is what confused her so much in those classes. "Math is precise; there is only one correct answer. Whereas, for me at least, the answers on English tests were always a judgement call.." (469; 16) After this she describes a specific scenario that was on an English test and she had trouble with, the close to the end of it she says " Well, according to my mother, there were very few limitations as to what Tom could have been and what Mary might have though of him. So I never did well on tests like that." (469; 16) I will try to use this technique of uniqueness and well thought out anecdotes in my essay to capture the full events in my essay.
Writing is one of the best opportunities to lead a person into a different perspective and able them to create pictures for them in their minds as they read any writings. Anecdotes are a perfect example on how giving a short story within a larger story gives the reader insight towards better understanding, the writer is painting for them in words a certain scenario that perhaps the reader can come to a better understanding or even relate to it on another hand. For example, Amy Tan in “Mother Tongue” states, when describing her mother's english to other people she would use words like “broken” and “fractured” that in result to those certain descriptions would in return make her “wince” (468;8). This paints a picture for the reader that Tan was uncomfortable with describing her mother's english in a negative light.
ReplyDeleteIn my classification essay I intend to use anecdotes about my personal experiences towards situations in regards to educational extracurricular activities here at school. This will lead my readers to either imagine the situation I am describing vividly or in return make them think of a time they personally went through their own scenario in common to mine. Such as describing how we as students jump to the opportunities for extra credit or free things just for attending speeches given at school. Just as Tan described the scenario where Tan's mother was so upset at her stock broker in New York that she was yelling at him and his boss, Tan sat there “quietly” and “red-faced” (468:14). The choice of words and anecdote she chose to use in her writing easily painted this situation and let the reader know just how upset and embarrassed she felt because of it.
I agree that Amy Tan is trying to help readers understand or even relate to the way her mothers english is. She wants people to understand that although her english isn't typically the most well-spoken, she is still trying to give her thoughts in the same way. This is why she uses anecdotes in my opinion.
DeleteI agree that Amy Tan is trying to help readers understand or even relate to the way her mothers english is. She wants people to understand that although her english isn't typically the most well-spoken, she is still trying to give her thoughts in the same way. This is why she uses anecdotes in my opinion.
DeleteI also agree that Tan was trying to understand where he childhood and adulthood get their stepping stones to where she is now.
DeleteI totally agree that anecdotes creates visual representations in the readers mind when reading the story. They help to show the authors personal experiences when talking about the topic. It also helps the reader relate and understand more to what the author is trying to explain in the story.
DeleteI agree that she is describing her mom's english through the struggles that she faced while speaking it also and how she overcame it.
DeleteI agree completely anecdotes do create a mental picture because it helps the reader see in a different perspective
Delete.
In my classification essay I plan on using anecdotes about all the tailgates and ram jams I have experienced when grouping them unconventionally by: free food, free shirts, so much fun and also by over hyped or campaigned events. For example I will use an anecdote about going to ram jam and getting free tacos and a free shirts. Ram jam isn’t too fun beside all the free things, so I would group it as over hyped. For example Amy Tan uses an anecdote about an experience she had hearing her mother speak english and how it wasn’t too good, but to that her mothers understanding of english goes beyond how she speaks it(pg. 467).
ReplyDeleteAnother way that Amy Tan uses personal stories in this article is how her mother’s english affected her own “possibilities in life”(pg. 469). This could then lead to another story in my classification essay about how others peoples actions have affected mine, for example going to parties. They influence me to go because they are going. Who wants to be the party pooper? Yeah. No one. So of course I am going to go regardless of how I really feel. Those are two ways I could add anecdotes to my essay.
In Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue”, she states that her mother would tell “authorities” like doctors, or her employers to talk to her daughter as mine do with me. For me, my parents have struggled with English but now they know some words but not enough for them to do things that we would call “simply daily tasks”, I make payments for the bills, talk to their doctors and employers, and so on. My parents wanted me to always do my absolute best, always, so that when I was older I could always help them and I would know the terms so that I could translate back to them what others are saying. Once I became old enough, I would carry the weight of my family on my shoulders. Tan says “ Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that.”(pg. 468) and I understand her because in this society, when we explain that people in our families know English but only to an extent, it is almost as if we have to warn them or something because otherwise they just assume they are uneducated when in fact they are educated but the language barrier is always tough.
