Two Kinds Questions on Jing-Mei's Mother

Two Kinds

The main conflict in "Two Kinds" is the struggle between the daughter and her mother, stemming from the mother's aspiration for her daughter to live the American dream. The mother, an Asian...

2 educator answers

Two Kinds

In Amy Tan's "Two Kinds," the main goal is for Jing-Mei to become a prodigy, fulfilling her mother's immigrant dream of success in America. The central problem is the clash between Jing-Mei's...

17 educator answers

Two Kinds

In Amy Tan's "Two Kinds," the mother exerts pressure on her daughter, Jing Mei, to change in several ways. She insists Jing Mei watch Shirley Temple films as "training" and even mimics the child...

4 educator answers

Two Kinds

Jing-mei's mother is directly characterized as the story opens and information about her past is provided. She is indirectly characterized after the talent show, highlighting the resolute strength of...

4 educator answers

Two Kinds

Jing-mei is described as stubborn, frustrated, and intelligent. She resists her mother's ambitions for her and struggles with her mother's expectations. Jing-mei's mother is persistent, lonely, and...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

Jing-mei's character in "Two Kinds" is shaped by her struggle with her mother's high expectations and her own desire for independence. She dislikes her mother's pressure to become a prodigy and the...

3 educator answers

Two Kinds

Jing-mei's mother escaped Communist China and wants everything for her daughter that she never experienced.  She witnesses child prodigies such as Shirley Temple and believes that because she...

3 educator answers

Two Kinds

I think the conclusion to the story actually fits well. The idea that the experience of mother and daughter regarding piano ends in a sort of stalemate is appropriate.  Both realize that there...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

The mother in "Two Kinds" arranges piano lessons for her daughter because she believes in the American Dream and wants her daughter to become a prodigy. Motivated by her own past losses and high...

4 educator answers

Two Kinds

Jing-Mei's mother desires for her daughter to become a prodigy, reflecting her own aspirations and the high expectations she has for Jing-Mei's success and fulfillment. She believes that with hard...

6 educator answers

Two Kinds

In Amy Tan's "Two Kinds," the mother-daughter conflict between Jing-mei and her mother is driven by differing expectations and stubbornness. Jing-mei's mother, Suyuan, believes in the American dream...

15 educator answers

Two Kinds

The narrator, Jing-mei's, mother is the antagonist of "Two Kinds." It is she who conflicts with Jing-mei, the protagonist, and with whom Jing-mei eventually faces off against in the story's climax.

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

In “Two Kinds,” the opening paragraph has a mixed tone of hope, naiveté, and greed. The first paragraph suggests that the reader interpret the second paragraph with this prior understanding of...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

The mother and daughter in "Two Kinds" share stubbornness and determination. The mother is determined for her daughter to succeed, pushing her toward becoming a prodigy. The daughter, however, is...

5 educator answers

Two Kinds

The mother in Amy Tan's short story "Two Kinds" was born in China, and she speaks English the way an adult who immigrated from China to California would likely speak. For example, while she is...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

I think if we look at the story carefully we can see that it actually is a peace offering and a final acceptance on the part of the mother that her daughter has chosen her own way and she cannot...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

The story is heartbreaking in a way, but there is actually a lot of humor in “Two Kinds.

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

When the narrator's mother arrives in San Francisco in 1949, she has left behind a life a tragedy in China. Her entire family perished there, including her parents, her first husband, and her twin...

2 educator answers

Two Kinds

I think she definitely wants her to be a prodigy, as she is not willing to allow Jing-Mei to be simply the best that she can be.  She never settles for less than perfection throughout the...

3 educator answers

Two Kinds

The significance of the passage is that it shows Jing-mei gaining the upper hand in the battle of wills with her mother. Jing-mei's mother wants her to be a child prodigy and makes her take piano...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

Both the mother and daughter are unreasonable in “Two Kinds.”  The mother wants her daughter to be something she is not, and the daughter will not give her mother a chance. As an adult, June...

2 educator answers

Two Kinds

"Two Kinds" is a story about the relationship between a mother and her daughter. The mother is desperate for the daughter to become a child genius and pushes her too hard and too often to become...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

June (Jing-mei) is not learning a special talent fast enough.  Her mother reproaches her for having her own mind, and not being obedient. In “Two Kinds” June recalls a time when her mother...

2 educator answers

Two Kinds

I think it shows that Suyuan is apologizing to Jing-mei.  The events in "Two Kinds" broke the relationship between mother and daughter.  Suyuan pushed Jing-mei so far that Jing-mei wished...

2 educator answers

Two Kinds

The narrator’s mother is so fixated on making her daughter a prodigy for three reasons: financial security, fame or “face,” and redemption. Initially, Jing-mei’s mother seems to be motivated by...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

Jing-mei’s mother wants her to continue playing the piano because if Jing-mei stops, she has won.  Her mother wants an obedient daughter.  She also has not given up on the idea that her...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

Jing-mei's mother reads so many magazines because she is looking for stories about remarkable children. She has decided that Jing-mei is going to be a child prodigy, just like the ones she reads...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

The title of this story is very appropriate because it highlights the contrast between Jing-Mei and her mother. On the one hand, Jing-Mei's mother harbors great ambitions for her daughter. She...

2 educator answers

Two Kinds

Jing-mei's mother cleans peoples' homes for a living, and she trades her "housecleaning services" for piano lessons and a piano on which Jing-mei can practice.

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

In Amy Tan's "Two Kinds," the setting of San Francisco's Chinatown deeply influences both the plot and character actions. Jing-mei's mother, an immigrant, sees America as a land of endless...

5 educator answers

Two Kinds

In Amy Tan's "Two Kinds," Jing-mei's mother was forced to leave her twin baby daughters in China during the Japanese invasion in World War II. She left them out of compassion, stricken with dysentery...

2 educator answers

Two Kinds

"Two Kinds" is a short story by Amy Tan that tells the story of an angry Chinese-American girl named June. At the beginning of the story, June, who is about twelve years old, is arguing with her...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

In “Two Kinds” Jing-mei’s mother trades her house cleaning services for piano lessons with an old, deaf, retired  piano teacher. Jing-mei’s mother is convinced that her daughter has what it...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

The mother's hopes and dreams contributed to her controlling attitude toward her daughter.

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

I think above all what is important to realise is the kind of situation that resulted in Jing-Mei's mother pushing her so much. Let us remember that she fled China, and saw America as a land where...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

In "Two Kinds," the mother's behavior transitions from hopeful ambition to resignation. Initially, she fervently pushes Jing-mei to discover a talent, inspired by American ideals of limitless...

2 educator answers

Two Kinds

I would say that both Jing-mei and Suyuan both share the American value of individuality.  Especially Jing-mei.  Individuality is a dominating American value.  It always has been....

2 educator answers

Two Kinds

I think there is a definite sense in which we can compare the mother with traditional Chinese values and the daughter, Jing-Mei, with American values and culture. Let us remember that the mother...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

I think one of the key takeaways from this story is that although we sometimes have struggles and conflict within our relationships, it is important to keep working through those moments of...

1 educator answer

Two Kinds

In the story, the mother offers her daughter the advantage of learning to play the piano. In the mother's opinion, she is also offering her daughter the advantage of living in America, a country...

1 educator answer