Plot Points
what occasion makes Amy feel uncomfortable and embarresed?
Her family's traditional christmas eve dinner and the boyfriend being invited
Who does Amy have a crush on
why are fish cheeks a symbol in this story to Amy?
What is the theme between the neighborhood kids and the mom in My Mothers Garden.
The theme is unashamed. They are both on welfare and are bold and proud. They are not letting welfare interfere with there lives. Even though they go work on the garden outside they do not care if people are staring. They are just accepting the fact that they are on welfare.
What literary device is this, "He was not Chinese but as a white Mary in a manger"
Simile, because the narrator uses the word "as" to link two things together.
Why and what does Kaitlyn say when she realizes the meaning of her moms garden?
She said its a way of her mom holding on to her middle class life because that's the only thing she has left. She reflects on the moms garden as seeing it as an embarrassment first to becoming a important part of there life and identity.
In Fish Cheeks what did her dad do that embarrassed her
The dad ate her favorite food and even told everyone that it was her favorite food. The food is fish eyes
why is Amy's skirt a symbol in the story?
It represents that on the outside, she is trying to be American. But on the inside, she needs to stay Chinese and never change her original roots. The mom is able to explain to her that it is ok to be different and unique.
What is the overall theme in both stories?
Shame. They are both ashamed of something in the story. Whether its about being on welfare or about your culture. However, it doesnt matter because by the end they both feel more proud and better. Amy feels way better, and Kaitlyn learned to accept being on welfare.
What literary device is this “Tofu which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges”?
It is a simile because the sentence contains "like" which means it is a simile. She uses this sentence because she is describing how the food looks and why it would look weird to those
At the end of the meal, Amy's father burped loudly and embarresed Amy. Why did he burp
He burped because it is supposed to show that you are satisfied with the meal
How does Amy feel about her mom at the beginning of the story
she is mad that the mom invited her crushes family over. She also made a traditional food platter which embarrased her because that is her cultural food not american. She is uncomfortable because her crush is seeing the different foods she is eating
what does the food represent in the story?
The food represents the weird and strange menu that her traditional Chinese family composed that night. It is important because it symbolizes there culture and how they follow it. The culture shows that even with lots of new opportunities for different food, her family stays with their roots and doesn't change their menu for American food.
They do not share a theme because Kaitlyn is embarrased to be on welfare, and the neighborhoods kids are not because they are helping the mom in the garden and Kaitlyn is not.
Why is this paraphrase a style sentence. The narrator felt that her mothers garden was stupid and weird however it actually represented the moms power and strength
Why is Kaitlyn embarrased to be on welfare?
In her school people are talking about welfare, and no one knows she is on welfare. And she just wants to talk about welfare and be objective. She wants to talk about welfare and while not being on it.
What kind of relationship does Kaitlyn have with her mom
Why is kaitlyn's moms garden important in the story?
To Kaitlyn, the garden is a community garden which means that she is on welfare and she doesn't have the garden to herself. This shows that she shares and has to improvise.. Whereas to her mother, she also sees the garden as a sign of her old life, but she keeps it because it's the only thing that reminds her of her middle class life. By the end of the story Kaitlyn realizes that the garden is a way that her mother holds on tightly as she could to their past life.
what theme do Kaitlyn and Amy share?
What theme do kaitlyn and amy share: Identity because amy is embarrassed because of her culture and family dinner, which means she is not proud of who she is. And kaitlyn feels embarrassed because she is one of the only people in her grade on welfare and she wants to have her old life again. She is not proud of who she is
Why does Amy use rhetorical questions?
This is because she wants to show her own anxiety and embarrassment about her crushes family coming to there dinner, and seeing all the different foods
What would kaitlyn's mother do when Kaitlyn teased her about her fans? (The children in the projects)
Even though Amy thinks her mother was purposely trying to embarres her at the dinner what is a way that she understands her moms love through the food.
She is able to realize that the mom embarrassing her way snot on purpose but it was love she made all these great dishes for Amy, and to remind her of her culture and traditions
what does the home symbolize in Kaitlyns life?
It shows that she is on welfare. In the short story it says how she does not think of that place as a shelter. The home reminds her that she is on welfare because she got that home from the government. She used to be a middle class family and now since she is not it has a significant impact on her life.
what theme do Kaitlyn and her mom share?
they share desire because they both wish that they were still a middle class family and they eventually realize that they have to work with what they have
Why does Amy use the sentence a slimy rock cod with bulging eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a pan of hot oil why is that style
By this sentence you can see how she feels about the food and she uses good vivid verbs to describe it. Amy is feeling uncomfortable because of the food which shows how she feels about the fish.