Hannah Almaden
Melinda Schroeder
English 101
10/19/2016

Summary and Choice of Analysis

Fish Cheeks
In the short story "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan, the author expresses the main point of her piece by showing how hard it is to accept being different in an unfamiliar or perhaps, judgmental, environment. She explains her past struggle with living a traditional Chinese life in the American world, and also how she overcame it. At first, Amy was ashamed and embarrassed of her family's differences compared to non-Chinese people. As she wanted to so badly be a "normal" American girl, in the end, she learned to appreciate her lifestyle and to be proud of her heritage.
The purpose of this article was to tell her readers that it is okay to be different and to be proud of your heritage; even if your lifestyle isn't the same as others. Never let go of who you truly are on the inside. Instead of being shameful or embarrassed, embrace yourself; you will feel more confident if you do so. Don't let others sway your opinions or make you change.

Superman and Me
The main point of the short story "Superman and Me" by Sherman Alexie, is to not only give a different perspective on the lifestyle of American Indians, and his own life and experience with the rest of the world, but also a perspective for other struggling students and people. Alexie tells a story on how he overcame the judgement and destiny to "fail" in the "non-Indian" world by hard work and dedication, which he claimed to have saved his life.
The purpose of this piece is to reach out to students who may be struggling to find themselves; which today he targets young American Indians who live on the reservation, ensuring that they get the guidance that he said he never got when he was in their place. He tells that he refused to fail, and he had to teach himself how to read and write, which lead to where he is today. Sherman wants to share his knowledge and push people to do the same, especially young students. Failure is not an option, save your own life.

Choice of Analysis
For my essay choice, I will be writing about "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan. I like the purpose of her article and I agree that heritage is important; also it interests me. I don't really have a particular heritage that I can embrace or stick to, so I admire those who do. Especially in today's world, it is very hard to be yourself and to be different, because everyone wants to fit in or be like someone else; it is a common issue within today's society! Of course Sherman Alexie's short story has an important meaning and purpose as well, and if you think about it these two articles are very similar, but Amy Tan's stood out to me a little more. In one way I can relate to it, but in depth I cannot. Which makes it fascinating.

Work Cited:
Alexie, Sherman. "Superman and Me." The Bedford Reader 12 (2006): 582-85. Print.
Tan, Amy. "Fish Cheeks." The Bedford Reader 12 (2006): 110-11. Print.

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