Everyone should be proud of their origins and should not be embarrassed by their nationality. Today, many people do not accept their origin because they think they do not fit in. These people need to understand that self-confidence only comes once you understand your own identity. Amy Tan's essay "Fish Cheeks" explains the difficulty of deciphering where the determinant lies between fitting in and forgetting who we are using literary elements like diction, imagery, and simile. Amy Tan's choice of words or diction reveals the discomfort she feels during dinner night. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Tan writes: “A slimy cod with bulging fish eyes that begged not to be thrown into a pan of hot oil” (Tan P3) . His use of the word “bulging” gives us an idea of ​​the fish’s eyes. Instead of giving a detailed description of the eyes, she uses a singular word that allows you to visualize that the fish's eyes were sticking out. Tan also writes: “What would he think of our noisy Chinese parents who lacked good American manners” (Tan P2). Tan describes American manners as “proper,” but describes his relatives and their Chinese customs as “loud.” Her use of diction allows readers to understand how she felt at that dinner. Sachwani 2 Tan also uses imagery to provide the reader with a more accurate depiction of the landscape of that night. But Tan wasn't describing how she saw the food, but how she feared Robert would do it. “A plate of squid whose back was crisscrossed with knife marks that looked like bicycle tires” (Tan P3). The use of imagery depicting the "bicycle tires" marked on the squid's back allows the reader to visualize what the squid looked like on the dinner table. Tan's use of imagery illustrates his conveyance of anxiety, then relief and acceptance to his audience throughout the text. Finally, Tan uses simile to compare two different things using the words "like" or "like." When she first describes the minister's son, she lets us know that they are not from the same background. Tan writes: “He was not Chinese, but as white as Mary in the manger” (Tan P1). Tan's description of Robert compares him to the Virgin Mary. She also makes the connection between Mary's purity for the boy. Tan uses this rhetorical strategy to persuade his audience by drawing them in and making them make connections that they can easily relate to. Amy draws her readers in by reminding them of their crushes and how they would view them at that moment. Most people tend to view their crushes as perfect, without flaws, which in this case is pure. Amy Tan's use of simile allows her to compare two completely different things very closely. Despite all the difficulties people go through, we all need to understand that we cannot forget our origins and where we come from. At first, Amy feels shame about the differences between her family and Robert's. However, after her mother's lesson, she discovered that rather than letting other people's reactions lead her to shame, she should be proud of her different heritage and culture...