In the onset of the story we find Jing-Mei's mother convincing her that she "can be prodigy..." (491) and that she "can be best any

Even as Jing-Mei loses interest in becoming a prodigy, her mother continues to push her on. She decides to arrange piano lessons for Jing-Mei without consulting her first. In doing these things, Jing-Mei's mother wants to control not only her actions but also her dreams, and she will not tolerate disobedience. She says, "Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!" (497) We can see that Jing-Mei truly resents her mother's decisions and fights her control. Jing-Mei tells her mother that, "I wish I weren't your daughter. I wish you weren't my mother". (497) Then she says, "I wish I were dead! Like them." (497) These strong words used by Jing-Mei illustrate how far she will go to break the grip her mother has on her. She challenges her mother's authority an

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 534
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)