What does it mean to possess confidence? Confidence: having without a doubt, total belief in oneself has a vast impact on today’s society and can only be learned through personal experience. Without self-confidence, people struggle through everyday life. 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 lacks self-confidence. Throughout my life, I have learned not to let others dictate my opinion of myself because I am who I am and in reality, no one is qualified to label me. “Fish Cheeks” is a relatable narrative, by Amy Tan, that emphasizes the embarrassment Tan experience because of her heritage, …show more content…
but the lessons she learned, encouraged me to be comfortable with who I am. Amy Tan is embarrassed by her culture, but my embarrassment is of social class. Tan’s embarrassment is evident when “[she] cried” after discovering that her “love” interest’s family were “invited over for Christmas Eve dinner” (Tan 110). The minister's family would see her “noisy Chinese relatives” along with the assortment of “Chinese food”(Tan 110). I sympathize with Tan and how she feels about where she comes from because my family is not as wealthy as some of my friend’s. For example, I do not have a huge house with marble countertops and multiple living rooms. I occasionally feel ashamed when I bring friends over to my house and they see my one living room and a tiny kitchen. Ever since I was little I would always want to go to my friend’s house because I loved feeling what it felt like to be inside one of those “mansions” I would only ever see out the car window in passing. I also become distraught when someone in my family mentions something embarrassing, such as my mom asking to borrow money from me because she does not have any of her own. However, now that I have become older, I look back at times when I have felt embarrassed and think how ridiculous I was, for ever trying to be like someone else. In the future, I hope to have a nice house so my children do not have to feel as if they are less than their friends. In contrast, my kids will not have everything handed to them because I believe working hard to get what is deserved builds character. Despite the embarrassment, I felt growing up, I would not trade my home or my family for anything because my childhood made me the person I am confident in today. Nothing holds Tan and I back more than our own insecurities, especially when the insecurity is a trait we cannot control such as culture, gender, or appearance.
Tan lacked confidence so much that “[she] wanted to disappear” (Tan 111). Tan was insecure about her Chinese culture and longed to be an American girl in order to impress her dinner guests. Like Tan, I have also experienced insecurity through being a girl in today’s society. For example, if I do not have the correct body type or the correct personality, then I am not considered pretty enough or good enough. It is difficult enough being a girl, the weaker gender; we should not have to worry about our appearance as well. In school, whenever a teacher needs aid carrying boxes or moving tables, he/she will ask for someone to help who has muscles and every single time a male child will be selected even when every girl in the class has their hand raised eagerly to help. Everyone at some point has been put into a situation where he/she wanted to stand out and then realized they were not good enough, including me. At a young age, I was bullied by the typical mean girls. I wanted to fit in so bad, but my braces and straight across bangs just did not cut it. Appearance seems to be another competition of proving my worth such as whether or not I have tight enough jeans to please the same male child, chosen to carry boxes, who was “stronger” than me. However, as I mature, I have developed confidence in who I am and hope to set an example to inspire other as they also mature. In brief, having confidence comes with age and is a lesson one has to learn through
experience. Experience and age create wisdom; Amy Tan and I are using our experiences to inspire and motivate those who are younger. As the story came to an end, Tan receives advice from her mom that “[her] only shame is to have shame” (Tan 111). Tan’s mom gives great advice that kids, as well as myself, take into great consideration from reading this story. However, Tan does not truly understand this advice until she becomes older. I too have looked back on the difficulties I have had and realized these issues are not as important as I had made them out to be. For example, a little over a year ago, my ex-boyfriend cheated on me and I thought my world had fallen apart and I lost all confidence in myself. During this time my friends were there for me and gave me the same type of advice that Tan’s mom had given her. However, I now look back with complete confidence in myself and realize I am better off now than I was then. I still occasionally cry myself to sleep over the words and actions my friends have taken to hurt and betray me. Nevertheless, I believe we have to go through problems everyone goes through at a young age, whether it's betraying friends or not having the sixty-four pack of crayons that only the “cool kids” had. I have four young sisters who have yet to go through “devastating” problems, and being the oldest, I never had someone to talk to but, I hope to help my sisters get through these issues and learn to have confidence in who they are. However, I also have problems yet to experience that every adult has to go through and I hope to remind myself to stay true to who I am. “Fish Cheeks” is a relatable story about, lacking confidence in where Tan comes from and who she is as well as being taught a valuable life lesson. Tan expresses the embarrassment of her culture, 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 through my insecurity of social class. However, at a mature age, Tan and I have realized we possess more confidence now, compared to our childhood. Along with lacking confidence in where we come from, Tan and I also lack confidence in who we are. 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. This advice stayed with her throughout her life. I have also had these experiences, throughout my life, 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 remarkable.
