The strength in numbers
There are 16 pawns in chess.
Each player has a total of eight of their own, making them the most common chess piece in the game. With their frequency, pawns are often regarded as useless. When in reality, they are really one of the most important pieces on the board.
Chessmaster François-André Danican Philidor stated that, “to play the pawns well; they are the soul of chess: it is they which uniquely determine the attack and the defense, and on their good or bad arrangement depends entirely on the winning or losing of the game.”
Pawns are the weakest pieces because they can only go forward, making them vulnerable to attacks by an opponent and forcing them to rely on help from other pawns or other pieces. At the same time, this is what makes pawns so important because together, they can form a force as strong as a queen and determine the outcome of the game.
However, once a pawn becomes separated from the rest of the pieces, it forms a pawn-island, losing its strength. Once an individual becomes separated from their community, they too lose their strength.
Andrew X. Pham’s novel Catfish and Mandala reveals the dangers of when an individual, such as Minh Pham, disconnects from their established communities. Throughout his life, Minh experienced isolation from his family. His father had wanted a firstborn son and Chi was pressured to live up to his expectations, before making the decision to run away and return years later as Minh, a different person. Regardless of the warning signs of a suicide, his family thought of him as “Vietnamese, a survivor…[who was able to] walk through this fire alone” (Pham 299). Ultimately, Minh took his own life, unable to rejoin with his community.
Through Minh, the author illustrates how strength comes in numbers. Minh had no one to rely on when he needed it most because he was already too separated from his community that it was too hard to reconnect. Communities give people a sense of belonging that allows both the community and the individuals to grow. If Minh or the people around him had made a stronger effort to help him, he wouldn’t have felt like he didn’t have a home and permanently severed his connection with his community. Minh depicted how when faced with the decision to either stay or leave, one should stay in the community. In leaving, Minh “slipped away from us the way our birth-language slipped from our tongue, in bits, in nuances” (Pham 215). Individuality is not about just one person; things, like family, friends, and teachers, make up a person and while it is good to be different, being alone weakens an individual.
In his essay, Home at last, Dinaw Mengestu affirms the strength of communities. As an Ethiopian living in Kensington, New York, he has felt the effects of being cut off from his community, often acting as a bystander. Instead of walking alone, “each buried in deep thoughts that had nowhere to go…[Mengestu saw a] gathering of Kaistani and Bangladeshi men…[in a] makeshift reenactment of home” (Mengestu 340). Communities don’t always have to be rigid and traditional — they can be a new group of immigrants who just moved to a city. The importance of a community is that the individuals in it have others to depend on. Being a part of a community unites people, giving them the opportunity to connect with others and feel secure and safe. Big or small, communities uplift people to look at more than just themselves; in one, you protect and look out for others.
An Instagram graphic made by @MonaChalabi demonstrates how communities can make a big difference than just an individual. Playing the lottery costs money, has lower chances of winning, and only impacts one person but has a participation rate of 49%; in contrast, voting has a 59% rate. Between winning the lottery and voting, voting can change an entire country and everything it stands for. The odds of casting the decisive vote is only one in 60 million, making it challenging to change the world with just one vote. However, a community of many votes can swing an election in favor of another candidate. Voting recognizes the importance of strong communities that come with lots of individuals. Together, a community makes individuals a part of something greater than themselves. In the United States, the president doesn’t work to uphold the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. While he may be an influential figure, behind him is also the Senate, House of Representative, and Supreme Court that all contribute. In working together to achieve the same things, a community is strong.
Just as pawns find their strength in numbers, people find their strength in communities. So, while an individual can only do so much, a community has the power to truly make a difference.
Pham, Andrew X. Catfish and Mandala: a Two-Wheeled Voyage through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam. Flamingo, 2001.
Mengestu, Dinaw Home at Last. The Language of Composition, 2007.
Chalabi, Mona. Playing the Lottery vs. Voting.@MonaChalabi
