Maya Angelou Fish Cheeks Analysis

The two stories “Champion of the World” by Maya Angelou and “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan discuss different problems within America. Angelou is an African-American woman while Tan is a Chinese-American woman. Angelou and Tan live in a different background. Angelou’s time period is more serious than the other causing her to be stronger. The characters both have different perceptions, but Angelou’s awareness is more eye opening making her valiant. They both learn different lessons; Angelou has the greatest life lesson pushing her to be brave. Maya Angelou’s story is the most captivating because it is about fear, while Amy Tan’s story is about assimilating a different culture. This has made Angelou more courageous.
Tan and Angelou live in a different

Tan is oblivious in her situation until the very end causing her not to be valiant. Her mother is the one that tells her. Her mother tells her, “You want to be American on the outside” (117). Tan realizes that she has a different taste and she will never be truly accepted. Her mother then says, “Inside your always will be Chinese” (117). She realizes that she must be proud of heritage and never let it go. Tan perception is told to her and this cause makes her not to be valiant. In contrast, Maya Angelou is aware of her situation from the start of the story. She observes a group of African-American men talking big; how Joe is “gone to whip that white boy” (111) and then it becomes quiet. She sees the men how they are insulting the white fighter with each other because they know that are safe. She knows the consequence if someone hears them. Joe Louis wins the fight and the people in the store, “they seemed to be holding themselves” (112). She sees the people in the store and they want to celebrate, but they cannot due to fear. She sees her people are afraid of white men seeing them cheer. Angelou is valiant because she is aware of her