Opinionated Truths About Death

• We are afraid of death because it is inevitable and all we have the power to do is prolong our lives.
• We are afraid of death because it is filled with uncertainty: When is it going to happen? How will it happen? Will it be painful?
• The above reasons are true because humans have a natural tendency to be apprehensive of the unknown and fearful of pain.
• Saying “stronger than I am” (Woolfe 3) is a false statement. If death were stronger than us, it would be the one deciding when to take our lives without considering our say in the matter. With the technology and medicine today, however, we have a minor say in when death occurs.
• In reality, we death begins the very moment we are born. After the initial birth, every moment that passes is a moment closer to death meaning that we are dying our entire lives. Like the tree below, we are living and dying at the same time. This shows that there is no reason to be afraid of dying because we are all doing so at this very moment and it doesn’t seem to be the thing everyone is worried about at any given moment.
• While we might die physically, we actually live on. Whether it be in after-life and heaven or in the minds and memories of those we know, our presence still prevails even after death.

Diversity

The United States is composed of a multitude of various races and cultures. It is truly a melting pot of diversity. While this diversity is a great quality of this country, Amy Tan’s “Fish Cheeks” reveals some of the issues that it can create. Children of those who move here are faced with the extremely difficult challenge of assimilating into American culture while not losing their heritage. In an attempt to absorb the “American” traditions, the narrator becomes ashamed of her Chinese background. She “wants to disappear” when her father mentions her favorite food in front of the Robert’s family (para. 5). The already taxing task of assimilation is made even more difficult for Tan because Robert is uneducated about her culture and “grimaced” when the food was brought out (para. 5). A potential reason he is unable to accept other people's cultures might be because he has not been exposed to them. As the number of diverse backgrounds has increased in our country, more have overcome ignorance and learnt acceptance. Robert’s reactions to the Chinese Christmas dinner do not seem out of contempt but rather out of being unfamiliar with the situation. This offers a possible reason some display ignorant behavior towards other cultures; they don’t mean any harm but they just don’t have much knowledge on them.  

Disablity

In her essay “Disability”, Mairs reveals that people with recognizable disabilities are “just like every other” (para. 4) human being yet the media portrays them as inferior to “Temporarily Abled Persons” (para. 7).  They face enough injustices in their daily lives due to their faults and making the harassment by the media even more unwarranted. Disabled people are completely dehumanized by both the media and society in general. TAPs fail to see the true personality and character of these people and unjustly identify them through their liability. The disabled are made to feel as though they don’t exist but rather just spectators of the show that is life. Mairs states that some “deny the existence of me and my kind absolutely” (para. 4). They aren’t allowed to interact with society in the manner TAPs can and don’t get an accurate representation in the media or advertisements. They are never portrayed as capable and responsible human beings but rather as hopeless and dependant. The irony and sarcasm Mairs utilizes in her piece reflects the paradox present in the depiction of disable people; in a sense, we will all be disabled at some point in our lives whether it be through age or physical injury.