Question

Discuss the structure of Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue.” Note how the essay blurs the line between nonfiction essay and narrative form. Why do you think Tan chose this structure? How do you think such a form influences the development of ideas in the essay? Do you think it is an effective form? Why or why not?

Answer 1

in her essay, Tan describes various events that helped shape her identity as a writer. She uses the narrative form to describe her experiences with her mother and how her mother’s use of the English language influenced her life while growing up, such as when she quotes a story her mother once told her about a guest at her mother’s wedding:

Du Yusong having business like fruit stand. Like off-the-street kind. He is Du like Du Zong--but not Tsung-ming Island people. . . .That man want to ask Du Zong father take him in like become own family. Du Zong father wasn't look down on him, but didn't take seriously, until that man big like become a mafia. Now important person, very hard to inviting him.  

Tan may have chosen this structure to give readers insight into her life and also to make it easier for them to comprehend the factors that shaped her style as a writer.  

Tan uses a nonfiction essay form to discuss the role language has played in her life. This reflective essay form allows Tan to discuss how her relationship with English and her mother has changed over the years, as the following excerpt shows:

I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English I spoke to my mother, which for lack of a better term might be described as "simple"; the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as "broken"; my translation of her Chinese, which could certainly be described as "watered down"; and what I imagined to be her translation of her Chinese if she could speak in perfect English, her internal language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure. (hope this helps this is exactly from edmentum)

Answer 2

Tan switches from a formal to a narrative structure in this essay because it reflects her insights on language. The author describes how her mother's developing English has effected her realizations about communication and how it affects her life. Thus Tan used narration as a tool to best express her reflections. This descriptive style helped readers understand the author's experiences and relate to them. It guides readers to visualize what immigrants go through when they try to communicate. The narrative essay is an effective form because it provides scenarios that can make readers see the author's main point of view. It also gives readers a richer experience when understanding the author's message.