"Two Kinds" is about a little girl named Ni Kan and her mother's pursuit to try and make her famous. Ni Kan's family moved from China to the United States in search for a better life. Her mother has so many expectations for her young daughter. They go through many exercises to reveal what her daughter's talents are. Both mother and daughter get frustrated with each other throughout the story. This story is something we can all relate to. Parents have a major influence on their children, and don't often realize it. It's hard to live up to your parent's expectations. Parents may think what their doing for their child is best, but in the long run it just may be hurting them.
             Ni Kan's mother struggles to make her child a prodigy. Her mother was very disillusioned. She believed that anyone in America could become anything they want to, and for Ni Kan it did not come easy for her. Ni Kan and her mother would sit in front of the TV and watch Shirley Temple movies. She even went as far as to take Ni Kan to get her hair styled like Shirley Temple, but her hair did not come out as they expected it to. So she was forced to get her hair cut short like Peter Pan. Ni Kan liked her new hair cut, and she actually thought a new haircut would make her famous.
             People often want something so much that they become disillusioned at what is in their reach to accomplish. Ni Kan's mother wanted her daughter to become so many different things. She wanted her child to be a genius. She would quiz her daughter on capitals, mathematical problems, memory readings and many other quizzes. Ni Kan would not always do as good as her mother expected her to. Her mother would show her disapprovement by her facial expressions. This affected Ni Kan emotionally and it hurt her. Whatever Ni Kan would do it was never good enough for her mother. She became frustrated with life, and became burnt out with t...