aeyu0813
contestada

Read this excerpt from Amy Tan's short story "Fish Cheeks":
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. . . .

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. . . .

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 later — long after I had gotten over my crush on Robert — that 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.

How does this excerpt illustrate the theme of cultural conflict that persists throughout the story? Be sure to use specific details from the text to support your answer.

Respuesta :

pmayl
Amy Tan describes several conflicts that she experiences during this dinner. She desires Robert and his caucasian features, and wishes she could be white and have a slim American nose like his. She is unsatisfied, in that moment, with everything that makes her Chinese, including her own features and especially the traditionally Chinese food that her mom is cooking. In the American context, this food seems foreign and strange.

Her mom, a wise woman who knows her well, recognizes this. She softens her reproach with a western gift, the miniskirt, but tells her that she should not feel shame in her heritage, and that she should be proud and confident as a Chinese person. The interesting idea at the end of the passage is that, although she felt embarrassed in the moment by the food her mom was preparing, they all happened to be her favorite foods. This captures the cultural conflict that the narrator internally feels; she is Chinese, and loves many aspects of her culture, but feels ashamed of them when she experiences in the American context. 

Amy Tan depicts a few contentions that she encounters during this supper. She wants Robert and his caucasian highlights, and wants to be white and have a thin American nose like his.

What happened with Amy Tan on Christmas eve in the story?

She is unsatisfied, at that time, with all that makes her Chinese, including her own highlights and particularly the generally Chinese food that her mother is cooking. In the American setting, this food appears to be unfamiliar and unusual.

Her mother, an insightful lady who knows her well, perceives this. She relax her censure with a western gift, the miniskirt, however tells her that she shouldn't feel disgrace in her legacy, and that she ought to be glad and sure as a Chinese individual.

The fascinating thought toward the finish of the entry is that, despite the fact that she felt humiliated at the time by the food her mother was planning, they generally turned out to be her 1 food varieties.

This catches the social clash that the storyteller inside feels she is Chinese, and loves numerous parts of her way of life, however feels embarrassed.

For more information about Christmas eve, refer the following link:

https://brainly.com/question/19313850

#SPJ3

Otras preguntas

Q&A Education