August Wilson’s Fences, is a play about family, duty and betrayal, which is presented through the experience that several characters face. Cory Maxson, Troy’s son, is determined to play college football and has high hopes for his future. But, his dream is interrupted when Troy decides that football is not right for him. Troy mentions that he’s got to “take the crookeds with the straights”. This phrase is repeated throughout the play and is mentioned by Troy and also by Lyons. Troy and Lyons are two people who verbally talk about taking the crooked with the straits, but, they also experience it. Taking the crookeds with the straights is an important aspect for developing self-determination, grit, and independence on the path to development. Furthermore, in my words, this phrase is saying that in order to endure the good, you have to go through the bad. There are many instances in the story where bad things happen, but it’s all for the good. …show more content…
For instance, I struggled with math a lot. Math is something I’m not good at, and at that time I was failing my math class. I couldn’t get anything right, and I was frustrated. I went to my teacher and friends for help, but still couldn't succeed. Not only that, but I continued to struggle, and I didn’t know how to fix my problem. I was in a pickle and felt like I could get out of it. I was a good student. Likewise, I listened to my teacher, I took notes, and I asked questions. Why could I not do well? I realized something different had to occur. Something that’ll help my troubles. What is the 'Standard'? I then figured out something that made me change my path. I knew I had to take the hard way and learn from my mistakes, which was to learn and study the math material on my own to fully understand what I was supposed to learn. It was hard to do so, but it was
The first time I read August Wilson's Fences for english class, I was angry. I was angry at Troy Maxson, angry at him for having an affair, angry at him for denying his son, Cory, the opportunity for a football scholarship.I kept waiting for Troy to redeem himself in the end of the play, to change his mind about Cory, or to make up with Ruth somehow. I wanted to know why, and I didn't, couldn't understand. I had no intention of writing my research paper on this play, but as the semester continued, and I immersed myself in more literature, Fences was always in the back of my mind, and, more specifically, the character of Troy Maxson. What was Wilson trying to say with this piece? The more that
August Wilson is a well-known playwright from the 1980s, in which he wrote and published the “Pittsburg Cycle”, a series of plays about struggling black families in the city. In Wilson’s 1983 play, “Fences”, the topics of oppression and betrayal are discussed through the trials of a family living in Pittsburg whom the odds are seemingly stacked against. This play was made into a movie, where the trials and tribulations of this family are brought to life. Troy and Rose, husband and wife of eighteen years, share one climatic scene in which all the issues they face bubble to the surface. In this scene, Wilson utilizes rhetorical strategies to enhance the emotional appeal for the audience.
Many individuals have found themselves putting up fences in their lives metaphorically and physically throughout their time being. In the play titled fences by August Wilson , some of its key characters put up fences within their lives figuratively speaking. August wilson uses the symbol of a fence in various occasions within the play. Characters lives mentioned change around the fence building project which serves as both a figurative symbol,representing the relationships that bond and break in the backyard. The fact that the character Rose Maxson wants the fence built adds significance to her character because she views the fence as something necessary and rather positive since she wants to keep her loved ones in. To her a fence is a symbol of her love and furthermore her motive for a fence signifies that she represents concepts such as nurturing and love within a safe environment.For troy the fence has a more symbolic definition since he keeps much of
In today 's society people have to deal with several issues that we can 't explain. For some of us we built fences to isolate ourselves from others or in some cases to protect ourselves. No matter what the issue is we, all have to struggle to be able to provide for our families. As a child I built fences when it came to my feelings. For example, growing up I was in the chunky side. Since I wasnt so skinny like the pretty girls in my class. I kinda isolated my self from the other students. That way my feelings wouldn 't get hurt. My fence was to protect me from what I thought was going to hurt me. Well the same thing happened to Troy Maxson. In the play, "Fences" written by the well-known playwright, August Wilson, is the story of Troy Maxson and his beloved family. Throughout the whole entire play, a fence is being built around the Maxson household. As the story unfolds to the viewers, the word fences may look like a simple title, but the truth is it has different symbolic meaning. The real definition of the word fence is revealed along with the personalities of the characters in the play. In "Fences", August Wilson uses different types of fences as a metaphor to explain how these people live.
We sometimes believe that by creating barriers around ourselves and the people we love, it will keep us safe and together. August Wilson is an African-American playwright from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania who was raised with his five brothers and sisters by his mother who worked hard to support them after his father, a white man left them. His mother found another man who also helped her raise them. In this time, it was very hard for African-Americans because it was the time when White Americans and African Americans where segregated. African-Americans were greatly discriminated and it was difficult for them to support their families because finding a job was difficult due to the racism, to be able to support their families they had to work
“Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in.” The play Fences by August Wilson, revolves around a middle aged man named Troy Maxson, who struggles to balance social injustice with his dramatic family life. Furthermore, Troy recalls his life as a baseball player, which was cut short due to racial backlash, leading to prominent rage within athletic endeavors. Wilson uses constant metaphors through Troy’s diction, in order to emphasize the power of his hardships and challenges. The fence is often shown during moments of anger, alluding to Troy’s overpowering character.
