Summaries and Analysis Choice

In “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, she tells the story of one Christmas experience she’d never forget. In summary, she had a crush on a boy who was invited to her Chinese family meal, along with his family. Embarrassed at the eating preference by her, as specified, father, who made the comment about her liking for fish cheeks, this was her worst fear. After dinner, her mother gave her a skirt, and said that she maybe be American on the outside, but will remain Chinese on the inside and shouldn’t be ashamed of it. The purpose of this is to teach the lesson that you should never be ashamed of who you are, no matter what you do or believe in, and should especially shouldn’t change for anybody. I think it might also teach that we can often be blinded by other people and situations and fail to realize that no matter what, we will always be who we are on the inside.

In “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, he explains his struggle in being an Indian boy on a poor reservation but how tenacious he was about reading. Admiring his father and viewing him as a role model in the process, Alexie learned to read by creating his own story lines in the Superman comics and by studying the physical structure in writing pieces, such as paragraphs. Despite the ridicule he experienced and the lack of confidence he was given by people who thought Indians couldn’t get be anything more than ‘dumb’, that never stopped Alexie from going to public schooling and furthering his education in reading and writing. The purpose of this is to teach the lesson that you can do anything you put your mind to, despite what people may think or believe about you. Another lesson that is important is that there are people that will think a certain way about you, but it’s vital to distinguish their thoughts from the actual reality of who you are.

I’m going to choose “Superman and Me” for my analysis essay. I think the message might be more relevant to society today, and even me personally. Though “Fish Cheeks” also teaches a crucial lesson, and one I thought would have a bigger impact on me, I feel like the lesson taught in “Superman and Me” serves a more long-term, life-changing moral. I enjoy the persistence in striving for what Alexie wanted in life and am very inspired by it. 

I commented on Emma's and Starlena's blogs.

Place I'd Love To Visit

Water locked. Solitary. Surrounded by nothing but beaches and unique companions. This place offers everything but loneliness but causes you to want to be alone, to find yourself. The name itself is therapeutic, automatically putting you at peace with the image that immediately appears in your head, despite you never actually stepping foot on its ground.

So what are these beaches? An escape, of course. Its beauty provides nothing but a time for reflection, a time to think. As the sunset touches the water, misshaped clouds rolling over the sky, everything is in perfect harmony. The noticeably baby blue waters crash upon over-sized rocks or gently wash over the nude-colored sand. Preventing yourself from soaking up all the beauty in one dose, you decide to look up and around. But what do you see? If you were to look far behind you, the farthest South-East way your vision will allow, you’d see the ordinary civilization. City lights, monuments, industry. But you’re not here to witness that, for any ordinary place has such qualities. No, you’re here to see what you will find when looking to the North-East. Moistened by the tropical climate, the only thing there is plant life. But it’s more than that, right? Yes, for the plant life is the thing that draws me here. Blocked from the sun due to the ginormous trees that canopy over you, here it is night time all the time. Though dark and mysterious, there are still so much to see. As you look up in the tallest of trees, you see the native popular bird, colored in shades of rainbow from their relatively small head to their elongated tail and wings. A bit lower down, you see, at the end of the extended branches of the innate trees, is yet another native bird, Koel, ranging from black to spotted to brown, and yet managing to stay in perfect camouflage with the rainforest. Everything is quiet, with the slight whistle the wind in your ears and through your hair. Until you hear a noise. Is it the rustle of Golden Wattle? No, of course a buttery-flowered plant couldn’t make such ruckus. Maybe the movement of a Banksia? No, of course the slight wind doesn’t have the power to cause such disturbance through this odd form of plantation. It only leaves one other option…another unique companion. A marsupial, the largest of its kind, is the cause of this commotion. Exceeding 5 feet in height, how could you not notice it? As you take closer look, you don’t feel as bad, for its dark red fur is the reason for the lack of ability to clearly see it, for that’s the reason it’s that color. Their only form of mobility requires them to hop about on their hind legs, with their young pouched in them. These tree and floor bound creatures make it hard to focus on what’s around you, but it is very important you do. Not all of these beings are those to be reckoned with. Of course who wouldn’t want to be near the beautiful, vibrant-colored companions? Well, this is a perfect example of ‘beauty kills’. It’s the vivacious ones to watch out for. From our slithery friends that slide across the rainforest floor, to the little bouncing amphibians that we all adore, they are ranked some of the deadliest…containing liquid that could kill anything as big as you and me.

But aside from all of that, without looking North or South or East or West, just looking ahead is enough. As you’re still reflecting while looking off over the water, there is still not enough time to see everything in this beautiful place…and that’s the beauty of it. So unique, so peaceful. Full of colors and life, I can only imagine what it would be like to be there in the flesh and experience it myself.

I commented on Shelby's and Eve's blogs.