Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Â
Fences By August Wilson
1. Fences by August Wilson
Fences, written by August Wilson, is a play about a man, named Troy, struggling to support his family during the late 1950's. In this play, we see
that Troy hurts the people closest to him. He has been uncaring towards his wife, Rose, his brother Gabriel and his son, Cory. This is because Troy
had nothing to go on but the harsh example set by his father. In Fences, Troy has felt like he has been fenced in all of his life, which causes him to
fence others in. Troy has felt fenced in all of his life for several reasons. First, he had to deal with a cruel and abusive father. Troy tells us a story
from when he was fourteen, "My daddy was looking for me. We down there by the creek enjoying ourselves when my daddy come up on us.
Surprised us. He had them leather straps off the mule and commenced to whupping on me . . . quite naturally I run to get out of the way"(52).
After the beating, Troy's father also raped the girl that Troy deeply cared for. Troy was afraid of his father until that moment. However, at that
moment, Troy believes he became a man. Troy said, "I picked up them same reins that he used on me. I picked up them same reins and commenced
to whupping on him"(52). The abuse of his father caused Roy to become a responsible, independent man. After Roy stood up for himself, he left
home and went to the city. Roy also felt fenced in in the city. Colored people couldn't get a job or find a place to live. Roy ended up living in shacks
made up of sticks and tarpaper under a
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
2. Essay on August Wilson's: "Fences"
August Wilson's: "Fences" In "Fences", August Wilson tells the story of an exânegro league baseball hero, Troy Maxon. Troy is a bitter man, withering
away in his own hatred for the way things "are", as well as his inability to see the world has changed. Troy has an "iron grip" on his family in the
beginning, however as the story progresses the family breaks loose of the physical and emotional ties that are holding them down. Wilson uses
character, setting, and symbolism to set the scene for Troy's inner torment. Through characterization Wilson introduces Troy. Troy is a garbage
collector. The year is 1957, which...show more content...
Cory has a chance at a football scholarship, and yet Troy refuses to let him have his chance, stating, "The white man ain't gonna let you get
nowhere with that football noway" (1591; act I; scene 3). While Troy's past experiences have shaped his opinions, there is definitely an element of
jealousy there as well, for the opportunities not offered him, but are being offered to Cory. In "Fertile ground: August Wilson's 'Fences'", Mollie
Wilson O'Reilly adds, "Resentment over having come along 'too early' to build a career in baseball as a black man keeps Troy from
acknowledging that conditions may ever be better for his son..." (O'Reilly). Troy is resistant to change. While a part of him is truly trying to help
Cory get into a profession that "...nobody can take away..." (1590; act I; scene 3), another part of him is obviously secretly jealous, trying,
essentially, to keep Cory down as he had been kept down for so many years. O'Reilly states, "Troy's life has been shaped by racial discrimination,
economic injustice, and an abusive upbringing" (O'Reilly). So, Troy is in fact trying to break the cycle of abuse and
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
3. Fences by August Wilson Essay
In the play Fences, which was written by August Wilson, Bono, Gabe, and Alberta are all very important people in Troy's life. Bono is Troy's best
friend, and through him the reader learns that Troy is a very strong character. Through Gabe, people can see some of the guilt Troy has inside. Alberta
helped Troy escape from his problems, and have a few laughs every once in awhile. Each one of these characters tells the reader something different
about Troy.
Throughout the years, Bono has always been there for Troy. They have been friends for about eighteen years. Bono never hesitated to tell Troy
anything, especially his opinion on Alberta. "I know what Rose means to you, Troy I'm just trying to say I don't...show more content...
When Gabe said, "Got me two rooms. In the basement. Got my own door key too." (p.25) Troy felt very guilty. He could have used that money for
his own family. Also, almost weekly Troy had to pay $50 to get Gabe out of jail. Neighbors complained that he was disturbing the peace. Gabe added
to Troy's character tremendously.
