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Amy Tan’ın “Mother Tongue” Yazısının Etnik Otobiyografi Açısından İncelenmesi

Year 2022, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 18 - 28, 28.12.2022

Abstract

Amerika'daki etnik gruplar her zaman kimlik arayışı içindedirler, çünkü kendi kültürlerinden ve benliklerinden uzakta yaşam sürerler. Bu süreçte hem geçmiş hem de gelecek ile bağlantılarını devam ettirerek kimliklerini kaybetmemeye çalışırlar. Bu noktada, etnik otobiyografi topluluktaki üyeler arasında var olan aydınlatıcı bir bakış açısı yaratır (Renán, 1990,19). Amerika’da yaşayan pek çok etnik grup vardır ve bunlardan biri de Çinli Amerikalılardır. Amerika birçok etnik gruba ev sahipliği yaptığı için mozaik bir yapıya sahiptir. Bu çalışma, Amy Tan’in yazdığı “Mother Tongue” adlı yazısını etnik otobiyografik bakış açısında inceleyecektir. Bu kaynak dilin nasıl sınırlar oluşturduğunu ve karakterleri sessizliğe ittiğini gösterecektir. Bu sessizlik bir tür kültürel yabancılaşma ve yalnızlıktır. Tan etnik farklılıktan yola çıkarak ötekileşme duygusunu deneyimlemiş ve kendi kişisel deneyimleriyle birlikte etnik otobiyografi türünde anlatmıştır. Gerçek olaylar okuyucuları her zaman daha derinden etkilediği için çalışma okuyucularda duygusal etkiler oluşturmuştur. Dil gibi sosyolojik bakış açısının yanı sıra, eser Amy’nin kendi bireysel ifadeleriyle hayatını yansıtmaktadır. Bu nedenle, çok yönlü bakış açısına sahip olan eser bir tür sosyolojik, kültürel ve biyografik çalışma niteliğindedir. Bunun yanı sıra, eser protesto edebiyatına güzel bir örnek olabilir, çünkü Çinli Amerikalı örnekler ile etnik ayrımcılığı eleştirmektedir. “Mother Tongue” hangi yönlerden etnik durumlara yaklaşır? Amerikan toplumundaki Çinli Amerikalıların deneyimleri nasıldı ve ne gibi zorluklar yaşadılar? Çinli Amerikalılar için kimlik ne demektir? Bu çalışma, bütün bu soruları farklı etnik grupların tecrübeleri ışığında yanıtlamaya çalışır.

References

  • Baumeister, R., Jeremy P. Shapiro and Dianne Tice. (1985). “Two kinds of identity crisis.” Journal of Personality. 53(3):407 – 424
  • Bergland, B. Ann. (1994). “Representing Ethnicity in Autobiography: Narratives of Opposition.” The Yearbook of English Studies, Ethnicity and Representation in American Literature. Vol 24, pp. 67-93.
  • Guibemau, M. (1995). “Identidad Nacional y Cultura: Un Análisis Critico de la Teoria del Nacionalismo de Emest Gellner”. Antropología.
  • Mills, C. Wright. (2000). The Sociological Imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Mourelo, B. Rodriguez. (1999). “Racial Identity through Autobiography: Re-covering the Past/Shaping the Future.” Berks-Lehigh Valley College of Penn State University.
  • Pun, M. (2017). “The Politics of Identity: The History of African Americans Reconsidered through Narratives.” Journal of Political Science. 17:52.
  • Renán R. (1990). "What Is A Nation?". Nation and Narration.
  • Smith, S., and J. Watson. (2001). Reading Autobiography: A Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives. London: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Stolley, K. (2005). The Basics of Sociology. Westport: Green Wood Press. Web
  • Tan, A. (1990). "Mother Tongue." The McGraw-Hill Reader. Three Penny Review.
  • Zagefka, H. (2016). “Concepts of ethnicity.” The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism, Wiley-Blackwell: Royal Holloway, University of London, UK.
  • Zhitong, C. (2020). “Identity Dilemma of the Second-Generation Chinese Americans—Take Andrew Yang’s “Rejecting Identity Politics” Strategy as an Example.” Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 435.

