Language plays an important part in Amy Tan’s life. The English that her mother knew was limited because of her native tongue. Amy took notices to this and seen that because of her mother first language being Chinese it mixes with her English creating “Broken English”. This “Broken English” made many people try to not put in the effort to give Amy’s mother the time of day making a mark on Amy’s life. Amy realized that there are many different kinds of English. There is the English people would use at work or giving a speech and then there is the English everyone uses when they are home. Amy claimed that “I was ashamed of her English”. The school’s teaching had made it hard for Amy to respect her mother’s English as it wasn’t the way that she was taught. Amy  didn’t want to be part of the ideal Asian-American student that focus more on math and wanted to be different and become a English major. Amy establishes this by stating, “I started writing nonfiction as a freelancer the week after I was told by my former boss that writing was my worst skill”. The example that was placed here deeply shows how there was no fate put in Amy and she had the motivation of her mother broken English to push her ideals forward.

I think people who grew up with English being there second language struggle more in America because Americans don’t like trying to understand people when they are attempting to talk English because it isn’t the English they were taught. I am not fully aware of the struggles of other people and communications with others because I was never really put in a situation where I couldn’t make out what the other person was saying to me and I always take the time to help someone if they ask. From my friends I know that at home they speak in there native tongue and when outside their home they speak in English. Most of the times when with people who speak another language I always wandered if they are more comfortable speaking their native tongue or English. I have come to the realization that most people who are different are treated as such because of the system that was created long ago and many people are not even aware of the damage they are doing to others. Most of American behavior is unintentional, but unavoidable because the lack of awareness of their action.