...Succumbing to Society Both Fences and the Piano Lesson are written by August Wilson during the 1980’s.The plays depict how women were supposed to be obedient to men and how they are not a woman if they are not married. Rose from Fences and Bernice from the Piano Lesson were similar to the idea that women are supposed to be obedient to men and how they are not a woman if they are not married or even do what men do. Fences,is about Rose and Troy and their son Cory. They built a fence around the house.The fence means something for both Rose and Troy, for Rose it means protection for her family and for Troy it means to keep stuff out. Rose is a woman is who brave and has a desire for respect. For example, when Troy does or say something that is inappropriate, Rose tells Troy why he is wrong.Troy...
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...Even though Fences by August Wilson is a play with an African-American family trying to make ends meet, it is relatable to many. Everyday people face challenges and inner demons. It’s a part of life. The fence itself is very important to the play, hence the title, and has several meanings. Fences are normally meant to keep things in or keep things out. The Fence is both literal and figurative for the Maxson family (Bissiri). The reason the fence takes the whole play to be finished is because Troy has been putting it off. He gives Cory a hard time for not being around to work on it, but Cory argues that he isnt around to work on it much either. Cory says "don't never do nothing, but go down to Taylors'" (1.3.5). Troy doesn’t actually go to...
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...The power behind memories A commonly used quote reads “Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose” (Arnold). In “The Piano Lesson”, August Wilson creates a theme of holding onto the things that you love and the effects of slavery. Boy Willie fights over the piano to gain success while Berniece fights over it because she holds onto the dear memories of the Piano and the meaning behind it. In this play, the piano symbolizes the family history of the Charles family and it creates a theme of memory and slavery. The Piano’s History symbolizes all the wrongs about slavery. Doaker: "[Willie Boy] carved all this. […] He got a picture of his mama…Mama Esther…and his daddy, Boy Charles. […] He got all...
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...Why do we build fences? Why do we barricade ourselves? Why do we put up walls? Is it because we want to isolate ourselves from the world? Is it because we want to mark our property, perhaps to shut people out? Or is it because we so desperately want to protect what we possess from exterior forces? What exactly do fences serve a purpose? In a literal sense, a fence is a barrier enclosing an area of ground to mark a boundary control access or prevent escape (www.merriam-webster.com). However, for August Wilson, fences aren’t just a bunch of wood constructed together to form a railing; to him, it is clear that there are far more profound and hidden propositions regarding the subject matter. Notice that the title is in its plural form, this goes...
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...fence as “a barrier intended to prevent escape or intrusion to mark a boundary”. August Wilson’s Fences portrays the barrier around the Maxson family. “The setting is the yard which fronts the only entrance… The yard is a small dirt yard, partially fenced, except for the last scene…” (0.1-0.3). Throughout the play Wilson uses the description and placement of the fence to change the mood in the scene or the attitudes of the characters. “Much of the conflict… arises because the characters are at odds with the way they see the past and what they want to do in the future”(sparknotes.com). Whether the fence is too keep people in or out, there is always a struggle to know what is on the other side. Corresponding to the text, August Wilson’s own life is exemplified. Wilson uses “the settings of all but one of the plays [in] the Pittsburgh ‘hill district’” (Edgar 1328). During the early part of his life was spent living in poverty. Wilson’s father soon left the family by the time he was five leaving his mother, Daisy, to care for the six children. She later remarried and moved to the Hill District. Wilson felt the pressure of being one of the only African-American students and dropped out of school to teach himself in the library. “He educated himself so well that eventually the Library granted him a degree”(Edgar 1328). When writing Fences, Wilson pulled from the 1950s and the Civil Rights Movement. Wilson also gives reference to the 1940s Negro Baseball League by having Troy argue “about...
