...Reading Response: “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” Q1: What is Amy Chua arguing? Chua is arguing the differences between the Chinese “eastern” mentality on raising children and importance on being the best at everything versus American “western” mentality where we stress that everything that we try to accomplish should be fun. Chu quotes a study where 50 “western” and 48 “eastern” mothers were polled. 70% of western women stated that stressing academic success in not good for their children and that learning should be fun. Conversely 0% of the “eastern” mothers felt the same way, and that most Chinese mother’s feel that it is only through hard work, complete dedication, and being perfect is when children realize what fun is. She states that most Chinese parents sacrifice everything for their children, and it is through these sacrifices that they justify the reasoning for pushing their children. She believes, for an unknown reason, that Chinese parents believe that their children owe them everything due to these sacrifices and this is why their children should be the best, uncompromisingly. Q2: How do I feel about this article Being a father I tend to ride the fence on this subject. A part of me thinks that my son is too much of a treasure to force him through life trying to be something that he may not be, and I don’t want him to miss out on the joys and experiences that this life has to offer by stressing him to be absolutely perfect in all that he does. On the other...
Words: 476 - Pages: 2
...Chinese mothers If you ask parents all over the world, what they wish for their children, most of them would answer that their children should have a happy life. Does it mean that parents dictate every single step for their kids to take? When a child get used to follow orders from his/her parents all the time and doesn’t have any kind of freedom in his/her spare time, wouldn’t this dictatorial upbringing and zero tolerance toward the child lead to weak points and errors in child’s life? To get high marks at school and eventually having a good job does it equal to a happy life? What is most prioritized happiness or success in life? On the 8th January 2011, an article was published in the Wall Street Journal to explain the superiority of Chinese mothers. Amy Chua, who is a professor at Yale Law School and mother to two children, is the writer of “Why Chinese mothers are superior”. Amy Chua lives in USA, but of Chinese descent, narrates how to raise the stereotypical Chinese-success-kids by using the “Chinese mother” parenting method. In the article Amy Chua claims that the strict and “hardcore” upbringing method is better than the “loose” laissez faire upbringing method. She backs her claims up by arguing reasonably and referring to her life experiences, and thereby confirming her thoughts about parenting. At the beginning of article she presents a list of things that her daughters were never permitted to do. The list consists of activities that western parents consider...
Words: 877 - Pages: 4
...”Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” It is impossible to deny the difficulty of childrearing. There is no manual but there are indeed methods more ethically correct than others. This is of course a subjective matter and often leads to endless discussions. The ways of childrearing have changed over the years and varies a lot based on the environment/country surrounding the parents and their children. In the article, “Why Chines Mothers are Superior”, Amy Chua, the professor at Yale law school, attempts to justify her method of childrearing. Amy Chua is convinced that her way of raising children is the correct way out of the many ways possible. Amy Chua puts emphasis on the differences between the Western and Chinese child raising methods. There are both positive and negative consequences with the Chinese and the Western child raising methods. Amy Chua begins her article by stating all the things her children are not allowed to do. Things such as watching TV, complaining, attending a school-play etc. Amy Chua uses very strict methods and the child does not have a voice in anything, not even their hobbies. This however has resulted in what is mentioned in the article – “stereotypically successful kids”. It is great when parents support their children and when parents want their children to never give up and to constantly improve and become the very best version of themselves. This prepares the child for the life of a grown-up where giving up is not a possibility because of the...
Words: 1214 - Pages: 5
...“Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” Brief summary- Professor Amy Chua at Yale Law School wrote Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (2011) the article “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” found in the Journal relates to her book. In this short excerpt “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” the parenting styles of Chinese and Westerns are compared. Western parents try to respect their children’s character, encouraging them to pursue their true passions and providing a nurturing habitat. The Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence. Longer summary- The short excerpt “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” based on Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (2011) caused controversy over the different parenting between Asian and Western parents. The Chinese parents sets high standards of achievement and strict discipline. Chinese parenting perceives mothers to be highly controlling and punish severely, almost to the point of abuse. Parents focus on ensuring and preparing children for future obstacles in life. Chua describes the Chinese parenting skills she finds productive enforcing hard work and punishment. She implements that children make poor choices and will likely give up. To Chinese parents understanding, nothing is fun until your good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, which is why it is important for parents...
