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“Having watched the older children opening their gifts, I already knew that the big gifts were not necessarily the nicest ones.”

Through this quote, it can be seen that Waverly has a certain view on life that can be applied to other aspects such as gifts. Just as she knew the big gifts were not necessarily the nicest, she knows that sometimes the most grand life is not necessarily the best. This can be seen through her lack of interest in materialistic objects. She makes the best out of the things she does have as opposed to classifying the things she does not have as a limitation in her life. Even though Waverly and her family does not have more than what is needed, they are able to maintain a sense of happiness and fulfillment.

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"...I would clasp my hands under my chin, the delicate points of my elbows poised lightly on the table in the manner my mother had shown me for posing for the press. I would swing my patent leather shoes back and forth like an impatient child riding on a school bus. Then I would pause, suck my lips, twirl my chosen piece in midair as if undecided, and then firmly plant it in its new threatening place, with a triumphant smile thrown back at my opponent for good measure."

In this quote, the context is important because Waverly is in a chess tournament and she is describing how she decides on her next move. This quote shows in a way how meticulous she is as well as how sly she can be in terms of playing chess.

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"When we got home, my mother told Vincent to throw the chess set away."

This family is in no way wealthy or overly rich. They have enough to get by but they do not have a lot to spare too. The fact that she is very eager and willing to throw away a chess set just because 2 pieces are missing shows that regardless of the situation, it is very important for Ma to walk away with her head held high and with dignity intact. She does not want to feel inferior and poor. She wants to be able to pick and choose to a certain extent despite her social rank and her economic status.

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I love Ma. She's so tough and never apologizes for anything. Such blatant favoritism here, but she doesn't care at all. Tough character. A tough person.

"'Is new American rules,' said my mother, 'Meimei play, squeeze all her brains out for win chess. You play, worth squeeze towel.'"

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"Why do you always have to use me to show off? If you want to show off, then why don't you learn to play chess?"
This quote said by Waverly to condemn her mother is the turning point of the story. Waverly has expressed her true feelings and exposed her conformation to the American rules, which makes her mother revolt against her ethical Chinese morals. Waverly challenges her mother to take on the American rules because she thinks it will help her mother show off, which is seen as an act of disrespect to her mother.

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"But I found it difficult to concentrate at home. My mother had a habit of standing over me while I plotted out my games. I think she thought of herself as my protective ally. Her lips would be sealed tight, and after each move I made, a soft "Hmmmmph"

Even though Waverly had won countless chess tournaments and gotten the title of "national chess champion" she will always be critiqued by Ma for her every move. It is as if all her efforts are of no use, because even though Ma thought she was being Waverly's ally her acts of disapproval distract Waverly from winning the game. Even though Waverly was an 'expert' as chess, Ma always thought that she knew better. That what Ma thought was best for Waverly, is indeed what's best for her.

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"I carefully drew a handmade chessboard and pinned it to the wall next to my bed, where I would stare for hours at imaginary battles. Soon I no longer lost any games or Life Savers, but I lost my adversaries."

The fact that she refers to the game of chess as a "battle" infers a power struggle, and her determination to keep improving and win these battles is seen from the next half of the quote. Waverly is a strong-minded person who doesn't give up in her struggle for more power- in her game of chess.

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"The double attack from the East and West shores, Throwing stones on the drowning man. The sudden meeting if the Clan The surprise from the sleeping guard..."

This text shows that Lau Po is very smart in the game of chess and that he is an experienced player. However, he isn't selfish and he teaches Jong about the terms in chess. It might not be written, but Jong is a young girl and teaching someone chess and its terms is not a easy job and not something that can be done in matter of minutes.

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"The chessboard seemed to hold elaborate secrets"

In a indirect way this shows a way in which the Meimei and her brothers can past time, since they didn't grow up with alot this was a way this was their way of having fun

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"The chessboard seemed to hold elaborate secrets waiting to be untangled. The chessmen were more powerful than old Li's magic herbs that cured ancestral curses."

