Among writers, if you don't have a therapist, it's like saying you don't keep a journal or use the thesaurus. It's a natural accompaniment.
Amy TanRead
Yet some of my friends tell me they understand 50 percent of what my mother says. Some say they understand 80 to 90 percent. Some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese. But to me, my mother's English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It's my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the deep connection and understanding one can have with their mother, illuminating the unique bond through language and communication.
In this quote, Amy Tan highlights the intimate relationship she shares with her mother through the medium of language. While others may struggle to understand her mother's speech, Tan finds clarity and beauty in it, indicating that a mother’s language and expressions can significantly shape a child's perspective and understanding of the world. This illustrates how familial bonds and unique experiences contribute to our interpretation of communication and emotions.
Themes
LanguageMotherUnderstandingRelationshipCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
During a family gathering, I might share this quote to express my appreciation for my mother's influence.
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I am fascinated by language in daily life: the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.
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Even if I had expected it, even if I had known what I was going to do with my life, it would have knocked the wind out of me. When something that violent hits you, you can't help but lose your balance and fall. And after you pick yourself up, you realize you can't trust anybody to save you- not your husband, not your mother, not God. So what can you do to stop yourself from tilting and falling all over again?
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And for all those years, we never talked about the disaster at the recital or my terrible accusations afterward at the piano bench. All that remained unchecked, like a betrayal that was now unbreakable. So I never found a way to ask her why she had hoped something so large that failure was inevitable. And even worse, I never asked her what frightened me the most: Why had she given up hope?
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