family values

It is often said that the toughest part of being a kid is fitting in. The United States is a diverse country with many cultures; consequently, it can be overwhelming for adolescents to feel accepted for who they are and where they come from. Amy Tan is an American writer with traditional Chinese parents. She focuses her writing on mother-daughter relationships. Specifically, Tan’s article, “Fish Cheeks,” published in Seventeen Magazine, describes her struggle as a 14-year-old girl in America trying to establish her identity and fit in. Tan is in love with the minister’s son, Robert. For Christmas, Tan prays for Robert and a slim new American nose. Tan’s parents invite the minister and his family over for Christmas Eve dinner. Under those circumstances, Tan is overwhelmed with fear of what Robert will think of her family’s shabby Chinese Christmas. Tan’s mother prepares a strange Chinese menu consisting of prawns, fish, tofu, and squid. Tan is ashamed of her family because she thinks they are loud and lack American manners. After dinner, Tan’s mother tells her to be proud of who she is and where she comes from. Nevertheless, it took many years for Tan to appreciate her mother’s lesson. For Christmas Eve that year, Tan’s mother made all of her favorite foods. Amy Tan writes this article using different literary devices suggesting that family plays a fundamental role in forming one’s identity.

First, Tan uses rhetorical comparison to support her claims. For instance, Tan states, “What terrible disappointment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food?” (Tan 1). Tan uses this comparison to show her readers that she is distancing herself from her family customs to create the image she thinks Ro...

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...preciating the lessons my family taught me throughout the years. Although at that time I didn’t know better, now I realize that I am the person I am today because of my family. My family supported my individuality without sacrificing their role in shaping my identity. For example, I was embarrassed to speak Spanish, especially around my American friends. Even so, I was blessed because my grandfather only allowed us to speak to him in Spanish. He knew that we would appreciate it later in life, and now I thank him for it. I have friends that wish their families would have done the same for them, but it is too late. Family is there to guide us through those tough times when we do not know who we are. In the end, one’s true identity reveals itself regardless of what one does to masquerade or alter it.

Works Cited

Tan, Amy. “Fish Cheeks.” Seventeen Magazine 1987: 1-2