TOW#3-IRB rhetorical analysis (Chua)

Source: The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother  by Amy Chua (IRB)

       This book was a point of controversy upon it's release, igniting national, and even global, debate. Some people criticized and expressed disbelief at some of the parenting methods illustrated in Ms. Chua's book, opposing her extreme methods and her teachings. Yet others applaud her parenting skills, pointing toward the many accomplishments of her daughters. These two differing viewpoints could be boiled down to: do the methods used to achieve results matter, if the results are positive? 

      Amy Chua herself speaks to an audience of thousands of readers in her book, writing it in narration form. Her family members can also be considered speakers, as she includes many of their conversations, actions, and reactions within the text in the form of numerous anecdotes. She wrote the book to mark a significant occasion that she herself states: "...in a moment of crisis, when my younger daughter seemed to turn against everything I stood for and it felt like I was losing her and everything was falling apart." (http://amychua.com/) Her audience includes not only the thousands of readers who have read her book, but also her family, who helped her to compose it. They receive an insight into her thoughts during the times portrayed in the text, thoughts that she may not have expressed to them at home.

      Ms. Chua states the purpose of her book as "an attempt to put the pieces back together and work things out for myself." (http://amychua.com/) Her purpose could also be seen as showing the world a different, effective, kind of parenting that may be culturally shocking to them. The subject(s) of her book are: her family (including her dogs), her parents, and her parenting style. She exposes parts of each of them to the world in a funny yet at the same time serious tone, dealing with the various emotions of herself and her family, and portraying them sarcastically, humorously, and emotionally. 

      Her book is very effective in it's public purpose of introducing the world to an inside look of a form of parenting they may not have been fully aware of. As to the personal purpose, she herself has said it was therapeutic and helpful in aiding her in reconnecting with her daughters and husband. I found the book thoroughly interesting and enjoyable to read, perhaps because I, like so many others, found myself opposed to many of her methods and teachings.