An Analysis of Amy Chuas Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior

Fanatics have their dreams, wherewith they weave a paradise for a sect ¦ (Keats). It is difficult to read Amy Chuas article, Why Chines Mothers Are Superior, and not think of preceding quotation by John Keats. Chua references a great deal of behavior that one could rightful consider fanatical. Some of it she attributes to herself, while others of it pertain to her ilk which she is generous enough to admit not only includes Asian mothers but also Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents (Chua). Yet what is truly interesting about this article is the fact that she is able to rationalize such behavior in a way that would almost make sense ¦were it not used to support such fanaticism. The crux of the authors point is that Chinese mothers consider themselves administering a particularly austere form of parenting which allegedly benefits the child. In and of itself, there is nothing wrong with parents raising children with a degree of strictness. For instance, there is a longstanding tradition of corporal punishment in the African American community (No author) which demonstrates a degree of austerity that not even Chua and her kind seem to engage in (or that she mentions in the article, rather). However, what the author is actually discussing the most is the assertion of the will of the parent over that of the child, which does not appear to be a particularly efficacious means of fostering independence, thinking for ones self, leadership, or a host of other