"The Beat Up Generation"

In Abby Ellin’s article, “The Beat Up Generation,” (2014), she suggests that the way the new millennial generation likes to do things clashes with the way the older baby boomers and gen-Xers like to do things.  She supports this by citing different studies on the different generations and quoting different baby boomers and millennials regarding the other generation. Ellin wrote this article in order to inform people of the different ways the generations work and of the resentment it has caused. The intended audience of this piece was people studying psychology.  
Being that we are all considered Millennials, It was a little hurtful reading the perception older individuals had about our generation; “... they are thought to be entitled, narcissistic, self-promotional, coddled, opinionated, whiny, and needy, especially at work (when they’re not complaining about unemployment, that is).”(Ellin Abby, “The Beat Up Generation”, 205). It seems that we come across in a very negative light to many older adults. However I feel that we are simply getting acclimated with the times.
Change is inevitable. This is one of the main reasons why there’s conflict between different generations. They all have opposing perspectives on life in general. The Baby Boomers generation views the Millennial generation as arrogant, narcissistic, and needy because of their behavior, especially in the work environment. There are many factors that contribute to the differences in behaviors and technology plays a big part in it. “They have a different value set-on global interconnectedness, the Internet, cell phones, instantly knowing what’s going on in the world,” (Ellin, 208).  The new generation is more technically savvy while the older folks despise their obsession with smartphones, laptop, and etc. The Baby Boomers can’t keep up with the rapid shifts in technology, and this frustrates them. The differences in the upbringing results in the conflicting attitudes and personalities between them. The younger folks are more-needy because they are used to doing group works since grade school. “They’re sensitive to criticism and unable to work alone,” (Ellin 205). On the other hand, the older generation can work independently just fine. Another problem is that the Millennials do not cooperate to the traditional workplace hierarchies. They believed in earning respect rather than given. Due to their age and work experiences the Baby Boomers feel as if they should be respected.  

"Mother Tongue"

In Amy Tan’s memoir, "Mother Tongue," (2016), she asserts that all the Englishes she grew up with helped shape her as a writer.  She explains this by recalling her experience with her mother’s simple English and her own more refined style of English. The author wrote "Mother Tongue" to explain to people how the different Englishes she grew up with, even the “broken” one, eventually became an important part of her writing.  Tan was targeting aspiring writers when she wrote this.

  "Mother Tongue" was a very heartwarming story to read.  The part when Amy Tan talked about how she thought her mother’s broken English reflected broken thoughts, and then later went on to explain how this isn’t actually true was very well said in our opinion.  It was also very interesting to hear her explain the way society looked at her mother’s broken English compared to her own more refined English.  The part that was really inspiring, though, was when she explained how she was expected to have a career in math or science but instead pursued a writing career.  Overall, the story was very engaging, and it did a good job at showing that just because people think you can’t do something doesn’t mean it’s true.  It was very inspiring.  

Amy Tan, writer of "Mother Tongue," does her best to show us that, as people, we can only exhibit what we are familiar with. Tan explained that as a child growing up in a Chinese American home, She was taught by her surroundings. There was a specific way that her family spoke with each other, and it worked for them. Language was never seen as a barrier by Tan until she noticed the way people reacted to how her mother spoke. No one ever took her mother seriously simply because of her vernacular. This goes to show that society plays a part in our early development.  Being exposed to the opinions of others affects us, whether it be positive or negative. Tan then began to grow embarrassed of her mother's ‘broken’ English, even though she could understand her perfectly. She explained that her mom's speech coupled with the opinions of many started to shape her future.  It was perceived that she would also display this kind of limited English, so her teachers pushed her towards the fields of math and science. However, tan defied this push and started pursuing a career in writing. It was always evident that Tan was a good English speaker, but even as an adult she found herself talking to her mother with the same ‘simple speech’ she was around when growing up. Long story short, Amy Tan used her own experiences to show that even though we eventually become our own unique selves, parts of our upbringing will never leave us.

Creativity

     Hey everyone! Welcome to our blog. We are English 1101 bloggers. This is one of our projects in class that will help improve our writing skills by exposing us to different styles of writing. Our main goals for the end of this semester are to become creative writers and be able to write in a shorter amount of time. Hopefully you will enjoy our blog! :)