Landan Rivers: Blog Option 4

            In Amy Tan’s “The Rules of the Game,” young Waverly Place finds herself passionate about chess – typically considered a masculine game that requires too much logic and reasoning for a girl to understand. Even though she proves herself an apt competitor, she is at a disadvantage from the get-go because society had a negative perception of girls playing chess. When she first walked up and asked the men if they would like to play, one of them responded “Little sister, been a long time since I play with dolls.” This exemplifies the idea that people have idea of what little girls should be doing, and playing a boys game is not one of them.

            While I must admit to having never played chess in my entire life, I have been judged and have been placed at disadvantages solely because of my position in life. I lived a pretty traditional life in high school – I was a white female, had lived in the same town my entire life, was involved in a couple of clubs, and liked to do typical teenager activities. The difference, however, was that I was homeschooled. For me, homeschool provided me with the opportunity to travel while still getting an education. It seemed like a no-brainer that it was the best option and I never viewed it negatively. However, when it came to college, the fact that I was homeschooled made my life different, particularly when getting into college.

            I look at chess competitions like getting into college – it’s easy to prove yourself once you’re there, but getting there can be difficult. While Waverly was met with opposition when she first started playing, as she won games she was able to move up into higher tournaments. You don’t win games to get into colleges, you win GPAs, SATs, rankings, and recommendations. Homeschooled kids don’t have a lot of those things – and it’s just made worse by the fact that those we do have aren’t regarded as highly because “homeschool is easier than public school.”

            Like Waverly, however, I was able to prove my skills and ended up getting into the schools I applied to. It became necessary for me to ignore what I didn’t have, and play up the attributes I did – like the fact that I had to be organized and was used to being my only motivator and not having others remind me of due dates.  I believe that when people are at a disadvantage, they work that much harder to show how successful they can be. For Waverly, and for me, proving to others that you can do anything you set you mind to means not giving up, even when you are at a disadvantage from the get-go.