Comparison Between ‘Paper Menagerie’ and ‘Mother Tongue’ by Amy Tan Essay Sample

Both the titles are about the mother-child relationship and how language barrier can prevent it. The mother’s language in both cases are not English which becomes a barrier and the child is ashamed of it. The difference is that in ‘Mother tongue’ the author is Chinese and does not know English while in the story ‘Paper Menagerie’ the author is American and his mother is Chinese. The story reflects the struggles that an American child of immigrant parents face. The essay is about the author’s personal struggle of growing up with a mother who could not speak English. The society’s perception of immigrants is also talked about.