jlc post

I am comparing "Two Kinds" to Amy Chua's relationship with her kids.

"Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they believe that their child can get them. If their child doesn't get them, the Chinese parent assumes it's because the child didn't work hard enough. That's why the solution to substandard performance is always to excoriate, punish and shame the child. The Chinese parent believes that their child will be strong enough to take the shaming and to improve from it. (And when Chinese kids do excel, there is plenty of ego-inflating parental praise lavished in the privacy of the home.)"

I find that between these two readings, the common problem occurring in both is the high expectations the parents have of their children. Both parents feel that their children have the potential to achieve greatness throughout their lives, but by believing this, strain and resentment are put on their children.

In "Two Kinds," Jing-mei and Waverly Jong felt resentment towards their mothers because of the stress put on them. Jing-mei was expected to be perfect by her parents(this supports Amy Chua's article). She began to resent her parents for this. She also did not go to college as a form of resentment. Weverly Jong also felt resentment towards her parents. Specifically, she was a good chess player; her mother constantly bragged about her and used her as a source of pride. Her mother also claimed credit her Waverly's success. Waverly grew tired of this and eventually quit playing chess. Both stories problems resulted from the stress put upon Jing-mei and Waverly.

I feel that the two stories support the accusation of Asian parents expecting too much of their children. When this happens, obviously children develop a resentment towards their parents.