Everyone should be proud of their origins and should not be embarrassed of their nationality. Many people today don't accept their background because they believe they don't fit in. These people need to realize that self-confidence is only present after understanding their 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 such as diction, imagery, and similes. Amy Tan's choice of words or diction highlights the discomfort she felt during the evening of the dinner. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Tan writes: “A slimy rock cod with bulging fish eyes begging not to be thrown into a pan of boiling oil” (Tan P3) . His use of the word “protruding” gives us insight into fish eyes. Instead of giving a detailed description of the eyes, he uses a singular word that allows us to visualize that the fish's eyes were protruding. Tan also writes, “What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked American manners” (Tan P2). Tan labels American customs as “correct,” but describes his Chinese relatives and their customs as “noisy.” His use of diction allows readers to understand how he felt during this dinner. Sachwani 2 Tan also uses the aid of imagery to provide the reader with a more accurate representation of the scenario of that night. But Tan wasn't describing how he viewed the food, but how he feared Robert would. “A plate of calamari, cross-backed with knife marks to resemble bicycle tires” (Tan P3). The use of imagery describing the "bicycle tires" imprinted on the back of the squid allows the reader to visualize how the squid looked on the dinner table. Tan's use of imagery exemplifies his conveying 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 “as”. When he first described the minister's son, he made us understand that they don't come from the same background. Tan writes: “He was not Chinese, but white like Mary in the manger” (Tan P1). Tan's description of Robert compares him to the Virgin Mary. He also makes a connection between how pure Maria is to the boy. Tan uses this rhetorical strategy to persuade his audience by drawing them in and making connections that they can easily identify with. Amy draws her readers in by reminding them of their crushes and how they would see them in that moment. Most people tend to consider their crushes perfect, without flaws, which in this case they are pure. Amy Tan's use of simile allows her to compare two completely different things very closely. Despite all the difficulties that people go through, we must all understand that you cannot forget your origin and where you come from. At first, Amy is ashamed of the differences between her family and Robert's. However, after her mother's lesson, she discovered that instead of allowing the responses of others to lead her to shame, she should be proud of her diverse heritage and culture..