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...The word fences is defined as a barrier, railing, or other upright structure, typically of wood or wire, enclosing an area of ground to mark a boundary, control access, or prevent escape. This word is a title for a play by August Wilson from a movie titled the same. Fences relates to the movie and stands as a symbol throughout the movie for the things that each character either wants to keep in or out. Troy and Rose are the two main characters in the movie. They are husband and wife. They have a son named Cory. Troy dreamed of becoming a baseball player and he didn’t go pro. Now his son Cory has the chance to play college football and Troy does not want him too. Troy wants Cory to be a successful worker and not a ball player. Rose loves...
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...bono. Troy comes from a hard upbringing; all he received was physical, verbal, and mental abuse from his father. He lived a life motherless because his mom left him and his other siblings behind because of his father’s anger towards his mom. If there’s one thing troy learned from his father, it would have to be being a provider for his family. Because of his father’s malice behavior, Troy felt like responsibility and hard work was more important than loyalty and love. The only way Troy could become a man is by pursuing happiness in other things. Troy brought blasphemy of his failures into his family’s descent; his unawareness to success led to the destruction of a father and son relationship. In the play Fences, August Wilson shows how Troy could never face the opportunities of his children being able to accomplish what he couldn’t. For example, Troy never succeeded in playing professional baseball leagues because he was black. In this time, blacks were allowed to play. However, his son...
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...because he feels that his son will receive the same fate he did when he was his age. Fences also has a symbolic meaning behind it that can be linked to the two primary characters, Troy and Rose. Rose believes her family is slowly breaking apart so she feels if Troy and Cory work on building the fence then it will mend their relationship enough to hold on to. In scene II it opens with Rose singing, “Jesus, be a fence all around me every day” (Wilson 1117) which symbolizes that she her fence is made for protection. Her fence is made to keep her family safe and near her. Bono makes a comment to Troy when he questions why Rose would want a fence anyways and he basically tells Troy that, “some people build fences to keep people out…and other people build fences to keep people in (Wilson 1141).” Troy and Cory didn’t understand at first because they were too busy defying one another. All Rose did was love them and wanted the best for Cory and for Troy to drop his...
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...I believe Rose is very strong character in the book Fences because, Troy is a terrible husband to her, she works non-stop for her family. Even though things don’t really come easy for her she still always does what needs to be done because she knows it’s what she has to do and is expected of as a women in that era. Troy is not a good husband to Rose. He doesn't do anything at all to even try to be a part of his family. He expects things and demands them of her. “You supposed to come when I call you, woman. ” then Rose says “Man, hush your mouth. I ain’t no dog . . . ” (Fences, 43) He doesn't treat her with respect, calling her like a dog. She gets totally betrayed by Troy because he is sleeping with someone else and doesn't tell her unil...
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...Climax in The Piano Lesson The climax in The Piano Lesson comes when Berniece is driven to play the piano that she has not touched in years. This action causes a cascade of changes in the main characters. The protagonist in the play is Berniece. From August Wilson's stage direction, "Thirty five years old, with an eleven year old daughter, she is still in mourning for her husband after three years" (1.1.62-63) In describing the Charles house, the stage direction adds, "although there is evidence of a woman's touch, there is a lack of warmth and vigor" (1.1.4) This last statement could just as well be describing Berniece. Having lived through the tragic loss of her father and more recently the loss of her husband, she does not want to deal in the past. We get a feel for her detached and cold existence when her brother shows up. Boy Willie, primarily the antagonist, is the polar opposite of Berniece. [He] is thirty years old. He has an infectious grin and a boyishness that is apt for his name. He is brash and impulsive, talkative, and somewhat crude in speech and manners. (1.1.16-18) Having driven two days from Mississippi, he shows up at the Doaker house before dawn, waking the house with an abnoxious childlike exuberance. Unaffected by her brother's happiness to see her, Berniece sees no joy in this reunion. The news that Boy Willie delivers—that Sutter, a descendent of the slavers that owned their family, has been pushed down a well by ghosts of the past—is...
