Read the following words of the playwright August Wilson; then, choose one of the questions below to explore in your final blog comment (about 100 words).
“I think it is important that we understand who we are and what our history has been, and what our relationship to society is, so that we can find ways to alter that relationship and, more importantly, to alter the shared expectations of ourselves as a people. The suffering is only a part of black history. What I want to do is place the culture of black America on stage, to demonstrate that is has the ability to offer sustenance, so that when you leave your parents’ house, you are not in the world alone. You have something that is yours, you have a ground to stand on, and you have a viewpoint, and you have a way of proceeding in the world that has been developed by your ancestors. It was James Baldwin who called for a “profound articulation of the black tradition,” which he defined as that field of manners and rituals which sustains a man once he has left his father’s house. And I said,” Ah-hahh! I am going to answer that call. I am going to show that this culture exists and that it is capable of offering sustenance. Now, if in the process of doing that, you have to explore the sufferings of black America, then that is also a part of who we are. And I don’t think you can ignore that because our culture was fired in the kiln of slavery and survival…I think my plays are a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. And that no matter what, we are still here, the culture is still alive, it is vital, and it is as vibrant and zestful as ever. ..Theater asserts that all of human life is universal. Love, Honor, Duty, Betrayal belong and pertain to every culture or race. The way they are acted out on the playing field may be different, but betrayal is betrayal whether you are a South Sea Islander, Mississippi farmer, or an English Baron. All of human life is universal, and it is theater that illuminates and confers upon the universal the ability to speak for all men.” —August Wilson
- What “sufferings of black America” do you think August Wilson effectively places on stage and explores in the course of Fences? What aspects of the play in performance struck you as most able to “offer sustenance” to its black American audience?
- What aspects of the play – its characters and their relationships, its themes, or its incidents – struck you as particularly profound (i.e., penetrating; offering deep insight or understanding; of deep meaning; pervasive or intense) in terms of their articulation of the black tradition/experience? Why did you find them to be profound?
- Remind yourself of the meaning of resilience/resilient. In what ways might the story of Fences be viewed as a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit? Are there any characters in the play that you see as particularly resilient? Where do you think his or her resiliency comes from? Are there any characters in Fences that seem to be non-resilient?
- Define what the word “universal” means or implies. What do you think Wilson means when he says, “it is theater that illuminates and confers upon the universal the ability to speak for all men?” Can you express his overall meaning in your own words? Do you agree with his assertion? What aspects of Fences—its characters, their relationships, its themes, or its incidents—struck you as particularly “universal”?
Rohan Kalelkar
ReplyDelete10-28-17
Honors English I
Fences Blog Response #2
Question 3:
Resilience is the ability to power through something that is difficult, or bounce back from tough situations. In Fences, Rose is a character that was particularly resilient throughout the play. In their marriage, Troy did many bad things to Rose, like grabbing her by the arms and hurting her, and even getting another woman pregnant and fathering a child. However, Rose put all these horrid truths aside, and lived with it. She even claimed that she "invested 18 years of her life" in Troy. The deeper idea in Fences is the struggle and determination of African-Americans in American history. Trains are an important part of movement of African-Americans throughout the country. This shows when Troy sings, "Please Mr. Engineer, let a man ride the line."
Cory has dedicated his time to play football, a sport that could lead him to the big leagues. He is putting his time and effort into practicing because his dream is to be a professional player. He has been recruited to college team, so he limits his job and focuses on preparing for it. Troy, his father, is shocked to hear that Cory has put sports before his work. The fence in Cory's life is that it is extremely difficult to make his dream come true because of his race. Troy acts as Cory's protective fence by guarding him from the truth of the real world. Troy brings up the fact that he had a similar dream (to be a major league baseball player), but it didn't come true because of the discrimination in those leagues. He also pointed out that he had only focused on baseball and not his job, so when the real world came around, it left him in a ditch. Cory's fence is his race and Troy wants him to put his job first so that he will be prepared for the worst.
