Deborah Tannen - Mom's Unforgiving Mirror

In "Mom's Unforgiving Mirror," Deborah Tannen examines the topic of criticism as a form of concern, of caring. She uses the example of her relationship with her own mother as an example. She describes how mothers examine their daughters' appearances as a reflection of their own views of themselves. She continues the topic by noting that daughters do the same thing so their mothers, especially when they are teenagers.

1. Have you ever experienced parental criticism of your appearance? Do you think that your parent(s) were expressing their concern for you, or reflecting on themselves?

2. Although this article was written from a daughter/mother position, do you think the same relationship/concern exist between fathers and their sons?

3. How does Tannen's conclusion repeat the themes of the article while introducing new information?

Mother Tongue - By Amy Tan

In "Mother Tongue," author Amy Tan describes the version of English her mother speaks, which she describes as being very different from her written and reading abilities. Later in the article, she suggests that family language can affect student choices in university. She gives the example of many Chinese students majoring in engineering.

1. Do you agree with Ms. Tan that family language affects student choices in education? Why or why not?
2. Does your family have its own personal language, that other people do not understand? If yes, do you know how the language was created?