In the article Skin Deep written by Nina Jablonski and George Chaplin, they discuss and look deeper into the diverse differences in skin color. Our skin color has developed over the years to be dark enough to prevent the damaging sunlight that has been harming our skin and the nutrient folate that it carries. At the same time out skin is light enough to receive vitamin D.
Jeannette’s timid nature is a shared characteristic that we both share. This was evident through her reluctance to take off her dress while she was at the community pool with her classmate, Dinitia and other women. She was self-conscious about her body and the scar that was on her ribs as a result from an accident she had at three years old cooking hot dogs. After a few moments of encouraging herself, she was able to take off her dress and put on a bathing suit. Like Jeannette, I have struggled with shyness when it comes to body image. I started puberty at eight years old, and the children I went to school with, were relentless in teasing me about having to wear a bra. This caused my self-esteem to plummet and lead me to bind my chest with tape
Throughout the story, “Fish Cheeks,” by Amy Tan, the author speaks of her “worst” Christmas dinner when her family invited Amy’s crush and his family for christmas dinner. Overall, the story was actually telling of her best Christmas dinner ever where her parents taught her to respect her culture and not be afraid to be who she was. The author and narrator, Amy Tan, used tone to convey this message to the audience in a few different ways in the story.
In the short story “A brief moment of the life of Angus Bethune” by Chris Crutcher the theme is insecurities can help find self-confidence. When this story began, Angus was very insecure about what people thought of him because of how he looked and what his name was. He would complain about his name to his stepmother that it was a cow's name and why he was named it. Apparently he was named after his father's uncle.When junior high began Angus was worried about what people would think of him that it led him to make a no kissing contract for four of his parents. His parents were confused on why he wanted them to have a contract and he replied by saying “I want to see boys kissing girls” (5). This shows that Angus just wants people not to judge his parents for who they're with and who they are. Angus would make fun of himself because he was “short-changed in the Tom Cruise department” (2). This shows that Angus shames himself because of how he looks, but the truth is he just wants to be socially accepted for who he is.
Maxine Kumin?s, Woodchucks provides an interesting and creative perspective into the mind state of those influenced by nazi warfare. What begins as a seemingly humorous cat and mouse hunt, reminiscent of such movie classics as Caddyshack, soon develops into an insatiable lust for blood. Kumin?s descriptive language provides the reader with the insight necessary to understand to the speaker?s psychology as they are driven beyond the boundaries of pacifism.
In the novel, Beauty by Robin Mc Kinley, the family of a wealthy merchant looses their wealth when the shipment boats get lost at sea. There are three daughters named Hope, Grace, and Honour, whom is nicknamed Beauty, and a father. The family is forced to move to the country and start a life more modest than accustomed. After the family adapts to country life, one of the older sisters gets married to an iron worker who used to work at the shipyard owned by the father. They have babies. Life goes on in the country.
Traditions, heritage and culture are three of the most important aspects of Chinese culture. Passed down from mother to daughter, these traditions are expected to carry on for years to come. In Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, daughters Waverly, Lena, Rose and June thoughts about their culture are congested by Americanization while on their quests towards self-actualization. Each daughter struggles to find balance between Chinese heritage and American values through marriage and professional careers.
In Fish written by Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen we find a woman who moved to Seattle from Southern California with her husband her two children. This woman Mary Jane Ramirez had everything going for her she was a happy person who had a happy life her family their relationship couldn't get any better. They both had good jobs, jobs that they enjoyed. Then one day, twelve months after they had moved to Seattle Dan her husband was rushed to the hospital with a burst aneurysm he then died. After that incident everything changed for Mary Jane especially when she took an offer to work on the third floor for First Guarantee Financial.
