What is the summary of the story Two Kinds?
‘Two Kinds’ is a story about the relationship between parents and their children, and what motivates a ‘pushy parent’ to encourage (or coerce?) their child into working hard to achieve something. Does the mother in the story have her daughter’s best interests at heart when she tries to make her learn the piano?
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What is the main message of Two Kinds?
Theme: Talent and Effort. The story illustrates the importance of both talent and hard work. The mother doesn’t seem to grasp the distinction between the two. She believes someone can simply choose to be a prodigy.
Who are the main characters in the story Two Kinds?
The main characters in the short story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan are Jing-mei and her mother. Their conflict is at the center of the narrative. The mother wants Jing-mei to be a child prodigy, but Jing-mei resists her mother’s attempts to turn her into something she is not, especially if it involves hard work on her part.
What is the message of Two Kinds by Amy Tan?
The main themes in “Two Kinds” are parental expectations, the American Dream, and identity. Parental expectations: The disconnect between Jing-mei’s desires and her mother’s expectations leads to conflict and resentment.
What happens at the end of Two Kinds?
The ending makes us reflect on the whole story and lets us interpret it in a different way. After her mother’s death, Jing-mei begins to realize what her mother had wanted for her. She looks back over the music and discovers something that she hadn’t noticed before.
What does the ending of Two Kinds mean?
Why is the story called Two Kinds?
Significance of Title The title “Two Kinds” is referred to by Jing-Mei’s mother when she states that there are only two kinds of daughters: “Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!” She gives an example of the kind of daughter that she wants Jing-Mei to be, versus the kind that Jing-Mei is being.
What is the setting of the story Two Kinds?
The setting of Two Kinds by Amy Tan is Chinatown in San Francisco, California.
What are the conflicts in Two Kinds?
A) External conflict: Mother wants her daughter to be a prodigy (a child of exceptional talent or genius), however, Jing-mei resists her mother’s expectations. The other conflict is that Jing-mei’s mother believes children should be obedient yet Jing-mei wants to do as she pleases.
What is the main conflict in the story two kinds?
In the short story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, the author creates a conflict between a Chinese mother and her daughter. The relationship between the mother who wanted her daughter to be prodigy, and her daughter who refused to be prodigy is presented (43).
What did Jing-Mei realize at the end of the story?
The song on the left-hand side of the page is called “Pleading Child”; the one on the right, “Perfectly Contented.” Suddenly, Jing-mei realizes that the two titles are two halves of the same song. This realization brings together the theme of the tension between mothers and daughters.
What does Jing-Mei realize at the end of the story?
Jing-mei realizes “Pleading Child,” the song she played at her childhood recital, and another song “Perfectly Contented” are two halves of the same song (p. 144) and that together they create a complete song.
What is the meaning of the ending of Two Kinds?
What is the conflict in Two Kinds?
What is the climax of the story Two Kinds?
The climax of the story is a piano recital and the events that unfold the day after. Her mother is so proud of Amy’s musical talent; she even invites Auntie Lindo and Waverly to Amy’s first piano recital.
What is the main conflict in Two Kinds?
What is the irony in Two Kinds?
Irony: Piano was the daughter’s way to be a success, but the piano became the daughter’s embarrassment. Chinese family, but the daughter is far from excellent or the best. Mother believes a person can do all or anything in America, but the child is not necessarily free and is forced to do so many things.
What is the relationship between Jing Mei and her mother?
Throughout the story, the mother imposes upon her daughter, Jing Mei, her hopes and dreams for her. Jing Mei chooses not what her mother wants of her but only what she wants for herself. She states, “For, unlike my mother, I did not believe I could be anything I wanted to be. I could be only me” (Tan 1).
What is the setting of Two Kinds?
Physical setting The short story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan is set in Chinatown, San Francisco, USA. This hints at the segregation in US society, as minorities lived together in one area and did not interact much with others.
What is the relationship between Jing Mei and her mother at the start of the narrative?