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ReplyDeleteQuestion 4:
In the context of this quote the word "universal" describes how theater can show all mens suffering no matter who they are. Theater can capture pain and injury like no other art can, with theater you can see how the event played out. I can't say that I agree or disagree with this statement, I think theater can portray very powerful events in history but at the same time many people don't allow it to. What I mean by this is that there are many stories out there that can be shared through theater but the stories that often matter, can't be shared on stage. There are many people who believe there are certain stories that should and should not be shared through theater, the ones who shouldn't often are the ones that are the most crucial to our culture now. I think one universal aspect of some of the characters personalities is that when they are worried they push the people they love away, there are many times when people go through tough ordeals but instead of letting their friends and family help them, they push them away.
Shane Dias
ReplyDeleteQuestion 3
The word resilient means an object or person able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.The book plays with the idea of systematic oppression and family troubles and problems. Fences shows the resiliency of human spirit by showing certain characters pushing through major problems. All characters in the play face problems and challenges that effect every part of their lives. I see Rose as one of the most resilient characters in the play. I think the resiliency comes from the hope to provide her kids a better life than she had. Troy seems to be non resilient because of his constant anger outbursts and drinking.
Stella Domec
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4:
In this context, “universal” would mean something that all people; no matter their race, gender, or ethnicity, would be able to relate to in some way. I think that when Wilson says “it is theater that illuminates and confers upon the universal the ability to speak for all men,” he is talking about how theater is something that everyone can relate to, because it is telling a story that can speak to many different people in many different ways. I agree with what he is saying because I think that though a play’s story typically isn’t 100% true(it's a story, after all), the general themes or occurrences in the play can relate to all of mankind. Theater shows the emotions of a character in a way that just art or writing can’t; it shows both the expressions and the feelings and thoughts of the person. I think a “universal” theme in this play would be all the struggles and hardships the family goes through; because everyone can relate to it, as well as the struggles of being a black family in 1950’s America.
Question 1
ReplyDeleteIsabella Gregory
ReplyDeleteNovember 5th
Period 4
Question 4:
I believe that the word universal means a topic or thought that almost everyone can relate to, no matter race, gender or age. When Wilson talks about “it is theater that illuminates and confers upon the universal the ability to speak for all me?” he means everyone has gone through it or watched it happen to others so they can relate to it. Yes I believe this assertion is true because generally when people watch a play there are concepts in there which all people can relate to or know of, which helps make the play more realistic. A universal theme I saw in the book fences was poverty because all around the world everyone knows this idea and many have not only known about it but also gone through this struggle during their life.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletelol
Delete3. From our vocab we know that resilience is the ability to withstand/recover quickly from a difficult situation. August Wilson claims that Fences offers a strong testament to the resiliency of human spirit because it shows the struggles of a colored family. Through the narrative of the Maxson family, we see many examples of resilient human spirits, but I mainly want to focus on Rose's resilient spirit. She gave away eighteen years of her life to "stand in the same spot" (Rose, pg 70) with Troy. Eighteen years that could've been spent fulfilling dreams were wasted because Rose resiliently believed that Troy was a good man. No character was ever non-resilient. Each person, Lyons, Cory, Troy, Rose, Gabe, they all had their own conflicts, which meant they all had at least a little bit of resilience.
ReplyDeleteWell, I got to say that I just love everything about the play of Fences. I love the concept of what Wilson is putting into this whole thing. Definitely, one of my most favorite part was when Troy and Rose was starting to reveal of what’s been going on in their past 18 years together. Rose has done so much in and for the family, also saw the high and low tides of Troy. “Well I’ve been standing with you!”, Rose replied. It was such a great, powerful part, before she got grabbed by the arm and Troy got shoved by Cory......😅
ReplyDeleteLys Franklin
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
11/05/17
Question Four:
I believe that, in this situation, the meaning of the word "universal" that August Wilson is trying to get across is that it;s something that everyone can relate to. No matter what time period you're from, or what race you belong to, everyone has gone through some sort of love (family or romantic), Honor (been loyal or had someone be loyal to you), Duty (performed your task, or had someone perform something for you), and Betrayal (betray someone or be betrayed).