This quote clarifies the chessboard's value to Waverly ad her brothers. She stated that it was MORE powerful than old Li's magic herbs. A cultural reference, and a canon plot detail as Waverly's mother also mentioned medicine like herbs. Having a Western invention have a larger influence on little children than the maternal influence is saying a lot of how apart Waverly is from her ancestral culture that her parents hold onto so dearly. the word MORE is specifically used as opposed to just 'powerful' because in their culture the herbs were already a powerful essence that cured curses. By having a possession that is MORE powerful than culture really shows her parents that she is not interested in carrying out her traditions. Later on, this is proved with her mother saying "She not want it. We not want it." Clearly her mother is discretely against owing a chessboard if it means a new era of traditions.

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"She not want it. We not want it."

This quote is referring to the chess set that Waverly and her brothers now own a chessboard. This is troublesome for the mother as it seems to be affecting the way her children are responding to traditions as a foreigner would. Waverly believes that the new material object is MORE powerful than ancient traditions and verbal medicines that have been in her genealogy for many generations. This quote is a response of the mother that she really doesn't want that chessboard around if it is this important to her children if they are diminishing tradition. This chess set plays a bigger role on Waverly and her brother, so this might mean that there will be future conflicts between Waverly and her ancient beliefs from her mother.

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"i was seven according to the American formula and eight by the Chinese calendar. i said i was born on march 17, 1951."

i think that this looks at her character a lot more than anything else, from this quote we can assume 2 things, the first being the way that she thinks. it was a simple questions but she had two answers, not knowing what Santa wanted to here, she changed the question, she though outside of the box. and second thing we can assume about her character is that she may not want to know what is right but what he wants to here. she could be too focused on pleasing other people and forget the question.

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" I found out about all the whys later. I read the rules and looked up all the big words in a dictionary. I borrowed books from the Chinatown library. I studied each chess piece, trying to absorb the power each contained. "

This quote shows her to be a curious and determined person, hungry for information. After her brother failed to answer her abundance of questions and told her to find the answers herself, she does exactly that. Many people ask questions, but not many go to great extents to find answers, as she had done. This also shows her values, she thinks of information as power, her knowledge of the game, and decides to use this well to her advantage. The fact that she uses her information very well, and knows that she does so as she continues to develop it, shows that she loves the power.

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"I knew she would not let me play among strangers" (25).

This quote shows Waverly's rebellious nature. She knows for a fact that her mother does not let her play with strangers. However, her encounter with the old men in the alley (24) proves her disobedience towards her mother.

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next to the pharmacy was a printer who specializes in gold-embossed wedding invitations and festive red banners. farther down the street was Ping Yuen Fish Market. the front window displayed a tank crowded with doomed fish and turtles struggling to gain footing on the slimy green-tiled slides. a hand-written sign informed tourist, “within this store, is all for food, not for pet.”

inside, the butchers with their bloodstained white smocks deftly gutted the fish while customers cried out their orders and shouted “give me your freshest,” to which the butchers always protested “all the freshest”.

Waverly describing the community she lives in, which is very Chinese-like considering they live in America, shows the culture shock that she’s experiencing, in my opinion, Waverly as a girl that’s exposed to an asian household, as well as asian community can experience confusion later on in her life when she’s old enough to decide for herself.

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"This my daughter Wave-ly Jong."

It shows the proud feeling her mother felt when her daughter became a master chess player. However when her mother boasted and showed her off to people, Jong didn't quite like the idea of her boast and complained about it. WE can see that Jong is humble and her mother is boastful or proud of her daughter.

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"They would have American rules."
This quote connects to the title of the story, "Rules of the Game". In the story, Waverly and Ma has constantly repeated that the rules of chess are regarded as "American rules", and Ma has been oppressing against the ways of the Americans. However, Waverly picks up chess and soon conforms to the "American rules". This implies that Waverly is going against her mother's morals, and instead prefers the ways of the 'American' rules.

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"I think the only children who thought he was the real thing were too young to know that Santa Claus was not Chinese."

