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"Fish Cheeks" written by Amy Tan is about a Chinese teen girl who lives in America. She finds her self struggling to accept her Chinese culture. She has a crush on an American boy named Robert and becomes completely mortified when he and his family are invited for Christmas Eve dinner by her parents. She was embarrassed by the menu, her family's lack of "American" manners, etc. After the dinner, her mother gave her an early gift and told her that her desire to be an American was never going to happen. She also told her that she should be proud to be Chinese and stated "Your only shame is to have shame. It took her many years later to accept and appreciate the lesson which her mother taught and to realize that the menu her mother made that year were all of her favorite foods.

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Alexander Carbajal
Professor Northington
English 0090-RD04

Fish Cheeks written by Amy Tan is about a young girl wanting to impress her crush.
She struggles to impress her crush because she thinks the type of food her family eats is weird. When the topic of her favorite food comes up, she becomes flustered and quiet. She even thinks the eyeball, her favorite part of the fish she eats, is the epitome of strange. Her lax family burping at the table definitely was a negative highlight in her experience. But when she looks back on it, she realizes that she shouldn't be ashamed about who she is and what she likes because it's all about what makes her herself.

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In the story "Night Walker" written by Brent Staples, the story first explains how it is difficault to be a black man in the United States of America. Using different examples of how it makes him feel shocked, the feeling of embarrasement and feeling alienated. He spoke on how its uncomfortable just to walk across the street and also looking like a threat to other. The author then talks about how "black people" are stereotyped for the cause of most of the violence, fights, gangs, murders etc, then speaks on if those things did not happen we could have a perfect world! The story then explained that sterotypes are generalized attributes and descriptions about others and how in America you often have stereotypes about black people. He shared that "we always tend to put black people in the lowest class and adding that all black men are not the same. Closing the author finishes saying that we should modify our way of thinking and consider believing that the sterotypes against black people are not true.

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Justina Hill
EGL 00900-RD04

Night Walker was an article written by Brent Staples talking about how life is difficult being a black man. In the first paragraph, Brent talks about his experience saying how people cross to the outside of the street instead of walking by him. He is in shock, and embarrassed because the way people act towards him. "Racism is one big problem in the United States which affects a lot of black people". Brent starts getting into details as to why life is difficult being a black man. He shares how people do not believe racism is in their country. He also talks about how every black man are not the same. The last big problem Brent brought up was stereotypes. He talks about what stereotypes are and how people have many of them about black people. "Some people think that black people always have something to do with fight or anything including violence but this way of thinking is wrong". Brent goes into saying how most stereotypes are not true and take that into consideration and try not to believe them.

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In the short story " Don't Call Me A Hot Tamale, Judith Ortiz Cofer explains different aspects of her culture and how she has been stereotyped based upon them. She describes different encounters where she has been stereotyped because of the color of her skin or the clothes she is wearing. Cofer tells readers about growing up in New Jersey but in their home, they spoke Spanish, ate Puerto Rican foods, and other things of their culture usually done back on the island. She states that she feels she is living in two different completely worlds. Back on the island they wore revealing clothes and loud colors which was a way to keep cool and look sexy. To Americans, especially men, they were symbolized as "sexual" although it was just a part of their known culture. She describes different encounters with men who are inappropriate because of the color of her skin or what she was wearing. Although she still faces stereotypes until today, she doesn't let it stop her. She now travels the United States trying to replace the stereotypes with a more interesting set of realities. Cofer tells stories about her dreams and fears she examines in her work to get others to look past her physical appearance and more.

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Tashana West

Professor Northington

English 0090-RD04

2/6/22

Night Walker.

By Brent Staples,

The main idea for this short story was to explain what black men go through in America. Another main point of this short story is how America is racist towards black men and black people.

He talks about how it is hard to be a black man in America. He also talked about how their racism in the world led to black men. He also talks about how everyone thinks that black people are the reason for all the wrong in the world for example murders, street fights, gangs, etc . he also talks about how the world is very rude to black men and also black people. “ We tend to always put black people in the lowest class. Some people think that black people always have something to do with fight or anything including violence but this way of thinking is wrong.”. He also talks about what America does to people of color or someone who is not white.