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...In 1987 the Pulitzer Prize for Drama was given to August Wilson for his well written play Fences. The Pulitzer Prize is one of the highest honors in the world for writers, playwrights and composers. Fences, was the sixth play of Wilson’s ten part Pittsburgh Cycle. The series of plays narrate the misfortunes and goals African Americans hope to reach during each decade of the 20th century. August Wilson's series of plays brought him recognition as one of America's most celebrated scriptwriters which earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play Fences was written in 1983 by August Wilson. Fences is perhaps August Wilson's most prominent work, Fences explores the life and relationships of the Maxson family. This touching drama gave Wilson his first Pulitzer Prize. The focus of Wilson's attention in Fences is the protagonist Troy Maxson, a 53-year-old head of household who hardly gets by with supplying for his family. All the action occurs in the front yard of Troy and Rose Maxson’s home. Troy once thought he had a promising career in baseball but because the race barrier had not been broken as yet he never made it to the MLB. He has since become a garbage collector who struggles to fend for his family. Even as he gets near retirement age, Troy is forced to do heavy lifting instead of driving the truck. Before baseball, he had been thrown out by his father and was a homeless, poor man until he was imprisoned for 15 years after murdering someone in the course of a robbery. ...
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...Being a parent in a colored family in the late 1950’s to 1960’s came with a large expanse of challenges. Fences by August Wilson revolves around an African-American family going through the struggles of family life along with dealing with racism commonly found in the south at the time. The main character is a man named Troy Maxon the father of the family previously mentioned. I believe that Troy is both a good and bad parent, because he wants the best for his children and kept up with his parental responsibilities although, he tends to cross the line with his reactions. Throughout Fences Troy consistently shows that he wants the best for his children. During an argument with Cory about how he balances school, sports and work Troy explains that he wants Cory to “learn how to fix cars or build houses or something, get you a trade. That way you have something can’t nobody take away from you. You go on and learn how to put your hands to some good use. Besides hauling people’s garbage.” (Wilson 35) Troy’s want for his children to have everything good that he never had is evident. This scene, especially shows the passion he has to help his children succeed in the best way he thinks possible. Likewise, he keeps up with his responsibilities to them....
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...theme of love in the play. “Go on, Troy! You supposed to be putting up this fence" (Wilson, 1443). She believes this was an easy way to her family together, especially Cory and Troy. "Some people build fences to keep people out, and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you.” (Wilson, 1456). These shows, the theme of love. Troy was always going to work early and returning home late. He couldn’t give Rose the amount of time and love she deserved. He was having...
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...Within “Fences”, by August Wilson we follow Troy and Bono as they first off finish their day job. As the story progress we see more into their life and the cruel world around them. Even though “Fences was published in 1983 it is set in the time period of the 1950’s to 60’s. During this time in American history the Civil Right Movement was just begin to start. The goal of this essay is to show the implications of the Civil Right Movement and it’s events and goals within the play “Fences”. In the begin of the play it is already known very well that setting is during times of equality. After Troy and Bono get off work one of the first topic Troy talks to Bono about is what he asked their boss Mr.Rand “Why? Why you got the white man's driving...
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...bad parent looks like. Would they yell or hurt a child? Throughout Fences, a play by August Wilson, Troy Maxson shows us what a bad parent is. There are three dominant examples to prove he’s a bad parent. He doesn’t support his children in their dreams, he’s never shown that he loves his children, he’s an alcoholic, and when he’s drunk Troy gets aggressive towards Cory. One way Troy demonstrates he’s a bad parent is by not supporting his children in their dreams. “Papa done went up to the school and told coach Zellman I can’t play football no more. Wouldn’t let me play the game told him to tell the recruiter not to come.” (Wilson, 57). In the play Troy and his youngest son Cory fight many times about football. Cory is a talented athlete who enjoys football and wants to play for his high school team. Troy on the other hand doesn’t approve, he believes that black people don’t get the same opportunities as whites. While he may be talented he will never make it as an athlete out in the world. It still doesn’t justify why Troy can’t support Cory and let him play football....
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