This quote along with other quotes of a similar nature show that ever since Waverly was a young child, it was engrained in her that the Chinese culture and the American culture are different and shall remain seperate. Whenever comparisons are made between the two as seen above, you can tell that Waverly is struggling to find a balance in keeping them seperate. She was taught that Santa Claus must be American (Caucasian), therefore, she found it alarming, funny and strange when there was an Asian Santa. Why? Its because she was taught that Santa could not be Asian. Rather than enjoying the moment, she was too caught up in trying to rationalise the fact that the Santa she was looking at was Asian.

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"Properly assembled he would have an authentic miniature replica of a World War 11 submarine."

This could mean that 11 world wars have happened, because this quote tells us that Winston received a WW 11, this implies that this story happened 11 world wars in the future or this could just be a toy based on a fictional world that is set after the 11th world war. (i didn't copy ben)

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"On a cold spring afternoon, while walking home from school, I detoured through the playground at the end of our alley."

This quote can show that she is up for adventure and it can show her mischievous and eager self. Instead of walking straight home from school, she ends up going on a "detour" for adventure. It doesn't specifically state it however when reading between the lines then it can be giving some insight into the kind of character that she is which is an curious, adventure seeking little girl.

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"A little knowledge witheld is a great advantage one should store for future use. That is the power of chess. It is a game of secrets in which one must show and never tell" (24).
Meimei talks a lot about power. She seems to be a controlling person -- much like her mother, actually. I'm pretty sure the chess set is going to be crucial to this story to reveal deeper truths about her character.

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"A light wind began to blowing past my ears. It whispered secrets only I could here." "The wind hissed, louder and louder
This quote connects to the very quote her mom mentions in the beginning about the wind, "strongest wind cannot be seen." This symbolism has been repeated throughout the story from beginning, middle to end. In this quote, Waverly is in a competition and the 'wind' was giving her instructions to win the game. This implies that her mom's daily truths and advice has paid off to help her during a chess tournament.

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"Let me see book...This American rules,"

"Ma, it's not how many pieces you lose," I said. "Sometimes you need to lose pieces to get ahead." "Better to lose less, see if you really need."
"Lost eight piece this time. Last time was eleven. What I tell you? Better off lose less!"

These quotes compare the American and Chinese cultures through their 'rules of chess'. Ma does not see following the rules as enough to measure Waverly's success, in which she sees the loss of each piece as a sign of defeat. However, Waverly understands that, "sometimes you need to lose pieces to get ahead," which can be seen as a more American perspective. Waverly's focus is on winning, in which in doing so, there will be losses.

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"My mother would proudly walk with me, visiting many shops, buying very little. "This my daughter Wave-ly Jong," she said to whoever looked her way. "

This quote is characterisation for the Waverly's mother. It shows her mother proudly showing her off to people, purposely going into shops and taking her time walking around, just so she could tell more people who her daughter was. She is also not one to ask for opinions, or is much of a listener, as it says, "She said to whoever looked her way."

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"the instructions on the box proclaimed that when they were properly assembled he would have an authentic miniature replica of a World War 11 submarine. "

This tells us that al least 11 world wars have past, as winston recieved a replica of a World War 11 submarine. This may imply that the setting of this story is far in the future. If so, the "submarine" could have been a replica of a ship in the United States Space Force.

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" In my head, I saw a chessboard with sixty-four black and white squares. Opposite me was my opponent, two angry black slits. She wore a triumphant smile. "Strongest wind cannot be seen," she said."
This quote at the end of the story repeats the descriptions and quotes of her mom for her opponent. In other words, Mei was going against her mom in chess. The ending contradicts with the beginning where Mei mentions that her mom taught her the 'art of invisible' strength and helped her with her 'daily truths'. However, in this quote, her very own mom's daily truths were disputing against her. In another context, Mei has viewed her mom as an opponent against her own beliefs and opinions.

