The goal of these assignments is to address the Critical Thinking and Reading student learning outcomes for this course (see syllabus).  You will be analyzing a text’s content and rhetorical strategy.  As you will see in the rubric (found in the Course Resources section), the primary goal here is to debate the issues using a formal, academic approach that utilizes examples from the text, as well as your own knowledge and experience.  Your peer responses should drive the conversation, asking questions of the original author or presenting points that will further his or her thinking on the subject, rather than simply agreeing or disagreeing.

Please remember that the rubric is a qualitative evaluation of the discussion forum. 

1. What does Amy Tan’s mother mean when she says that your only shame is to have shame?
2. Tan is very nervous about the encounter between her family and Robert’s. What do you really think she’s afraid of?
3. Describe the Tan family’s meal from Robert’s point of view. What does he see? How do the scene and the food look to him?

Fish Cheeks, by Amy Tan
I fell in love with the minister’s son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese, but as white as Mary in the

manger. For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, Robert, and a slim new American nose.

When I found out that my parents had invited the minister’s family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried. What would

Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked

proper American manners? What terrible disappoint-ment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet

potatoes but Chinese food?

On Christmas Eve I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu. She was pulling black veins

out of the backs of fleshy prawns. The kitchen was littered with appalling mounds of raw food: A slimy rock cod with

bulging eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a pan of hot oil. Tofu, which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery

white sponges. A bowl soaking dried fungus back to life. A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife

markings so they resembled bicycle tires.

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.

After everyone had gone, my mother said to me, “You want to be the same as American girls on the outside.” She

handed me an early gift. It was a miniskirt in beige tweed. “But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be

proud you are different. Your only shame is to have shame.”

And even though I didn’t agree with her then, I knew that she understood how much I had suffered during the

evening’s dinner. It wasn’t until many year later – long after I had gotten over my crush on Robert – that I was able to

fully appreciate her lesson and the true purpose behind our particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had

chosen all my favorite foods.

Discussionof Readings Rubric

This is a qualitative evaluation of the discussion forum. Students will be expected to complete an original post and
two responses. If a student has only one post, the maximum score for this assignment will be 15 points. If a
student has only two posts, then the maximum score will be 30 points.

Excellent (45) Good (40) Needs Improvement (20) Does Not

Participate (0)

Original Post Demonstrates a
strong
engagement
with the issues
of the text by
referencing
specific aspects
of the original
and/or outside
sources.

Demonstrates an
understanding of the text
and clearly explains
points.

Answers questions with
something generic or
basic, and doesn’t
demonstrate
understanding of issues.

Does not
participate in
forum.

Peer Reviews Postings are
original and
relevant.
Comments and
questions offer
critical analysis
supported by
clear references
to the original
post and/or
other resources
and sparks
engaging
discussion.

Agrees or disagrees with
existing discussion and
provides critical analysis
and/or
justification/explanation
(e.g., text readings,
resources) but does not
foster discussion.

Agrees or disagrees with
existing discussion but
provides little critical
analysis and/or limited
justification/explanation
(e.g., text readings,
resources). Such postings
usually consist largely of
personal opinions or
experiences that might
not add new information.

Does not add to
the discussion.

Grammar
and Style

Highly skilled
presentation of
ideas that
engages reading.
Perhaps one or
two minor
spelling,
grammar, or
punctuation
errors, if any.

Explicitly presents ideas.
Work appropriate for this
level of student. A few
minor spelling, grammar,
and/or punctuation errors.

Explicitly presents ideas.
Work appropriate for this
level of student. A few
minor spelling, grammar,
and/or punctuation errors.

Does not write
posts.