More handpicked essays just for you.
Cultural identity development introduction
Cultural identity development introduction
How does culture influence identity
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Throughout chapters 8 and 9 of Your Inner Fish, Neil Shubin discusses the relationship between humans and other organisms, specifically the connection regarding the sense of smell and vision. Fossils and the geological record are powerful sources of evidence about the past. By extracting DNA from a tissue of varying species, the history of any part of the body, such as smelling, can be deciphered. Similar to fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds, the human’s sense of smell is housed in the skull. Like the other animals, there are one or more holes through which air is brought inside and a set of specialized tissues where chemicals in the air can interact with neurons.
In the passage written by Amy Tan the author uses adjectives and feelings to reveal that an embarrassing experience in her youth changed her prospective on her heritage by showing her she needs to always be reminded of her heritage. One of Amy’s emotions in this passage is she feels embarrassed that her Chinese family that came over would get up to get their while the American would wait patiently for the food to be passed. One thing that made Amy embarrassed was when her dad took the fish cheek and said “Amy your favorite.” Another emotion was she was scared that the boy wouldn’t like their Chinese food or wouldn’t like there Chinese Christmas. But Amy’s fear was realized because the ministers family didn’t eat a lot nor did they talk.
In the memoir the Color of Water, James McBride spends most of the time finding his true identity. To understand his inner confusion and turmoil, he had a need to understand his mother’s past. James McBride takes an epic life quest to discover and learn more about his heritage in his memoir. As the book begins, the author has a curiosity and was consumed with the need of learning about his mother and her past.
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.
‘Your Inner Fish’ Scientists have questioned why human bodies are build the way they are for many years now. Fish paleontologist Neil Shubin set out to answer this question in his documentary ‘Your Inner Fish’. Shubin has looked at the bones in human hands and found many similarities with fins in the fish that he studies. This lead him to believe that fish are actually ancient ancestors of human beings.
Blue is essentially a story of searching for identity and creating your own family. Written by Patricia Leavy the story follows three college roommates, as they each piece together who they are in their life after college. Following each characters involvement in relationships and inner dialogue, the book addresses the challenge young adults face coming out of college with finding their identity. Through her story life, Leavy has weaved together sociological themes that relate to identity seeking. Leavy’s book is a story that demonstrates how individuals form identity because it highlights themes of sociological theories, dramaturgy, and socialization.
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.
To summarize, the author of “Fish Cheeks” use sensory detail and indirect characterization to show that one should not try to fit in, but instead embrace who they are. Amy represents an insecure, culturally different teenager who tries to fit in. However, by worrying about fitting in and being embarrassed by her culture she forgets about all the values of that Christmas dinner: After all, her mother made her all her favorite foods. Maybe the next person to read “Fish Cheeks” will realize that they could be happy and appreciate
The cooked fish signifies the death of the Malay culture within the family. However, the father didn’t give up. In the future, the narrator moved to an apartment, where she was
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.
While reading the story, you can tell in the narrators’ tone that she feels rejected and excluded. She is not happy and I’m sure, just like her family, she wonders “why her?” She is rejected and never accepted for who she really is. She is different. She’s not like anyone else
When her peers tease her about her food, “what that smell was that was so bad, the child had no idea. ‘You all don’t know what a delicacy is.’” (Thammavongsa __). Although the child is mocked for her food, she strongly defends her culture and food, even while she is embarrassed. This character is presented as a tough and proud girl, which brings forward her need to protect and appreciate her Laos heritage and culture.
Also, the fish represent the obstacles that one may face while trying to reach their goal and shaping their ability to achieve it. This ultimately challenges them to decide whether to accept the task and grow or abandon their dreams by giving up. The girl’s the environment around her influenced her hard work ethic and her decision to have patience to accomplish her
Amy Tan is a Chinese-American author who was born on February 19, 1952, in Oakland, California. In Tan’s early life she had many struggles because her parents desired for her “to hold onto Chinese traditions and her own longings to become more Americanized” (Encyclopedia). While she wanted to become a writer when she was still young, her parents wanted her to become a neurosurgeon. When she got older and went to college she majored in English then started her career in the 1970’s. She was a technical writer and then started writing fiction stories.
