Login or Sign Up
Menu
Ask a New Question

Read this excerpt from "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan in which Tan recounts the

Christmas Eve dinner:
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.
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.

This excerpt illustrates the theme of cultural conflict in "Fish Cheeks" by showing the clash between Amy's Chinese culture and the American culture of Robert and his family. Amy feels embarrassed and ashamed of her Chinese relatives' behavior at the Christmas Eve dinner, as they eat with chopsticks, savor delicacies like the whole steamed fish, and belch loudly to show satisfaction. On the other hand, Robert and his family are portrayed as polite and reserved, waiting patiently for the food to be passed to them and reacting with disgust to the Chinese customs. This cultural clash is shown through the differences in table manners, reactions to the food served, and expressions of gratitude after the meal. Amy's internal struggle and feelings of embarrassment highlight the cultural conflict that persists throughout the story.

make it sound less ai coded

In this excerpt from "Fish Cheeks," the theme of cultural conflict is illustrated through the contrasting behaviors and reactions of Amy's Chinese relatives and Robert's American family at the Christmas Eve dinner. Amy's embarrassment is evident as her relatives eat with chopsticks, enjoy traditional Chinese dishes like whole steamed fish, and express satisfaction by belching loudly. In contrast, Robert and his family display more reserved and polite manners, reacting with disapproval to the Chinese customs. The clash between the two cultures is depicted through the differences in table etiquette, reactions to the food, and expressions of gratitude. Amy's feelings of shame and the awkward silence that ensues highlight the ongoing cultural conflict in the story.