Revision

English Literature
Year 8
Objectives
• To read, understand and respond to texts.
• To use textual references, including
quotations, to support and illustrate
interpretations.
• To analyse the language, form and structure
used by a writer to create meanings and
effects, using relevant subject terminology
where appropriate.
Success Criteria
Students will be able to:
• demonstrate a clear understanding of
the main themes and ideas in the text.
• accurately identify key events and
characters.
• provide a coherent summary of the
plot or key events.
 Starter
What is your favourite part of the story? Give three reasons for your
answer.
 Resources for plot summary
• https://www.storyboardthat.com/it/storyboards/cce5edf4/rule-of-the-game
• Summary—Waverly Jong: “Rules of the Game”
• Lindo’s daughter Waverly Jong says that when she was six, her mother taught her “the art of invisible strength,” a lesson that helped
her to become a child chess prodigy. She then begins the story of how her talent emerged: at Christmas, one of the members of the
Jongs’ church in Chinatown dressed as Santa Claus and handed out wrapped Christmas gifts, the donations of members of another
church. Waverly got a multipack box of Lifesavers, and one of her brothers got a secondhand chess set that was missing two pieces. By
offering two of her Lifesavers to stand in for the missing pieces, Waverly convinced her brothers, Winston and Vincent, to let her play.
The winner could eat both candies. Awestruck by what she deemed to be a sort of hidden power within each piece, Waverly closely
studied the dog-eared instruction booklet and borrowed chess strategy guides from the Chinatown library. She soon learned that the
game hinged on invisible strength in the form of secret traps and keen foresight. After her brothers lost interest in the game, Waverly
began playing with Lau Po, an old man who played chess in the park. He taught her many new strategies.
• Waverly began to attract attention because of her young age, and she became a celebrity within San Francisco’s Chinatown
community. She played in tournaments, and by the age of nine she had become a national champion, 429 points away from
grandmaster status. Lindo took great pride in her daughter’s talent, and although she gave her daughter preferential treatment, she
also made use of Waverly to feed her own self-pride. She would force Waverly to come to the market with her, presenting her in all the
shops. One day, exasperated, Waverly yelled at her mother in the street, telling her that she was embarrassed by her constant
bragging. Waverly ran off, ignoring her mother’s shouts; when she returned later that night, Lindo said that because Waverly had no
concern for her family, the family would have no concern for her. Waverly went into her room, lay down on the bed, and envisioned a
chess game in which her mother was her opponent. Lindo’s pieces were advancing across the board, pushing Waverly’s pieces off;
Waverly felt so dislodged that she had a feeling she would fly away; she felt she had lost her anchor. Waverly ends her story with the
statement, “I closed my eyes and pondered my next move.”
 Task – Answer the following questions.
1. What is the significance of the title "Rules of the Game"? How does it relate to the story?
2. Describe Waverly Jong's family and their background. How does their cultural heritage influence their lives?
3. What motivates Waverly to learn and excel at chess? How does she first get introduced to the game?
4. How does Waverly's relationship with her mother evolve throughout the story? Provide specific examples from the text.
5. What role does Chinatown play in Waverly’s upbringing and the story's setting? How does it contribute to the atmosphere of
the narrative?
6. Discuss the symbolic significance of chess in the story. How does it reflect Waverly's internal and external conflicts?
7. How does Waverly's mother react to her success in chess? What does this reveal about her character and values?
8. Identify and explain the central conflict in the story. How does this conflict drive the plot forward?
9. How does Waverly feel about the expectations placed on her by her family? How does she express these feelings?
10. What is the climax of the story? How does it impact Waverly and her relationship with her mother?
11. How does Amy Tan use cultural references and language to enrich the story? Provide examples of how these elements add
depth to the narrative.
12. What lessons does Waverly learn by the end of the story? How do these lessons shape her character?
Self Correction

• Answers posted in Edunation.

• For corrections use orange colour pen.

Exit Slip

• Share one lesson you learned from the story with your partner.