Most sons and daughters struggle to establish their own identities. Does this seem true in "Two Kinds"? Does the cultural difference between the immigrant mother and Americanized daughter intensify their struggle? Do you think you have different goals in life than your parents do?

 

Answer:

"Two Kinds" tells of a mother and daughter expecting a great life in America. The daughter, Jing-mei, desperately wants to become a "Chinese Shirley Temple" by making her career of singing and dancing but her mother wants to make her learn playing the piano. As Jing Mei mentioned, "I could never pass for true Chinese.", it shows her difference among her family because her family had lived in China while she was born in America. Jing-mei Woo reflects on her identity as a second-generation Chinese American, knowing that her mother, Suyuan, is from China, but Jing-mei was born in the United States. This difference have brought conflicts and misunderstandings between Jing Mei and her mother. For Jing Mei, she believes that she is not a true Chinese given the fact that she even struggles defining herself and often does not feel connected to her Chinese heritage.

Fortunately at the end of the story, Jing Mei Woo finally accepts her Chinese heritage and got to embrace and be peace with her mother, when she visits China and meet her half-sisters who told her about the story of their mother.

My parents are always supportive with all my endeavors and I believe that they have similar goals with mine because they always dream of me being successful, happy and contented.

Step-by-step explanation

After reading and analyzing the summary of the story, Two Kinds which can be found in The Joy Luck Club, I was able to come up with this answer through describing Jing Mei and her mother's character and their struggling relationship.

Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club is a novel written in 1989 which had also eventually turned into a short story. It focuses on four Chinese American immigrant families in San Francisco who start a club known as The Joy Luck Club, playing the Chinese game of mahjong for money while feasting on a variety of foods. 

"Two Kinds" tells of a mother and daughter expecting a great life in America. The daughter, Jing-mei, desperately wants to become a "Chinese Shirley Temple" by making her career of singing and dancing but her mother wants to make her learn playing the piano. As Jing Mei mentioned, "I could never pass for true Chinese.", it shows her difference among her family because her family had lived in China while she was born in America. Jing-mei Woo reflects on her identity as a second-generation Chinese American, knowing that her mother, Suyuan, is from China, but Jing-mei was born in the United States. This difference have brought conflicts and misunderstandings between Jing Mei and her mother. For Jing Mei, she believes that she is not a true Chinese given the fact that she even struggles defining herself and often does not feel connected to her Chinese heritage.

Fortunately at the end of the story, Jing Mei Woo finally accepts her Chinese heritage and got to embrace and be peace with her mother, when she visits China and meet her half-sisters who told her about the story of their mother.

My parents are always supportive with all my endeavors and I believe that they have similar goals with mine because they always dream of me being successful, happy and contented.

References: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/300526/the-joy-luck-club