Entering The Conversation I will be writing my essay about critical analysis from various authors regarding August Wilson’s Fences. Fences is a play that follows an ex baseball player Troy Maxson who recently moved on from the Negro Leagues to work. In this essay, I will be looking at three critical pieces written about August Wilson’s Fences. First I’ll look at Joseph H.Wessling statement “Troy, for all his strengths, is flawed humanity in need of grace and forgiveness and explain why I agree with it. Next I’ll look at Sheri Metzger statement “The most prevalent image in August Wilson’s Fences is baseball” and explain why I agree with the statement.
Instructor: Reg. No: Date: Introduction Rose Lee is only one of the many women who lived their lives in devotion to her family but only ended up hurt by a turn of events that only leaves a different persona. Rose Lee, a protagonist in the `Fences` by August Wilson, is married to Troy, a hard man who is a garbage collector and a protester against discrimination of color at his place of work, due to his unfortunate past: A past that affects the present of Troy to an extent that he builds literal barriers between him and the family creating many differences, misunderstandings and even psychological emotions. Rose however, is a devotee who loves her husband to the point of imagining no survival without him. She dedicates her whole life to serving
Troy refuses to let him have his chance, stating, “The white man ain’t gonna let you
Fences by August Wilson is a play about the average life of a Black-American. The setting is in the 1950’s in Pittsburgh. The name of the main character is Troy and the Symbolism was the fence that was built for Rose. There are many social contexts within Fences, which include Racism, Poverty, Segregation, Segregation in athletics, Adultery, Illegal gambling, and Church. The historical contexts of this play include Jim Crow Laws and Discrimination.
In August Wilson's Fences, the portrayal of death serves as a tie between the emotional resonance of blues music and the societal constructs of the African American community in 1950s America. Both a Pulitzer Prize-winning play and a critically acclaimed novel adaptation, Fences stands as a profound exploration of African American life in 1950s America. Within the work, the character Troy Maxson emerges as a leading figure whose confrontation with the concept of death serves as a bridge between the emotional depth of blues music and the societal constructs shaping the lives of its characters. Through Troy's journey, Wilson navigates themes of responsibility, family dynamics, and self-realization, shedding light on the nuances of human relationships.
How would you feel if you witness that your life has been a complete failure? This is the question that Troy Maxson, the leading character in the drama Fences written by August Wilson, had to live with for the rest of his existence. It is the year of 1957 in Pittsburgh, where African descendants escaped from the savage conditions they had in the south. They were living in a world without freedom. While the play develops, the author shows the 1950s as a time when a new world of opportunities for blacks begin to flourish. As a consequence, Troy, who grew up in the time before this, felt like a complete stranger in his own land. Even though he was a responsible man, he had to live with a black hole of bitterness, and resentment that impeded
As with most works of literature, the title Fences is more than just a title. It could be initially noted that there is only one physical fence being built by the characters onstage, but what are more important are the ideas that are being kept inside and outside of the fences that are being built by Troy and some of the other characters in Fences. The fence building becomes quite figurative, as Troy tries to fence in his own desires and infidelities. Through this act of trying to contain his desires and hypocrisies one might say, Troy finds himself fenced in, caught between his pragmatic and illusory ideals. On the one side of the fence, Troy creates illusions and embellishments on the truth, talking about how he wrestled with death, his
Fences, a play written by August Wilson, is about how life was for African Americans in the late 1950’s. The play talks about how their race determined how people would treat them, where they could live, what kind of job they could have, and what kind of activities they could participate in. There is a character in the play, named Troy Maxson, who was a pervious baseball player in the Negro League Baseball, because of his race; he was not allowed to play in the Major League Baseball. Since Troy didn’t play baseball, he became a garbage handler in Pittsburg. He met his wife, Rose, and they had a child together. Troy ends up having an affair with a woman named, Roberta, and they conceived a child together. One of his sons, Cory, wants to play football when he attends college, but his father ruins that chance and turns down the offer before he could even make the decision. Troy worked hard to provide his family and did what he needed to make sure they survived, he thought by not allowing his son to play college football and making the decision for him would be best, and he also thought cheating on his wife would make him feel better. Troy did all of this because he felt like it was the correct thing to do in his circumstances.
The award winning play Fences is not just a work of fiction from the mind of August Wilson, but rather it is the reflections of a middle-aged man on his adolescent years. The majority of characters, places, and events are mirrored after real-life people, places, and history from Pittsburgh where Wilson grew up. Rather than creating a whole new world and characters for his third play, August Wilson infused his own personal childhood to form a story that could be related to by viewers and readers alike. Whether a Wilson consciously replicated elements of his history or not, the success of Fences, is due to the audience 's ability to relate to the characters and the circumstances of their lives.