Question

Read the passage from "Two Kinds.” When my mother told me this, I felt as though I had been sent to hell. I whined and then kicked my foot a little when I couldn't stand it anymore. "Why don't you like me the way I am? I'm not a genius! I can't play the piano. And even if I could, I wouldn't go on TV if you paid me a million dollars!" I cried. My mother slapped me. "Who ask you be genius?" she shouted. "Only ask you be your best. For you sake. You think I want you to be genius? Hnnh! What for! Who ask you!" "So ungrateful," I heard her mutter in Chinese, "If she had as much talent as she has temper, she would be famous now."
Which cultural differences are revealed through this conflict? Select two options.

The daughter resents being asked to work hard all the time, which her mother sees as laziness.

The daughter does not value talent or intelligence, whereas her mother believes that they are the two most important qualities a person can have.

The daughter wants to be valued for what she is, while the mother believes that the girl should always strive to be more.

The daughter believes that her mother should accept and love her, but the mother believes that she should help her daughter succeed.

The daughter thinks that her parents owe her love and support, but the mother thinks that the daughter owes them gratitude for providing for her.

Answer 1

The correct answers are “The daughter wants to be valued for what she is, while the mother believes that the girl should always strive to be more” and “The daughter believes that her mother should accept and love her, but the mother believes that she should help her daughter succeed”.

Indeed, the daughter is American and as such she only understands direct, explicit language and reasoning. This is called a low-context culture. What this means is that for the American daughter communication needs to be explicit and context has to be explained. However, the mother is Chinese, her life experiences and her cultural norms and context are very different. Hers is a very high-context culture, which means that her communication and her actions are extremely cryptic for her American daughter because it relies on a cultural and situational context that her daughter does not have due to her American upbringing.

In a nutshell, the mother does love her daughter but her vision of love is influenced by both her Chinese culture and above all her tragic and awful life experiences. She a was poor, ignorant Chinese woman who grew up in a very patriarchal Chinese culture which showed her that the best measure of love is self-reliance as a form of protection for the sake of safety. She wants her daughter to be safe and never suffer the horrible experiences that she went through. Her daughter can only be safe from all of that by extremely hard work which is the gateway to financial self-reliance and security.

The daughter on the other hand, grew up in a comfortable life in America. She understands the notion of hard work but considers that her mother carries it way too far. She thinks that he mother is so hard on her because she does not love her for who she is or how she is. She already feels safe and for her playing the piano is already enough. She does not need to be a master of piano playing and she considers that she can perfectly live a fulfilling life by finding her own way in accordance to normal American standards. The fact that her mother is not explicit in her utterances makes her suffer and she is unable to understand because she lacks her mother’s context which is at the core of the novel.

Answer 2

The correct answers are:

C.) The daughter wants to be valued for what she is, while the mother believes that the girl should always strive to be more. (3)

D.) The daughter believes that her mother should accept and love her, but the mother believes that she should help her daughter succeed. (4)

- just to shorten it up for you.