ReplyDeleteI plan on using my personal experiences because I could related to Amy Tan on so many levels. Having to tell others your parent has “broken” English is heartbreaking because to yourself, it is just perfectly fine but to others, they may think differently. The language between my parents and I is completely different to as the language I share with my friends. With my friends it is free, anything goes but with my parents it has to be completely formal, even a “ what” could be taken as disrespectful. Therefore as I relate to Tan, I plan to find ways in order for the audience to relate to me and what I have to say. Tan said “ Fortunately, I happen to be rebellious in nature and and enjoy the challenge of disproving assumptions made about me” (pg. 470) which really spoke to me because I am this way as well. Proving people wrong is always something to look forward to because when I tell people my first language isn’t English, they always state that I don’t have an accent but that is because I have many years of work behind me to get to this point of where I am in the English language so I take it as a compliment
I love that you were able to relate to Amy Tan's story! I think Mother Tongue really illustrates how deeply she has thought about this part of her life--the complexities of switching between languages, and maintaining a balance both for herself and for her various family members--and it gives the reader a lot to think about. Perhaps understanding how Amy Tan uses anecdotes to explain her life will prove helpful even beyond writing the classification essay. It seems to me that Tan uses these life experiences to better understand who she is and how to navigate a life of different languages. Can you think of any life experiences that work in this same way?
DeleteI plan to use anecdotes similar to the way Amy Tan uses them in her essay “Mother Tongue”. I want to be able to connect to the reader with stories that might be relatable to other people. For example, Amy Tan recounts stories from her past to connect with other readers who have to use “broken or limited” English at home. She explains that her mother would not get the same service as she would because of her inefficient way to communicate English with other people. Amy Tan would have to be the one to communicate with people, so her mother could be able to get what she wanted. This is shown on page 468, where Amy Tan had to communicate her mothers concern about not getting a check from their stockbroker who was in New York. Another example is shown on page 468-469, which explains how because of her mother’s language barrier with other people, she was treated rather rudely by her doctors when asked if she could see her CAT Scan, which the doctors had lost. When Amy Tan was called, the doctors were a lot more respectful and promised to get a CAT Scan as soon as they could find it. These two anecdotes explain how her mothers “broken” language made it harder on her. She did this because other Asian readers may be able to relate to this essay in a way. Her goal was to make it not only easy for her readers to understand but her mother, who’s language was misunderstood by others.
ReplyDeleteAnecdote means an interesting or short amusing story about a real incident. Throughout the story “Mother Tongue” the author, Amy Tan includes many anecdotes. It helps the essay seem more personal because when reading it the reader is able to visualize what the author felt during that period of time. For instance when Amy Tan says, “just last week, I was walking down the the street with my mother, and I again found myself conscious of the English I was using, and the English I do use with her” (467), is considered an anecdote. It is a short story that she includes in “Mother Tongue” in which it tells the reader that she found herself speaking a different type of English that can be considered broken with her mother because that is how they communicate with each other. Amy Tan also adds another anecdote that states, “My husband was with us as well, and he didn’t notice any switch in my English” (467). In other words what she says in this particular anecdote is that when she spoke broken English with her mother her husband never notice that she was not talking in a proper way. It is ideal for Amy Tan to add many anecdotes in the story “Mother Tongue” because it is about her and experiences she went through.
ReplyDeleteI plan on using anecdotes in my classification essay. Adding anecdotes is going to help the essay seem more interesting since it gives a personal touch to it. Including personal thoughts and experiences to a story not only does it make it fascinating but it engages the reader’s attention. It will prevent the reader from getting bored while reading the essay. I hope to add my thoughts and how feel about the entertaining extracurricular events at ASU in my classification essay. It will guide me when writing it because it gives me more things to talk about since I will be explaining my own experiences. When reading “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan it gave me a basic idea of what anecdotes are since she includes many her story. Not only did it help me know what it meant but also now I know how to incorporate anecdotes into my classification essay.