I do think that I agree with this statement. Although they may be presented in a different way, there are some people that I have never related more to, who are fictional characters.
One thing in Fences that really struck me as universal, was how Troy performed, as a father. Sadly, there are many people in this world who disapprove of what their family may want to pursue. Even more depressingly, there are many people in this world who have cheated, and had a child with someone else. And, although maybe not to the same extent, I think we can all relate to feeling like we were not needed at one moment, or another.
Question 1- August Wilson explores a variety of “sufferings of black America” in this play. Near the beginning, he brings up the issue of how African Americans had to work extremely hard in order to make it to professional sports. He uses Cory and Troy as an example. Cory had his eyes set on making it big with football, but Troy holds him back because of his own past because he wasn’t able to fulfill his dream with baseball. Another issue Wilson placed in this play was occupation. He uses Troy as an example when he complained to the Commissioner’s office about how his job was unfair towards his race. He says, “Why you got the white mens driving and the colored lifting?” He wanted to receive the same privileges as the white workers. Two supporting aspects in this play stood out to me for the black American audience. The first example was when Troy got his promotion. After a long time of fighting for an upgrade, he finally received it. Also, near the end of the play, Cory was shown wearing a Marine corporal’s uniform. This showed the audience that although Cory didn’t complete his dream of playing football, he did make it into a high position while serving for the United States Marines.
ReplyDeleteLeel Liberty
ReplyDeleteQuestion 3:
Resilience is being able to withstand or recover from rough situations. Throughout the play there are examples of the resilience of the human spirit. I find Rose to be particularly good example of this. She dealt with some bad things in her marriage with Troy, including what most would call abuse. I think that her resilience comes from the fact that she wants her kids to fulfill their dreams because she was unable to. If she were to give in to the bad things happening all around her she would also be giving up on her kids. While I think that all of the characters have at least a little bit of resilience, Troy has the least amount because of his drinking and his aggressiveness.
Question 1: A "suffering of black America" that I think August Wilson effectively places on stage is the suffering of systematic oppression and its lasting mental effects. Troy represents the older black generation when it comes to his views on Cory playing football. Troy grew up in a time where even though he worked hard in his baseball games, it wasn't enough to the white people to make it out of the Negro baseball league. Cory represents the more modern generation because he hasn't had to deal with this systematic oppression for as long as Troy has, which is why he doesn't see it in the same way that his father does and vice versa. An aspect of the play that I think offers sustenance to its black audience is the entire idea of becoming a man. A common stereotype that is frequently made about the black community is that a lot of black children don't grow up with fathers. When kids don't have a paternal figure in their lives, it's very damaging, and sometimes especially in boys. How can you become a man if you don't know what one looks, acts, or speaks like? When August Wilson puts Cory and Troy in rough situations with their fathers, it makes them both have to grow up, and I think that really speaks to the black community.
ReplyDeleteJenna Hawkins
ReplyDelete7th Period.
3. In the second part of Fences I think the character that shows the most resilience is Rose. She showed resilience by being able to withstand all the crap that was thrown at her by Troy and many other people. one person that I think didn't show much resilience was Cory. He didn't seem to be very forgiving of the tings his father did to him. I say this because a the end of the book he said something to the effect of, I'm not going to my fathers funeral. I think if Cory was resilient he would put all of that behind him, and he would want to be a part of his fathers funeral.
Maiya Weaver
ReplyDelete7th period
Question 4:
I think August Wilson uses the word universal to describe theater because, no matter what race, ethnicity, gender, etc. you are, different problems and situations can be portrayed that anyone can relate to. He is telling us that anything can be displayed in theater and it won't separate anyone or any issues these different people could be facing.
