“Fish
Cheeks” by Amy Tan. Amy Tan is a gifted storyteller who showed the tensions
between with keeping up appearance and having true intentions. (pg. 110) She portrays
her feelings and experience dealing with her Chinese culture and American
culture. She shares her firsthand experience with having her first love,
Robert, and his minister father attending her home for Christmas Eve dinner.
Embarrassed by her own Chinese Christmas, she describes Robert’s reaction from
the foods that her mother prepared and the lack of American proper manners her
family had. I believe the purpose of this article was to remind others to not
be embarrassed of your traditions. Amy Tan didn’t understand it back then but
grew to appreciate and understand it later.
“Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie. Sherman Alexie describes what he went through as an American Indian living on an reservation. He portrays the expectations that Indian children were expected to be stupid. Even though most lived up to those expectations, Alexie refused to fail. He was arrogant and wanted to learn. He believed that learning to read which he taught himself, saved his life. He continued to read and became a writer. I believe the purpose of this article was even though the expectations were to fail; dare to be different.