Opening Worlds – Two Kinds by Amy Tan

THEMES: What is it about?

PLOT STRUCTURE: What happens?

1-13 Before Amy’s birth: 1949 mother comes to USA, land of hope &
opportunity after losing everything in China

14-347 Amy’s childhood & youth

14-76 Mother searches for ‘prodigy’ / talent – visit to beauty school / tests
knowledge
76-98 Amy loses hope & discovers her anger
99-134 Young Chinese pianist on TV inspires mother
135-218 Piano lessons with old Chang
219-303 Talent contest disaster
304-347 Climax of conflict between Amy & mother
348-381 Amy grows up, disappointment / underachievement – mother gives her
the piano

382-405 After mother’s death, adult Amy plays piano & understands her mother
& her childhood in a new way

The two moments you think are the most significant in the story?

Quotations that show the development of conflict; comment on writer’s

use of style / language
401 ‘It was called Perfectly Contented ... and turned out to be quite easy.’

360 ‘And even worse, I never asked her what frightened me most: why had she
given up hope?’

347 ‘... as if she were blowing away like a small brown leaf, thin, brittle,
lifeless.’
332 ‘’Only two kinds of daughter,’ she shouted in Chinese ... ‘Only one kind of
daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter.’

312 ‘I wasn’t her slave. This wasn’t China.’

300 ‘No accusations. No blame. And in a way I felt disappointed. I had been
waiting for her to start shouting so that I could shout back and cry and
blame her for all my misery.’

145 ‘’Why don’t you like me the way I am? I am not a genius!’ ... I cried.
My mother slapped me. ‘Who ask you be genius?’ she shouted. ‘Only ask
you to be your best. For you sake.’

85 ‘And then I saw what seemed to be the prodigy side of me ... The girl
staring back at me was angry, powerful ... I won’t let her change me, I
promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not.’

1 ‘My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America.’