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Another trial Amy faced in Japan was the culture. The people of Japan were mezmerized by the clothes Amy wore, they were different from what they were used to. Once Amy and her interpreter, Misaki San, were trying to share the gospel with an older woman but the woman seemed distracted. It was Amy’s clothes the woman took off of Amy's glove and studied it. Amy and Miaki San could not get the women to focus on the gospel message any more.
The author Amy Tan, in her text she deals with living in the American society more than the other author because she gives the reader a clear idea of what she is going through at the moment. In the story “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, it says “What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked poor proper American manners?” Tan
In Seventeen’s reflective anecdote “Fish Cheeks,” appeared in the magazine in 1987 and was written by a woman of Chinese descent about a distinct Christmas when she was fourteen, the author utilizes ashamed diction to demonstrate her disappointment and utter embarrassment in her family’s Chinese traditions, appalled imagery to describe her thoughts toward her crush’s feelings about her mother’s food, and desperate parallel structure to convey her insatiable thirst to fit in and be accepted by the minister’s son, in order to explain her former horror of her crush’s judgment and how, later in life, she learns that preserving her family’s culture is
To begin with, both Tan and Crutcher utilize characterization to pursue the shared theme, that a strong sense of self is crucial when under the pressure of the expectation of others. In “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, Amy feels propelled to conform because she feels judged for not being “normal”. Tan states, “What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas” (2). Also, it’s obvious Amy was self-conscious about the Chinese style of cooking and in this sentence she’s self-conscious because she says, “For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, and a slim new American nose”(1). In the first quote, she was over thinking and doubting that Robert would not like “our shabby Chinese Christmas” though in the end she was correct about Robert
For instance, her famous novel ‘The Joy Luck Club’ depicts the Chinese mother and her American daughter relationship where they go through various circumstances trying to understand each other including the evolvement that comes in their relationships as the daughters know more about their mother’s life stories. Secondly, Tan considers the theme of identity in terms of Chinese immigrants and their life experiences as an immigrant in the United States. She reveals how the children born to the immigrants strive in an environment which is a mixture of American and Chinese influence. Moreover, Tan is found to have explored identity issues through her fictive creations and tackled the issue of authorial identity (Becnel, 2010). Similarly, romantic love is another subject included in the literary artworks of Amy Tan which considers the relationships and romance an important aspect of human’s life.
Fish Cheeks’ Amy Tan Isabella Kimball The way that Amy Tan in the Non-fiction narrative “Fish cheeks” develops as a complicated character is by how more of her feelings and character traits were represented as shown throughout the narrative. Feelings were overflowing her, as she did not know how the minister's son would react to her chinese christmas tradition would be to him and his family; she had had a crush on him when she had turned 14 and was dreading him coming over. Her traits and feelings were shown as in the beginning, as she was getting prepared for the minister's son who had been invited by her mother with his family.
The theme that the white culture is superior to other cultures in America according to “Fish Cheeks”, an essay by Amy Tan and Sherman Alexie’s essay “Indian Education”. Alexie writes about a moment that he remembers from second grade, “‘indians, indians, indians.’ She said it without capitalization”(Alexie 2). This establishes that certain people of the white culture see themselves as superior towards others. Alexie’s teacher tries to degrade his culture by speaking about the Native American culture in a tone that makes them sound inferior the the white culture.
The four different environments are: “[the] plastic bag filled with water” (339), the sink, the wok, and the dining table. In addition, the different environment and the time before it was placed onto the dinner table signify the tension built within the family. When the fish was in the plastic bag and the sink, it implies the trapped Malaysian culture within the family. The narrator was able to see and touch the fish’s “gills and the soft muscled body” (339), indicating that she’s able to feel her cultural roots. When the fish was placed in the sink full of water, it fish hopelessly tries to survive.
In "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan, the author utilizes the symbolic beige tweed miniskirt to represent the main characters yearning to be the same as American girls. After her parents invited her crushes family over for dinner she is apprehensive as to what he will presume about her traditional relatives and culture. The text states,"What will he think of our Shabby Chinese Christmas"(2). Which reveals that she wants to be like traditional Americans and doesn 't appreciate the unique differences about her culture. She also spends too much time caring about what the boy will think of her relatives and the non-american food served, that she doesn 't fancy over the fact that all her favorite foods were served.
Amy Tan uses imagery in the short story “Fish Cheeks” in order to let the reader feel the way Amy felt at the table on Christmas Eve. For example, in the story it states, “ My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table dipping them into the dozen or so plates of food.” This explains that Amy felt embarrassed that her family wasn’t realizing the fact that they had no manners at the table. Amy was completely embarrassed with the fact that, that was the way her family had acted while they ate. Everyone is put into a situation where they wished their parents or family members had not acted the way they did in front of them, and Amy Tan writing this story makes you remember those times.
The world today is filled with people that others want to impress. With the new desire of individuals wishing to feel accepted through unrealistic factors, society often forgets the easiest ways to feel belonged. In Adeline Yen Mah’s “Chinese Cinderella”, young and innocent Adeline goes through a troubled childhood, while trying to be accepted and struggles to find her identity. As Adeline grows, she is able to find her true self and be accepted in society, her family, and herself. However, the difficult journey takes time and Adeline makes sure she learns something from every difficulty in her life.
Throughout the entire novel, the mothers and daughters face inner struggles, family conflict, and societal collision. The divergence of cultures produces tension and miscommunication, which effectively causes the collision of American morals, beliefs, and priorities with Chinese culture which
Critical Personal Analysis of “Fifth Chinese Daughter” As I began to read “Fifth Chinese Daughter” by Jade Snow Wong, I quickly developed a special appreciation for Jade Snow’s relationship with her father because although there are differences, it mirrors the relationship I have with my own. In fact, there were many gifts Mr. Wong gave Jade Snow that were nearly identical to some my father has given me. Mr. Wong may have his faults, but his sweet and silent acts of love allows me to see past them. Thus, I have chosen to analyze my response to Jade Snow’s relationship with her father. Growing up, I did receive corporal punishment, however, I can honestly say this method of punishment never resulted in injury, came from rage, or made me question
Thesis Statement: In the short story, Two Kinds, Amy Tan develops a narrator who as a child seeks her mother’s approval of her, but develops into a child with her own mind, and by the end of the story embodies a woman who realizes that her mother has her own expression of love for her daughter. Thus, Amy Tan depicts a message about Jing-Mei, the narrator, accepting that everyone, especially her mother, has their own expressions of love. This will look different depending on who a person is and their background. Even though Jing-Mei does not always feel her mother loves her, she learns that her mother loves her by reflecting on her childhood and struggles.
In the essay “No Name Woman”, Maxine Hong Kinston explores her aunt’s life who secretly gets pregnant and commits suicide with her child when it is born in China. The story basically begins with her mum telling a story about her aunt’s scandal that had never been told to anyone in the past fifty years. After Kingston’s aunt’s husband had left to America for many years, her aunt gets pregnant. It is obvious that her aunt had committed adultery. The rural villagers furiously raided their house because her aunt’s adulterous behavior violates their community’s moral value.