User:Maddiwooten/sandbox

"Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan is a short story about a family throwing a Christmas dinner and inviting a minister and his family that aren't accustomed to their traditions. The Fish Cheeks article is missing a lot of information about the story. I, along with my group, plan on adding detailed information about the plot, setting, imagery, point of view, etc. to the article to liven it up to help future readers of the story understand more about it.

I also believe that this could be a good source for the article. It offers a lot of insight and it's very descriptive. Maddiwooten (talk) 15:37, 5 February 2019 (UTC) "From Raw to Cooked: Amy Tan's 'Fish Cheeks' through a Lévi-Straussian Lens" offers insight and what readers may not pick up on or think about when reading the short story for the first time. The article digs deeper into what this dinner means for Amy's reputation, insecurities, longing to fit in, but most importantly, her crush on Robert and what he thinks of her. What usually would have been a traditional holiday meal for Amy's family was quickly turned into a dinner full of shame and fear, for Amy at least. At the end of the story, Amy's mother becomes aware of what she is feeling and reassures her that her feelings are upsetting, but valid because she has been through the same thing. Once again, the article digs deeper and uncovers more of this and gives the readers a deeper look into the story's meaning and what it means to have pride in your heritage. All things considered, I believe that this will make a great contribution to an article about the story of 'Fish Cheeks.'

= Imagery = In this short story, Amy Tan uses descriptive word choice to create a vivid mental picture for the readers. Doing so has allowed readers to be able to picture how this Christmas dinner took place and how embarrassed Amy felt during the dinner. Since Amy’s family was Chinese, they didn’t have the typical holiday foods that come to mind when we think of a Christmas dinner. The main dish that had Amy the most embarrassed was the “slimy” cod with “bulging” eyes. When the fish was brought out, Amy’s dad poked the fish under its eye and announced that the fish cheeks were Amy’s favorite part. Amy recalls her embarrassment from this moment and states that she wished she could disappear.

Tan not only uses imagery during the dinner scene, but she also uses it when describing Robert. In the introduction, she introduces Robert as a boy that is, “as white as Mary in the manger.” The use of figurative language helps us see that there is a vast difference between Amy and Robert without reading the rest of the story. Amy also wishes for a “slim new American nose” in the introduction, which shows Amy’s own insecurities in how she sees herself and what she wishes she could be.

Amy also displays imagery when describing the different types of food that her mother is preparing for the dinner. She describes the color of the veins that her mother was pulling out of prawns, the spongy look to the tofu, and even a plate of squid with intricate cuts. With this use of imagery, readers are able to learn more about Chinese culture and what they enjoy to eat but also get to compare and contrast American to Chinese culture. Since Robert is American, we can see why Amy might feel anxious about what he and his family thinks about what they eat for the holidays.