THE ANALYSIS OF “MOTHER TONGUE” BY AMY TAN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ETHNIC AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Year 2022, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 18 - 28, 28.12.2022

Abstract

Ethnic minorities in America are always in the search of identity because of being far away from their cultural and traditional practices. In this process, they try to construct their identities within the connections to their past and present together. At that point, ethnic autobiography creates an insightful perspective in that it presents the existing links among the members of a community: a common past, and a political project for the future of that community. (Renán, 1990,19) There are many ethnic groups living in America, and one of them is the Chinese Americans. America is like a mosaic with various ethnic groups living there. This study will seek “Mother Tongue” written by Amy Tan in the light of ethnic autobiographical considerations. This autobiographical source indicates how the language creates boundaries and it pushes characters into silence. This silence is a kind of psychological loneliness and cultural alienation. Tan closely experiences the otherness with her ethnic difference and she uses the genre of ethnic autobiography while narrating her personal memories because the real issues always affect the readers more deeply. Besides the sociological concerns such as language, it also explores the life of Tan with her own personal expressions. Thus, it is a kind of sociological, cultural and biographical text, and it also deals with multi-dimensional critical outlooks. It is also a great example inside protest literature because it criticizes ethnic discrimination with the examples from the life of Chinese American. From which perspectives does “Mother Tongue” approach the ethnic issue? How do the Chinese-Americans suffer from hardships in American society? What does the identity of Chinese-Americans mean for themselves? This paper tries to light on these questions in the framework of different ethnicities in America.

Thanks

I thank my professor Esra Öztarhan at Ege University because the course that I took in my doctorate attributed many insightful commentaries in this field.

References

  • Baumeister, R., Jeremy P. Shapiro and Dianne Tice. (1985). “Two kinds of identity crisis.” Journal of Personality. 53(3):407 – 424
  • Bergland, B. Ann. (1994). “Representing Ethnicity in Autobiography: Narratives of Opposition.” The Yearbook of English Studies, Ethnicity and Representation in American Literature. Vol 24, pp. 67-93.
  • Guibemau, M. (1995). “Identidad Nacional y Cultura: Un Análisis Critico de la Teoria del Nacionalismo de Emest Gellner”. Antropología.
  • Mills, C. Wright. (2000). The Sociological Imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Mourelo, B. Rodriguez. (1999). “Racial Identity through Autobiography: Re-covering the Past/Shaping the Future.” Berks-Lehigh Valley College of Penn State University.
  • Pun, M. (2017). “The Politics of Identity: The History of African Americans Reconsidered through Narratives.” Journal of Political Science. 17:52.
  • Renán R. (1990). "What Is A Nation?". Nation and Narration.
  • Smith, S., and J. Watson. (2001). Reading Autobiography: A Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives. London: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Stolley, K. (2005). The Basics of Sociology. Westport: Green Wood Press. Web
  • Tan, A. (1990). "Mother Tongue." The McGraw-Hill Reader. Three Penny Review.
  • Zagefka, H. (2016). “Concepts of ethnicity.” The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism, Wiley-Blackwell: Royal Holloway, University of London, UK.
  • Zhitong, C. (2020). “Identity Dilemma of the Second-Generation Chinese Americans—Take Andrew Yang’s “Rejecting Identity Politics” Strategy as an Example.” Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 435.
There are 12 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Creative Arts and Writing
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Gamze Ar 0000-0002-8918-2124

Publication Date December 28, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 7 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Ar, G. (2022). THE ANALYSIS OF “MOTHER TONGUE” BY AMY TAN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ETHNIC AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Bartın Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 7(2), 18-28.