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"The chessmen were more powerful than old Li's magic herbs that cured ancestral curses" (23).
On the surface level, Meimei is saying that the new chess set is more fascinating to her than the old neighborhood games she used to play. On a deeper level, though, she sets up the American chess board againt the ancient magic of China -- and she declares the chess set more powerful. I think it's a clear clue about her identity.

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"Chinese people do many things... Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like American people. We do torture. Best torture."

Based on the reasoning Ma gives above as to what Chinese torture is, we can see based on her phrasing as well as the actual answer that it alludes to the already present stereotypes we generally have toward Chinese people. We always hear people make jokes on social media about how Chinese people are expected to run businesses or become doctors and she just agreed with all that. The fact that she does not use many, if any conjunctions and goes straight to the point is something very characteristic of the Chinese people we sometimes see in comedy skits or in films pre Crazy Rich Asians. Perhaps, there is some truth behind the stereotypes especially because it is written by a Chinese-American about Chinese-Americans.

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"My mother patted the four off her hands. 'Let me see book,' she said quietly. She scanned the pages quickly, not reading the foreign English symbols, seeming to search deliberately for nothing in particular. 'This American rules,' she concluded at last."
Mainly focusing on the mother, in this reference, it shows how she acts like the boss of everything. It also signifies her bitterness towards the Americans. She's the type of mother who would not want her kids to know and learn the ways of ab American. Later this after a few sentences, it continues with another descriptive sentence saying, "She tossed her back with a satisfied smile." In my opinion, with this action that she has done, it sets up an ultimate thought of imagery. This makes me see the little detailed actions she has done such as turning her back, whipping her hair (maybe) and finally finishing this action by giving a smirk of a hint of selfishness. Not saying, that all Chinese mothers despise the Americans, but without a doubt Waverly has a mother of such ambitions representing hatred and sharpness.

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"I quickly put the box down next to him on the bench and displayed my retort" (24).

This quote shows Waverly's bold personality. Seeing a group of old men in the alley, she took it as an opportunity to invite them to play chess with her. The fact that she does not know the old men (a group of strangers), does not seem to bother her willingness to play and have fun. Waverly's idea of having fun is different from other kids her age. Th

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""But why do they go crossways to take other men? Why aren't there any women and children?"... "I studied each chess piece, trying to absorb the power each contained."

With this quotes, indirect characterization can be found as the quotes hint as to how curious a girl Waverly might be. Firstly she asks a lot of questions that normally wouldn't be asked by the average person. Secondly, if she does not receive an answer than her curiosity remains and she even goes far enough to research about her questions in order to quench her curiosity if it can't be satisfied with someone else's answer.

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"Within this store, is all for food, not for pet."

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" The Chinese bakery downstairs from our flat displayed my growing collection of trophies in its window, amidst the dustcovered cakes that were never picked up. The day after I won an important regional tournament, the window encased a fresh sheet cake with whipped-cream frosting and red script saying "Congratulations, Waverly Jong, Chinatown Chess Champion." Soon after that, a flower shop, headstone engraver, and funeral parlor offered to sponsor me in national tournaments. That's when my mother decided I no longer had to do the dishes. Winston and Vincent had to do my chores."
From this quote, we can see that the place she lives, Waverly Place, is a tight-knit community, as the stores on their streets hear of her victories are almost just as proud of her as her mother would. We can also anticipate a conflict from this paragraph. In the end where she stops having to do chores, and her brothers are told to do her share instead.

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"Some boy in my class said Chinese people do Chinese torture." "Chinese people.do many things," she said simply. "Chinese people do business, do medicine, do

painting. Not lazy like American people. We do torture. Best torture."

This quote shows the view that the mother or the chinese community has on Americans and vise versa. They both have a negative perspective of one another. Although they lived in the same place or area, the two races or communities had negative thoughts on one another. The Chinese community views the Americans as lazy, not hardworking, and maybe talented or educated well. The americans on the other hand possibly view the Chinese as "violent" or inferior.

"Having watched the older children opening their gifts, i already knew that the big gifts were not necessarily the nicest ones."

