Comparative Essay Sample: Seventh Grade by Gary Soto and Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan

Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Some people pretend to be someone they are not for many reasons. Some examples are trying to impress others (mostly crushes), or trying to be cool in front of others. They might feel embarrassed, or even lose some self esteem after doing it. In the stories “Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto, and “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, the characters Amy and Victor pretend to be someone their not to impress their crushes, Teresa and Robert.

In “Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto, Victor goes back to school and chooses French as a world language. When he goes to french, he sees his crush, Teresa. The teacher asks if anyone knows french, and Victor raised his hand without thinking. Victor does not know french, but was trying to impress Teresa, so he says “Frenchie oh wewe gee in September." So now the teacher knows he can’t speak a single word in french. This evidence shows that Victor was being someone he was not, to impress Teresa.

In “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, Amy’s family invites the ministers family over for Christmas eve dinner. Amy has a crush on the ministers son. Before everyone comes, Amy’s mom shows her what everyone is eating. When Amy finds out that they are not having a “regular” Christmas Eve dinner and is having Chinese food, she sulks and is ashamed of her family’s culture. When everyone comes, Amy gets nervous about what her crush, Robert will think of her, so she pretends he does not exist. The dinner “threw me 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. “ This evidence shows that Amy was pretending to be someone she was not by being ashamed of her family tradition and pretending that Robert was invisible.

Don’t pretend to be someone you are not. Just be yourself and people will like you just the way you are.