Which excerpts from “Two Kinds” exemplify…

English Questions

Which excerpts from “Two Kinds” exemplify internal conflict? Please select two options from the following: “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 first husband, and two daughters, twin baby girls. But she never looked back with regret. There were so many ways for things to get better.” “In all of my imaginings, I was filled with a sense that I would soon become perfect. My mother and father would adore me. I would be beyond reproach. I would never feel the need to sulk for anything.” “Before going to bed that night, I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink, and when I saw only my face staring back‚Äîand that it would always be this ordinary face‚ÄîI began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl! I made high-pitched noises like a crazed animal, trying to scratch out the face in the mirror.” “My mother slapped me. ‘Who asked you to be a genius?’ she shouted. ‘I only ask you to do your best. For your sake. Do you think I want you to be a genius? Hnnh! What for? Who asked you!’ ‘So ungrateful,’ I heard her mutter in Chinese, ‘if she had as much talent as she has temper, she would be famous now.'” “So maybe I never really gave myself a fair chance. I did pick up the basics pretty quickly, and I might have become a good pianist at that young age. But I was so determined not to try, not to be anybody different that I learned to play.”

Answer

The excerpts from “Two Kinds” illustrating internal conflict are: “Before going to bed that night, I looked in the mirror above the bathroom sink and when I saw only my face staring back‚Äîand that it would always be this ordinary face‚ÄîI began to cry. Such a sad, ugly girl! I made high-pitched noises like a crazed animal, trying to scratch out the face in the mirror.” “So maybe I never really gave myself a fair chance. I did pick up the basics pretty quickly, and I might have become a good pianist at that young age. But I was so determined not to try, not to be anybody different that I learned to play.” The narrative in “Two Kinds” examines the relationship between a mother and her daughter, shaped by their contrasting cultural backgrounds. Suyuan, Jing-mei’s mother, envisions her daughter as a child prodigy in America and relentlessly subjects her to various tests, including piano lessons. Despite Jing-mei’s attempts, she struggles and fears disappointing her mother. Ultimately, she desires acceptance for who she truly is, but her mother is unwilling to embrace that reality. This creates numerous instances of conflict, both between the characters and within themselves.

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