Question 4- I think that the term universal means experienced by all, which is why wilson uses it. For a thought, feeling or experience to be universal it is above every race, gender, and socio-economic level. Whatever it is that is universal, pertains to everyone. Most plays have common themes of love, anger, vengeance, joy, and betrayal, which Wilson talks about is experienced by all, these feelings are universal. I agree with Him about how theater is the ultimate example of universal themes, which is why they are so popular, although they have morphed into movies now. One of the characters that is the most universal is Troy. He is a man that feels let down by society and is constantly trying to relive his glory days. It doesn’t matter if you are rich, poor, black or white, the feeling of having peeked is experienced by so many.
ReplyDeleteI found Rose and Troy's relation ship to be particularly profound. They both showed different sides of what life was like for African-Americans during this time, however I found both of the characters strangely similar. I say this because they were both in an unhealthy marriage, going slightly crazy because of one another. Both characters had to put aside their personal aspirations, causing a lot of internal contact later in life. On the other hand these characters differ in how they handle their sadness, Troy by running from Rose to share a fling with Alberta, and Rose holding on to Troy as she felt him drifting away. Another aspect I found very profound was the theme of family connection and love. Especially towards the end, I see this in Rose, adopting Raynell and continuing to take care of Cory.
ReplyDeleteElena Holder (question 3):
ReplyDeleteResilient: Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions
I think the most resilient character in the show by far is Cory. He was raised in a home with a difficult family situation. HE didn't have the most money growing up and his father was difficult in a lot of ways. Though his father didn't help him too much to be successful, he was. Cory got in one last fight with his father and was removed from his home. Though he was alone he still managed to make a life for himself in the military. If that isn't resilient then I don't know what is. A character that wasn't so resilient would be Troy. Troy was in a bad situation during the whole show and did almost nothing to get out of it. If anything he made his situation even worse. He was my least favorite character. He was all talk. Talking about doing things, but never really doing them.
I think that with August Wilson's exploration of Fences and what he could offer as "sustenance" or nourishment to the black America would be the reality of the environment and society. Wilson is 100% correct when we brings up that blacks' history came along through suffering and the tested resiliency of their human spirit. Also in the show, Troy constantly has a complicated relationship with all of the characters he interacts with. This can be caused by such devastating circumstances Troy is living in.
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ReplyDeleteTroy and his wife, Rose, stand in a complicated and clashing relationship because Rose likes to play numbers and likes to be nurtured while nurture someone, that someone being her son, Gabe. While Rose and Troy both try to take care of Gabe in the best way they can as parents and Husband/Wife, this is where they can get the most problems if they don't teach thier child in the same way.
Question 4:
ReplyDeleteI feel as if "universal" is talking about how we all as a world together come to these parts in our lives when we face some challenges like within our politics today and are trying to find ways to overcome them. In Wilsons' words, I believe that he's describing that theater shows everyone; in our world today; all of the problems that have happened or could happen and that we as a group of people from around the world can solve and stop before any of this becomes a problem. In "Fences", the characters have tendency to push their loved ones away even when they really need them, and as a whole; we all need each other or at least someone to make sure that we don't fall.
Question 3
ReplyDeleteResiliency is shown throughout Fences and by many of its characters. Since there were a lot of problems people had to face, it was one of the traits that people had to develop. Take for instance, Gabe. He had to deal with a mental trauma, and still try to live a good life (though he wasn't really aware of his situation). Another example would be Lyons, whom of which grew up a lot of his life with out a dad, and his source of income depended on the opinion and generosity of his audience. Rose exhibited quite a lot of resilience too. She was married to Troy, who was very hard to deal with at times and he was very self-centered caring primarily about his own dreams. Rose also had to deal with Troy's affair, ending up raising his child. But the character who acquired the most resilience would be Cory. He had dreams of being a football player that were crushed by Troy. He had to listen to and abide by his father's nonsense logic. Cory also was in the Marines for 6 years (maybe more) which takes lots of endurance (physically and mentally).
