Short Story by AMY TAN

•Amy’s mom was a person with high expectations. She believed that anybody could do whatever they wanted to. Her mom thought that she

was a prodigy.

•Amy always tried her hardest. Her mom kept pushing her harder and harder.

•Eventually, Amy got tired of her mother’s tests. She got to a breaking point. Amy wanted to quit piano and her mom didn’t want her too. An

argument broke out and she said cruel things.

•Amy’s mother eventually gave up on her. She stopped making her go to piano lessons, and gave up on her dreams of having a prodigy

daughter.

•When Amy was an adult, her mother offered her the piano for her birthday. Amy refused. However, when Amy’s mom passed away, she

decided to take back up piano and figured out how to do it.

Amy’s mother is a optimistic person

Amy’s mother believes that Amy is

a prodigy

Amy’s mother sends her to piano

lessons

Amy’s mother pushes her harder and harder and

tests her

Amy’s mother pushed her too hard, and after she did

terrible at the talent show, she wanted to give up on

piano. Her and her mother got in a fight.

Amy’s mother stopped trying to get her to live up to her dream of having a prodigy daughter

Amy’s mother offers her the piano many years later, but she refuses

Amy’s mother passes away, and while Amy is restoring the piano she figures out that the song she had tried to play had two parts you had to play at the same time.

The point of view of Two Kinds is in first person. It is from Amy’s point

of view.

MAIN CHARACTERSMAIN CHARACTERS Amy: Amy is a little Asian girl with short cropped hair.

She believes that she can be anybody she wants to be. She is determined to be herself and nothing other. She is very determined not let her mother change her.

Amy’s Mother:Amy’s mother is an older Asian women, she is very

determined that she is right all of the time and she is constantly pushing her daughter to be her own little “prodigy”.

Conflicts Conflicts Man vs. ManAmy vs. Her mom

•Amy is constantly fighting her mother of the tests she is being given and how her mother expects so much out of her.

Man vs. Self Amy vs. Amy

•Amy is battling with herself about what she is going to do about her mothers expectations

The major theme in this story is individualism. For example, when Amy said, “I won’t let her change me, I promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not.” She is showing how she is herself and will not be changed unless she wants to change herself.

1. “I won’t let her change me, I promised myself. I won’t be what I’m not.”

2. “I also learned I could be lazy and get away with mistakes, lots of mistakes.”

3. Only two kids of daughters, those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind.

Metaphor: “Instead of getting big fat curls, I emerged with an uneven mass of crinkly black fuzz.” Page 90

Personification: “I could sense her

anger rising to its breaking point. I wanted to see it spill over.”Page 98

Metaphor: “I saw the offer as a sign of forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed.”Page 98

•The main setting is Chinatown where Amy tan once lived

•The other settings is the church hall were she plays the piano at the talent show

MoodsMoods• The moods that were displayed in this story were: The moods that were displayed in this story were:

– Anger: When Amy becomes tired of her mother’s tests Anger: When Amy becomes tired of her mother’s tests and decides that no one can change her and that she and decides that no one can change her and that she will not be what she is not.will not be what she is not.

– Sad and Upset: When Amy fails her mother at the Sad and Upset: When Amy fails her mother at the talent show. She then became determined not to let talent show. She then became determined not to let her mother change her. her mother change her.

– Happy- When Amy has the piano restored and she Happy- When Amy has the piano restored and she finally figures out how to play the piece that she could finally figures out how to play the piece that she could never play right. never play right.

PicturesThe picture to the

right represents Amy’s playing the piano. Her mother thought that she could be a great piano player but Amy didn’t think that it was the right thing for her.

Pictures Cont…

The picture to the right is Amy Tan. She is the author of this book but was also the one who was being pressured into being her mothers little “prodigy”

The bottom picture is a picture that represents Amy herself playing the piano. This could be a picture from the scene where Amy is trying to learn how to play the piano.

Group Reflection

“ I thought that this book was a very realistic example of the conflicts that occur between a parent and a child. It is well written, but was not a kind of story that would keep my attention for very long” –Paul

“I thought the book was boring and not very interesting, but was very realistic and it portrayed a good example of the back and forth battles between parents and their kids.”-Ashley

“I couldn’t stay interested but I thought it was nice that Amy restored the piano and started playing it again after her mother past away”- Alec

“I thought that the book was boring and I couldn’t stay interested, but it was well written.”- Drew

I didn’t like the story because it was very dull and there wasn’t a lot going on”- Ben

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