English 1301 Writing Styles Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue”
I recently became aware of the different writing styles I use, the different writing styles I
use at work and the writing style in Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue”. To give you an example
of the differences and similarities between essay writing and writing for the corporate world, I
should tell you what I do for a living. I am a self-employed mystery shopper for companies who
specialize in the oversight of the medical profession. These companies hire me to visit a
particular doctor or dentist as a new or current patient, and I report to these companies on my
experience detailing all aspects of my visit. These reports are detailed and take time to compile
the information needed to write the report, not unlike the time it would take to write an essay
such as the one Amy Tan wrote, “Mother Tongue”. Although the subject matter was familiar to
her, I have no doubt that considerable time went into writing “Mother Tongue”.
One of the key similarities between a corporate report and an essay writing, is that both
require research. I might need to visit a particular doctor five to ten times, reporting on each visit
on areas such as cleanliness of the office, customer service, and even the tableside manner of the
physician. For each visit, I complete a report for the company as to the details of my
appointment. This may also be true for an author who may have to submit the progress of the
works to a publisher, who would want to keep track of the author’s progress. It goes without
saying, but both styles of writing demand accuracy and story flow so that the reader can follow
easily. Accuracy in reporting is important in my line of work as these reports not only help shape
the quality of care that patients receive, they also determine the jobs and lives of the individuals
and doctors who are employed in the offices that I visit. In Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue”, the
excerpt where she videotapes and transcribes a sample from her mother speaking is very
important to be able to understand why some of her friends might understand 50 percent of what
I recently became aware of the different writing styles I use, the different writing styles I
use at work and the writing style in Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue”. To give you an example
of the differences and similarities between essay writing and writing for the corporate world, I
should tell you what I do for a living. I am a self-employed mystery shopper for companies who
specialize in the oversight of the medical profession. These companies hire me to visit a
particular doctor or dentist as a new or current patient, and I report to these companies on my
experience detailing all aspects of my visit. These reports are detailed and take time to compile
the information needed to write the report, not unlike the time it would take to write an essay
such as the one Amy Tan wrote, “Mother Tongue”. Although the subject matter was familiar to
her, I have no doubt that considerable time went into writing “Mother Tongue”.
One of the key similarities between a corporate report and an essay writing, is that both
require research. I might need to visit a particular doctor five to ten times, reporting on each visit
on areas such as cleanliness of the office, customer service, and even the tableside manner of the
physician. For each visit, I complete a report for the company as to the details of my
appointment. This may also be true for an author who may have to submit the progress of the
works to a publisher, who would want to keep track of the author’s progress. It goes without
saying, but both styles of writing demand accuracy and story flow so that the reader can follow
easily. Accuracy in reporting is important in my line of work as these reports not only help shape
the quality of care that patients receive, they also determine the jobs and lives of the individuals
and doctors who are employed in the offices that I visit. In Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue”, the
excerpt where she videotapes and transcribes a sample from her mother speaking is very
important to be able to understand why some of her friends might understand 50 percent of what