This characterizes and shows the intelligence of Waverly despite being only six years old. It shows her way of thinking and thought process in comparisons with those of older children. In a way it shows the actions and thought processes that differs between an american child and a chinese.

"guts and duck's feet and octopus gizzards!" then i ran off with my friends, shrieking with laughter as we scampered across the alley and hid in the entryway grotto of the China Gem Company, my heart pounding with hope that he would chase us.

This quote is describing Waverly's personality or character as mischievous or silly. She is someone who isn't afraid to talk to strangers and have fun.

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"the Santa man asked me how old I was. I thought it was a trick question; I was seven according to the American formula and eight by the Chinese calendar. I said I was born on March 17, 1951."
This quote shows Waverly's difficulty in identifying who she really is, as a Chinese living in America. Her compromise in which she simply states the date of her birthday shows that she had chosen not to identify with either of the cultures.

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"Each morning before school, my mother would twist and yank on my thick black hair until she had formed two tightly wound pigtails."

In this quote we can see Ma's involvement in Waverly's daily life, and Ma's care for her. Where even something small, such as fixing her hair is something she chooses to do for her.

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"My mother imparted her daily truths so she could help my older brothers and me rise above our circumstances" (22).

Based on this, it seems the characters might be poor, and that the mother in particular is intent on giving wisdom and life advice to help her children out. "Daily truths" implies that these instructions happened all the time. I get the feeling that the narrator is a little sarcastic, saying that her mom's advice was more obnoxious than truly wise.

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Put your name on your posts or comments.

Each post is worth 2 points.

Score up to 8 points as you read.

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"Guts and duck's feet and octopus gizzards!"

Then I ran off with my friends, shrieking with laughter as we scampered across the alley and hid in the entryway grotto of the China Gem Company, my heart pounding with hope that he would chase us.

This quote proves that Waverley is one looking for adventure, even if it means that she has to be a little bit mischievous around tourists.

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"Then I ran off with my friends shrieking with laughter as we scampered across the alley and hid in the entryway grotto of the China Gem Company, my heart pounding with hope that he would chase us."

This quote shows that Waverly is able to make the best out of her social class. Where some people would think she and her family are poor, she disagrees and is happy with her life. She puts fun and adventure first, seeing them as more valuable than materialistic objects. Millennials nowadays rely on technology and social media as a form of entertainment whereas Waverly is able to have fun without either of those things. Where we would say “LOL” behind screens with barely even a smile, Waverly and her friends actually laugh together, scampering with their hearts pounding. Through this quote, the author is able to convey that nothing can compare to genuine human connection and adventure, not even luxury or wealth.

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"chines people do many things, Chinese people do business, do medison, do painting. not lazy like American people. we do torture. best torture. "

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"A bobby pin was wedged between her lips. She wetted her palm and smoothed the hair above my ear, the pusged the pin so that it was nicked sharply against my scalp."

This quote shows the dance mom like character of Ma. For dancers, especially ballet dancers it is very typical for our mothers to do the same exact thing described above whenever we perform or have an exam. A bobby pin would always be involved, a lot of hair gel and the somehow necessary contact of the pin against the scalp. During this process it seems as though the mother does not care, they just go very fast and it is easy to understand why Waverly would be prompted to ask her mom, "Ma, what is Chinese torture?" as this is happening because I too sometimes wonder why my mom is so mad at me whenever I used to get my hair done as a dancer even though she was not.

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"My mother named me after the street that we lived on: Waverly Place Jong, my official name for important American documents."

I think that this tells us about the characters name choice. The mother chose a name that would be appropriate for the American documents. They might not be American natives.

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"Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not like lazy American people. We do torture. Best torture."

This quote by Ma shows that she is a very strong-minded character who looks upon the Chinese culture highly.

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"Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like American people. We do torture. Best torture."
This quote signifies the mother's personality. It sparks the word 'favouritism', in my opinion. It shows that this woman is a biased lady herself which results into speculations of making me think that she is THAT typical Chinese mother.