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Makayla Cassidy
Professor Northington
English 0090-RD04
2/6/22

The short story "Don't Call Me a Hot Tamale" written by Judith Ortiz Cofer is basically about a Latina woman that had to deal with Hispanic stereotypes growing up in America.  Growing up in New Jersey, she was taught that women should wear bright colors and jewelry and always formal clothes to anything. Her Puerto Rican culture represents it. In her family, they all talked Spanish and ate Spanish food. But, going out of her home, she was surrounded by a mainstream culture that didn’t understand her culture. She also feels like she lives in two different worlds between her Hispanic family and other people who don’t fit her culture. They were stereotyping her, basically saying or thinking all Hispanic women dress slutty, which means they are sluts. They were also called "hopeless' and "vulgar" because people didn’t seem to want to try to understand their culture.  Cofer’s prom date sexually assaulted her by forcibly kissing, and when she didn’t respond with a kiss, he stereotyped her and said, " I thought you Latin girls were supposed to mature early,” which means that he thought of Latin girls as sex toys. Men were singing and calling her Maria from West Side Story when she was at college. She didn’t like men were doing that to her because it was embarrassing and inappropriate towards her. Secondly, they wouldn't have done this to a white female. She doesn’t want to fight the stereotypes given to the Latin people; she wants to replace them with a more set of realities for the Latin community. Cofer loves to write poetry to help readers try to get past her skin color and culture. She puts her fears and dreams into her work to express how she feels about things.

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Veiled Intentions: Don't Judge A Muslim By Her Veiling Summary

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Veiled Intentions: Don't Judge A Muslim By Her Veiling Summary

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Davine Jefferson
Professor Northington
Eniglish 0090_RD04
2/6/2022

The short story Veiled Intentions: Don't Judge A Muslim By Her Veiling by Masayn Haydar is about how people who weren't Muslim perceived those who were and judge them on how they looked. although, the reason of women veiling (covering up) themselves is to shield their bodies from the world and prevent harassment and being looked upon only because of how they look. in the story Masayn said "Covering removes that first level of being judged, of being assessed based on my measurements and it absolves me of the need or desire to be wanted solely for my looks". Most people don't see it that way, when they see Muslims walking around with full covering, they think terrorist, oppressed, fundamentalist ect. "No one should suffer for what they look like or what they wear" said by Masayn Haydar.

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Nathalia Neris

Professor Northington

English 0090-RD04

02/06/2022

Night Walker

The Short story “ Night Walker ” by Brent Staples is basically about a black man who lives in the United States and is embarrassed by how people fear him just because of his skin color . People when walking outside rather cross the street instead of walking next to him because he's a black man and they think they're all aggressive . Rasicsm is real they see a black man and see a murder , gang member or the starter of a street fight . He believes we should try to eliminate racism instead of rebelling against the one who is racist.  There's a lot of stereotypes against black people , like the fact they are always categorized as the lowest class . Also, that we always have something to fight for in a violent way which isn't true. He believes we should try not to believe in those stereotypes and change our ways of thinking .

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After reading the short story "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan, it is about a 14 year old girl named Amy who lives in America and struggles to accept her Chinese family.
Amy wishes they were more American so she could fit in. She had a crush on a blond-haired white boy named Robert, who she prayed for, for Christmas. She was scared after she found out that her family invited Robert's family to her Christmas Eve dinner. She even gets more terrified and cries because she thinks Robert won't like her because of her Chinese culture. She also thinks having an American nose will help fit her in. Amy couldn't believe her eyes when she walks into her kitchen and saw her mother preparing strange foods. Amy was very embarrassed during dinner because her relatives would reach over each other and grab plates of food, while Robert's family wait for their turn. Amy felt that Robert's family was very disappointed in the food. Amy's mother understood that Amy wanted to be more American, and later agreed to let Amy have a plastic surgery to fix her nose and make her more American-looking. Her mother also told her that she can be American on the outside, but she will always have to be Chinese at heart. As Amy grows older she starts to realize her mother's love for her. She also realized that changing who you are for others is not worth it. Throughout the story, Amy learns how to appreciate and accept her heritage.

