Fences, By August Wilson
Characters & Characterization:
The Protagonist is Troy. Troy Maxson was a strong, hard working African American man who works at the Sanitation department, lifting garbage into trucks but then he got a promotion. Troy’s promotion was to drive the Sanitation truck. Troy is the husband of Rose, is the father to Lyons, Cory, Raynell and the older brother of Gabriel. The conflicts that Troy had faced was to force Cory to quit the football team and he cheated on his wife with a women named Alberta.
The Antagonist is Alberta. Alberta is Troy’s lover and they met in Tallahassee. Troy cheated on his wife Rose with Alberta because of this affair it caused problems in Rose and Troy’s marriage. Alberta dies while giving birth to her daughter Raynell and Troy is the father to Raynell.
The Antagonist is Alberta. Alberta is Troy’s lover and they met in Tallahassee. Troy cheated on his wife Rose with Alberta because of this affair it caused problems in Rose and Troy’s marriage. Alberta dies while giving birth to her daughter Raynell and Troy is the father to Raynell.
Setting:
Setting Time:1957-1965
Setting Place: The yard and porch of the Maxson house.
State the importance of the setting:The Porch of the Maxson house is were Bono and Troy will spend every Friday sitting, drinking, talking about their lives, and taking about their jobs. The Yard of the Maxson house is where Troy and Cory will have their arguments about Cory wanting to be on the football team.
Vocabulary:
1- Alfalfa: A southwest Asian perennial herb (Medicago sativa) having compound leaves with three leaflets and clusters of usually blue-violet flowers. It is widely cultivated as a pasture and hay crop.
2- Irrespective: Characterized by disregard; heedless.
3- Madder: A southwest Asian perennial plant (Rubia tinctorum) having small yellow flowers, whorled leaves, and a red root.
4- Tallahasee: The capital of Florida, in the northwest part of the state. Originally a Native American village, it was settled by the Spanish after 1539 and founded as the capital of the Florida Territory in 1824. Population: 159,000.
5- Vulgar: Crudely indecent.
1- Alfalfa: A southwest Asian perennial herb (Medicago sativa) having compound leaves with three leaflets and clusters of usually blue-violet flowers. It is widely cultivated as a pasture and hay crop.
2- Irrespective: Characterized by disregard; heedless.
3- Madder: A southwest Asian perennial plant (Rubia tinctorum) having small yellow flowers, whorled leaves, and a red root.
4- Tallahasee: The capital of Florida, in the northwest part of the state. Originally a Native American village, it was settled by the Spanish after 1539 and founded as the capital of the Florida Territory in 1824. Population: 159,000.
5- Vulgar: Crudely indecent.
Plot:
Its Friday, good friends Troy and Bono are at Troy's house. It is also payday for the two men. Troy and Bono are drinking and talking about their job as garbage men. Troy wants to be a driver not garbage men. Bono also thinks that Troy is cheating on Rose with a women named Alberta. Troy and Rose are arguing about letting Cory do what he wants to do. Troy wants Cory to get out of the football team and go work at the A&P Supermarket. Rose wants Cory to do what he wanted to do, which was letting Cory to be part of the football team and Cory will have to work on weekends at the A&P Supermarket. Troy tells Rose that he is going to be a father. He was going to have a baby with another women named Alberta. Rose is mad that he did that and they were married for 18 years. Rose tells Troy that Alberta died while giving birth and he has a baby girl. Rose takes Raynell as her own child but refuses to be Troy's wife. Cory leaves Troy's house for good. Troy dies due to a heart attack. Cory comes home from the Marines and reunites with the Maxson family. Cory finally respects his father. Cory and Raynell sings the blue song that Troy will always sing.
Its Friday, good friends Troy and Bono are at Troy's house. It is also payday for the two men. Troy and Bono are drinking and talking about their job as garbage men. Troy wants to be a driver not garbage men. Bono also thinks that Troy is cheating on Rose with a women named Alberta. Troy and Rose are arguing about letting Cory do what he wants to do. Troy wants Cory to get out of the football team and go work at the A&P Supermarket. Rose wants Cory to do what he wanted to do, which was letting Cory to be part of the football team and Cory will have to work on weekends at the A&P Supermarket. Troy tells Rose that he is going to be a father. He was going to have a baby with another women named Alberta. Rose is mad that he did that and they were married for 18 years. Rose tells Troy that Alberta died while giving birth and he has a baby girl. Rose takes Raynell as her own child but refuses to be Troy's wife. Cory leaves Troy's house for good. Troy dies due to a heart attack. Cory comes home from the Marines and reunites with the Maxson family. Cory finally respects his father. Cory and Raynell sings the blue song that Troy will always sing.
2 Quotes:
"Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in.”
This quote means that fences are build for two reasons. One reason for building fences is to keep certain people out. The fences are used as a border to make people stay out of their property. To make non wanted visits and strangers to stay out. The second reason for building fences is to keep certain people in. The fences are used as a border as will in this situation. To keep family, friends and extended family to stay close and safe.
"You can't visit the sins of the father upon the child."
