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Amy Tan Fish Cheeks Analysis

487 Words2 Pages

Journal #6, Tan In Amy Tan’s “Fish Cheeks,” she expounds her embarrassment at her Chinese Christmas family dinner with her crush, the Minister’s son. Tan realizes years later that her mother prepared that Christmas dinner because it was all of her favorite foods. Tan was facing conflicts between the two cultural differences and becomes aware that she should embrace her Chinese culture, while living in the American culture. Amy Tan catches the reader’s attention by beginning with a love interest. She utilizes a simile to compare Robert’s ethnicity: “as white as Mary in the manger,” (para. 1) it is an attempt at the imagery of Robert’s appearance without detail (with the exception that he is blond). The second paragraph is about her crying after hearing that the minister’s family is invited over for Christmas dinner. The tone through the three rhetorical questions are panic and embarrassment, and consequently shows why she cried: Tan was worried about Robert’s perception of her family. …show more content…

The kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food: A slimy rock cod with bulging eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a pan of hot oil. Tofu, which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges. A bowl soaking dried fungus back to life. A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings so they resembled bicycle tires (para.

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Amy in the autobiography “Fish Cheeks” is a dynamic character. This can be inferred because of evidence in the text. For example, in the beginning of the story she is nervous and worried about Robert and his family coming over for Christmas dinner. In addition to being nervous and worried, Amy is mortified that her relatives lack American manners. As a result, Amy becomes proud of her heritage and embraces her Chinese culture.

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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

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Traditional Chinese Cuisine Tradition is a very important part of Chinese culture. Chinese cuisine is one of the representations of tradition, and food has been a way of constituting the culture of China. In the story “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, this theme appears multiple times throughout the text. The Chinese culture has multiple foods that represent its tradition. Chinese meals have typical general components to them.

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