Answer: The songs and daughters are two halves of the same one because, the short and slow one (“Pleading Child”), describes how a daughter being obedient and unhappy would feel like, and when she realizes that she's her own person and follows her own mind, “Perfectly Content” (the long and fast one), would describe
Full Answer
How are the two Schumann pieces pleading child and perfectly contented related to the story's title?
This relation ties to how Jing-mei, like the songs, was both the pleading child (to do what she wishes as a child) and perfectly contented (once she grew up and realized her mom just wanted her to give it her best).
What does the title Two Kinds mean what are these Two Kinds of what do those Two Kinds have to do with the piano?
The title "Two Kinds" refers to two types of daughters: the obedient kind and the independent kind. Jing-mei feels that she has disappointed her mother time and time again by being the latter kind and asserting her will again and again against her mother's wishes.
What does pleading child and perfectly contented?
Jing-mei realizes that the “Pleading Child” who disobeyed her mother has now become a “Perfectly Contented” adult, a woman who reconsiders her mother's expectations with a new sense of willingness and acceptance.
What does the piano represent to Jing-Mei in Two Kinds?
Jing-mei's thirtieth birthday gift was the piano. She “saw the offer as a sign of forgiveness, a tremendous burden removed.” The piano represents reconciliation between mother and daughter. Jing-mei took it as a sign of acceptance and she later realized that her mother had never given up on her.
How do those Two Kinds of daughters match up with the two songs at the end of the story?
How do those two kinds of daughters match up with the two songs at the end of the story? These two kinds of daughters match up with the two songs because one song says perfect which is obedience and the other song is "pleading child" which about a child who follows a mind of their own.
What does the piano symbolize in Two Kinds by Amy Tan?
When Jing-Mei's mother later gives her the piano, it symbolizes their reconciliation. Shirley Temple, the young Chinese actress on TV symbolizes the reality of American dream and the desires of many immigrants. She is a successful actress despite her young age while Jing-Mei's mum is a poor adult.
What does it mean to be perfectly contented?
: feeling or showing satisfaction with one's possessions, status, or situation a contented smile They lived a contented life.
Why do you think it was entitled Two Kinds?
Likewise, the story's title, “Two Kinds,” refers to the story's central concern with the mother and daughter as two different kinds of people, yet members of the same family, and the same cultural heritage.
What might the narrator mean by saying that pleading child?
What might the narrator mean by saying that "Pleading Child" "Perfectly Contented" are "two halves of the same song"? The narrator may mean that "Pleading Child" and "Perfectly Contented" are 2 halves to the song of her life; one half is her and one half is her mom.
What is the lesson learned in Two Kinds?
In “Two Kinds” the mother and daughter relationship is unbalanced. The mother, Suyuan, believes Jing Mei can accomplish the American dream and become successful. In “The Lesson”, the story focuses on poverty and wealth in the world.
What does the piano symbolize in The piano Lesson?
Piano Symbol Analysis. The Charles family's piano, which resides in Berniece's house, symbolizes the family's history and identity—both their past sorrows and their hopes for the future. The piano belonged to the Sutter family, who once enslaved Berniece's and Boy Willie's ancestors.
What happens when Jing Mei plays the piano?
Determined to thwart her mother's ambitions, Jing-mei neglects practicing the piano. It is only after her mother's death that Jing-mei begins to realize what her mother had wanted for her. She looks back over the music that she formerly shunned and discovers something that she hadn't noticed before.