Words: 441 - Pages: 2
...Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior – Amy Chua Opgave B: Write an essay (900-1200 words) in which you analyse and comment on Amy Chua´s article “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”. Part of your essay must focus on how the writer engages the reader and on possible consequences of adopting Amy Chua´s values and methods of upbringing. In the article “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” Amy Chua , who is professor at the Law School in Yale, writes about how to rise your children, and the differences between the Western and Chines methods raising one’s children, by comparing Chinese and Western kids. The comparisons give us a view of what the good and bad consequences are, when it comes to high expectations and stereotypical raised kids. There are a lot of different views on which way is the right, but Amy Chua is sure, that her method is the secure way to make her children success. One of the first things we read in the article is a list of what Amy Chuas children aren’t allowed to do. Things like: Sleepovers, having a playdate or watching television, are totally unacceptable. In the western world is that very normal stuff to do when you are a kid, but in China it’s not the kids who decide what talent they want to cultivate, but the parents. And mostly, the parents choose school and playing a classic instrument to be the first priorities. Her methods are very strict and hard – not funny and pedagogical like the most do it in the Western world. Amy Chua means that Western parents often...
Words: 908 - Pages: 4
...Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior This article is about "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior". Some Westerns wonder how Chinese parents raise such successful children. That´s tells Chua Amy about "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior". There are something rules, when you are a Chinese Child. You must to be the best in every subject except PE and drama. When a child comes home with an A-minus on a test, a Western parents will most likely praise the child. The Chinese mother will just ask what went wrong. But when they comes home with a B on the test, some Western parents will still praise the praise the child. If a Chinese child comes home with a B, they will be punished them with hundreds of practice test and work through them with her child for as long as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A. Chinese children must have perfect grades. If they do not get them, so the children have not worked hard to follow the Chinese parents. That´s they always 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. Mrs. Chua make this text interesting, because she uses a provocative style of writing. Some Western will react positively or some will react negatively. But she wants to tell the message, there are many different ways of upbringing one´s child. That´s says Amy Chua, why the children with a certain kind of upbringing can become more successful. She starts for example to tell about some things her...
Words: 754 - Pages: 4
...Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Non-fiction analysis How can you give your children the best upbringing as possible? Is it by being strict and fill their lives with rules? Or is it better to give them the opportunity to decide for themselves? Amy Chua would definitely choose the first option and in her article, “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” which is written in January 2011, we hear a lot about her grounds for why she thinks the first option is the right one. Amy Chua who writes the article “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” is an approved lawyer and works as a professor at Yale Law School in USA. Already from that information we can guess that she is very well educated. She mentions that she knows that there are a lot of people wondering what it is like inside a Chinese family who has all these limits and strict rules. Amy Chua knows what it is like, because she is raised by that way herself and she has done it towards her two daughters, Sophia and Louise, as well. Amy has established the ground rules, and defined some things Sophia and Louise were never allowed to do. Already in the beginning of the article Amy Chua engages the reader with the list she revalue with all these things that her daughters were never allowed to do. As readers we quickly make a picture of this way of raising children seems harsh and maybe even brutal. There are so many normal things on the list that almost every child gets to do where Chinese children are missing out. Amy Chua...
