Kaffir Boy And Two Kinds

1157 Words5 Pages
Compare/Contrast Why do parents make their children do things they do not want to do? This question is asked my many children around the world today. In “Kaffir Boy” by Mark Mathabane and “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan, two children are faced with pressure from their moms to be successful and receive a good education. Amy and Mark do not understand the reasoning behind their mothers’ ambitions to push them. One begins to understand that his mom is pushing him for his own good and it is what is best for him. The other is pushed too hard and loses her self-confidence. Their mothers just want them to be able to succeed in life, because as children, Amy and Mark’s moms were uneducated and unhappy. In “Kaffir Boy” and “Two Kinds”, children are faced with high expectations to become educated and become something great, which challenge their relationships with their respected mothers. Throughout the stories the children are faced with the expectation to succeed. Amy’s mother wanted her to become something great, or just be the best at one thing. She wanted her daughter to be seen as a prodigy, not just an ordinary girl. Mark’s mother just wanted Mark to attend school so he could get a better job and stay off the streets. Both parents wanted to see their children become successful, but they took different routes to achieve this. Mark was given the expectations of attending school and trying his hardest to succeed in life. He was a rebellious young man who believed schooling was pointless. His mom finally forced him to attend school by tying him up and carrying him there. Mark’s mom did this because she couldn’t stand thinking about Mark becoming like his father. She only wanted the best for him and believed that learning to read and write would give him a better future. Amy was given high expectations from the start but repeatedly failed. Her mom’s style of

More about Kaffir Boy And Two Kinds

Open Document