The topic of Troy's resilience, however, varies from the rest. Troy always mentions how he had to deal with a lot (a selfish dad, prison, and other stuff), but in actuality he was just talking it up, making an exaggerated story. And since he's always complaining about such things, it shows that he doesn't usually suck up and move on from issues, but rather let those problems leave an everlasting scar which he blames his quality of life on. For those reasons (and many more), I think Troy was the least resilient character.
I think Fences is a testimonial to human resiliency because so many of its characters didn't give up. Rose didn't give up on Troy, Corey didn't give up on football, Lyons didn't give up on trying to pay his dad back. What I find weird is that I don't think Troy is very resilient in many ways. He is in the way that he worked so hard to give his family a good life no matter what slot life handed him, and he fought death in a lot of ways. He put up with a lot of tough stuff and still managed to be happy and stable, but what makes me not like him is he put down others dreams. He crushed their resilience, and used his own as the hammer. He did this to Rose when he cheated on her, even though she had stuck with him for so long. He did this to Gabriel when he put him in the hospital, and he did it to Corey when he didn't let him play football. He took away so much joy from them and essentially wrecked his own life and his own resilience.
ReplyDeleteWhen Troy brought home the baby he had with another women, Rose agreed to take her in and care for her like she was her own. This part of the play was the most profound in my opinion. In the black culture we are quick to take care of someone else's child like our own. This moment really stood out to me, because Rose was able to put the all bad things aside and care for the innocent child even after Troy passed away. A real life example of this is the relationship I have with some of my friend’s mothers; they treat me as if I was theirs.
ReplyDeleteXia Zipper
ReplyDelete11/6/17
Pd.7
4. One of the most magical things about theater is that no matter who you are, what you do, how you think, or what you look like you can always find someone or something that you can personally relate to. Theater brings to life lifestyles and ideas that can be understood and accepted that one normally wouldn’t be able to experience. It can unify people and help everyone be cognisant and empathetic to the life of others. In this context, universal means something; thoughts, feelings, dreams, aspirations, goals, or background; that can be connected or understood to everyone. I completely agree with August Wilson’s claim that theater speaks universally for everyone because at the center of every character is a heart with their own dreams, goals, and desires that everyone can identify with. In “Fences,” Troy and Rose’s dream of purpose and meaning in the world can be easily applied to everyone’s own life and dreams; no matter who you are.
Ericka Malott
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1
August Wilson is proving a point on suffering of black America in fences. On page ninety five, Raynell asked Cory "did you used to sleep in my room?" Cory answered "yeah...that used to be my room." This can be an example of poverty and not having enough money for this black family. Another event of not having enough money was during the part when Rose and Troy were talking about money, and Gabe's rent money. How Troy signed the paper for his money, but he doesn't have any. This is what is happening to all the black communities during this time, they doesn't have enough money like the white's.
I think that the term “universal” means that it applies to every single person in some way or form. When Wilson says this quote, he means that everyone can relate to something in theater. I agree with his statement because I believe that everyone can find something that they can connect to in a play; even if it is a really small idea. In fences, Cory wants to play football because it is something that he loves. He puts it above work so he can be good enough to go to college for it. I think everyone wants to do something they love to do rather then do something that they have to do.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 3:
ReplyDeleteWhen someone is resilient that means they can recover quickly from a hard situation, so basically it means to be and stay strong. Throughout the play all the characters show resilience with their problems, including the problem that every black person faced in the American 1950's (constant oppression). I believe Rose shows a very strong sense of resilience when it comes to her marriage and all the times Troy hurt her in it. Her resilience comes from her powerful love towards her son Cory, and how she never wanted to give up on him. I believe there is not one non-resilient character in Fences, as they all show it somehow throughout their own respective problems.
