User:PBarrington/sandbox

"Two Kinds" article

Info Box

Significance of Title
The title "Two Kinds" is referred to by Jing-Mei’s mother when she stated that there are only two kinds of daughters: “Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind!” She gives an example of the kind of daughter that she wants Jing-Mei to be, and the kind that Jing-Mei is being. Jing-Mei herself also refers to the title of the story, but she does this at the end and with a lighter tone. She does it by using two different pieces of music, “Pleading Child” and Perfectly Contented”. These two pieces are different but Jing-Mei says that “After I had played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song.”

Language
The language in "Two Kinds" varies per character. When Jing-Mei's mother speaks she uses what is known as broken or fractured English. When Jing-Mei speaks she simply just uses English. In return, this creates a verbal duel between the two. This can be seen when Mother tells Jing-Mei “Who ask you be genius?” Although this question is grammatically incomplete, it shows her confusion over not being able to comprehend her daughter’s anger and frustration. The difference in Speech between Jing-Mei and her mother also emphasizes that they grew up in different parts of the world. Jing-Mei in America and her mother in China.