RULES OF THE GAME

Rules of the game by Amy Tan is a short story about chess prodigy and a young girl names
Waverly Place Jong named by her mother after the street that they live on but being called
“Meimei” a little sister in Chinese. She lives in Chinatown of San Francisco with her family.
Meimei become intrigued with chess as she watching her brother and his friend played it.
She learns to play chess with her brothers and some elderly chess players near a
playground. She does not familiar with the American rules but she make a researchers about
the rules and learn about the moves and the powers of each piece of the chess. She then
easily can defeats her brother. Meimei become good at chess as she wins a local chess
tournament and many others tournament that she’s being participated. Her mother begin to
take pride in her. But then her mothers more like to show off her talents to everyone that
make her felt uncomfortable. Meimei and her mother had an misunderstanding because of
that situation.

In this story, I like when Meimei striving to understand how to play chess as it use American
rules. She is very determines to play chess that she do the research and learns to play chess
with her brother and also participated in local chess tournament to sharpen her talent.
Therefore, I learnt that we need to become a determines person to achieve our goals.
Besides , I dislike how Meimei became rude towards her mother even it was her mother
fault cause being annoyed by showing off Meimei’s talents to everyone. Meimei shouldn’t do
that , she must respect her mother anyways. Thereby, I learnt that we should respect our
parents and older. However , I also dislike how Meimei’s mother treat her. Her mother
shouldn’t do the obvious and embarrassment thing by keep talking about Meimei’s talent
because people would say that she is showing off her daughter and its makes Meimei felt
uncomfortable. Her mother maybe should just commend to Meimei if she’s really proud to
her.

In my opinion, the ending of this story is a bit downhearted because it was not a happy
ending. The misunderstanding between Meimei and her mother were not solved. If I was
the author of this story I would make a happy ending of this story by solving the
misunderstanding between Meimei and her mother so that Meimei no need to face a hard
time during her youth but living a happy life with her mother and family members.

1
ELEVEN

Eleven by Sandra Cisneros is about a 11 years old girl names Rachel. Rachel points out that
when you are eleven, you aren’t just eleven, you are also ten, and nine, and eight, and
seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one. Rachel go through a bad
day on her 11th birthday because of a blameworthiness of her classmate names Sylvia
Saldivar. On her eleven birthday, she wish she was 102 years old because if she was 102
she would know how to react when Mrs. Price put the red sweater on her desk and when
Sylvia said that it was her. However, Mrs. Price agreed with Sylvia that she remember
Rachel wore it once. Rachel was so annoyed with the red sweater. After the bell rings ,
Phyllis Lopez finally said that she remember that the red sweater belongs to her.

In this story, I like when Rachel just keep it calm when she’s being accused because others
may become mad being accused such a shame thing like that in front of others people. She
is a kind girl that she did not against her teacher words and doesn’t make the situation
become worst. Besides, I also dislike it because Rachel being humiliated in front of her
classmates because of her teacher and because she cannot tell that the red sweater was not
her. It is so unfair. Rachel should be more strict so that she wouldn’t being accused like
that. Overall of the story, I learnt that we should respect our classmates because they are
our friends. I also learnt that, as a teacher, you shouldn’t prejudice your own student just by
knowing it from others.

In my opinion, the ending of this story is not what I wish for. The ending is just a
straightforward ending like others story. If I was the author of this story, I would make
Rachel speak against when her classmate accuse that the red sweater was her so that
Rachel no need to face an embarrassing moment on her 11 th birthday. I also would make
Rachel go through her birthday with a good thing that can make her happy such as
celebrating her birthday with her classmates and make a birthday party at home with her
family so that this story having a happy ending.