Erin%Liao%

ESL33B%

Professor%Carlisi%

Reading Response Journal Assignment

Reading Response Journals (RRJs) are an informal space for you to explore the readings as well as
your own reading process. The first step to writing an RRJ is to read carefully, taking notes on the text
as you go. RRJs should include the following:

1. A brief summary including major events, characters, and important information about setting
(place and time).

Mother%Tongue,%a%reading%written%by%Amy%Tan,%talks%about%how%Amy%Tan%thinks%

her%mothers%imperfect%English%had%influenced%her%from%the%bad%way%to%the%good%way.%

Amy%Tan%is%a%Chinese%writer%who%grew%up%in%California,%who%majored%in%English%

literature%and%pre%med%during%her%education%life%period.%Her%most%famous%work%is%a%

fiction%novel%called%The%Joy%Luck%Club,%which%published%in%1989%and%made%into%film%in%

1993.%

% Tans%mother%had%poor%English%speaking%skills.%Therefore,%Tan%speaks%a%kind%of%

different%English%with%her%mother,%which%she%called%it%broken%English%or%fractured%

English%because%the%sentence%are%all%grammatical%wrong.%Such%English%speaking%causes%

inconvenience%in%both%Tan%and%her%mothers%life%that%people%in%the%restaurant,%bank,%or%

hospital%would%not%give%Tans%mother%good%attitudes%nor%good%services.%Thus,%Tan%felt%

ashamed%by%her%mothers%English,%but%she%has%to%help%her%out%every%time%when%her%

mother%had%gone%into%a%difficult%situation.%For%example,%Tans%had%to%pretend%as%her%

mother%to%called%the%stockbrokers%when%she%was%fifteen.%Furthermore,%a%hospital%lost%

Tans%mothers%brain%tumor%CAT%scan%and%refused%to%apologies%until%Tan,%who%speaks%

English%correctly,%came%to%them%and%solve%her%mothers%problem.% %
 During%Tans%educational%life,%she%often%got%an%average%grade%on%her%English%test.%

The%reason%is%that%Tan%grew%up%with%limited%English%or%a%poor%English%speaking%

condition.%As%a%result,%she%couldnt%solve%some%sorts%of%English%problem.%As%the%time%goes%

by,%Tan%started%to%think%about%that%many%immigrant%families,%which%speak%limited%

language%causes%AsianPAmericans%are%mostly%major%in%engineering%or%science%field.%

However,%Tan%doesnt%like%to%obey%with%others%opinion,%so%she%chose%English%literature%

as%her%major%though%her%math%score%is%always%better.%At%the%beginning,%her%nonfiction%

writing%didnt%satisfy%her%boss.%Hence,%when%she%started%to%write%about%fiction%works,%she%

likes%to%use%hard%language%to%show%that%she%has%the%ability%to%do%so.%

When%in%fact,%Tan%wrote%the%Joy%Luck%Club,%she%considered%her%mother%as%a%reader.%

Indeed,%she%started%to%use%the%easy%sentences%that%her%mother%would%understand%to%

write%her%novel.%Tan%never%thought%about%her%mothers%wrong%grammar%English%would%

help%her%during%her%career%path.%Although%there%are%some%critics%about%her%writing%skills,%

she%knows%she%had%succeeded%when%her%mother%said%her%novel%is%very%easy%to%read.%

2. Your response to the reading including your opinions about and reaction to the assigned
reading. This section is a place to think deeply about the reading and the emotions and complex
ideas it brings up for you.
%

Originally,%I%thought%that%everyone%wants%to%improve%their%English%as%better%as%they%

could,%so%I%didnt%think%much%about%how%speaking%broken%English%can%actually%helps%to%

simplified%writings.%The%article%gives%me%a%new%concept%and%let%me%feel%that%people%dont%

have%to%be%shame%of%speaking%a%foreign%language%with%wrong%grammars.%Sometimes%I%

will%laugh%or%correct%my%mothers%English,%but%she%is%still%trying%to%improve%her%English%

through%Internet.%As%a%nonPnative%speaker,%I%can%understand%that%the%inconveniences%of%

it%would%bring%to%life%or%even%some%sort%of%discrimination%would%appear.%Also,%as%the%
author%mention%in%the%reading,%most%Asians%do%well%on%math%instead%of%critical%thinking%

on%SAT,%this%case%happened%on%me%too.%Maybe%its%because%that%literature%doesnt%have%an%

exact%answer%and%the%grading%is%based%on%opinions.%Therefore,%nonPnative%speakers%who%

dont%feel%confident%about%their%English,%would%resist%to%learn%it%after%insulation;%unlike%

the%author%who%faced%challenge%and%ignored%others%doubts.%I%think%the%most%important%

problem%is%to%respect%others%who%are%learning%new%things%because%it%is%a%process%and%

everyone%will%go%through%that%at%least%some%point%in%their%lives.% %

3. An explanation of your reading process. How did this weeks reading go for you? Discuss
specific sections that made you confused or questions that you have about the text. Point out
strategies that helped you overcome challenges in your reading.

This%reading%went%well%for%me%because%Ive%read%it%before%when%I%was%helping%my%

roommate%to%understand%the%context%and%the%main%idea%of%the%article%last%semester.%

Therefore,%I%just%read%it%again%and%the%strategies%I%decided%to%use%are%annotation%and%

highlighted%the%golden%lines.%The%most%challenging%parts%for%me%were%relating%the%

phenomenon%described%in%the%article%to%my%personal%life%because%Ive%been%learning%

English%for%over%ten%years,%so%I%seldom%got%insulted%due%to%my%accent%or%my%English.%The%

context%of%the%last%paragraph%reminds%me%of%the%other%novels%that%Ive%read%before,%such%

as%The$Pearl%by%John%Steinbeck%and%The$Animal$Farm%by%George%Orwell%because%these%

two%authors%both%use%simple%and%lucid%language%to%express%their%main%messages%in%

theses%two%novels.%

4. 35 significant words from this particular readingwords that you feel are important or give
meaning to the chapter, or that you have decided to learn to develop your academic vocabulary.

Keenly:%enthusiastic,%intensely%

Fast$and$Furious$7%is%one%of%the%most%keenly%anticipated%movies%this%year.%
Guise: appearance

The spy entered to the targeted country under the guise of customs.

Wince: scared, afraid

The warrior winced and ran away because he thinks he cannot defeat hes enemy.

5. 2 discussion questions. These should be open!ended questions that could lead to an interesting
conversation, not fact!based yes or no questions.

1.%Why%does%Asian%usually%do%better%on%math%instead%of%literature%(critical%reading)?%Is%it%

because%of%the%education%that%were%getting?%Or%is%it%because%that%math%has%the%precise%

answer%unlike%literature%so%its%easier%for%Asians%mindset?%

2.%How%to%correct%people%who%speak%broken%English%without%hurting%their%feelings%or%

politely?%