In the short story “Rules of the Game” by Amy Tan‚ Waverly Jong‚ the narrator‚ explains that she was a child when her mother taught her "the art of invisible strength‚" a strategy for winning arguments and gaining respect from others in games. Waverly and her two brothers live in San Francisco’s Chinatown. When Waverly’s brother Vincent receives a chess set at the church Christmas party‚ Waverly quickly becomes interested in the game of chess. She begins to win local tournaments and becomes a national
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Character Analysis In “Two Kinds‚” the main character‚ Jing-mei‚ is portrayed as a skeptical‚ independent‚ and strong-willed young girl. These attributes are shown through her lack of faith in herself and her disobedience towards her mother. The first sign of Jing-mei’s skepticism is when she becomes impatient with the prodigy inside her. In fact‚ she imagines her inner prodigy telling herself that‚ “‘If you don’t hurry up and get me out of here‚ I’m disappearing for good”’ (Schilb & Clifford 241)
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“Mittens!” Amy said angrily and Mittens glanced up at her. “Why are you doing this?” Amy questioned Mittens like she would answer her. Then Amy rushed to get the broom and dust pan. Amy swept up all the glass. She walked carefully back to the kitchen to the trash can then set the broom and dust pan down. As soon as she walked into the room- screech-screech - Amy ran back to the room once again. Then she grabbed the glass that Mittens was pushing to the edge of the table and set it in the middle of
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Analyzing a short story The basic components of a short story 1. Plot (introduction‚ conflict‚ climax‚ resolution ) The sequence of events or incidents of which the story is composed. In the plot there may be diffferent kinds of conflicts (person agains person – person agains environment – person against him/herself). Artistic unity is essential to a good plot ; nothing irrelevant should be there that does not contribute to the total meaning.
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the Face of Adversity In the short stories Borders and Two Kinds‚ there are strong characters who find themselves dealing with difficult expectations from different aspects of their lives. Through the experiences of the characters‚ one learns that true purpose and identity is found through facing adversity‚ not conforming to how others think they should act. The characters that illustrate this phenomenon are Jing Mei in Two Kinds‚ and the mother in Borders. In Two Kinds‚ Jing Mei’s mother is convinced
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Terrified This short story is called Terrified‚ it is written by C.B. Gilford. This title name gives readers a large attention‚ and this title name is very suitable for this short story‚ because if you were one of the characters in the story you would be a lot more than terrified. This story has four characters‚ Paul Santin‚ Vince‚ Arlene‚ which are both teenagers‚ about 16-18 years old‚ and the policeman. The main character is Paul Santin‚ he is the main point of this story. This story is about a person
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Essay Comparing and Contrasting “Two Kinds” vs. “Blue Winds Dancing” While both of these stories have different themes regarding cultural issues‚ the characters involved similarly have their own reasons that compel them to oppose their individual situations. In Amy Tan’s “Two Kinds” and in Tom Whitecloud’s “Blue Winds Dancing”‚ both narrators choose nonconformity regarding their unique situations‚ but have different motivations for doing so. In “Two Kinds”‚ the narrator struggles to be the ideal
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Short story is fictional work of prose that is shorter in length than a novel. Edgar Allan Poe‚ in his essay "The Philosophy of Composition‚" said that a short story should be read in one sitting‚ anywhere from a half hour to two hours. In contemporary fiction‚ a short story can range from 1‚000 to 20‚000 words. Because of the shorter length‚ a short story usually focuses on one plot‚ one main character (with a few additional minor characters)‚ and one central theme‚ whereas a novel can tackle multiple
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recital he is the only one who cheers enthusiastically. Father The narrator’s father makes only a token appearance in the story. He is not involved in the mother-daughter struggle over piano lessons. He does attend the recital; in fact‚ the narrator can’t tell if he is horrified or silently amused at her performance. Jing-mei Jing-mei is a rebellious child caught between two cultures: the Chinese culture that prevails in her mother’s home; and the American one that prevails everywhere else. She
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It was said by more than one author that the ‘golden age’ of the short story was the 1920s‚ and that although varied publications remain (The New Yorker‚ Myslexia‚ The Woman’s Weekly)‚ there is little opportunity in the modern age for the short story writer. Was this‚ as Kurt Vonnegut argued the result of television? Vonnegut claimed: When I started out it was possible to make a living as a freelance writer of fiction…because it was still the golden age of magazines‚ and it looked as though
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