In no fewer than 2 pages, respond to the statement below:
In August Wilson?s play, Fences, the reader meets several characters who try to grapple with their relationships with the main character, Troy Maxson. Select 1-3 characters on which to base your analysis. In
your essay, discuss the conflicts, both personal and social that they are confronting in their interactions with Troy.
As always, if you decide write about a different topic, that is fine, as long as it is related to the characters in Fences.
Few questions to consider
What is the nature of the relationship?
What motivates their behavior?
What choices do the characters make and why do they make them?
What are the personal, social and historical forces at work in the play?
What impact do this conflicts have at the conclusion of the play?
Thesis idea 1 (Father and Son)
For most people, there are pressures, both internal and external, real and perceived, guiding our actions and behaviors.
In the August Wilson play Fences, the main character, Troy Maxson, has a troubled relationship with his son Cory. The
tension between them is so profound, Cory questions whether or not his father likes him. There are several factors, both personal and social, that contribute to the rift that develops between them, including Troy?s past, his worldview and
sense of who he is the world.
Things to consider:
Relationships between fathers and sons (Secondary)
Thesis Statement
Summary of Troy?s and Cory?s relationship (Primary)
Identification of key factors
Troy?s relationship with his father (Primary)
Intergenerational influence of racism (Secondary & Primary)
The impact of Troy?s own failings, real and perceived (Primary)
Resolution of the conflict (Primary)
Thesis idea 2: Home sweet home
In literature, authors often use primary setting to launch the main action of the plot, and they use secondary settings to complement or influence the primary settings. In the play Fences, author August Wilson selects the home and front yard of the Maxson to launch the play. This selection of locations is consequential to both the actions and fates of the individual family members, particularly that of husband and father, Troy Maxson.
Things to consider:
The unique role of homes in the daily lives of people (Secondary)
Thesis Statement
Description of home and yard – Working class, aspirational (Primary)
Key locations as instruments of conflict and redemption (Primary)
The Yard (Containment)
The Fence (Keeping things out ? Keeping things in
The Kitchen and Living Room ? All in the family
The Bedroom (Spousal bonding)
Secondary locations and their relationship to the Maxson family
A&P Supermarket (Status Quo ? Acceptance)
Workplace (Marginalization ? Aspiration)
Taylor?s Bar (Distraction from life)
Alberta?s (Home away from home)
In no fewer than 2 pages, respond to the statement below:
In August Wilson?s play, Fences, the reader meets several characters who try to grapple with their relationships with the main character, Troy Maxson. Select 1-3 characters on which to base your analysis. In
your essay, discuss the conflicts, both personal and social that they are confronting in their interactions with Troy.
As always, if you decide write about a different topic, that is fine, as long as it is related to the characters in Fences.
Few questions to consider
What is the nature of the relationship?
What motivates their behavior?
What choices do the characters make and why do they make them?
What are the personal, social and historical forces at work in the play?
What impact do this conflicts have at the conclusion of the play?
Thesis idea 1 (Father and Son)
For most people, there are pressures, both internal and external, real and perceived, guiding our actions and behaviors.
In the August Wilson play Fences, the main character, Troy Maxson, has a troubled relationship with his son Cory. The
tension between them is so profound, Cory questions whether or not his father likes him. There are several factors, both personal and social, that contribute to the rift that develops between them, including Troy?s past, his worldview and
sense of who he is the world.
Things to consider:
Relationships between fathers and sons (Secondary)
Thesis Statement
Summary of Troy?s and Cory?s relationship (Primary)
Identification of key factors
Troy?s relationship with his father (Primary)
Intergenerational influence of racism (Secondary & Primary)
The impact of Troy?s own failings, real and perceived (Primary)
Resolution of the conflict (Primary)
Thesis idea 2: Home sweet home
In literature, authors often use primary setting to launch the main action of the plot, and they use secondary settings to complement or influence the primary settings. In the play Fences, author August Wilson selects the home and front yard of the Maxson to launch the play. This selection of locations is consequential to both the actions and fates of the individual family members, particularly that of husband and father, Troy Maxson.
Things to consider:
The unique role of homes in the daily lives of people (Secondary)
Thesis Statement
Description of home and yard – Working class, aspirational (Primary)
Key locations as instruments of conflict and redemption (Primary)
The Yard (Containment)
The Fence (Keeping things out ? Keeping things in
The Kitchen and Living Room ? All in the family
The Bedroom (Spousal bonding)
Secondary locations and their relationship to the Maxson family
A&P Supermarket (Status Quo ? Acceptance)
Workplace (Marginalization ? Aspiration)
Taylor?s Bar (Distraction from life)
Alberta?s (Home away from home)
In no fewer than 2 pages, respond to the statement below:
In August Wilson?s play, Fences, the reader meets several characters who try to grapple with their relationships with the main character, Troy Maxson. Select 1-3 characters on which to base your analysis. In
your essay, discuss the conflicts, both personal and social that they are confronting in their interactions with Troy.