I think the playwright is saying that theater holds a special relatability for people because, though not everyone can be represented in writing, anyone can act. Through this, theater channels a special kind of empathy. By forcing the actor to walk in their character’s shoes, it creates an awareness and perspective that isn’t possible in any other art form. This is why theater can and should be such an important vessel for messages of social justice and truth. I think that Fences had a very universal message in its theme of protective and barrier fences - a theme that seems to be at the heart of human nature. Once boiled down, the plot becomes extremely flexible in terms of specifics: take away the setting, and the specific problems, and the timeline, etc., and Fences becomes an all-too-recognizable dynamic of the human experience. Shut out what you aren’t ready to face. Hold in what you aren’t ready to let go. Maybe, because theater is becoming more of a novelty sort of art form than it used to be, films will have to step into the role. That, however, is a debate for another day.
ReplyDeleteFences is a story about how a black family deals with the issue of not having as much as white families but they are mostly resilient because most everyone perseveres throughout the play because they know that their life isn’t good but it could always be worse. The character that I find the most resilient is Rose because even when Troy brings home the child of the woman he had an affair with Rose still stays faithful to Troy and raises the child as her own. I believe that Rose’s resilience comes from her devotion to the well being of her family and her love for everyone around her. I think that Troy is non-resilient character because he is always trying to assert his dominance over others. An example of this is when he gets into his final argument with Cory over saying “Excuse me.” to get into the house he starts asking if Cory is trying to “walk over top of him” in his own house and tells Cory ,again, about all the things that Cory has because of him. I believe that Troy asserts his dominance because he wants to prove that he is a man even though the world doesn’t support him as a man.
ReplyDelete3. To be resilient means to be able to bounce back, and overcome adversity. Rose shows great resilience in Fences. When life gets her down, and when things get hard, she is able to rise up and stay strong. Rose is a housewife who has always tried to do right by her husband and son. her husband Troy cheats on her and deeply hurts her. While Rose never completely forgives him for disrespecting their marriage, she is still the bigger person and ends up helping him raise his illegitimate child as her own. Rose could very easily reject his child and stay mad upset at Troy and his child forever, however she looks past her anger and is able to become a mother to a child she could very easily resent. This shows Roses resilience and ability to overcome not only outside obstacles, but internal turmoil and be an amazing, strong woman.
ReplyDeleteQuestion Four:
ReplyDeleteThe word universal to me, means all and applies/can be used by everyone. I think the author uses universal in his quote to show how theater can relate to everyone, no matter the individual. He is saying that with theater, anyone can have a voice to express what they want to say. We can learn from different people's voices, but theater helps us understand them on a deeper level. I agree with the authors assertion, because every time I read or visit a play, I usually end up resonating with the characters and their struggles. A common theme I saw in "Fences" was the idea of failed dreams. This is universal because all people can relate to having a dream of something but never doing it, or just the general feeling of failure. Another universal theme I noticed was family. This is universal because everyone has some sort of family, biological or not, and everyone has the feelings that come with a family. When I think of family, I think of loyalty and respect, which are definitely universal themes.
Question 4
ReplyDeleteThe term universal means done by all people or things in the world or in particular group. Wilson is saying that the theater gives people a trustworthy voice. I agree with his assertion because some people do not have a big voice so theirs is never heard, but in the theater people come to see what you are saying. It gives people a chance to express and communicate theirself. It was particularly universal how all African Americans were treated with racial segregation like Troy. They were treated differently than the white men at their jobs. It stopped them from reaching their full potential and getting the same opportunities as other people at their jobs.
