Paper Menagerie and Fish Cheeks paired questions

Both "Paper Menagerie" and "Fish Cheeks" explore the challenges of cultural identity. How do the narrators in both excerpts react to their cultural backgrounds?

• Both narrators fully embrace their cultural backgrounds and share them with others.

• The narrator in "Paper Menagerie" rejects his cultural heritage, while the narrator in "Fish Cheeks" initially feels embarassed but later accepts it.

• The Narrator in "Fish Cheeks" completely rejects her cultural heritage, while the narrator in "Paper Menagerie" never questions his.

• Both narrators reject their cultural identities and never come to appreciate them.

How do both authors use conflict to develop the main idea in each excerpt?

• Both authors use external conflict to show how the narrators struggle with their parents' expectations.

• Both authors use internal conflict to highlight the narrators' struggles with accepting their cultural identities.

• "Paper Menagerie" relies on external conflict with peers, while "Fish Cheeks" focuses only on internal conflict.

• "Fish Cheeks" uses external conflict with the narrator's family, while "Paper Menagerie" focuses on conflict with American society.

In both excerpts, symbolic elements help express the narrators' emotional struggles. What do the paper animals in "Paper Menagerie" and the Christmas dinner in "Fish Cheeks" symbolize?

• The paper animals symbolize love and cultural connection, while the Christmas dinner symbolizes embarrassment and rejection.

• The paper animals symbolize rejection, while the Christmas dinner represents a forced acceptance of culture.

• Both the paper animals and Christmas dinner symbolize the characters' final rejection of their heritage

• The paper animals represent loneliness, while the Christmas dinner represents hope.

Which statement best describes the difference in tone between the two excerpts?

• "Paper Menagerie" has a nostalgic and regretful tone, while "Fish Cheeks" has a humorous and reflective tone.

• "Fish Cheeks" has a tragic and sorrowful tone, while "Paper Menagerie" has a hopeful and celebratory tone.

• Both excerpts maintain a lighthearted and humorous tone throughout.

• "Paper Menagerie" is written with an appreciative tone, while "Fish Cheeks" maintains an angry tone.

How do both narrators change by the end of their respective excerpts?

• Both narrators grow to fully embrace and celebrate their cultural identities.

• The narrator in "Fish Cheeks" gains a new perspective, while the narrator in "Paper Menagerie" experiences deep regret.

• Both narrators remain ashamed of their cultural backgrounds.

• The narrator in "Paper Menagerie" stays indifferent to his culture, while the narrator in "Fish Cheeks" continues to reject hers.

In "Paper Menagerie" the paper animals symbolize ​ (a)   ​ , representing the narrator's connection to his mother and heritage.

• love and cultural connection
• regret and shame
• growth and understanding

In "Fish Cheeks", Amy Tan's internal conflict arises because she feels​ (a)   about her family's traditions in front of her crush

• embarrassed
• proud
• understanding
• frustrated

Compare how the narrators in "Paper Menagerie" and "Fish Cheeks" struggle with their cultural identities. How does each narrator's perspective change by the end of the story? Use text evidence from both excerpts to support your response.