Free To Be Me

Paper Summary:

The paper looks at Amy Tan's short story, "Two Kinds", which shows how living one's own life, not the life others wish for you, is the secret to happiness. In this context, the paper explores the phenomenon of externally-imposed constraints, the ugly process of racial labeling and the courage required to break free of other people's definitions and expectations of oneself. The paper concludes by looking at the Chinese-American experience in America and how this shaped the dynamics of the Tan household. In the end, life is about living - and living well means living as oneself.

From the Paper:

"To begin with, Amy Tan's life has really been about breaking out of the constraints others have imposed upon her - especially the constraints placed upon her by her own mother. For instance, the female head of the small Tan household was bitterly disappointed when it became evident that Amy would not be pursuing a career as a concert pianist and doctor ("Amy Tan," 2007). Indeed, one of the most poignant things about Tan's autobiographical, "Two Kinds," is how Tam's mother seems intent upon turning her daughter into some kind of a prodigy - into someone who, for all intents and purposes, will serve as a channel through which will pass the mother's own ambitions."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Academy of Achievement. (1996). A uniquely personal story-teller. Amy Tan Interview: Academy of Achievement. Retrieved July 20, 2007 from http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tan0int-1>
• Chinese-American history timeline. (no date provided). Retrieved July 20, 2007 from San Francisco State University website (URL cannot be re-produced here as one of the symbols found in the URL is not available on the writer's personal computer keyboard).
• Chinese immigration to the United States, 1851-1900. (2007). Rise of Industrial America, 1876-1900. Retrieved July 20, 2007 from <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/timeline/riseind/chinimms/chinimms.html>
• Magill, Frank, & Irons-Georges, Tracy. (n.d.). Amy Tan: American novelist. In Cyclopedia of World Authors (4th edition) (pp.3052-3053.
• Amy Tan. (2007). ATbiography. Retrieved July 20, 2007 from <http://www.amytan.net/ATBiography.aspx>

More papers on Free To Be Me:

• Analytical Essay # 134313 : "Free to be Me: Amy Tan's "Two Kinds"
• Book Review # 117851 : "Makes Me Wanna Holler" and Violence"
• Book Review # 48720 : "Second-Wave Feminism"

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