Fences by August Wilson: How?

Fences by August Wilson


Figurative Language (language that isn’t meant to be taken literally: metaphor, simile, symbol, hyperbole, rhetorical question, euphemism, irony, metonymy, personification, paradox, etc.)

• Motifs: One of the motifs seen in this story is death. Personification is used to describe death for Troy states, "Death ain't nothing to play with. And I know he's gonna get me". As if death was actually a person. Throughout the story Troy brings up death. Another motif includes baseball. Troy continually mentions baseball and uses it as a metaphor for his life. When he tells Rose that he is cheating on her he describes it like he was stuck on first base and wanted to steal second base. Another motif includes growth. Each character develops and Rose takes the qualities of an actual rose for she is a beautiful woman who protects her family.
• Symbols: The most important symbol has to be fences. The fence that Troy and Cory build can symbolize Rose's love and protection for her family. For it holds them in. However, the fence can also symbolize keeping people out and pushing people away. For Troy seems to be pushing away his loved ones and forming a barrier around himself. Also trains can be seen as a symbol . Towards the end of the story Troy is singing a song, "Please Mr. Engineer". Trains can represent entering a new event in life.

The elements of drama we drew up in class.

In class we came up with a list of why we should study drama as well as how we should approach it differently than other types of literature.

• Why we should study drama:

1. Illustrates aspects of humanity-message conveyed through speech and body only : Even though we read the story, it was written to be performed. Thus, the interactions that occurred between all of the characters help develop the characters. Thus, every time Troy would say something absurd Rose would pretty much tell him that he was crazy. So from this we could see that Rose was a down to earth person. Thus, we get a great sense of what these people are like.
2. pure: derived from spoken word--dialogue-based, interpretive: From reading the play we we were not given a lot of description of these characters at all. Thus, we had to learn about them through their dialogue and their interactions with other people. However, each person still interprets the character differently. Thus, there these more room for people to view the characters. Depending on who was reading a specific idea was formed about the characters.
3. actions speak louder than words: drama = words + action : Seeing something done or even said by a person creates a real feelings. In this class we did not see the play performed but we did get to hear somebody else read it. Thus, it made it more real instead of just listening to it in our own heads. These people became their characters.

• How must we approach it differently?

1. patience: At the beginning of fences we were thrown into this conversation where we new nothing about these characters. However, after listening what Troy had to say we could see that he had been through a lot in his life and that he was kind of biter about it. However, we still did not know everything about him, so it really takes a lot of patience to get to know the characters.
2. italics (e.g. "speaking abruptly") : Even if the play is not being performed you are still able to receive the same affect by looking at things such as words in italics. These words can bring a whole new meaning to the word itself. In this story when Troy would be mad the text would take on a new meaning.

Fences by August Wilson: So what?

Fences by August Wilson

So what?

Important characters(characteristics, appearance, thoughts, actions, speech, what other characters say, character development)

• Troy Maxson: Is the main character in this play. He is an African American man who seems to come off as a jerk. He is mean to Cory for playing football because he seems to be threatened that Cory could have a better life than him. He is always saying that his family does not appreciate him enough for putting a roof over their heads and giving them food to eat. Also when his wife Rose confronts he defends it. He says that he felt trapped in his marriage and basically said that there was nothing wrong with what he did. Thus, he really comes off as a jerk and his family believes that he is. He also seems to be trapped in his own world for he describes how he met death and he always is creating stories. Troy seems to have conflict with every other character in the story.
• Rose Maxson: Is the wife of Troy. She is almost opposite of Troy for she seems to be more down to earth and is very supportive of their sons Cory and Lyons. Rose is a nurturing, loving, kind woman who hopes that her children will have the best future possible. She is just an amazing woman that even though her husband got another woman pregnant and then was left with the child when the woman passed on, Rose still took the child as her own.
• Cory Maxson: Is the son of Troy and Rose. As a senior in high school he receives good grades and is a great football player. Throughout out the play it seems that he develops into a young man for he realizes what he wants in life and is not going to let his father tell him what he should do with his life. He ends up going into the marines and when he comes back at the end of the story he originally was not going to go to his father's funeral, but Rose convinces him to go.
• Gabriel Maxson: Is the brother of Troy. He was a solider during World War II and received a head injury, causing him to have to get a medal plate put in his head. It seems that Troy takes advantage of his brother because since Gabe is injured he receives money from the government which Troy uses some to pay for his house. Gabe believes that he is the angel who opens the gates of heaven with his trumpet for Saint Peter on judgement day. Even though Gabe seems to be a hassle for Troy he is an enjoyable character because of his childlike personality. He likes to please people and does not like it when people are mad at him.
• Jim Bono: Is Troy's best friend. He knows Troy very well and admires him for his hard work. He is a great friend and he tells Troy that what he was doing to Rose was wrong which caused some tension with their relationship. Throughout the story it seems that Bono becomes less close to Troy. Originally at the beginning of the story they were really close but by the end he really didn't want to hang out with Troy anymore.
• Lyons Maxson: Is the son of Troy who is a musician and very free-spirited. Troy believes that Lyons only comes by when he wants money. Troy also does not support Lyons with being a musician. Like Cory he is not very close with his dad.

