Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

“The Tiger, the living symbol of strength and power, generally inspires fear and respect.”

Descriptions of the Chinese Zodiac’s tigers introduce each part of the text. As a framing device, these descriptions emphasize different aspects of Chua’s personality that she values. The attributes mentioned wield thematic significance within each section and foreshadow what the reader should anticipate. This description opens the memoir with an emphasis on the parent as disciplinarian and prioritizes earning a child’s respect over all other concerns.

“Some Western parents are strict; others are lax. There are same-sex parents, Orthodox Jewish parents, single parents, ex-hippie parents, investment banker parents, and military parents. None of these ‘Western’ parents necessarily see eye to eye, so when I use the term ‘Western parents,’ of course I’m not referring to all Western parents—just as ‘Chinese mother’ doesn’t refer to all Chinese mothers.”

Chua frequently uses juxtaposition to highlight the differences between Western and Chinese parents. Through grammatical and rhetorical techniques, Chua creates long lists of examples that demonstrate her evidence. Abrupt punctuation, such as dashes, are then used to highlight a key point.

“As I watched American parents slathering praise on the kids for the lowest of tasks—drawing a squiggle or waving a stick—I came to see that Chinese parents have two things over their Western counterparts: 1) higher dreams for their children, and 2) higher regard for their children in knowing how much they can take.”

Here, parallelism, or the intentional repetition of words or syntax, creates emphasis on “dreams” and “regard,” showing that these are held in equal esteem. Chinese parents aggressively pursue what is best for their children because they believe their children deserve and are capable of the best.