This quote means that the bad things that the father has done has nothing to do with the child. The child did nothing wrong. The father and the child are not the same person they are two different people. The child shouldn’t be blamed for the father’s wrong doing. As much has you hate what the father has done you must give the child a chance.
Conflicts:
The conflicts that the Maxson family faced were internal. The conflicts were internal because each of the members of the Maxson family faced a problem internal. Troy faced the problem with telling his wife that he cheated on her with another women. Rose faced the problem that Troy cheated on her with another wife and how to cope with this problem. Cory faced the problem that Troy didn’t want him to play on the football team and Troy wanted Cory to work at the A&P Supermarket. The member in the Maxson family that had external conflicts was Gabriel. Gabriel was a soldier in World War II, he got a head injury while in the war which required him to get a mental plate in his head and left him with having mental problems.
Themes:
Death: Death had a little role in the book Fences with Troy. Troy said that he had faced death he had said “That death ain’t nothing” and he “done seen him.” Troy says that he had talk with death, Troy will call he Mr. Death. Troy will say that death will bring his army to get him they were marching straight at him like soldiers in a parade. Troy said that he looked dead in the eyes of death because the bible said that you have to be vigilant. Troy wrestled with death for three day and three nights. Troy will all ways say that “Death ain’t nothing but fastball on the outside corner.”
History: History also plays a little role in the book Fences with Troy, Cory and Lyons. When Troy was little he played baseball. Troy wanted to play baseball in the Major leagues but he couldn’t because he was a colored man. During that time colored men couldn’t play Baseball and Football. During the time Cory was in High School times had changed, that colored boys are playing ball now. They are playing Baseball and Football. Cory can see why Troy is so hard on him. Troy had a hard childhood, his father was mean and abused Troy. He had no mother going up. In this situation Lyons had the same experience when he was little. Lyons grow up without Troy around because Troy was in jail.
Death: Death had a little role in the book Fences with Troy. Troy said that he had faced death he had said “That death ain’t nothing” and he “done seen him.” Troy says that he had talk with death, Troy will call he Mr. Death. Troy will say that death will bring his army to get him they were marching straight at him like soldiers in a parade. Troy said that he looked dead in the eyes of death because the bible said that you have to be vigilant. Troy wrestled with death for three day and three nights. Troy will all ways say that “Death ain’t nothing but fastball on the outside corner.”
History: History also plays a little role in the book Fences with Troy, Cory and Lyons. When Troy was little he played baseball. Troy wanted to play baseball in the Major leagues but he couldn’t because he was a colored man. During that time colored men couldn’t play Baseball and Football. During the time Cory was in High School times had changed, that colored boys are playing ball now. They are playing Baseball and Football. Cory can see why Troy is so hard on him. Troy had a hard childhood, his father was mean and abused Troy. He had no mother going up. In this situation Lyons had the same experience when he was little. Lyons grow up without Troy around because Troy was in jail.
Literary Elements:
Suspense: a state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome, usually accompanied by a degree of apprehension or anxiety.
On Page 3-4 Bono and Troy were talking and drinking because it is Friday and it is their ritual. While their talking Bono starts to think that something is going on with Troy and a women named Alberta. Troy has been eyeing her and buying her drinks. Troy has also been walking to Alberta’s house when he is suppose to be at Taylor’s. This makes you wonder what is going between Troy and Alberta. Then on Pages 61-64 Bono finds out that Troy and Alberta were fooling around because Alberta is pregnant and Troy is the father.
Characterization: portrayal; description
On Page 8-9 you can understand why Troy is the way he is. Troy is a strong and hard working African American man. The reason he is that because of what happened when he was young. When Troy was young he played Baseball and he wanted to play in the major league but he couldn’t because colored were not allowed to play. So, Troy couldn’t play in the Major League, he had to find a job and had to face reality. That is the reason why he is so hard on Cory with the football team and Lyons with his music.
Imagery: the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things, or of such images collectively.
On Page 64-72 Rose and Troy were talking about what happened with Gabriel and how he got arrest. Next it went to on to getting lunch and then it went to Troy telling Rose that he is going to be a father, which led them into arguing about Troy’s affair. Finally Troy grabs Rose arm and starts hurting her. Cory comes and tries helping Rose out by punching out Troy, which led to Cory getting strike two. The dialogue that happened in these pages were so believable that I can see Rose and Troy talking, then arguing with each other. I can also see Cory trying to help Rose when Troy grab her arm, Cory punching out Troy and Troy saying “Strike two.”
Annotated Bibliography:
Wilson, August, Fences. New York : New American Library, 1986
Fences is a powerful and dramatic play that August Wilson won is first Pulitzer Prize. Troy Maxson is strong, hard working man that faces a hardship life that in a world he never knew well and to a wife and son that he doesn’t understand as well too. Troy faces problems like everyone of us face with in everyday life.
Fences is a powerful and dramatic play that August Wilson won is first Pulitzer Prize. Troy Maxson is strong, hard working man that faces a hardship life that in a world he never knew well and to a wife and son that he doesn’t understand as well too. Troy faces problems like everyone of us face with in everyday life.
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