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Professor Northington
English 0090-RD04
02/05/2022

Short stories such as Maysan Haydar's "Veiled Intentions: Don't Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering" are typically created with a purpose; a goal of evoking a positive and enlightening response from the reader with more insight into the given subject. Haydar speaks from personal experience from beginning to end in her story discussing external views of her religious beliefs/attire, as well as a retrospective view of herself and her relationships with those around her. Whether it be at school, the workplace, or on the street, Haydar speaks of her religion from a comparatively mature standpoint to her 12 year old self. Haydar covers the misconceptions of the hijab and the varying definitions of the principle of modesty within several named religions, such as: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The life of a developing teenage girl could be filled with confusing relationships and a lack of direction, but Haydar had the support of her parents to which she states "absolves me of the need or desire to be wanted solely for my looks." With her moral compass, she was able to interact with people differently, not to say it different was bad, it just allowed her to be seen as someone of character and respect. Haydar addresses the external notion of a lack of modernity in personal and religious activities and interests. There is nothing wrong with modernizing, as long as what is originally believed remains unchanged and what someone chooses to indulge does not go against said beliefs; however, hobbies or interests such as metal music, skateboarding, and karate are not bad things, but still remain a shocking thing to some people, according to Haydar.

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Dionnshae Baker(veiled intentions: Don't judge a muslim girl by her covering 

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Dionnshae Baker(veiled intentions: Don't judge a muslim girl by her covering 

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Dionnshae Baker
Professor Northington
English 0090-RD04
02/05/2022

veiled intentions: Don't judge a muslim girl               by her covering
by: Maysan Haydar

Basically by reading the short story " Don't judge a muslim girl by her covering" is about a girl who is trying to fit in with other people, groups of people. She doesn't like the way she dresses so therefore she tries is best to do so and fit in with the other groups of people, based off of what people is saying about what she is wearing and how she dresses. So, the she starts to wear what they wear in their tradition, culture and starts to fit and than starts to celebrate christmas. but than she starts to think about how her family is going to feele about her celebrating christmas in her tradition when her family doesnt celebrate christmas in her tradition or culture

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Fish Cheeks By Amy Tan

This story is about a fourteen years old Chinese-American girl named Amy who is embarrassed by her heritage.
It was Christmas and Amy prayed for this blond hair white boy named Robert a minister's son, whom she was in love with, and for a slim new American nose.
Amy's parents invited Robert and his family to their Christmas Eve dinner. But she was not happy she cried because she believed that he won't like her because her Chinese heritage makes her different. Amy wishes that she and her family were more American so she could fit in.
Amy spent most of the Christmas eve dinner in despair as she watched her family and relatives carry out their traditions and customs, to begin she criticized how rumpled the Christmas Packages were, she didn't like how her relatives were eating, licking the end of the chopsticks even though this was a norm for them,  plus her dad giving her what was normally her favorite part of the fish made her feel so ashamed she wanted to disappear. To top it off her dad made a loud belch which is a polite Chinese custom to show you are satisfied and thankful for the food you've just eaten, but Amy felt totally humiliated.
At the end of the dinner when everyone was gone Amy's mom gave her an early Christmas gift which was a beige tweed mini skirt. She then imparted some words of wisdom and advice to her. "Amy's mother told her that she can be an American on the outside, but she should always be Chinese at heart. " You must be proud to be different, your only shame is to have shame "  Amy didn't agree with her mom then but years later as she got older she understood that everyone is unique and different. So even though she may have wanted to look like an American she learned to appreciate her Chinese heritage.

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Karessa Sauls Professor Northington EGL 0090-RD04 2/3/2022                                                                                                             FISH CHEEKS                                                                                                                  AMY TAN   Reading the short story " Fish Cheeks " by Amy Tan was about a fourteen year old american chinese girl who didn't quite accept family's culture at a young age. She had been so fixated on impressing a young american caucasian boy and his family that she became embarrassed about her own culture and morals. In a way she had became so americanized that she was embarrassed to have dinner with others around her family. Wanting so badly to be accepted and liked by the boy that she forgot that her family had been tradiationally been that way her entirte life. From what they eat, to how the serve, to how they are. Her family had never changed. However with time, maturity, and growth she finally came to realize and accept not only her family's traditional lifestyle but also herself in a sense. Coming to the conclusion that even that night at her family's Christmas dinner her mother had taken the time to prepare a meal that was morally accepted by her guest that night and loved by her family without the thought of trying to impress another race outside of their own. With or without being accepted her mother told her to never forget no matter where you go or who you may come across you will always be chinese.

