How I Learned to Read and Write by Frederick Douglass and...

How I Learned to Read and Write by Frederick Douglass and Mother Tongue by Amy Tan are essays that share a common theme. The theme is opposition and how it is necessary to build strength. In the essay How I Learned to Read and Write, Frederick Douglass explains that he was born into slavery and faced his own ignorance with a resolve to overcome this challenge. Faced with oppression by the master and mistress of the house, a young Frederick Douglass used any means necessary to defeat ignorance and open his mind up to great treasures of knowledge. In contrast, Amy Tan, the writer of the essay Mother Tongue, found opposition residing in her own thoughts and impressions. Tan a first generation Asian American reflects upon her love of writing and how living in a Chinese home influenced her use and understanding of the English Language. Living with a mother who spoke English in what Amy considered a less than perfect way, caused Amy to limit her view of her mother. When Tan experienced th is one sided thinking about her own language abilities while in college it caused reason for reflection and a change of heart in the author. Opposition in all things is a necessary step in the learning process of this life. How I Learned to Read and Write and Mother Tongue contain contrasting examples of opposition. Using the literary elements of point of view, setting, and characterization will show their effectiveness in building strength thru opposition. Born intoShow MoreRelatedFormal English Essay1311 Words   |  6 Pagesinto My Life, an essay where she tells the reader her experience with how she learned how to speak, read and write even though she is blind and deaf. Amy Tan wrote Mother Tongue, an essay where she talks about the trouble of speaking English as an immigrant in a new country. Frederick Douglass wrote Learning to Read and Write, an essay where he talks about becoming literate during a time when slaves were not allowed to read and write. They all talk about lit eracy in their own ways, but at some pointRead MoreLanguage: Helen Keller, Frederick Douglass , Amy Tan1635 Words   |  7 Pagesremember how, something that for all of us was always part of our lives. Helen Keller with her need of language to give sense to life, Frederick Douglass with his ways of learning and Amy Tan with the importance of the â€Å"Mother Tongue† language, convey to us a totally different view of how language changes, develops and gives meaning to our lives. For Helen Keller, when she was around seven years old, language was a mystery. In a selection of her biography â€Å"The Story of my life†, she describes how, becauseRead MoreAnalysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan1058 Words   |  5 Pages In the article Mother Tongue, Amy Tan reveals the struggles of being the daughter of a Chinese American, and how language barriers proved to be a constant struggle. Throughout her article, she touches upon the disrespect her mother got because of her underdeveloped English, and how it affected her life as she grew up. Tan describes how she had to pose as her mother over the telephone to make sure her mother got the service she deserved. She empathizes with her mother and how her mothers intelligence