Question 2
ReplyDeleteIn this play, the relationship that struck me the most was Cory and Troy's relationship. In their relationship, there was so much tension between this son and father. Troy was very strict towards his son, to a point where Cory (younger self) was afraid of him. When Cory got older he realized that he needed to stand up for himself. Doing so, making the father son relationship strain, to the point of a small thread. I think that Troy's strictness was a very important key to helping Cory enter into manhood. This independence would have been a very important life essential, especially when living in the time period this play is set in as a black person. I think that strictness over the years has faded some, because black people have more rights now. Me living in a black family, there is strictness, but my parents always tell me its so that I will be responsible I the future, and to take care of myself when they are not around. I guess its a lesson passed down to each generation.
Zoe vickers
ReplyDeleteQuestion 4:
Universal means "of, affecting, or done by all people or things in the world or in a particular group; applicable to all cases". I believe Wilson means that theater can bring people together, making it easier for them to realate to eachother. I agree with him, in many ways seeing or preformin in theater can be very interactive. When you cry, the aduience crys, when you tell a joke, everyone laughs. Its a very easy way to communicate and realate to people. Something universally shared in the play fences was the feeling of community, everyone had eachothers back and was able to help one another in times of need.
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ReplyDelete3) Resilience is the ability to come back, or bounce back from a harsh situation quickly. "Fences" shows resiliency through many characters as they battle the harsh conditions they were given. Everyone has a difficult life but the amount of resilience they obtain connects to how much they can overcome. I think Rose shows a lot of resilience as she try's to give her children the best life she can. She works so hard is acts so powerful. I see Troy shows the least resilience, as he has issues with his anger and drinking which can cause him to make bad decisions.
ReplyDeleteDana Navarro
ReplyDelete6th period
#3
A person who is described as resilient would be able to recover quickly from a tough or horrendous situation. Throughout the story many characters at one point have faced a certain issues mainly struggles dealing with a colored family or more specifically internal family issues. A character who had to deal with an issue who quickly recovers from her struggles was Rose. She encountered many instances where she was almost to the point of breaking down but instead persisted in order for her son to live a decent life he deserves. She has a lot of high hopes for her son and supports him as much as she can. Her marriage was falling apart since Troy had a corrupt mind, going off and having an affair breaking essentially the relationship between the couple making this one of the biggest issue. But even through that occurred, Rose continues to pursue what she deems important though internally she probably is still hurt. Many other characters also were resilient at some point, facing an issue but recovering quickly in order to focus on other things, but all having different levels of resilience.
Question #3
ReplyDeleteResilient means to be able to fight through a tough situation and achieve your goals despite the obstacles. Fences is able to portray this attribute in its characters by giving them tough situations that they need to get out of and show them doing it. Like Cory buying a tv and playing football or Troy building a fence. These tasks would be easy if not for the things of life getting in the way and stopping them from happening but the characters resilience gets them through it.
Fences might be viewed as a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit because of its characters tendency to overcome things. They overcome things like discrimination and relationship problems. Cory is extremely resilient. Even though Troy was continuosly telling him he wasnt going to be able to make it as an African-American male and that he was never going to achieve his dreams he didn't let that stop him. While Cory is resilient, his mother, Rose, isn't so much. She tends to let things get to her.
ReplyDeleteElla Nuñez
ReplyDelete7th period
Question 7
I think that the term "Universal" means something that is done by any group or thing that is relevant to any case. I think what Wilson means by this is that theater can be very relatable to people, because they can express very common moods and feelings, and relate that back to the audience. When I watch a show on Netfix or some other form of television, I can relate to some of the characters in a way, because they make the show relatable and understandable.
I agree with his assertion, because it is the theater that brings people together and really gives them a sense of relation. Some aspects of Fences would be the common theme of failure, or not achieving your dream. When Troy didn't fulfill his dream, he felt like because he didn't get to be a Major League Baseball player, Cory wouldn't be a good football player. I feel like one way or another this is something anyone can relate to, whether it's big or small.