It seems like you have a thorough understanding of how to use anecdotes to support your main points! I think maybe the next step is to figure out exactly how you will incorporate them. What do you think is an ideal structure for a paragraph in which you use an anecdote? Will you provide the anecdote first and then explain your point, or will you state your point and then use the anecdote to illustrate it? Obviously this will vary depending on the paragraph, but experimenting with the structure might be a good focus for your revision!
DeleteI like how you kicked off your comment's introduction with a fact about anecdotes. There's something amusing about using one form of essay introduction to describe another. I also appreciate how you touched upon the versatility of anecdotes and their application- personalizing your writing, engaging the reader, visualization, etc. I also feel that anecdotes are easier to write about since it more or less naturally plays out as you simply telling a story but on paper. It could even be said that an anecdote can be like a seed in your essay which all the other writing around it sprouts from. And then something, something, bloom, beautiful imagery. Insert clever outro.
DeleteIn my essay over the entertaining extracurricular activities, I will be describing them based on their different levels of social interaction. By using anecdotes, my essay will be vastly improved. In Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue", she describes the difficulties that Asian mothers have with the English language. She gives stories of her mom by including anecdotes throughout. She does this to show how she would be embarrassment due to the lack of English she knows. By doing this, you can get a better idea of the type of person she is.
ReplyDeleteTan describes her mother's English as being "simple" (470.) Her knowledge of the language makes it so that she can understand and follow along with simple conversations. However, more deep conversations will be harder for her to understand.Tan would have to go back to her native language to have a more deep conversation. Also, Tan describes her mother's language as being "fractured." (468) This makes it even harder to understand her mother due to her seeming to not make sense. Overall, anecdotes are very important in getting your point across through life stories.
There is a somewhat unconventional method I intend to use when employing anecdotes in my essay. I aim to write about them in such a way that they represent someone else entirely as the author. While I don't exactly intend to write as though I'm my mother, it is conceptually the same as the way Amy Tan stands in for her mother over the phone in paragraphs 10 through 13; "When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she" (page 468 or whatever). Though it is a bit late for Halloween I will essentially masquerade as someone else for a bit while writing from their perspective. Dressing my literary endeavor in a costume and parading it around for trick-or-treating might be another way to look at it. Although I sincerely doubt anyone will be giving me any candy for it, I would gladly accept an A. Or at least a sugar-free B.
ReplyDeleteObviously, for what I'm trying to do I will need to actually sculpt a personality whose perspective will be put to paper. This is very similar (but also opposite) to what Amy Tan does in her writing as she explains herself in paragraph 21: "Fortunately, for reasons I won't get into today, I later decided I should envision a reader for the stories I would write" (Page 470 and such). I, on the other hand, will be obtaining myself a writer. To write my essay. Figuratively, not literally. Because I'm not quite desperate enough to get someone else to write my papers for me yet. Now, enough of the spoiler alerts. I must return to my bed- to think deeply and creatively on my future writing, that is.
A very intriguing approach to your essay! Sometimes it can be difficult to identify aspects of your writing that can be improved, but it looks like you have taken a creative approach to accomplish just that. I am curious what kind of personality you plan to create for yourself in this scenario. What aspects of yourself (as a person or as a writer) did you choose to change for this essay? In fact, it would be interesting to pursue this a little further and really think about why you chose the personality you chose. What does this say about you? Or about you as a writer?
DeleteWell. What does it say about me as a person as a writer? That I avoid boredom like the plague, to be honest. I'll do something off-the-wall or challenging just to amuse myself and possibly learn/hone a particular skill. Really now, while I suppose that might sound odd or even somewhat dismissive of academia, I would have to say too many people just write in pursuit of a particular grade or just "because they have to" in order to complete an assignment. It kind of shows, y'know?
