Struggles Of A Young Girl Jing Mei example essay topic

Not My Dream In the story 'Two Kinds'; by Amy Tan, we are shown the struggles of a young girl Jing-Mei. Her struggle is that of a young girl growing up and trying to find her own sense of identity. Her troubles are compounded by her mother, who convinces her that she can become someone important. Because of her mother's constant overbearing behavior, Jing-Mei does everything she can to annoy and displease her mother even to the point of being a failure. This fight to find her own identity against her mother's wishes shows how parents cannot control their child's life; they can only point them in the right direction and let them make their own choices.

In the onset of the story we find Jing-Mei's mother convincing her that she 'can be prodigy... '; (491) and that she 'can be best anything. ' ; (491) Deciding that Jing-Mei's destiny is to become a prodigy, her mother takes control and begins to push Jing-Mei towards this goal. At first Jing-Mei is, 'just as excited as my mother, maybe even more so.

' ; (491) By saying these things, Jing-Mei's mother tries to create an ideal identity for her. Jing-Mei's mother begins to test her with questions and she cooperates. But as time goes on and the tests her mother gives her gets harder, Jing-Mei begins to be resentful and unwilling to cooperate. She thinks to herself, 'I won't be what I'm not.

' ; (492) This shows a child resisting it's parents control. Even as Jing-Mei loses interest in becoming a prodigy, her mother continues to push her on. She decides to arrange piano lessons for Jing-Mei without consulting her first. In doing these things, Jing-Mei's mother wants to control not only her actions but also her dreams, and she will not tolerate disobedience. She says, 'Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!' ; (497) We can see that Jing-Mei truly resents her mother's decisions and fights her control.

Jing-Mei tells her mother that, 'I wish I weren't your daughter. I wish you weren't my mother'; . (497) Then she says, 'I wish I were dead! Like them.

' ; (497) These strong words used by Jing-Mei illustrate how far she will go to break the grip her mother has on her. She challenges her mother's authority and continues to disappoint her mother. She fails many times through her life. She doesn't get A's and she drops out of college. She did these things on her own 'each time asserting my will, my right to fall short of expectations. ' ; (497) The two pieces by Schumann parallels that of Jing-Mei's life.

Like a 'Pleading Child'; she fought her mother's control and aspirations for her. She pleaded with her mother to let her live her own dream. When she is older, she is 'Perfectly Contented'; because she did follow her own dream. This story displays how parents can never really control their children.

A child has their own mind to develop, their own hopes and dreams. Jing-Mei shows us that she can only be herself.