Words: 1140 - Pages: 5
...-Why Chinese Mothers are Superior- The essay “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” by Amy Chua was published on “The Wall Street Journal” January 8, 2011. The topic of this text is Chinese parenting methods opposed to the western way of parenting. Within the first few lines it is very clear that Amy Chua has a different view on parenting than most traditional western parents. The title itself is a claim, and it sets the tone for how the essay is going to be. From the start we get the hint that this text will try to convince us, that Chinese parenting methods are superior. Amy Chua begins something that she claims is on a lot of people’s minds. The wonders about how Chinese parents are able to raise such successful kids. She then continues to saying that she can give the answer to these wonders, because she has done it herself. Amy Chua gives us a list of things that her daughters, were never allowed to do. This list seems, to us, unusual and maybe even mad. But to her, this is a necessity in her way of parenting. To her this is logical and is what must be done to get successful kids. In her list we see that not only are her children not allowed to get any grade less than A, but also they have to be the No. 1 student in every subject, except gym and drama. This put a really huge amount of pressure on her daughters. Amy Chua is an American lawyer, writer and legal scholar. She is the Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Amy Chua has two daughters Sophia and Louisa. The fact...
Words: 1183 - Pages: 5
...“Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” The Chinese parenting style creates success, teaches determination, and prepares children to be exceptional. “Chinese parents” won’t accept anything but the best, while “Western parents” think learning should be fun (p.143). According to Amy Chua and her controversial article concerning Chinese and Western parenting: “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior”, this first group can get away with harsh treatment and reasonably insensitive language, while Western parents may even induce legal consequences for “lightly” correcting their children. Chua firmly believes that her disciplinary actions won’t affect her child’s self-steem; in fact, she believes children’s confidence will increase upon successful completion of a challenge. Unlike the other category of parents, who worry about how failure will emotionally perturb their children, rather than attacking the actual problem, which according to Chua’s realistic perspective it is the child’s mistake for not working hard enough. “As a parent, one of the worst things you can do for your child’s self-steem is to let them give up. There’s nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn’t”, says Chua (p.146). Throughout this article the author’s only purpose is to achieve her daughter’s academic excellence, disregarding her feelings of being heavily burdened. This mother’s beliefs insinuate that children owe everything to their parents (p.144), and she...
Words: 408 - Pages: 2
...Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Amy Chua The Wall Street Journal; January 8, 2011 A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do: • attend a sleepover • have a playdate • be in a school play • complain about not being in a school play • watch TV or play computer games • choose their own extracurricular activities • get any grade less than an A • not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama • play any instrument other than the piano or violin • not play the piano or violin. I'm using the term "Chinese mother" loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I'm also using the term "Western parents" loosely. Western parents come in all varieties. All the same, even when Western parents think they're being strict, they usually don't come close to being Chinese mothers. For example, my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese mother, the first hour is...
Words: 2565 - Pages: 11
...Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Raising a child can be done in various ways, but one thing is certain: all parents want what's best for their children. There are however quite a few different opinions on how to raise a child in the best way. One of the more prominent and controversial ways of raising a child is the Chinese way, which is discussed by Amy Chua in her article "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior", published on January 8th in 2011. The article is published in The Wall Street Journal, which is an American newspaper, which means the readers of the article are mainly Americans and western people in general. In the article Amy Chua argues that the Chinese way of raising a child is far better than the western way. Amy Chua has a decent insight on both the western- and the Chinese way of parenting, since she, herself, is Chinese and in addition to that she is married to a Western man, with whom she has two children. There are quite a few things that appeals to ethos in the article. First of all, she was raised in the Chinese way, and because of that she is today a professor at Yale Law School. It shows us that strict parenting results in academically successful children. Another thing that strengthens her ethos is that she is referring a lot to her own youth, telling us about a few incidents in her childhood, where her strict parents made her improve. Chua is really comparative and mentions a few studies to prove her point about the very opposing mindsets that...
Words: 861 - Pages: 4
...Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior What Chinese and Western parents have in common is the fact that they want to protect their children at any cost. That being said, Chinese and Western parents are quite separated geographically. In which ways can the parents protect their children and how do the Western and Chinese differ in that matter? In the article, “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”, Amy Chua discusses the differences and makes the readers wonder which upbringing is most optimal. Firstly, Chua is introducing the reader to believe that Chinese parents are not as mean and cruel as they are normally presented. She also initiates the article by telling about herself, which helps the possible sympathy she is trying to build up. “I’m using the term “Chinese mother” loosely.” (page 6 l. 22) and, I’m also using the term “Western parents” loosely. Western parents come in all varieties.” (page 6, ll. 25-26). By doing this, she warns the reader and she is sure to approach the reader about her generalizing. Later on, Chua goes on by telling the reader about the differences between Chinese parents think and handle things in contrast to Western parents. By making her point clear, she says: “Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America.” (page 7 ll. 49-50). Amy Chua also attempts to explain about the “three big differences between the Chinese and Western parental mind-sets.” (page 6, l. 71). She says that the differences...