As always, if you decide write about a different topic, that is fine, as long as it is related to the characters in Fences.
Few questions to consider
What is the nature of the relationship?
What motivates their behavior?
What choices do the characters make and why do they make them?
What are the personal, social and historical forces at work in the play?
What impact do this conflicts have at the conclusion of the play?
Thesis idea 1 (Father and Son)
For most people, there are pressures, both internal and external, real and perceived, guiding our actions and behaviors.
In the August Wilson play Fences, the main character, Troy Maxson, has a troubled relationship with his son Cory. The
tension between them is so profound, Cory questions whether or not his father likes him. There are several factors, both personal and social, that contribute to the rift that develops between them, including Troy?s past, his worldview and
sense of who he is the world.
Things to consider:
Relationships between fathers and sons (Secondary)
Thesis Statement
Summary of Troy?s and Cory?s relationship (Primary)
Identification of key factors
Troy?s relationship with his father (Primary)
Intergenerational influence of racism (Secondary & Primary)
The impact of Troy?s own failings, real and perceived (Primary)
Resolution of the conflict (Primary)
Thesis idea 2: Home sweet home
In literature, authors often use primary setting to launch the main action of the plot, and they use secondary settings to complement or influence the primary settings. In the play Fences, author August Wilson selects the home and front yard of the Maxson to launch the play. This selection of locations is consequential to both the actions and fates of the individual family members, particularly that of husband and father, Troy Maxson.
Things to consider:
The unique role of homes in the daily lives of people (Secondary)
Thesis Statement
Description of home and yard – Working class, aspirational (Primary)
Key locations as instruments of conflict and redemption (Primary)
The Yard (Containment)
The Fence (Keeping things out ? Keeping things in
The Kitchen and Living Room ? All in the family
The Bedroom (Spousal bonding)
Secondary locations and their relationship to the Maxson family
A&P Supermarket (Status Quo ? Acceptance)
Workplace (Marginalization ? Aspiration)
Taylor?s Bar (Distraction from life)
Alberta?s (Home away from home)
In no fewer than 2 pages, respond to the statement below:
In August Wilson?s play, Fences, the reader meets several characters who try to grapple with their relationships with the main character, Troy Maxson. Select 1-3 characters on which to base your analysis. In
your essay, discuss the conflicts, both personal and social that they are confronting in their interactions with Troy.
As always, if you decide write about a different topic, that is fine, as long as it is related to the characters in Fences.
Few questions to consider
What is the nature of the relationship?
What motivates their behavior?
What choices do the characters make and why do they make them?
What are the personal, social and historical forces at work in the play?
What impact do this conflicts have at the conclusion of the play?
Thesis idea 1 (Father and Son)
For most people, there are pressures, both internal and external, real and perceived, guiding our actions and behaviors.
In the August Wilson play Fences, the main character, Troy Maxson, has a troubled relationship with his son Cory. The
tension between them is so profound, Cory questions whether or not his father likes him. There are several factors, both personal and social, that contribute to the rift that develops between them, including Troy?s past, his worldview and
sense of who he is the world.
Things to consider:
Relationships between fathers and sons (Secondary)
Thesis Statement
Summary of Troy?s and Cory?s relationship (Primary)
Identification of key factors
Troy?s relationship with his father (Primary)
Intergenerational influence of racism (Secondary & Primary)
The impact of Troy?s own failings, real and perceived (Primary)
Resolution of the conflict (Primary)
Thesis idea 2: Home sweet home
In literature, authors often use primary setting to launch the main action of the plot, and they use secondary settings to complement or influence the primary settings. In the play Fences, author August Wilson selects the home and front yard of the Maxson to launch the play. This selection of locations is consequential to both the actions and fates of the individual family members, particularly that of husband and father, Troy Maxson.
Things to consider:
The unique role of homes in the daily lives of people (Secondary)
Thesis Statement
Description of home and yard – Working class, aspirational (Primary)
Key locations as instruments of conflict and redemption (Primary)
The Yard (Containment)
The Fence (Keeping things out ? Keeping things in
The Kitchen and Living Room ? All in the family
The Bedroom (Spousal bonding)
Secondary locations and their relationship to the Maxson family
A&P Supermarket (Status Quo ? Acceptance)
Workplace (Marginalization ? Aspiration)
Taylor?s Bar (Distraction from life)
Alberta?s (Home away from home)
