After finishing the short story "Rules of the Game" I loved how realistic it is in terms of pushing

people away for the sake of achieving success. It was honestly one of my favorite short stories I

have ever read in English as it showed us the journey of a young girl that knew nothing about chess

to becoming a chess prodigy.

A basic story element that stood out to me was the conflict between Waverly and her family. As

she becomes more dedicated to chess, she becomes more distant from her loved ones. For

example, "We not concerning this girl. This girl not have concerning for us". From what I was able

to depict, Waverly's dedication to succeed at chess creates this boundary between her and the

family.

An advanced story element would be the use of symbolism. The chessboard with its black and

white squares represents the conflict between Waverly and her mother, and the two angry black

slits are a powerful representation of Waverly's inner turmoil. The quote "Strongest wind cannot

be seen" adds to the symbolism and emphasizes the idea that sometimes the most important

battles are the ones that can't be seen.

An element that impressed me was the author's use of diction to bring the story to life. For

instance, "Pungent leaves for his ailing customers". The word "pungent" emphasizes the strong

odour emitting from the leaves while "ailing" shows the poor condition of the customer. I feel like

small details like these add depth to the narrative and enhance the story further.

Another element that I found interesting was the author's syntax found to clarify a certain point.

An example would be "My mother named me after the street that we lived on: Waverly Place Jong,

my official name for important American documents". I related the use of the colon to clarify what

the mother said previously, I decided that the use of the colon was to show the mother's lack of

creativity and care for her children.

One aspect of the story I found intriguing was the use of non-dominant perspectives. The addition

of Vincent's perspective would add more depth to the story. I would have loved his take on his
sister's rapid rise to success in the world of chess. Non-dominant perspectives are an important

aspect of any story because they offer a different point of view and can shed light on aspects of the

story that might otherwise go unnoticed.

As I read "Rules of the Game," I found myself relating to Meimei's struggle to balance her passion

for chess with her relationships with her family. Like her, I have also felt the pressure to live up to

the expectations of others and to sacrifice time with loved ones to achieve my goals.

Another connection that I interpreted as I read the short story would be Waverly's decision to

push away her family for results. Ultimately, the story's focus serves as a stark reminder of the

importance of relationships and the costs of achieving success. I found it extremely interesting

how sometimes the sacrifices we make can have unintended consequences. This is why I believe

that it's important to remember that success should never come at the cost of our relationships,

especially those that we love.

In conclusion, “The Rules of the Game” is a powerful story that explores the sacrifices, tensions and

transformations that come with the pursuit of achieving success. The narrative is made with

multiple complex components like conflict, symbolism, diction and syntax. The addition of

non-dominant perspectives adds depth to the story. While considering our dream aspirations in

life, we should be reminded of the importance of our relationships and the costs of achieving

success.

My question to the audience is have you ever experienced conflicts with friends or family

regarding your dedication to a particular activity?

While I enjoyed Amy Tan's "Rules of the Game," I found the ending to be unsatisfying. I understand

the use of an open-ended conclusion to encourage discussion and leave room for interpretation,

but in this case, I felt like the story needed more resolution. Waverly's internal conflict over her

identity and her relationship with her mother were major themes throughout the story, and the

ending left those conflicts unresolved.