DeleteAnecdotes are good examples for the reader to relate or understand the author’s perspective on a situation. When the reader is able to relate or understand the anecdote, it makes them more interested in the essay. For example in Amy Tan’s story, “Mother's Tongue,” on page 468 in paragraph 10, she says because of her mother’s broken english, she has to talk to people for her. This relates to me but not in the same way. My father has trouble understanding people with broken english, so when I’m with him and someone with broken english tries to communicate with I have to be the translator for my dad so he can understand what they are saying.
ReplyDeleteFor anecdotes in my classification essay I will be using personal and peer experiences in situations concerning entertaining extracurricular events held here on campus. The reason I will be using peer experiences is because, I myself do not partake in some of these events like greek life, but I do have friends that participate in greek life and learning from their experiences I could show how those could be classified. I would be classifying those greek life experiences by how my parents would not approve of me joining one of those fraternities. This relates to Amy Tan because when she said “red-faced,” on page 468 paragraph 13. That would relate to me and my “red- faced” self, if I told my parents I joined a frat.
I agree, as Tan’s essay seems to be made of almost exclusively anecdotes. This is good though, and very effective in the point she is making. Her essay out-right requires a very personal touch, and she delivers. It is easy to connect with what Tan is explaining, for both native English speakers and second language English speakers alike. She is good at explaining her stories and adding detail to them in which they are captivating and purposeful. Overall, her use of anecdotes is incredibly good.
DeleteIn my essay I will be using anecdotes to bring personality and intrigue into my paper, much like Amy Tan did in “Mother Tongue”. The anecdote she uses when talking about switching languages, “...found myself conscious of the English I was using, and the English I do use with her,” (467;4) is very personal. In it she speaks about how she uses a more ”simple” version of English with her mother, compared to how she would normally speak. She does on to say how this is a form of intimacy in her language, the kind of English she grew up with. This shows that even though she is a renowned author, she still has her intimate form of English she speaks in with her mother, and sometimes, her husband. This shows a level of trust and acceptance for who one is, regardless of how they speak. Her use of this anecdote is very affectionate and effective in explaining the differences in the language uses. Even though she is speaking English in both forms of language, she has a familiar connection to the “simple” form.
ReplyDeleteIn her 9th paragraph, she gives a different anecdote, “I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say,” (468;9) showing the flipped side of this form of English. Even though she now finds it to be comforting in a sense, when she was young it seemed abrasive and crude. I find this to be an all too common misconception among people learning English as a second language. People too often think that because one’s English is struggling, they are unintelligent or unimportant. This shows it self again in paragraph 14, “...they did not seem to have any sympathy...finally called her daughter, me, who spoke perfect English -lo and behold- we had assurances that the CAT scan would be found…” (469;14). The fact that a hospital- a place where you are supposed to be treated with kindness and respect- would do this to her mother is deplorable. This accurately shows just how stigmatized “simple” or “broken” English is in the U.S., and it’s only getting worse. We are supposed to be “the melting pot”, a place of refuge for all people, but that is a lie. Often times it can feel as if America just keeps taking backwards steps, with this anecdote as proof.
The way I would use anecdotes in my essay by describing my experience I had when I went to an event. I want to make sure that I go into as much detail as I can. Like when Amy Tan told us about a gangster " in his early years wanted to be adopted by her family..." I also want to say what activities that each event has. Like for the Day of The Dead event, people can paint skulls, paint picture frames, and make key chains. I want to use anecdotes to describe what a person visiting the event can do. An example I use is the Corn Maze event where students can socialize with other students or with their family. Another example is the concerts the ASU band has where people can relax and enjoy classical music.
ReplyDeleteAnother way I could use anecdotes is to describe what other participants think of event. Amy Tan used this anecdote to say how much of her mother's English her friends can understand. In the essay she says "yet some of my friends told me they understand 50 percent of what my mother says. Some say they understand 80 to 90 percent. Some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese." I can describe how some of the students think of Ram Jam. Like I have heard that it was fun with good food and awesome music. Another example I plan on using is how my fellow campers felt about Ram Round Up. I can put their testimonies like "camp was super fun and I enjoyed learning some of ASU's traditions. That is how I would use anecdotes in my essay.