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"Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan is the story of an Asian American teenager and her reluctance to accept her native culture. In the story Amy recalls a Christmas dinner in which her family celebrated with a typical Asian cuisine. Unfortunately for Amy her parents had invited over the family of a teen boy she had feelings for at that time. Though embarrassed at the time in retrospect Amy appreciated how her parents stuck to their native traditions.

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"Fish Cheeks" By Amy Tan represents a story about not being proud of their own culture along with tradition. A young fourteen year old Chinese girl falls in love with Robert, a blonde haired American boy. One day, her parents have invited Robert's family to spend Chinese New Year with them and the young girl started to overthink about be ashamed of showing her culture and tradition to Robert's family. Young Amy's mother cooked many foods that are not familiarized by the Americans. In Chinese culture it is normal for them to dig in with their own chopsticks while the Americans waited for the food to be passed around. While eating, Amy's dad got fish cheeks and put it in her plate, knowing it is her favorite but Amy felt like she wanted to vanish due to what she probably thought was an embarrassment. After eating, Amy's dad burped loudly that made their guests feel uncomfortable but he then told them that it is "a polite Chinese custom to show that you are satisfied". After everyone left, her mom gave her a gift or a mini skirt in beige tweed; which is what American girls wear. Her mother reminded her that although she may want to be American on the outside, she will always be Chinese, that she should be proud of her culture and being different, and that the only shame one can have is having shame on their culture. She did not understand then but when the time came that her fondness for Robert disappeared, she was able to be more appreciative of the lesson that was given. She now knows all the dishes that her mom cooked that day was her favorites. One will always learn a lesson after a mistake.

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'' Don't call me a hot tamale '' by Judith Ortiz Cofer was about a young Puerto Rican girl who has difficulties with her culture they have a thing where usually young girls are supposed to mature at early age and also how they can't dress a certain way if the outfit is attractive to mens they are trained to think that they are automatically seen as '' sexual firebrand ''as it stated in the second paragraph '' I often felt humiliated at an American party wearing a dress more suitable for a semiformal .at Puerto Rican festive , neither the music nor the color we wore could be too loud''.As its also stated in the article '' when a Puerto Rican girl who is dressed in her idea of what is attractive meets a man from the mainstream culture who has been trained to react to certain types of clothing as a sexual signal ,a clash is likely to take place''.

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"Don't Call Me A Hot Tamale" by Judith Ortiz Cofer , was very interesting to read especially being a different ethnic. She talks about her family and traditions she had  grew up with, and that are so different from those of their classmates. Also how people in different situations with which she is carried away only by her appearance. She said that during her first formal dance after her partner kiss her and tell her that he thought that Latinas matured earlier, she realized the concept that others have on Latinas especially as teenage girls. She worked hard on becoming successful in life. Once she knew that people are prejudice she learned how to cope with it. She shares her experiences hoping that people will realise how it has affected her life and how people are stereotyped.

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Lionell Medina ( Don't Judge a Muslim Girl By Her Covering)

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Lionell Medina ( Don't Judge a Muslim Girl By Her Covering)

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Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering, ” is a feminist and observant Muslim who lives in New York City and works as a social worker. She wrote the essay in 2003, several years after the 9/11 terrorist attack. Throughout the essay, Haydar explains what veiling represents to her and how she has valued it throughout her life. She provides her own personal experiences using first person point of view and discusses the public’s different views towards veiling. Haydar’s main purpose is to change the way many people, such as Americans view the meaning of veiling. The essay is written for an audience of young adults and feminists, who have the wrong perception of Muslim women and why they choose to veil. In the other hand, Lila Abu- Lughod, the author of “The Muslim Woman,” is an American with both Jewish and Palestinian background, who has written about Arab women for thirty years and has published seven books. Haydar, throughout her article, points out that wearing a veil can be benefiting. A main claim that she makes is that by veiling, Muslim women like herself are able to stay away from harmful experiences and are able to find freedom and be respected by others. Another main claim that Haydar makes is that the veil can help provide many healthy relationships between men and women, since men are able to see women as a whole person. Haydar provides her claim by explaining how the veil helped her in high school become closer to guys, in a way that she felt unpressured.