Power of Process Assignment Title: Close Reading Practice: Amy Tan's "Fish Cheeks"

Pontea Doroudian

My Annotations

Identify characterization: Robert : Highlight 3 places where Tan characterizes Robert. Find 1 place where he is characterized through a
description of his appearance, 1 place where he reacts to something that happens, and 1 place where
he is characterized by what he says (dialogue). In the annotations, identify which type of
characterization you've highlighted.

He was not Chinese, but as white as Mary in the manger

This characterization is a description of his appearance. She described him as very white - very
different from her.

. Robert grimaced.

This characterization is where you can find Robert reacting to something that happened. This
shows that Robert is unaccustomed to traditional Chinese meals and is somewhat disgusted by it.

Robert grunted hello,

This is a type of characterization where Robert is characterized by what he says. His laconic actions
and the "grunting" make him seem very uninterested and unappreciative to be there.

Identify characterization: Young Highlight 3 places where Tan characterizes the young, fourteen-year old Amy (this is not the same
Amy : person who is writing today--but she tells the majority of the memoir in the perspective of her
younger self). Choose places where Tan uses characterization in different ways (appearance,
reactions, or internal monologue/internal thoughts), and in the annotation, describe the type used.

a slim new American nose

This is where Tan uses characterization by appearance. Here, we can tell she doesn't have this
feature and is not American.

I pretended he was not worthy of existence

This is a type of characterization from a reaction. Amy tries to act all "cool" and "conceited" to
impress Robert after he simply said hello. You can tell she is insecure since she is trying to act like
someone she is not.

I wanted to disappear.

After her father mentioned her favorite meal, Amy was very embarrassed. This is a type of
characterization based on internal dialogue. She isn't proud to be Chinese and is ashamed of not
being "white."

Page 1
Identify Effective Sentences : Highlight 3 sentences that you think are highly effective and well-written--they do a great job of
helping recreate Tan's memory of the dinner. Don't choose sentences all in one place, choose from
throughout the story. In the annotation, describe why you think the sentence is effective.

She was pulling black veins out of the backs of fleshy prawns

This sentence was well-written in my opinion because of her vivid use of description -"pulling black
veins" and "fleshy prawns."

My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table, dipping them into the
dozen or so plates of food

Amy Tan does a very good job recreating her memory for the reader. She talk about their manners
in a way of disgust by making her self seem like an outsider watching them when she is actually
one of them.

My relatives murmured with pleasure when my mother brought out the whole steamed fish

Here, she remembers that her relatives were excited when her mother brought the meal out. This is
effective because this is to show that ones her family members were excited while Robert's family
seem quite indifferent (since she didn't mention how they felt other than Robert grimacing).

Analyze Dialogue : Highlight 2 places where Tan uses dialogue. In the annotation, describe why you think dialogue was
used here instead of just telling what someone said.

"Amy, your favorite,

The reason Amy Tan put this in quotes is because it was the only way to embarrass her even more.
If it was a gesture or not a dialogue, her response of feeling embarrassed would not be justified.

"But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to
have shame."

Adding quotes makes the dialogue pop out more and feel more important. Since this is the main
idea and premise of the short story, it had to be said Mouloud through quotes.

My Responses

Look up author : In keeping with our habit of knowing something about the writers we read, look up Amy Tan and
write a sentence or two about her.

Amy Tan is a Chinese American writer who is known for her works about the Chinese-American
experiences and mother-daughter relationships.

Analyze your process : Below is a display of the Power of Process circle and a list that details the order in which you
completed the process. Why did you decide to visit the reading strategies in this order? How did
your strategy decisions help you understand and think about the text? Which strategies helped you
most? What strategies will you use the next time you read a text?

I went in this way since the "before reading" option was to the right which made me believe that
completing each assignment clock-wise was the way to go. I didn't actually have a strategy other than
going with what my gut thought was the logical order of doing it. It did help me in that order because it
went from asking very specific contextual questions to more broader and contextual questions. I went to
the identification of characterization questions twice to add more details and descriptions to my
annotations. The strategy of reading along as I went through the questions was more efficient than
reading the entire passage before. I will use this same strategy next time.

Title : How does the title, "Fish Cheeks," symbolize the main idea (the lesson/the "so what?") of the
memoir?

The title "Fish Cheeks" symbolizes the main idea since this was Amy's favorite part of the meal.
Although it was her favorite food, she pretended like it wasnt because of her American crush. She
described favorite meal with disgusting descriptions. As result, this is why her mother brought up the
main idea -that she shouldn't be ashamed go her culture and who she is.

Page 2
Fish Cheeks
Amy Tan

I fell in love with the minister's son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese, but as white as Mary in
the manger. For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, Robert, and a slim new American nose.

When I found out that my parents had invited the minister's family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried.
What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese
relatives who lacked proper American manners? What terrible disappointment would he feel upon seeing not
a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese food?

On Christmas Eve I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu. She was pulling
black veins out of the backs of fleshy prawns. The kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food: A
slimy rock cod with bulging eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a pan of hot oil. Tofu, which looked like
stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges. A bowl soaking dried fungus back to life. A plate of squid, their
backs crisscrossed with knife markings so they resembled bicycle tires.

And then they arrived the minister's family and all my relatives in a clamor of doorbells and rumpled
Christmas packages. Robert grunted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence.

Dinner threw me deeper into despair. My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across
the table, dipping them into the dozen or so plates of food. Robert and his family waited patiently for platters
to be passed to them. My relatives murmured with pleasure when my mother brought out the whole steamed
fish. Robert grimaced. Then my father poked his chopsticks just below the fish eye and plucked out the soft
meat. "Amy, your favorite," he said, offering me the tender fish cheek. I wanted to disappear.

At the end of the meal my father leaned back and belched loudly, thanking my mother for her fine cooking.
"It's a polite Chinese custom to show you are satisfied," explained my father to our astonished guests.
Robert was looking down at his plate with a reddened face. The minister managed to muster up a quiet
burp. I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.

After everyone had gone, my mother said to me, "You want to be the same as American girls on the
outside." She handed me an early gift. It was a miniskirt in beige tweed. "But inside you must always be
Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame."

And even though I didn't agree with her then, I knew that she understood how much I had suffered during
the evening's dinner. It wasn't until many years laterlong after I had gotten over my crush on Robertthat I
was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the true purpose behind our particular menu.

For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen all my favorite foods.
2016 McGraw-Hill Education. All Rights Reserved.

Page 3