Throughout Amy Tan’s Rules of the Game, one can interpret different aspects of Waverly that are not explicitly spelled out. Her approach to her games reveals one detail about her: “As I began to play, the boy disappeared…and I saw only my white pieces and his black ones,” (5). Not only does this show how much focus she puts in her games, but also shows her willingness to win the match. From this, one can also infer that Waverly is competitive and finds losing to be intolerable. The passage also reveals some aspects of her culture, therefore also revealing her identity. Phrases such as, “blow from the South,” or “throw sand from the East to distract him,” (4) mirror Chinese sayings, such as “Come from South, blow with wind…North will follow,”
They had the potential to become friends, both having similar backgrounds. However, June resents Waverly’s achievements and Waverly
However, this was not done in Waverly’s favor. Waverly felt as if the attention was unnecessary, and that her mom was very selfish to use Waverly’s fame to improve the impression that other people had of her. The mother put all the focus on herself, as
In “Rules of the Game,” the author directs her focus on the strained relationship between an immigrant mother and her daughter born in America but of intense Chinese background. The narrator, Waverly Jong describes her encounter at the marketplace with her mom; who taught her the art of invincible strength. She explains how her mother termed it as a strategy for winning arguments, respect from others stating that the strongest wind never meets the eye. This lesson proves pivotal in Jong’s spectacular chess expeditions that saw her crowned national champion as well as defined the latter`s relationship with her mother, whom she often saw as an opponent. Jong becomes entrapped in her conflicting environments, forcing her to adjust accordingly to both her physical and social environment.
‘Is luck,’ she whispered” (96). This shows that Lindo really cares for Waverly and wants only the best for her. A bit later in the story, we see that Lindo is really having trouble expressing this desire for Waverly. After some of Waverly’s matches, Lindo tells her to “win more [pieces],
(MINOR 1 FOR MAJOR A) In the story, she would consistently dedicate her time and effort in the game of chess. As a result, at age nine, she was a national chess champion. In addition, Waverly would spend countless of hours trying to discover and learn new strategic ways/techniques always to win the game. For instance, Waverly stated, “I went to school, then directly
Blue is essentially a story of searching for identity and creating your own family. Written by Patricia Leavy the story follows three college roommates, as they each piece together who they are in their life after college. Following each characters involvement in relationships and inner dialogue, the book addresses the challenge young adults face coming out of college with finding their identity. Through her story life, Leavy has weaved together sociological themes that relate to identity seeking. Leavy’s book is a story that demonstrates how individuals form identity because it highlights themes of sociological theories, dramaturgy, and socialization.
In "Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan, the author utilizes the symbolic beige tweed miniskirt to represent the main characters yearning to be the same as American girls. After her parents invited her crushes family over for dinner she is apprehensive as to what he will presume about her traditional relatives and culture. The text states,"What will he think of our Shabby Chinese Christmas"(2). Which reveals that she wants to be like traditional Americans and doesn 't appreciate the unique differences about her culture. She also spends too much time caring about what the boy will think of her relatives and the non-american food served, that she doesn 't fancy over the fact that all her favorite foods were served.
Identity defines who you are, and makes up a huge part of your life. Many factor play a part in your identity- the main one being culture. Right at birth children are given the culture that thier parents follow... In Diana Chang's poem "Saying Yes", discribes how her culture is both Chinse-from her parents-and American-from where she was brought up . For that reason her identity is also both Chinese and American.
In the narrative “Rules of the game” Waverly is the main character who changes throughout the story. First, How Waverly treats her brothers in the beginning versus the end. At the start of the story Waverly spends time with them like when they would go explore their neighborhood. Toward the end however she makes her brothers do her chores this way she can spend more time on chess rather than doing things with her brothers or chores.
Ancient China is an agricultural-dominated country, rain is the lifeblood of agricultural production, affecting the grain harvest is good or bad, related to the people 's life. So the ancients are pray to the gods for rain, this is a superstitious behavior, reflecting the people in the harsh natural environment, eager to a better tomorrow, to create a better life . Whenever the dry weather, there is not enough rain, the people can not harvest enough food lead to life difficulties. People will be pray to the gods for rain, after the ceremony, it may suddenly rain, people think that this is the superstition of this superstition to bring good luck.
Amy Chua also believes that children owe their parents. She explains "... the understanding is that Chinese children must spend their lives repaying their parents by obeying them and making them proud" (263). I will admit, that this took me off guard. There are many things that my children do that give me pride, but very little of it has to do with them being indebted to me.
Her motive in the story is the motivation of all mothers, which is to see their child succeed in life. It affects the story based on the fact that even though she and her daughter are in a disagreement, she still loves her and wants her to be great at chess. Mrs. Lindo showcases all of Waverly's trophies and hangs a sign saying, "Congratulations, Waverly Jong, Chinatown Chess Champion" in the bakery below
She leans more towards the American lifestyle as her mother takes pride in being Chinese. At the age of six, Waverly’s learns the key strategy to winning arguments as well as showing respect to others from her mother teaching her the “art of invisible strength." She uses this strategy to take arguments, gain respect from others and to win at the game of chess. Amy Tan ironically uses the skills of playing chess to demonstrate how Waverly learns the game of life. Waverly’s mother has taught her a lesson even though they don’t see eye to eye on things.
An idiom is an expression that is not predictable from the usual meanings of the world. Idioms are often particular to certain languages or peoples. The Chinese have some very distinct idioms and many of them revolve around dragons. The most famous idiom that is recognizable today is “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (卧虎藏龙) which means talented individuals in hiding. Director Ang Lee made a movie by the same name in 2000 which is a popular film known all over the world and has launched a specific aspect of the Chinese language into the living rooms of millions of people.
Gossip is a Dangerous Things In China people say “A rumor goes in one ear and out many mouths.” This proverb to me means that a person needs to be careful what they say to others because it can be twisted and spread. This is appealing because it can be shown in everyday life, throughout anyone's life.