Fences,
By August Wilson
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Who was August Wilson?
August Wilson was an American playwright. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 27, 1945, and died at age 60 in 2005. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". His works delve into the African American experience as well as examinations of the human condition. Other themes range from the systemic and historical exploitation of African Americans, as well as race relations, identity, migration, and racial discrimination. He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called The Pittsburgh Cycle, which chronicle the experiences and heritage of the African-American community in the 20th century.
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Plays in The Pittsburgh Cycle :
1900s - Gem of the Ocean (2003)
1910s - Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (1986)
1920s - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984)
1930s - The Piano Lesson (1987)
1940s - Seven Guitars (1995)
1950s - Fences (1985)
1960s - Two Trains Running (1990)
1970s - Jitney (1982)
1980s - King Hedley II (1999)
1990s - Radio Golf (2005)
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I'm a Black American playwright. I couldn't be anything else. I make my art out of Black American culture; they're all cut out of the same cloth. That's who I am; that's who I write about.
What comes forth from you as an artist cannot be controlled. But you have responsibilities as a global citizen. Your history dictates your duty. And by writing about Black people, you are not limiting yourself. The experiences of African-Americans are as wide open as God's closet.
― August Wilson
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I am not a historian. I happen to think that the content of my mother's life - her myths, her superstitions, her prayers, the contents of her pantry, the smell of her kitchen, the song that escaped from her sometimes parched lips, her thoughtful repose and pregnant laughter - are all worthy of art.
― August Wilson
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Fences
Setting: 1957, in a backyard of a house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Original Broadway Production starred James Earl Jones as Troy and Mary Alice as Rose.
In the 1990s, a Hollywood Studio proposed creating a film of Fences. Wilson would only agree to this if the film was directed by a Black director.
The production won Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Performance of a Leading Actor, Best Performance of a Featured Actress, and Best Direction of a Play.
The film was finally created in 2016, directed by Denzel Washington, starring Washington as Troy and Viola Davis as Rose.
Characters:
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I think my plays offer (white Americans) a different way to look at Black Americans. For instance, in Fences they see a garbageman, a person they don't really look at, although they see a garbageman every day. By looking at Troy's life, white people find out that the content of this Black garbageman's life is affected by the same things – love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that these things are as much part of his life as theirs can affect how they think about and deal with Black people in their lives.
― August Wilson
Journal Prompt - Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?
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Troy
TROY is fifty-three years old, a large man with thick, heavy hands; it is this largeness that he strives to fill out and make an accommodation with. Together with his blackness, his largeness informs his sensibilities and the choices he has made in his life.
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Troy
(BONO’s) commitment to their friendship of thirty-odd years is rooted in his admiration of TROY's honesty, capacity for hard work, and his strength, which BONO seeks to emulate.
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Troy
TROY is usually the most talkative and at times he can be crude and almost vulgar, though he is capable of rising to profound heights of expression. The men carry lunch buckets and wear or carry burlap aprons and are dressed in clothes suitable to their jobs as garbage collectors.
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Rose
ROSE enters from the house. She is ten years younger than TROY, her devotion to him stems from her recognition of the possibilities of her life without him: a succession of abusive men and their babies, a life of partying and running the streets, the Church, or aloneness with its attendant pain and frustration.
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Rose
She recognizes TROY's spirit as a fine and illuminating one and she either ignores or forgives his faults, only some of which she recognizes. Though she doesn't drink, her presence is an integral part of the Friday night rituals. She alternates between the porch and the kitchen, where supper preparations are underway.
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Cory
TROY: The only thing I say about the A&P is I'm glad Cory got that job down there. Help him take care of his school clothes and things. Gabe done moved out and things getting tight around here. He got that job. . . He can start to look out for himself.
ROSE: Cory done went and got recruited by a college football team.
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Cory
TROY: I told that boy about that football stuff. The white man ain't gonna let him get nowhere with that football. I told him when he first come to me with it. Now you come telling me he done went and got more tied up in it. He ought to go and get recruited in how to fix cars or something where he can make a living.
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Cory
ROSE: He ain't talking about making no living playing football. It's just something the boys in school do. They gonna send a recruiter by to talk to you. He'll tell you he ain't talking about making no living playing football. It's a honor to be recruited.
TROY: It ain't gonna get him nowhere. Bono'll tell you that.
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Journal Assignment
Why do you think Troy tells this story about wrestling death to Rose and Bono? What is his objective (goal) in telling this story? �(What does Troy want?)
Journal Assignment
Write about a time when you wanted to do something, but an adult (parent, grandparent, other relative, guardian, teacher, coach, etc.) in your life wanted you to do something else.
Journal Assignment
Based on the clips that we just watched, respond to the following questions:
Journal Assignment
We have reached the end of Act 1.
Based on the events we have watched and read so far - what do you think could happen next?
Think about the characters we have met, what their goals are, and how their relationships are evolving.
Journal Assignment
Choose ONE of these two quotes:
Answer this question: What does this quote mean to you? How can you connect it to your own life, experience, thoughts, or other stories/media you have read, seen, or heard?
Journal Assignment
Why do you think Troy gives this speech to death? What is he feeling? How does this connect to his story about wrestling death from the beginning of the play?
Journal Assignment
Write about a friendship that you had that broke down. In your response, address the following questions:
Journal Assignment
Rose says that Troy gave Cory the best of what was in him. Based on everything we saw in this play, and our understanding of Troy’s character, do you think this was true? Why or why not?
Journal Assignment
As we watch the “Sins of the Father” video clip, I will pause after moments where Rose and Troy are looking at the other, silently. Based on the facial expressions that you see from them, write an inner monologue of a few sentences each for Rose and Troy of what they are thinking in these moments. What is running through their head? What are they thinking, but not saying?
Character Analysis
Instructions: Inside the body, write words or phrases that describe what the character thinks about themself. Outside of the body, write words or phrases that describe what other people think about the character.
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