Fish Cheeks

Recall: TONE is the writer's feeling toward a subject.

How does the narrator's description of the cod in paragraph 3 impact the TONE of the passage?

• She describes it as “slimy” and pathetic, which contributes to the angry tone of the passage.

• She describes it as pleading not to be cooked, which contributes to the mocking tone of the passage.

• She describes it as "slimy" with "bulging eyes," which contributes to the horrified tone of the passage.

• She describes it as pleading with big “bulging eyes,” which contributes to the pitying tone of the passage.

How does the narrator’s point of view affect how the events are described in the passage?

• She is nervous to have the boy she likes over for Christmas dinner, and so the text focuses entirely on the boy’s reactions.

• She is bored with her family’s old Chinese traditions and wants to try new modern customs, and this affects how she focuses on being more “American.”

• She is excited to have the minister’s son over for Christmas, and this excitement causes her to criticize every little detail of her mother’s cooking.

• She is embarrassed by her family's Chinese customs, and this shame influences how she describes the food and her family's behavior.

What does the word "despair” mean as used in paragraph 5?

• shock

• misery

• frustration

• disgust

Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to the last question regarding the meaning of the word "despair"?

• “Robert grunted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence.” (Paragraph 4)

• “My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table.” (Paragraph 5)

• “I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.” (Paragraph 6)

• "How much I had suffered during the evening's dinner." (Paragraph 8)

Who had Amy's family invited to Christmas dinner, and why is it important to Amy?

• her math teacher in whose class she is struggling and uncomfortable

• her piano teacher who is very harsh and strict

• her family's pastor with his family and son whom Amy fell in love with at age fourteen

• her next door neighbors whom she disliked very much

“You want to be the same as American girls on the outside," said Amy's mother as she handed her an early gift of a mini-skirt like the other girls wore. But what advice did she give Amy?

• "You must forget Chinese customs and blend in."

• "Being Chinese is the only thing that really matters."

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

What was significant about the meal Amy's mother had prepared for Christmas dinner?

• They were traditional foods for a Christmas celebration.

• They were all Amy's favorite foods.

• They were requested by Amy's father.

• They were inexpensive and could feed a large crowd.

What is the real conflict in the story "Fish Cheeks"?

• Internal - Amy's mother thinks her guests don't like her cooking.

• External - Amy is angry with Robert.

• Internal - Amy is embarrassed by her family's customs and behaviors during dinner.

• External - Amy dislikes Robert because he bullies her at school.

What literary device does Amy Tan use in the following description?

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.

• metaphor

• simile

• personification

• imagery

What is the resolution to Amy's conflict in this story?

• She eventually marries Robert.

• Her family moves away, and she is able to put the embarrassing evening behind her.

• When Amy is much older, she fully understands her mother's motives in the meal choice that Christmas and her mother's actions.

• She forgives her father for belching rudely after dinner and her family for licking their chopsticks before reaching across the table for more food.