What does it mean to possess confidence? Confidence is one word that has a vast impact on today’s society. Without confidence one’s whole life could and will be turned completely upside down. The meaning of confidence is having, without a doubt, total belief in oneself. Self-confidence is something that cannot be taught, but instead learned through personal experience. The autobiographical narrative, “Fish Cheeks,” by Amy Tan, is about a fourteen-year-old girl who describes her thoughts and feelings about the minister’s son and reveals to the reader that she is not accepting of herself. Throughout my life I have learned not to let others dictate my opinion of myself, because who I am or where I originated from is qualified and in reality, no one is capable of standing in my shoes. “Fish Cheeks,” written by Amy Tan, is a …show more content…
Tan expresses the embarrassment of where she comes from, that everyone, including myself, has experienced. If I were to read this short story as a child I would completely agree with how Tan felt. However, at a mature age I believe she should be more confident in where she comes from. Along with lacking confidence of where she comes from, Tan also lacks confidence in who she is. This story has had an impact on my perception of being proud of who I am and I hope to also share my knowledge, just as Tan did, with young kids who also need a push in the right direction.Tan learns a lesson about staying true to who she is that stayed with her throughout her life. Throughout my life I have also had these experiences that I will hold on to forever such as learning that money is not everything and to never let a friend tear me down. Confidence is the most valuable trait to possess because the moment when one believes in themselves even when everyone else is expecting them to fail is truly
The author demonstrates a personal example of how communication became a barrier because of the way Tan had to assist when her mother would speak. Tan would often have to relay the meaning of her mother’s message, because her mother’s “broken English” was difficult for others to comprehend. When Amy was younger, she remembers having to act as her mother on the phone, so that people on the other end would treat her mother with the respect she deserved. On one occasion, when her mother went to the doctor to get her CAT scan results on a benign brain tumor, her mother claimed that “the hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the CAT scan and she had come for nothing” (Tan, 544 ). It was not until Tan had talked to the doctor that the medical staff seemed to care about any of her mother’s complications. Tan seems to come to the conclusion that a language barrier affects both sides. Not only does it affect Tan, but it also appears to affect the people around her. For instance, this happens when Tan changes her major from the stereotypical “Asian’s become doctors” to an English teacher. She eventually learns to write fiction and other writings that she was constantly told she would never be successful at.
Tan found it as a way to prove the assumptions of immigrants wrong. She also uses personal narrative as a way to develop her essay as to why she began to write. As for Anzaldúa, she questioned and didn’t fully understand at first why others, like her mother, thought it was best to cut off the language which led her to the curiosity of her culture.
The Amy tan story focused on her mother and how she looked down because of her limited English language and how people disrespected her mother or ignored her. In fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her mother seriously, they did not give her good service and they pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her. She uses Logos, Pathos, and Ethos she does this well by giving examples and having emotional appeal and makes herself relevant. She was able to use her personal example...
To quiz her daughter in the story, the mother needed to read, then understand the content of the quiz and this is hard especially when English is your first language. This shows how the mother is intelligent enough to understand English. The last characteristic shown of first generation immigrants in Tan’s work was that they were both determined. In “Mother Tongue” Amy Tan’s mother was trying to get a check sent in the mail from the New York stock broker, when the check did not come, she went to New York and confronted him in person (). This clearly shows that she was determined to get the money that she was entitled to.
Confidence is defined as belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities, self-confidence, self-reliance, assurance. Confidence is something that these characters must have in the stories that they are in. Confidence is something that every person should have in order to succeed in anything that they do. Being cocky and having a swagger all comes from having confidence. Heroes in every story are known to have tasks that they must take on things and overcome obstacles that are more challenging than any other character in the story. The tasks they take on can be anything from realistic everyday life pro...
Tan describes her childhood as lonely and isolated. Her early childhood also involved a lot of moving, form house to house (Ho 40). She lived the classic minority experience (Huntley 2). At school she was usually the only Chinese student in her c...
...e the reader the full meaning of her experiences. Tan’s article was written with her readers in mind and she was purposeful in shortening her descriptions; altogether it improved the article.
At this point of the story it is reflective of a teenager. A teenager is at a time in life where boundaries and knowledge is merely a challenging thing to test and in some instances hurdled. Where even though you may realize the responsibilities and resources you have, there is still a longing for the more sunny feelings of youth.
The author explains different situations she has been exposed to throughout her life. The main factor that differentiates her case from the others is her level of education. She has been educated and has been exposed to two different cultures. Due to these factors, she knows how to behave under different circumstances. A good example is when a drunk man offended her and she reacted by walking away instead of creating a big discussion. Maria’s friend complemented her for the cool handling of the situation. Another reason why she feels so proud of herself is because she took advantage of that education chance and does everything possible to keep growing up. She explains that sometimes she is sent to that “kitchen” where she belongs. Her genes will follow her everywhere and not matter where she is at, people will keep asking her where is she from.
“Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things, it is not what’s outside, but what is inside that counts.” (Aladdin). The quote represents how people view society as one image, that you have to be that image in those details, but really it is okay to be more than that. This is the feeling of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is an interesting concept in society and it’s also evident in the story “Fish Cheeks.”
Most teenage students, when given the option, will choose not to share their opinions with their class. This is due to the fact that most teens are self conscious and afraid of being wrong. Once a student becomes confident in themselves they can grow as a student and as a person. Confidence is a key factor in any type of personal growth, no matter who it is. In the short story “Celeste's Heart” author, Aida Bortnik, generates a reflective tone, through diction and characterization, to show that self confidence is necessary for personal growth.
In the Webster's online dictionary, self-confidence is defined as confidence in oneself and in one's powers and abilities. A famous quote by Jim Loehr says, "With confidence, you can reach truly amazing heights; Without confidence, even the simplest accomplishments are beyond your grasp." Confidence in yourself does not come without effort. One must believe in themselves, and not let someone change their beliefs. In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Jane shows self-confidence throughout the novel, by possessing a sense of self-worth, dignity, and a trust in God.
In her short story "Two Kinds," Amy Tan utilizes the daughter's point of view to share a mother's attempts to control her daughter's hopes and dreams, providing a further understanding of how their relationship sours. The daughter has grown into a young woman and is telling the story of her coming of age in a family that had emigrated from China. In particular, she tells that her mother's attempted parental guidance was dominated by foolish hopes and dreams. This double perspective allows both the naivety of a young girl trying to identify herself and the hindsight and judgment of a mature woman.
Tan succeeds in her use of pathos as she manages to make her mother seem helpless. This is quite a feat, as her obvious strengths have already been displayed in situations such as when yelling at the stockbroker. Tan supports her depiction of her mother as a victim by bringing up how people “did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.” (37)
...an 8-9). The dream and heart of Tan’s mother were broken into pieces. However, Tan’s mother would not put the blame on Tan, because she knew the failure was a major hit for Tan. Tan’s mother obfuscated her sadness deep in her heart and bear it herself. This is the how Chinese mother’s show their love for children.