In my essay that covers entertaining extracurricular activities, I will be describing them based on their different levels of social interaction. By using anecdotes in my essay it will greatly improved it. In Amy Tan's "Mother Tongue", she describes the difficulties that Asian mothers have with the English language. She gives stories of her mom by giving an anecdotes throughout in the beginning of her story . She does this to show how she would be embarrassed due to the lack of English her mother know. By doing this, you can get a better idea of the type of person she is. This helps readers to connect with Tan in her story.
ReplyDeleteTan also describes her mother's English as being "broken" on page 470. Her knowledge of the language makes it so that she can understand and follow along with simple conversations. However, more deep conversations will be harder for her to understand. Tan would have to go back to her native language to have a more deep conversation. Also, Tan describes her mother's language as being "fractured” on page 469. This makes it even harder to understand her mother due to her seeming to not make sense. Overall, anecdotes are very helpful in getting your point across through life stories.
My essay will be about extracurricular activities and in it I will base them off of popular events on campus. Amy Tan uses multiple Anecdotes in her essay "Mother Tongue" in great ways. I will use Anecdotes similar to how she uses them but I will connect to my audience on more of an understanding level. One of the anecdotes she uses is presenting her self as an Asian mother struggling with English language. She uses this to connect with readers who find it difficult to speak in English. Just how Amy connects with her readers, I will connect with them because most students can relate to the activities on campus.
ReplyDeleteAdding Anecdotes in my essay actually will bring my essay more to life and gives it better meaning. What I mean by this that not only do they bring great detail and not make your essay bland but the reader can get a different view of what you are trying to express. It give the reader a more clear vivid picture of the choice of words you are trying to create and want the reader to know.
In my essay I will use anecdotes in my essay by describing my experience at the events I’ve been too similar to how Amy Tan did in “mothers tounge “. Using a anecdotes it helps the reader get a personal view that will help get a better understanding of the essay. She says, “just last week, I was walking down the street with my mother, and again I found myself conscious of the English I was using, and the English I do use with her”. (pg467) That helps the reader get a understanding on how she feels when talking to her mother. She uses another anecdote by describing how she feels about her mother’s English “ I was ashamed of her English”. That helped the reader understand how she felt about her mother’s English.
ReplyDeleteIn "Mother Tongue." by Amy Tan she uses a lot of anecdotes in her story. In my essay I would like to use anecdotes the same way Amy Tan did. By at certain point in my essay to flash back on real moments in my life and try to use it as a sort of teachable or learning experience. Anecdotes are real useful in a story because they help you paint a picture with your words. They also give the reader a sort of Imagery whenever they come along the part of the story. Anecdotes can be used in other ways too. Such as comic relief, or talking about an interesting fact in your story. For example Amy Tan flashed back and told us about a point in her life when there was a gangster with her name. “In his early years wanted to be adopted by her family..." (467). This anecdote gives us the chance to picture in our head a glimpse of her life. Which is good because if we are able to see what the She was going through at the point in life it gives us a better chance to understand her story.
ReplyDeleteAnecdotes give us the rare chance to look into someone’s personal life and see what they are going through in their shoes. For example Amy tells us when she fifthteen her mother had her call people “To pretend I was she”...(468). This moment gives us a brief chance to see how tough it was for her mother to speak english. Her mother did this because her english had limitations and she wanted to make sure she was given the best deals on somethings. One could say that Amy is a brave woman. I say this because they way she uses her anecdotes is basically her giving us an invitation into her personal life. Amy doesn’t have to do this either, but she wants to. Mainly because she wants to give her audience a better opportunity to understand her book and what she went through as a child.
In Amy Tan's essay,"Mother Tongue." I have found that she uses anecdotes quite frequently throughout the story. When I revise my essay, I will try to use as many anecdotes as I can to make my essay similar to the same way Amy Tan did hers. When you use anecdotes, it gives the reader a more clear and better understanding of what they are reading about, it's much better than having a confused reader reading your essay. For example in the essay she says "yet some of my friends told me they understand 50 percent of what my mother says", which probably means the mother is not being clear enough mainly due to the fact that she does not speak clear English or not using enough anecdotes. She even talks about how her mother's english is "broken" in page 470.
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