INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU MALAYSIA

KAMPUS PULAU PINANG

MATA PELAJARAN: BAHASA INGGERIS AKADEMIK

NAMA GURU PELATIH: AFRAH IZZATI BINTI ABDULLAH
NAMA PENSYARAH: MRS CHOONG CHING CHING
UNIT: BAHASA INGGERIS
TARIKH HANTAR: 28 SEPTEMBER 2009

In the short story TWO KINDS by AMY TAN, the readers were exposed to the
inception of the tags relationship between mother and daughter. The writer also split the
introduction of the character at the beginning especially the mothers character. The reader
also being introduced with American dream.
During 1950s to 1960s, many immigrants came to America. They started hoping to
have a dream to become rich and famous including the mothers of the main character.
Jing Mei who is the main character in this story was the victim of this situation. She wants
her daughter to be perfect since she cannot do it before. At the beginning, her mother
wanted Jing Mei to be like a version of Chinese Shirley Temple just like they watched in
the television.
Her mother wanted the best for her daughter. In order to make her daughter to
become prodigy, Jing Meis mother sent her to the beauty training centre to change her
outlook. She also presents tuff questions such as from Ripleys Believe It Or Not, asking
about the name of country, predicting daily temperatures in Los Angeles, New York, and
London
At first, Jing Mei thinks positive about being prodigy. She imagined herself with
different images of prodigy. But when she mirrored herself, she saw another face with
angry. She starts heating the test and heating become prodigy.
Being prodigy, she though she cannot be herself. She does not want to become
hypocrite. She negligible the test brought by her mother until two or three months later. But
her mothers hope doesnt stopped. After watched The Ed Sullivan Show on television, she
became interested with music as she seeing a little Chinese girl acted on that show.
According to that show, she sent Jing Mei to the piano lesson. The piano lesson was
conducted by Mr. Chong who lived at the first floor of their apartment. During this moment,
we can see Jing Mei still not getting serious with the piano lesson, although Mr. Chong
taught her all things. When she makes mistakes, she doesnt correct it herself.

Her mother wants Jing Mei to perform in a talent show that will be held in church
ball. Her parents bought her a second hand piano a black Wurlitzer to play in the church
ball. Her parents were very excited .This can be seen when they invite all the couples from
the Joy Luck Club to watch Jing Mei performances.
At the day of the performances, she played a piece called Pleading Child. At first
she steep her feet on the stage with the mount of confidence as she dreamed curtsy.
Everything was beautiful until she starts played the piano. Suddenly, the piano does not
sound perfectly. Actually, she played the piano with the wrong notes.
When she finished her performance, only the Old Chong was shouting, and he said
Bravo! Bravo! Well done. Then she looked at her mother that shows a shame face
towards her performances. Her mother was very disappointed of her
After that incident, her mothers still want her to go to talent-show torture again and
they start argued about that. Jing Mei does not want to follow her mother again after the
incident in the church ball.
She really releases her anger to her mother. This is because, she just follows what
her mother said without argument yet and the result was bad. Her mothers ask her to be
someone, not be herself. She was very anger until she said to her mother then I wish Id
never been born! . Her mother got blurred and dont say anything.
For many years they dont talked about the incident that happened and about the
piano. A few years later, her mother gave her a piano for her thirtieth birthday. She thought
her mother forgave her. A few months later, her mother died when she came back home.
She also looks at the old things that she left in the house and she wants to bring
them back home. She also opens the piano and played two pieces which is Pleading
Child and Perfectly Contented. The Pleading Child described about her mother that
always pleading her daughter to be better, genius and famous daughter. While The
Perfectly Contented is about Jing Mei who was from the beginning until the end of the
story just want to be herself.

[761 words]