AP Short Story Presentation

By: Robin Odega

Period 1
“Two Kinds” - Amy Tan
● Short story from The
Joy Luck Club
● Main character is
Jing-mei Woo, child of
a Chinese immigrant
Summary
Jing-mei Woo is a girl who lives with her mother, an immigrant from China.
Her mother believes that America is the Land of Opportunities, and has high
hopes for her daughter as well. She believes Jing-mei can be a prodigy,
however doesn't know what her talent is. So, in order to discover that talent,
Mrs. Woo makes her daughter try to become a child actress, using Shirley
Temple as a model. When that doesn't work, Mrs. Woo makes Jing-mei take
intellectual tests from magazines, but Jing-mei doesn't show an interest in that
either. Finally, Mrs. Woo makes Jing-mei learn to play the piano, which actually
works out.
 Passage
America was where all my mother’s hopes lay.

She had come here in 1949 after losing everything in

China: her mother and father, her family home, her

My mother believed you could be anything you
first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls. But
wanted to be in America. You could open a
she never looked back with regret. There’s so many
restaurant. You could work for the government and
ways for things to get better.
get good retirement. You could buy a house with
We didn’t immediately pick the right kind of
almost no money down. You could become rich. You
prodigy. At first my mother thought I could be a
could become instantly famous.
Chinese Shirley Temple. We’d watch Shirley’s old
“Of course you can be prodigy, too,” my
movies on TV as though they were training films. My
mother told me when I was nine. “You can be best
mother would poke my arm and say, “Ni kan” — You
anything. What does Auntie Lindo know? Her
watch. And I would see Shirley tapping her feet, or
daughter, she is only best tricky.”
singing a sailor song, or pursing her lips into a very

round O while saying, “Oh my goodness.”

Why this passage?
● I am able to relate to the protagonist, because I'm also
a child of immigrants and also live with similar high
expectations for my future.
● It was the first passage from the story — the first pages
of stories are usually very important
My Question
Carefully read the following passage from the short story

“Two Kinds” by Amy Tan. Then write a well-organized essay

in which you describe how Tan uses stylistic devices to

convey the speaker’s upbringing.

Expected Responses/stylistic examples
● Speaker is a child of an immigrant
● Speaker uses repetition and diction
● Mention the mother’s English
● Use Shirley Temple as an allusion
● Reference the American Dream