Part #1:
Plot Excericse
Line 1: Woman
overcoming odds
Line 2: Son
fighting father
Line 3: Family
understanding structure
Part #2:
Fences Question
1.
The
character of Troy is described as any masculine figure who believes that he has
control on the aspects of his life. In addition, he believes that he can use
his size as a factor to scare everyone into his ideals. Also, his toughness is
a symbolism of his burdens that he has faces as a family man, as he raises his
children and maintains his relationship with his wife. His brick structure
allows for him to act as if he does not carry any affection towards the members
of his family, which they believes with the exception of Rose, who knows Troy’s
true feelings.
2.
The
character of Troy Maxson is very realistic for the time periods of segregation.
He carries all grudges similar to that of African Americans during the
particular time period. He even makes a racial statement in which he says
“Afraid to let the white man see him carry it home,” (1.1.8). Most of his
racial comments come after his time at work. Also, he is portrayed as a
realistic father to some extent. He proves himself to be very brutal, in the instance
in which he destroys Cory’s dream of being a football player. However, he
carries the father role realistically in which the responsibility is shown
outward, but not the love.
3.
Bono
shares the same characteristics as that of Horatio from Hamlet. He is a loyal
friend. But unlike Horatio, Bono tries to motivate Troy to fore-fill his goals.
Bono is simply a motivator for Troy when it comes to the fencing project. The
significance of Bono is seen highly during the final confrontation between him
and Troy. Bono’s impact is seen when he says “Yeah, Rose told Lucille you had
finally built your fence…so I figured we’d call it even,” (2.4.74-75). The
finishing of the title is mainly due to Bono, he simply carries a relationship
with it.
4.
Troy
can be seen as a hypocrite in many instances, especially in the scene where he
asks for Cory to be present when fencing. However, he goes to see a baseball
game and does not come when scheduled. This particular scene was a catalyst to
the ending. In addition, his ideals of family responsibilities were at a state
of hypocrisy when he had an affair with Alberta. This affair also landed with a
child, which indeed placed a burden on his ideals. When Rose says “What about
me? When’s my time to enjoy life?” (2.2.23). Troy say’s the it his
responsibility to keep his family prosperous. But Roses single question, has
left a greater dent in Troy’s ideals.
5.
The
main event that convinces Cory to attend the funeral is Roses dialogue towards
the end of scene 5 in Act II. The main line which changes Cory’s perspective is
when Rose says “You just like him. You got him in you good,” (2.5.243). Also,
this line allows for readers to predict about the overall character of Cory
when he fathers a child. We can make an assumption that Cory will carry the
same ruggedness of his father, but he will carry a sense of responsibility when
nurturing his family. However, he will hide his affections as similar to his
father. From the start until the end, Cory has never said “no” to the ideals of
his father. This can be assumed when he says the line “Papa was like a shadow
that followed you everywhere,” (2.5.119). Therefore, Cory will be a mirror of
Troy.
6.
The
main climax of Fences is the scene in which Troy and Cory have a
showdown. Climax simply carries the meaning of a turning point within the
story. Therefore, the turning point occurs when Cory starts to show a slight
indication of non-conformity. As a result, the climax portrays Cory as a
dynamic character, who undergoes a significant change. The main line which
stirs this turning point is when Cory says “You don’t count around here no
more,” (2.5.106). The hypocrisy of Troy’s actions have allowed for Cory to show
a sense of non-conformity.
7.
The
whole idea of the Blue’s genre is to show a sense of melancholy in the African
American style. This type of genre is evident in the syntax and the structure
through which this story is told. The arrangement of words allows for the
feelings to be felt in a larger scale. For example, the dialogue for Rose is
simply a tone carrying the blues. The arrangement of the words she says is an
indicator to a sense of sadness. Moreover, this story is conveyed in a linear
structure which brings in a sense of anticipation for the reader. As the events
are unveiled, they are mostly sad events which carry a sense of blues to it.
8.
Gabriel
is simply the connection between the feud of a small family to something
greater. He labels Lyons as “the king of the jungle.” Meanwhile, he makes
several biblical references which probably relates the family as a whole to a
big folklore which can be from the bible. I see that in this aspect of
connection, Gabriel is very essential to the story. The final scene also shows
that Gabriel connects to the spiritual aspect of the story in the instance when
he tells St. Peters to open the gates for Troy to enter in.
9.
Gabriel
is simply the connection between the work and its various allusions, which
promote a higher meaning for society. Gabriel refers to St. Peters, the Jungle
man, the Judgment Sword, and hell-hounds. These allusions help to create a
mixture of brightness as well as darkness for the story as a whole. These
allusions elevate Troy to a saint like level, when the reference is made
between St. Peter and him. This helps to set the stage for the ending in which
Cory gets to understand about Troy’s true colors. Therefore, the allusions
serve as a sense of foreshadowing for what is to come in the play.
Part #3 Essential Questions
1.
A
house is made into a home if it carries a sense of unrest which mainly results
from a feud. This idea was seen in Hamlet, through which Hamlet had a feud with
Claudius for killing his father. However, Claudius considered Hamlet as family,
despite the grudges, which brings in the idea that the house will always be
made a home when there is a feud between the members of a family. This feud
will allow for a deeper understanding of each member. In the instance of
Fences, the main household was based on Troy’s character which has the tendency
to disagree with the other characters. Even though these feuds are bitter at
first, Rose eventually says “I’d been blessed to relieve a part of my life,”
(2.5.159) during Troy’s funeral. Therefore, a problem in the household makes a
home.
2.
The
suffering and successes of the family have a very profound effect on Troy. For
instance, the main plot point involves the relationship between Troy and Cory.
Tory carries the need that Cory does not fail in life. When Cory’s wins a
chance to play college football, Troy saw it as the first step to failure. In
Troy’s vision, real success is based upon financial security, therefore if Cory
goes to work at the A&P that will be the real success. Furthermore, Troy
from his own life experiences feels that sports does not give a chance to the
ideal African American. Only a few succeed. Troy has also felt this failure
second-hand during his time in the Negro
League. When Troy told the coach to not recruit Cory, it immediately caused
for the suffering of Cory. However, when Rose says “ Your daddy wanted you to
be everything he wasn’t,” (2.5.133). Therefore, showing that the potential for
Cory to not succeed in life would be devastating.
3.
A
central element to this story is the culture through which the family is centered
around. Obviously, Troy’s household revolved around the African American
rituals. This is mainly seen in Troy’s singing of the blues, which allows for
the idea of the Harlem Renaissance to sink in. Also, the entering of Lyons for
support shows that a family will still look after it’s child even when it’s old
enough to go on its own. When tracing back to the African blue’s being sang by
Troy, we can see that the same tradition is passed onto Cory, therefore
strengthening family traditions within the household. These ideals are
established when Raynell says “Papa’s dog what he sing about all the time,”
(2.5.170).