I did not have the perfect body. I suddenly became aware of my appearance and made sure I wore makeup every day, especially on days I had Art I with Eric. Before every class I would brush my hair and put on lip gloss in order to try and fit in. To grab Eric’s attention I thought I had to wear clothes that made me appear slimmer and live up to society’s expectations of beauty. Pipher defines this as “lookism, which is the evaluation of a person solely on the basis of appearance” (346). Every time I talked to Eric I assumed he was judging me by the way I looked and not by my personality or values. I constantly felt like I was not good enough and that my body type was not the kind that guys found attractive. Pipher states that girls “sense the pressure to be someone they are not” (346). Every day I walked around acting in a play where I could not be myself. The more I put forth an act the more I felt that I did not fit in. Adolescent girls find themselves “vulnerable to the hurricane” (346) of judgement and predetermined expectations of women. After a while, Eric finally gave me the attention I longed for and we started to date. I had never been in a relationship before and I never knew how much tension it would cause between me and my
"Two Kinds" is truly an amazing work; it captivates readers with by telling a story of a young girl trying to find herself. Amy Tan does a phenomenal job, not only by portraying a very real mother-daughter relationship, but at showing how much a young girl can change. Jing-Mei evolves throughout the story in a way that many people can relate to; crushed hopes, obeying your parents even if it means doing something you don't want to do, and finally standing up for what you believe in.
As humans, we are all prone to the inevitable feeling of humiliation. However, being embarrassed about one’s own heritage is a feeling that no one should have to experience. In today’s day and age, learning to love who you are as an individual is a huge accomplishment.
In the short story, "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan, a Chinese mother and daughter are at odds with each other. The mother pushes her daughter to become a prodigy, while the daughter (like most children with immigrant parents) seeks to find herself in a world that demands her Americanization. This is the theme of the story, conflicting values. In a society that values individuality, the daughter sought to be an individual, while her mother demanded she do what was suggested. This is a conflict within itself. The daughter must deal with an internal and external conflict. Internally, she struggles to find herself. Externally, she struggles with the burden of failing to meet her mother’s expectations. Being a first-generation Asian American, I have faced the same issues that the daughter has been through in the story.
Melissa Chartres is a main character on the show and is a former real estate agent from Akron, Ohio and graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She was married to a person named Greg, who had cheated on her with a police officer.
Have you ever felt that good love is also bad love? Should popularity choose your decisions? Have you ever felt invisible? Like no one cares? Well in the book Butter by Erin Jade Lange "Butter" is a lonely obese teenager whom ways 423 pounds. Butter is nicknamed after an incident he suffered in which he was bullied and was forced to eat a dirty stick of butter. Butter is so lonely and sick of his life that one night he on the Internet invites everyone to watch him eat himself to death live on New Year's Eve. Once he posts this announcement online on his website ButtersLastMeal.com right then, the next day he is expecting pity and insults; however he instead receives cheering and attention from his classmates. As the inspiration and motivation starts growing as he is the center of attention and he feels more like a part of the school and enjoys it; yet as he experiences this he feels loved like has never felt before. He in fact makes new friends that are fake. Lots of people might say what about his parents love. Well his dad has given up since he was never the person his dad wanted him to be. As for his mom she does show him love, but not the love he wants. She is always trying to encourage him to eat healthy which he doesn't want. He has always felt that everything and everyone lets him down; however food has
Everyone dreams of being “perfect”, but what they don’t know is that they are perfect. One just has to see within themselves. Everyone is uniquely and secretly beautiful, but that gets taken away because it is not what society wants. What society wants is for women’s self-esteem to be broken so that they can be morphed into a product of someone else's idea of perfect. In “Barbie Doll” Piercy argues that the pressures put on women by society affect their self-esteem. No one needs to change who they are for anyone. If anyone wants to change, they should change for themselves! Being you is all that really matters. The key to beauty is confidence. Something that everyone should keep in mind is that, don’t let someone change who you are, to become what they need; otherwise you don’t need them in your