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"When he smiled and asked me what they served, I shouted,"Guts and duck's feet and octopus gizzards! Then I ran off with my friends, shrieking with laughter...my heart pounding with hope that he would chase us."

This text shows adds to Waverly's character, where in addition to her being adventurous (the best playground...was the dark alley); she is also rather mischievous.

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"After he took the picture, I told him he should go into Hong Sing's and eat dinner. When he smiled and asked me what they served, I shouted,

"Guts and duck's feet and octopus gizzards!"

Then I ran off with my friends, shrieking with laughter as we scampered across the alley and hid in the entryway grotto of the China Gem Company, my heart pounding with hope that he would chase us."

this shows that she has a rather mischievous childhood. very different from what the usual Chinese stereotype of how Chinese have to be proper and polite

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"Some boy in my class said Chinese people do Chinese torture." "Chinese people.do many things," she said simply. "Chinese people do business, do medicine, do

painting. Not lazy like American people. We do torture. Best torture."

This quote shows the view that the mother or the chinese community has on Americans and vise versa. They both have a negative perspective of one another.

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"Chinese people.do many things," she said simply. "Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like American people. We do torture. Best torture."

This quote tells us that the mom is proud of her Chinese background, and doesn't let people get to her. She is a strong-minded person.

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"I was the youngest, the only daughter."

With this statement, it can start to show why she is the way she is. This meaning that there is a reason why she likes dark allies and why she is "sly." The reasoning behind this could be that she has only her brothers as an older influence or it could push the idea of how her mother is the only female role model in her life.

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"Chinese people.do many things," she said simply. "Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like American people.

This shows that in the Chinese community, Americans are seen as lazy, while the chinese are seen as people who do many things.

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The setting of this story is sightly stereotypical, with it being set in China Town, above some type of restaurant, with the mother and father supporting their children as best as they could so that they may not experience poverty. And a strong and independent Chinese son/daughter going through life's challenges

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1. "Then I ran off with my friends, shrieking with laughter as we sea,pered across the alley and hid in the entryway grotto of the China Gem Company, my heart pounding with hope that he would chase us."

This particular quote shows portrays the main character, Waverly as a mischievous and sly character. She wants to have fun and create some laughter. She is a cheeky little girl who finds joy in pranking others. She was the main person out of all her friends to be the one who screams out "Guts and duck's feet and octopus gizzards!" a conclusion can be drawn that she may be the "clown" of the group meaning that no matter the situation, she can make a laugh out of it.

"I was annoyed, but I couldn't say anything."

This quote from Waverly proves that she is a respectful child who treats her mom well. Although at times her mom's words can seem odd and doesn't make sense, she remembers that as a part of the Chinese culture, respecting the elderly is a very vital part of the culture. She knows that her mom has authority above her and that her mom allowing her to go to chess tournaments is a privilege which may be taken away if she disrespects her mom. This adds on to her character that although she may seem as a mischievous person, she knows when she has to be serious and act mature. She knows that her young age will not be an excuse for disrespect.

3. My parents made many concessions to allow me to practice...But there was one duty I couldn't avoid. I had to accompany my mother on Saturday market days when I had no tournament to play.
This quote shows that Waverly's parents are fully supportive of Waverly's success in chess tournaments. They even made many concessions which gave her more freedom with her life.

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"Then I ran off with my friends, shrieking with laughter as we scampered across the alley and hid in the entryway grotto of the China Gem Company, my heart pounding with hope that he would chase us".

This quotes shows how Waverly was mischievous which contrasts the personality of the mother who is very strict and orderly.

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In this story, it shows us the difference between American born Chinese (Meimei) and Chinese fresh of the boat like Meimei`s mum.

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1. "Then I ran off with my friends, shrieking with laughter as we scampered across the alley and hid in the entryway grotto of the China Gem Company, my heart pounding with hope that he would chase us"

This quote shows that the character is a very mischievous kid. She looks for trouble, yet she doesn't runaway from it. She feels pleased if the owner of the restaurant runs after her angrily.