Alberta is another character that helps reveal some of the complexities of Troy. Alberta is the woman with whom Troy had an affair. She helped Troy
escape from his everyday life problems. When asked about Alberta, Troy had replied, "She gives me a different understanding about myself. I can
step out of this house and get away from the pressures and problems...be a different man." (p.69) When he is with Alberta he feels that he does not
have anything to worry about. This is shown when Troy says, "I ain't got to wonder how I'm gonna pay the bills or get the roof fixed. I can just be
a part of myself I ain't never been." (p.69) Alberta also helped Troy realize the value of responsibility. When Alberta passed away, Troy was the only
one who originally had to take care of Raynell, until Rose said she would. Alberta was very important in this play.
Throughout this play, many of Troy's complexities are shown through other characters. Through Gabe, Bono,
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
4. Fences by August Wilson Essay
In the play, Fences, Troy seems to have a complicated relationship with every other character in the play. This applies especially to his relationship
with his son, Cory. Troy and Cory have many similarities and differences that complicate their relationship. There are many outside factors that also
make matters worse. One of the differences that complicate their relationship is that they have grown up in completely different time periods. A great
deal has happened between the times when Troy was growing to the time period that Cory is growing up in. This issue itself causes many other
concerns. For instance, Cory is a very talented athlete. He would like to play football in college and would probably receive a scholarship...show more
content...
Troy said Cory would be better off not going to football practice and working at the A&P store instead. Cory tries to reason with Troy by giving him
examples of how African American athletes can be successful, Cory says, "The Braves got Hank Aaron and Wes Covington. Hank Aaron hit two home
runs today. That makes fortyâthree." But still, Troy refuses to see any opportunity and tell Cory, "Hank Aaron ain't nobody." This situation makes
me wonder if he is actually scared that Cory will be an amazing athlete and will be better than him. Troy maybe jealous that his son has
opportunities to succeed that he never had, no matter how great of an athlete he was, he could have never made it to the pros because of his skin
color. Now his son is being recruited by professional teams to play for them. Troy may be against this because he doesn't want his son to be able
to live the dream that he was never able to live. This makes their father son relationship very interesting. It is said that fathers typically want their
sons to be better off then they are, especially not very wealthy people. You would think in this situation Troy would support Cory in what he wants to
do and be happy for him that he has such wonderful opportunities. Troy maybe be acting like this because Troy still lives in a dream world and still
thinks he a great base ball player. He has trouble accepting that his
Get more content on HelpWriting.net
5. Fences by August Wilson Essay
In Fences, August Wilson introduces an African American family whose life is based around a fence. In the dirt yard of the Maxson's house, many
relationships come to blossom and wither here. The main character, Troy Maxson, prevents anyone from intruding into his life by surrounding himself
around a literal and metaphorical fence that affects his relationships with his wife, son, and mortality.Throughout the play, readers see an incomplete
fence which symbolizes Rose (Troy's wife) and Troy's drifting relationship. Rose wants Troy and Cory to build a fence to keep her loved ones
protected. This is evident when Rose is seen singing the church hymn, "Jesus, be a fence all around me every day. Jesus, I want you to protect me as I
travel on...show more content...
Troy is entirely stubborn in his ways that he cannot see that times has changed. Since Troy was fenced out from playing professional baseball, he
fences Cory out of playing college football. Troy and Cory's relationship resembles the fence by its purpose and physical attribution. When it comes
to sports, they are separated by the different generations, but they come together because of their love of sports. Like a fence that is meant to
separate outsiders, but connected to bring together the fence. Troy and Cory's relationship continues to get pushed apart throughout the play. In Act
2, Scene 4 Troy and Cory get into a fight which leads Troy to state to Cory that his things will "be on the other side of that fence." When Troy kicks
Cory out onto the streets, the fence becomes an actual division between both of them. The two spend a lot of time building the fence, only for it to
create a literal and emotional barrier. The fence becomes a representation of the barrier that Troy tries to create between him and mortality. Troy has a
fixation on Death. He talks about how Death is an easy "fastball on the outside corner" (I. i). Troy always speaks about how he could easily knock a
baseball out of the park. Comparing Death to a fastball shows how Troy thinks that he can continue to always keep Death on the other side of the
fence because like a
Get more content on HelpWriting.net