"Mother Tongue"

Tan was attempting to provide outsiders (specifically English speaking people) with an insider’s perspective on non-English speaking people. Throughout her story, she takes a close look at how those who may speak broken English or no English are constantly falling into inaccurate stereotypes. From an insider’s perspective, the reader is able to see the effects of these labels first hand, such as the way Tan was treated in school by her teachers and peers. The title Mother Tongue is very fitting for this story. Mother Tongue refers to two things that play an important role in Tan’s life. The first being the importance of her mother and how her mother could not speak English fluently. The second meaning could be in reference to her first language (her natural “tongue”) and how her ethnicity places a role in her life. The story looks more at the culture Tan was raised in and how it has affected her current day life.