Two Kinds

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   amy-lepore Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

   In "Two Kinds," the conflict arises in a Chinese American family when a strong-willed mother bent on seeing her child succeed is confronted by an equally determined daughter who simply wants to be herself.  As her mother pushes her to be a prodigy, Jing-mei is motivated to please her mother, but becomes demoralized and angry after several failures.  When her mother signs her up for piano lessons, Jing-mei gives the appearance of going along with her mother's wishes.  However, she privately resists, and her performance at a local talent show is an embarrassing disaster.  At the climax her mother demands that she practice more, and Jing-mei rebels, lashing out cruelly.  Jing-mei clings to the right to fail and be unexceptional until, at the age of thirty, she gratefully accepts the family piano from her mother as a peace offering.

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   http://www.enotes.com/two-kinds/

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   Posted by amy-lepore on Thursday January 24, 2008 at 12:26 PM