Fish Cheeks Commonlit Answer Key Pdf (2024)

FAQs

What is the central idea of the Fish Cheeks? ›

The main idea of Fish Cheeks is to be proud of one's identity. Throughout the entire story, Amy tries to deny her Chinese heritage but learns over time that she does not need to discard her background for the sake of others.

In "Fish Cheeks", an autobiographical narrative by Amy Tan, fourteen-year-old Amy is thrown into a humiliating dinner with her Chinese family and the American boy on whom she has a crush. Years later, Amy reflects back on this embarrassing meal and realizes something about her parents and her heritage.

"Fish Cheeks" is a 1987 one-page narrative essay by Chinese-American author Amy Tan and her first published essay. The work was first published in Seventeen and covers a Christmas Eve dinner when Tan was 14 years old.

How does the narrator's point of view affect how the events are described in the passage? She is embarrassed by her family's Chinese customs, and this shame influences how she describes the food and her family's behavior.

The climax of Fish Cheeks, is when the families are having a meal and belching. For Amy, the situation is described as her most embarrassing moment. The reason is that the customs of her family and Robert's family clashed.

"Fish Cheeks is named for the lean, tender cheek meat that is considered the tastiest part of a fish and a delicacy in Asia."

Novelist Amy Tan narrates and records a past experience of clashing cultures in her narrative essay "Fish Cheeks" to illustrate how we should not be ashamed of our cultural background but rather accept and embrace it.

The autobiographical narrative, "Fish Cheeks," by Amy Tan, is about a fourteen-year-old girl named Amy who lives in America. The problem Amy experiences is that she is ashamed of her family.

Tan cried when she found out that the boy she is in love with is coming to dinner because she doesn't want him to think that the way her family celebrates Christmas is disappointing. 2. Why does Tan's mother go out of her way to prepare a disturbingly traditional Chinese dinner for her daughter and guests?

In "Fish Cheeks" a scant 500 words short story, Amy Tan serves up a coming of age story about an Asian American teenage girl.

What is the tone of the Fish Cheeks? ›

The tone of the story is reflective as well as somewhat light hearted. She is reflects on this experience and about how her thoughts and feelings as a younger person about her Chinese identity have evolved as she has grown older.

What did Tan's mother mean when she said to Amy, “Your only shame is to have shame”? Her mother is attempting to point out that Amy should not be embarrassed about her culture. Amy's actions at dinner were embarrassing to her mother.

What is the narrator's main conflict in the story fish cheeks? She is afraid that Robert won't like her when he sees how her family celebrates Christmas. Why is the narrator worried about her mother's Christmas Eve dinner menu? She thinks the food will seem strange to the guests.

Which excerpt from "Fish Cheeks" most appeals to a reader's sense of sight? My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table, dipping them into the dozen or so plates of food.

What does the word "despair" mean as used in paragraph 5? It is means like misery. 2. What occurred during Christmas Eve dinner that caused Amy's despair? Her family observed Chinese customs.

The major conflict of this story is Amy trying to impress Robert, but cannot do so because she finds her family and Chinese culture embarrassing compared to the American one.

“The Fish” Themes

The poem illustrates how that empathy can be humbling, reminding people that, even if they might be used to seeing themselves as distinct from animals, they're really in the same boat: animals and humans alike take part in all the mess, struggle, and beauty of life.

Amy Tan's "Fish Cheeks" serves to highlight the struggles of cultural identity and acceptance. The main claim is that embracing one's heritage is crucial for self-acceptance. Tan uses personal anecdotes and vivid descriptions as evidence to illustrate her embarrassment and eventual understanding of her cultural roots.

It describes the back-and-forth dynamic of fishermen, who are the original environmentalists, and scientists, who not that long ago considered fish an endless resource. It explains why fish farming is not the answer—and why sustainable fishing is, and how to help return the oceans to their natural ecological balance.