Week 2 reading topic was Rhetoric. Rhetoric is the art of convincing others. It requires expertise in writing and speaking. In class, we discussed about Amy Tan’s perception of the English language in her text called “Mother’s Tongue”. She talked about how the way her mother talks affects both of their lives. Her main audience are teachers. According to her, having a parent that doesn’t speak English very well, will affect the way that their child think because of the way they educate them. Tan said that she long thought that her mother’s way to speak reflected the quality of her thoughts. This was what society made her think because she used to witness scenes where her mother wasn’t taken seriously by services because her English was considered “broken” or “fractured”. However, her mom was very well informed and educated. Even hospitals refused to take her seriously because she couldn’t express herself properly. At school, Tan’s teachers used to tell her to forget about majoring in literature and focus in math or sciences because of stereotypes that say that Asians are good at math. In my opinion, society should not label people based on their appearances. Everyone should have the same access to services regardless of their position in society.

In conclusion, Amy Tan text is Rhetorical Situation because she used strong details about her life to convince readers that her argument is strong. Her writing method makes the reader be at her place and it resonates with readers who have the same experiences as her.