Words: 555 - Pages: 3
...Why Chinese mothers are superior There are numerous opinions about how to raise children ideally. Everyone want to do what is best for their children, but the description about how to do so, is extremely different from parent to parent. There has especially been quite a lot debate about how Chinese mothers raise their children compared to Western mothers. Many Westerns people describe the Chinese mothers methods of upbringing as strict, pushy and some times directly cruel. The article “Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” deals with these differences between methods of upbringing, written by the 48-year-old Chinese-American mother Amy Chua and it is thereby seen from her point of view. The author Amy Chua is a professor at Yale Law School and has two daughters herself, whom she is raising very strictly with lots of rules and big demands. Chua claims that the way that Chinese mothers are upbringing their children, is superior compared to the Western mothers methods of upbringing. She underlines than in order to achieve success, the children must focus on certain priority areas, and therefore they are forced to give up other things. This is why her own daughters are not allowed to attend to sleepovers, choose their own extracurricular activities and they are demand to be the very best in every subject except gym and drama. This is only a few of the rules, which Chua’s daughters must live by. Chua underlines that one of the most important parts of upbringing in Chinese manner, is...
Words: 1057 - Pages: 5
...Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior There are a lot of different ways to raise your child and a lot of different views on which way is right and which way is wrong. Every parent wants to believe that their way of upbringing their child is the right way. That is no different from Amy Chua. In her article “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior”, she compares the way Chinese children and Western children are raised. From Amy Chua’s point of view Western parents are just not strict enough “All the same, even when Western parents think they’re strict, they usually don’t come close to being Chinese mothers.”. She believes in the Chinese parenting way Amy Chua is a professor at Yale Law School in the USA. She has a husband called Jed as well as to children, Sophia and Louisa. The text is a non-fiction article. The Wall Street Journal is a newspaper only published in the Western countries and therefore we must assume that the headline “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” is a name that will cause outrage in the Western. She mostly speaks to Western parents or couples who either have children or is planning to. One of Amy Chua’s ways to draw the reader is by using provocation, for example by naming the article something, which degrades the readers parenting skills. When Chua has drawn the reader’s attention she engages them further by creating a sort of credibility by using herself as an example. She gives herself, as an example because she has had experience with both types of parenting...
Words: 860 - Pages: 4
...Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior ”Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” is written by the Chinese mother of two, Professor Amy Chua. The article was published Saturday, January 8th, 2011 in Wall Street Journal. Wall Street Journal is a well-known American newspaper with a broad range of readers. The article is though mainly intended for what she refers to as “Western parents” – or Western mothers in particular. Mothers, who in Amy Chua’s opinion, fail to bring their children up successfully. The article is expository, as Amy Chua tries to emphasize her view on Western parent’s mentality in contrast to Chinese parent’s mentality. When it comes to a successful upbringing for their children, Amy Chua believes that the Western way has it deficiencies. As a parent, you might have some sort of blindness when it comes to seeing your own mistakes about raising your children. Amy Chua therefore tries to explain what can be changed, in order to achieve a more successful child. By revealing these differences in the way of raising a child, respectively in a Chinese way and in a Western way, Amy Chua makes the reader consider, if the Western way really is the way to prefer. The article expounds the Chinese way of raising children in contrast to the Western way. According to Amy Chua, mother of two Chinese girls, the main problem is the Western parent’s mentality. The parent’s apprehension of emotionally hurting their children prevents the children to fully shape in to a successful person...
Words: 1011 - Pages: 5
