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A successful work of literature is the one that exhibits a positive social foundation in its structure by capturing the key elements that make up the society. Additionally, a good story has a high level of aesthetic appeal. Some of the key factors that constitute a beautiful piece of literature include the style and tone used, a clear theme, and a clear plot. The story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan talks about a mother-daughter relationship where the mother perceives America the land of opportunities and believes that her daughter will be a great success as a prodigy. The focus on the smallest unit in society, the family, makes the whole work a success, as it shows its focus on social structures that constitute the society. More so, Tan’s story contains a perfect structure and is anchored on two themes, the tension between mothers and daughters, and the American Dream, which helps bring out its aesthetic value. The clear structure and the focus on diverse themes enhance the aesthetic structure of the story. A good piece of literature must exhibit a positive social foundation and should have an aesthetic appeal. The story “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan exhibits a positive social foundation through its focus on the family and its strong aesthetic appeal that comes through its structure and focus on two themes. Therefore, it is undoubtedly a good piece of literature.
Tan’s story is a successful piece of literature because of the explication of the presentation of the family as a significant unit within the society. For instance, the opening sentence, “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be anything you wanted to be in America,” (Tan) highlights the natural operation of a family in any given society. The story is anchored around the family as a crucial social structure in terms of promoting the success of a person in the society. Success is something that has to begin with the belief from the smallest unit within the society. It directly implies the view that a family is the best thing that could happen to a person because it is made up of people focused on progress. In this story, Tan understands that society is likely to fall without the presence of the family as part of it. This is the only place that one is able to acquire the motivation and determination to face different events in life. The faith of mother in her daughter is an illustration of the positive contribution of a family in the success of future generations. In fact, Jing-mei only discovers that her mother had been right all along after her death. She decides to take up music and piano to fulfill her mother’s dream in her life. A story that is able to explicate normal living and relationships within a family in the clearest way possible makes a successful piece of literature, and this one does not disappoint in this aspect that sets out its social foundation.
The use of a clear structure and focus on two significant themes of the American Dream and the daughter-mother conflict makes the whole story successful because of its aesthetic appeal. For instance, the structure is seamless from the start to the moment where Tan talks about the family’s movement from China after the mother had lost everything including other children. It goes forward to explain how several people, including Jing-mei’s aunt, believe in the opportunities presented by America, and it ultimately concludes the realization of ambitions after a mother’s death. Another example of aesthetic appeal is notable from the focus on the theme of the American Dream. The words, “You could work for the government and get good retirement” (Tan) illustrate the theme of the American Dream where everything is deemed to work perfectly. The theme of the mother-daughter conflict is highlighted through the statement, “Then I wish I weren’t your daughter, I wish you weren’t my mother” (Tan). This shows some form of disagreement between daughter and mother. Aesthetic appeal in any given story is always achieved through a combination of factors that make it beautiful to eyes. The clear structure utilized in this story is instrumental in pulling the attention of readers from the start to the end of the story. Apart from the structure, the two themes used in the story bring out a true picture of the whole events and the message intended by Tan in the story. It is easier for the reader to get the true picture of the overall story through these interesting themes that keep the story flowing and easy to understand.
However, opponents could argue that the story “Two Kinds” is not successful as a piece of literature because of its narrow structure that only surrounds the daughter-mother relationships. According to opponents, a good story is supposed to have a broader structure that gives readers an opportunity to analyze it from different angles. However, this one only moves from daughter to mother and from mother to daughter, from the start to the end, hence making it difficult for readers to explore it from different points of view (Tan). For instance, they affirm that it could have gone further to explicate the concept of the American Dream as brought out at the start of the story. This would have made it more sensible and easy to analyze from any given perspective. However, opponents must understand that the evaluation given in the two paragraphs above is more complete, well-reasoned, and correct because it looks into the intent of the author in the story. In this story, Tan seemed to explain the nature of the family and the dreams that parents have for their children. The above evaluation considers this understanding, hence making it more accurate and complete. The evaluation is also complete because it accommodates all the themes that have been represented in the story, hence refuting the opponent’s view that the story utilizes a narrow structure in its approach.
In conclusion, Tan’s “Two Kinds” is a complete piece of literature because of its positive social foundation and aesthetic appeal attained through the clear themes and a clear structure that is easy to follow. It is easier to judge this story as a successful piece of literature because of the perfection in which Tan captures every aspect in the presentation of its information. This evaluation is important because it illustrates the aspects that make a good story, and aspects that are likely to make a poor story. With this evaluation, a reader has the capacity to analyze a story from any perspective and defend his/her position on whether it makes a good piece of literature or not. Accordingly, this evaluation connects to the broader issue of the story writing. Every new writer is looking forward to write a story that includes the clear key aspects to make it more attractive and easily understandable. It is always crucial to ensure that the story is complete in all its aspects before presenting it to the potential readers, as everything is always judged by the mode of presentation and content delivery depending on the nature of the story.