Essential Plot Elements (introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement)

• Introduction: The beginning of the story starts on a Friday which is Troy's payday. He is in the backyard drinking and talking with Bono. Bono believes that Troy is cheating on his wife Rose. Troy also talks about work and how black men are not allowed to drive garbage trucks. Soon Rose and Lyons join the conversation where Lyons comes to ask for money.
• Rising Action: Cory and Troy work on the fence in the back yard and Cory tells Troy that he had quit his job for football season and that a college coach was coming to see if Cory would play for his team, which Troy is not happy at all and he tells him that he has to get his job back. Then Bono and Troy are talking together again and Cory learns that is father told the coach that Cory would not play for them. Bono also talks to Troy about him cheating on Rose and he admits it.
• Climax: Troy tells Rose that he is cheating on her and that his mistress was pregnant.
• Falling Action: Troy's mistress dies giving labor and Rose ends up taking the place of mother for the child. Troy and Cory get in a fight when Cory states that his house should actually be Gabes' for he was spending his money on the house.
• Denouement: It is eight years later and Troy his dead. Everyone comes together and Gabe is released from the hospital where he blows his trumpet but nothing comes out so he starts to dance and cry out and then the gates of heaven open.

Setting (place, time, mood, weather, social conditions)

• Fences takes place during the 1950's in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Most of the scenes take place at Troy's house inside or in his backyard. The story make the readers question the characters and I felt that the overall story was very serious. Since during this time period racism is an issue, the readers can tell throught the story this conflict. Troy lives in not the greatest area and in his job their is racism because he is African American. Originally he is unable to be a garbage man driver because he was African American. Thus, this can describe why Troy may be the way he is. He has grown up having to work hard and prove himself because of his color. Especially being a baseball player.

Central Conflicts (internal or external)

• Throughout this play there is a lot of conflict. First of all, some external, conflicts can include the arguments that Troy has with Rose over his affair, as well as the arguments Troy has with Cory about playing football. Also Troy has conflict with Lyons over being a musician and what he was doing with his life. Troy also has conflict with Bono for Bono believes in being loyal to his wife and does not agree with Troy when he is cheating on Rose. An example of internal conflict in this play can be at the end of the story when Cory does not want to go to his father's funeral. He believes that if he does not go to his father's funeral, then he would not have the shadow of his father over him. However, Rose does not agree with that and convinces Cory to come.

Major Themes (central message, controlling idea, important insight about humanity) :

• Throughout this story there are many different themes. One of them can be the idea of coming of age. At the beginning of the story Bono and Troy discuss their childhoods and how they got to where they are now. Also we are able to see Cory and Lyons and how they have grown up. Cory really has different opinions than his dad and wants different things. We can see that the way a person grows up really affects how they are as people. For example, Lyons grew up really with just his mom while Troy was in jail and thus he believes that he has the right to make his own decisions without Troy's help. Then there is Cory who it is hard for him because Troy does not support him. He has this great opportunity but he has to really become a man without his father their to guide him.
• Another theme I saw is how the way people interpret the past affects the way the look at the future. Even though it may seem like Troy does not care what happens to Cory, he just does not want his son to have to go through what he had to. He focused so much on sports and then had a lot of trouble trying to be a professional athlete. However, Cory believes that time had changed and that he would not have to worry about the discrimination as he became a professional athlete. Thus, the way that they see the past affects how they feel about the future.
• An important insight about society is that every one has a different views about life. Troy has such extreme views I feel that is why he did not meet eye to eye with most people. Troy lives his life as a baseball game, where his sons believe in following their own paths. Thus, sometimes we should not judge people on how they are because maybe their view on life is just differently.

Emotion (Why are you moved by the story?)

• I am moved by the story because I almost wanted to like Troy but he kept coming off as such a jerk that I could not seem to like him. Though then I felt bad for him because he really didn't have anyone who loved him. Also I am moved by the end of the story where Gabe "opens" the gates of heaven. I was moved by this because the whole time Gabe was just crazy but the end leaves the readers open with the idea that maybe he wasn't as crazy as we thought.