2. "But my family called me Meimei, "Little sister." I was the youngest, the only daughter"

This quote proves the fact that she's very cared for in the family, because she's the only girl out of all her siblings. Even in Chinese cultures, they prefer to have a son instead of a daughter, her family really cares for her. This is shown in the next few lines of the story where her mother kind of 'spoiled' her. Instead of letting Waverly tie her hair on her own, Waverly's mom ties it for her.

3. "She grasped my hand even tighter as she glared at me. I looked down"

Just like other Chinese parents, Waverly's mother is perhaps a bit competitive considering she wants her daughter to look like she's the best. Therefore, she shows off about her daughter to every single people she crossed paths with. This show's Meimei/ Waverly's embarassment. Not because she's embarassed that Ma's her mom, its because she doesn't think so good of herself. When Ma shows off about Waverly being  her daughter, she feels bad.

4. "Chinese people do business, do medicine, do painting. Not lazy like American people. We do torture. Best torture."

Maybe, in this quote, the author is trying to show Ma's biased side. Where she's just an immigrant who lived in Chinatown of San Fransisco, though she lives in San Fransisco, she still feels like Chinese people has the best rules to the game of LIFE. Where Ma says that Chinese people do a lot of things that provides them, meanwhile Americans are lazy people who ask other peoples to do work for them.

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"The best playground, however, was the dark alley itself. It was crammed with daily mysteries and adventures."
This quote, opens up to the character's twist of personality. It shows the two sides of her life of a Chinese living in the states, where at home she lives under asian influence, but outside she experiences culture shock.

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"My mother imparted her daily truths so she could help my older brothers and me rise above our
circumstances"

This text tells us that their mother is aware of the vulnerable situation their family is in and is trying to warn them by giving advices and daily truths"

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"I was six when my mother taught me the art of invisible strength."

From this quote, we think that the "art of invisible strength" is a message or a theme will come into the story later on. We think that it could possibly be a foreshadow as to something that could happen later on in the story relating to a moment that she may possibly need to use the "art of invisible strength" that her mother taught her when she was six. This could also relate to the social status of the family and could be a red herring to display their social status subtly. It could show their social status by how her mother is trying to teach her a lesson as well as trying to make her stronger because of their social status, it could cause problems which could relate to the foreshadowing.

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"My bowl was always full, three five-course meals every day, beginning with a soup of mysterious things I didn't want to know the names of."

Although their social status may be poor, she seems to have a lot of meals to keep her full. I do not know the size of the meal, but 3 5-course meals does seem like a lot to me. She has the daily needs met. They are comfortable with how they are living. Since they are poor, but still have 15 courses of food a day, the mysterious things are probably food scraps or sth.

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"I didn't think  we were poor, My bowl was always full, 3 five course meals everyday"

This quote tells us that even though the mom and dad are not living comfortably they are trying the best they can to provide. Knowing this is also tells us that even though someone doesn`t have money they can still be happy.

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"My brothers and I would peer into the medicinal herb shop watching old Li dole out onto a stiff sheet of white paper....."
Based on this, it means that it might mean one of them is sick.

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"The best playground, however, was the dark alley itself. It was crammed with daily mysteries and adventures."

From this quote, we can see the main protagonist's character as one who is adventurous and curious. As a reader, it may seem alarming that the child chooses a dark alley as her "playground," however it goes to show her inquisitive nature.

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"Wise guy, he not go against wind. In Chinese we say, Come from South, blow with wind-poom!- North will follow. Strongest wind cannot be seen."

This shows how the mother has a sense of responsibility towards her children. She seems to try her best to help her children out even though sometimes she does not know what to say.

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With this story, let's practive HOLDING OUR THINKING by taking notes on what we're reading.

(1) At the end of each page, stop and quote one or two sentences about either  Waverly or Ma.

(2) Then go on to explain what conclusions you can draw about their characters.

(3) Bonus goes to those who can correctly use literary terms such as static, dynamic, round, flat, trope, motivation to discuss the characters. Or, you can discuss the author's method of characterization (looks, speech, effect on others, actions, thoughts).