Está en la página 1de 3

Evaluation of Why Chinese Mothers are Superior.

Amy Chua is a Chinese mother who believes strongly in the fact that a strict
method of parenting produces a more desirable outcome for children. She is a Professor
of Law at Yale University. Amy's preferred parenting style is based on what she refers to
as "Chinese parenting styles," that are highly different than those of Western parents. In
an excerpt from Amy's book, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," published by The Wall
Street Journal, she argues that her preferred parenting style is highly effective in
producing successful children compared to the American way of raising children. In this
excerpt, Amy never states that one is better than another, but instead, she puts a spin on
her article in order to sway the reader to see her side. She does so using manipulative and
deceptive techniques, and provides little to no official evidence to back her statements.
Amy Chua is not persuasive because of the fact that she uses logical fallacies and
propaganda in an attempt to sway her readers.
Amy's argument proves to be a logical fallacy. Amy does not state that her
children, now grown, are successful and happy. Instead, Amy purports (many times over)
that the parenting styles of "Chinese" parents, and the parenting styles of Western parents
are just, simply, based on different models. There are a few logical fallacies that can be
found in the article. These fallacies can be viewed as the basis for not trusting fully in
Amy's statements. If she better founded her remarks, then her claims would hold more
water.
Amy does employ propaganda techniques in her article. She spins her side of the
story as being justified because of cultural differences. She states that both sides simply

do not understand one another, and this is the reason that the Western parents frown upon
the parenting styles of the Chinese. There is also a logical fallacy; Because, while I
understand the psychological approach that is being taken in raising children the
"Chinese method," I cannot agree with it from a moral standpoint. A child should not be
deprived of food and water as Amy states she had done with Lula, her child. This is a
cruel way of teaching and should not be permitted. Amy's techniques may effectively
sway some, but not all of the readers.
Amy fails to provide adequate proof to back her arguments in the excerpt. In the
article it can be read, "Despite our squeamishness about cultural stereotypes, there are
tons of studies out there showing marked and quantifiable differences between Chinese
and Westerners when it comes to parenting." (Chua) Amy then goes on to elaborate on
the studies to which she is referring, but she fails to properly cite her sources. This leads
to doubt in the mind of the educated reader. If Amy is to convince an audience, she
should be expected to provide an accredited source for her information. The way the
article is written, Amy might have just as well made up the statistics being described.
Amy's argument fails to be persuasive because her bias, the logical fallacies, and
the propaganda are clear. It is obvious, to me, that Amy is simply trying to convince her
Western audience of something that is not morally justifiable in this society. In the article
she states that, "there's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do
something you thought you couldn't." (Chua) I agree, but I do not feel that external
pressure should be applied in such a cruel way in order for the individual to learn a new
skill. Perhaps, in China, these methods are justifiable. In America however, our value
system is far different; we value independence and freedom of choice.

Works Cited
Chua, Amy. "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior." WSJ. The Wall Street Journal, 8 Jan.
2011. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.

También podría gustarte