Critical Questions

Critical Engagement 1: 

  Berg 

Berg would say that physical appearance... 

berg says appearance is important to shape our identity because identity is connected to appearance, keeping good health may instigate other people to view you as composed and well-maintained, but there could always be something happening behind closed doors. But also, Berg and her father were judged the entirety of their lives, so it could be she is obsessed with appearance.   

Berg (2009) states, “I mean they try really hard to make you like you, which is a problem alot of fat people have, they have low self-esteem. Skinny people look at fat people and have visions of them stretched out on fuschia-colored silk sofas scarfing down cool ranch doritos and Ben & Jerry’s chunky monkey, but it’s not like that” (p. 88). 

In other words, Berg is trying to show how everyone has different views of everybody else. Everyone has their own judgments, and it sucks, but that is how it is. People will judge people no matter the cause, but she shows it’s good to speak on the topic to get it off her chest.

There is a turning point, she feels she didn't get anything out of it, but she is on the path to attempting to get something out of it. 

Thomas

Thomas would say that physical appearance doesn’t matter, only personality of others. Zona doesn’t want to kiss the zucchini/prince because she possibly feels forced and doesn’t necessarily care about the zucchini as much as we thought, which probably contributes to why he dies later. Even when she spent all this time talking to him, she killed him anyways. 

“But why does that convince you that I can save you? Love doesn’t really conquer (p. 164)  

Chee

Chee would say that physical appearance is important to her because it’s how she feels internally, she wants to show her true self and express herself in a way others may feel is not aligned with the norms.   

Critical Engagement 2:

How important is family history in shaping identity? 

Berg: Berg and her father were judged their entire lives, so it may be that she feels deeply connected to her dad and is projecting in some way on the world. Her family history showed a trendline of these issues so it may have been passed down to her but at the same time she also does care about her father a ton, which shows the connection between them. 

My Proof: Berg (2009) states, “A couple of times I was with him when people made jokes about how fat he was. He would laugh like he thought it was funny, and his belly would shake, but their remarks hurt him, I could see it in the one quick jerk of his right eyelid” (p. 92). In other words, Berg probably relates to her dad a lot and it is why the way she is throughout her article.

Thomas: For the Princess and the Zucchini, Thomas shows that Princess Zona's parents do really want the best for her and in fact do want her to be as successful as they are. But the parents are always shown in the background of the story, kind of observing Zona, which shows maybe they aren't as important to the reader but as characters in the story they are extremely important to show the nature of Zona's family.

My proof: In her essay, Thomas (1982) maintains that "Her mother and father told her she was beautiful. Her mirror said the same thing" (p. 165).  Thomas' point is that she wants to show how Princess Zona's parents are accepting even if they are mentioned in the background a lot of the time. They are supportive.

Chee: Chee is most likely considered a rebel. Their mom never wanted them to use makeup or anything feminine. So, Chee's family may not have been supportive but that changed their perception on themselves, making them more confident in the outside world, giving them that boost of self-esteem about their gender identity.

My Proof: According to Chee (2015), " I thought it would surprise her, make her happy. I am sure the reddish-orange color looked clownish, even frightening, on my little face. "Alexander," was all she said, stepping off the chair at the clinique counter and sweeping me up. she pulled my ski mask over my head and led me out of the department store to the car, like I had stolen something. We drove home in silence, and once there, she washed the lipstick off my face and warned me to never do that again" (Chee). In making this comment, Chee means that their mother wasn't very supportive of their actions. This is clear throughout the story. But Chee wants to feel free 

Critical Engagement 3:

Berg: There is a culture of weight watchers, identifying as overweight. For her it's a little group her own culture. Although she feels offended by the skinny women who walk into weight watchers.

Proof: Berg (2009) states, “And anyway, she too had no visible blubber. I mean, I just walked out. I said to myself, no” (p. 88 ).  In other words, Berg might've felt offended by the influx of skinny women in the weight watchers. She probably thought only overweight people went to weight watchers to improve their weight. Kind of like a safe place for Berg, but now it may feel that it isn't to her.

Thomas: Zona’s family lives in a culture of royalty. Although ancestry/culture are not necessarily important because Thomas doesn’t mention them much throughout the story. Perhaps it is just not as important to the author as we originally thought. Although Zona has a close-knit family I'd say. 

Proof: In her essay, Thomas (1982) maintains that "the rest of the royal estate was parched brown” (p. 162). This shows that Zona's family is in fact royalty and rich but there is no depiction of culture. However, there are familial references that show Zona's closeness to her parents.

Chee: Chee’s family is very involved in culture. Although Chee is like the rebel of the family in a way. Despite all of the racial prejudice, they still manage.

Proof: According to Chee (2015), “ “Girl, you are mixed, aren’t you? But you can pass,” he said, as if this was a good thing.
“Pass as what?” I asked. “White. You look white.” When people use the word “passing” in talking about race, they only ever mean one thing, but I still make them say it. He told me he was Filipino. “You could be one of us,” he said. “But you’re not” " Which shows the sort of prejudice Chee faces, they are left out of certain things due to their race/color of their skin. The part, "you could be one of us, but you're not." shows that prejudice.

References:

Berg. E (2009, April). The day I ate everything I wanted. Ladies Home Journal, pp. 88-94.

Thomas A. (1982). The princess and the zucchini. Two in the Bush and Other Stories (pp. 162- 166). Talon Books.

Chee, A. (2015). Girl. Sometimes you don’t know who you are until you put on a mask (pp. 1-5). Guernicamag.