Question 3:
ReplyDeleteThe meaning of resilience is to recover quickly from difficulties you endure in life. The play "Fences" is a good example of resiliency since African Americans had to always deal with people judging them because of the color of their skin. In my opinion, I though that Rose was a good example of a resilient character in the story line since she had to deal with staying in the same place for a whole 18 years instead of going after/achieving her dreams since she thought that her husband Troy was a good person/was gonna be a good person. Even though somethings happened that you would call VERY unhealthy in a relationship. I think she got her resilience from kids and how they all had dreams they wanted to achieve. But there were no non-resilient characters in the book since each one of the characters had a hardship in their life/experiences that they had to overcome and get past. Like how basically all the characters had a dream they wanted to achieve but some couldn't achieve it so then they had to get over it so it didn't effect them anymore than it needed to.
Jessie Foday
ReplyDelete11/6/17
The definition of resilient is to easily be able to bounce back and recover quickly. I believe the play “Fences” is a testament to the human spirit through it’s characters. Even though everyone’s relationship with Troy acted as a fence that prohibited them, two characters in particular were especially resilient in the face of their fears. One of those characters is Rose. When she is first introduced in the play we see her as timid and meek and her only goal in life was to please her husband. The main turning point for Rose is when Troy cheats on her with another woman. Rose is finally able to see that he was never worthy of of her efforts and despite her abusive relationship and misogynist husband she persisted. She stood up for herself. She rose another child. She became the bigger person by conquering her fear of Troy.
Even more resilient than Rose was Corey. Corey received the majority of mistreatment which caused him to fear confrontation with his father even going so far as to say “I used to tremble every time you called my name”. The main source of conflict came from the disagreement about Corey being banned from football and from there it contributed to many violent fights. After some tension filled time passes Corey is kicked out of the house (Or one could argue he choses to leave) and instead of sitting on the streets to rot, he flourishes outside of his house. After joining the Marines and then returning home he knows he has finally won. Corey does more than just “bounce back”, he overshoots. He took a horrible situation and made something great from it. Once he was able to climb his fence it fell behind him without any effort.
Question 3:
ReplyDeleteThe word resilient means to recover from something that may have put them down in the past. I think that the most resilient character in the play is definitely Corey, seeing as how Troy kept giving him those "strikes". Then later when Corey and Troy get into a fight and then he gets strike 2, in the next scene when he talks to Rose about not quitting the football team it seems like he has bounced back from his fight. Not to forget that after Troy kicked him out of the house, instead of playing football in college he went into the marines to serve his country. One character that I think isn't resilient in the play is Rose. I mainly think of this, because of after Troy tells her about his affair with Alberta, according to the play they don't talk for 6 months. Of she were resilient then they probably would have talked through it and figured out whats best for their relationship.
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ReplyDeleteAnna Kelley, 7th Period
ReplyDelete3) In the play of fences, there are many characters who are resilient. Most of the characters had a hard past and many obstacles in their way. I think Corey is the most resilient. It think this because Troy gives him so many obstacles and holds him back from doing what he wants to do. At the end of the play, Cory stood up to Troy even though he knew that Troy was going to kick him out of his house. Even after he left Troy's house, he gave up his dreams to serve his country.
Evelyn Shirley
ReplyDeleteResilience means bouncing back from an obstacle or not letting things get to you. In the play Fences, the most resilient character is Cory. I would day Cory because Troy is always tearing him down. Telling Corey that he can't achieve his dreams and holding him back. Corey still holds on and doesn't let Troy get the best of him. Also, Corey stood up for Troy even though he knew Troy was going to kick him out. At the end, once Corey was out of the house, he gave up doing what he wanted to do and went to serve in the army.
Gabi Battaglini
ReplyDeleteResilience is the ability to keep going even when things start to get really hard. All of the characters in fences show resilience throughout the play and it shows the resilience of the human spirit by demonstrating that everybody has the desire to make a way for themselves and in the passage from August Wilson he says that should be encouraged. Whether it’s football for Cory, showing resilience to keep going even though his father prohibits him in some ways, or Troy just trying to get ahead in his job with all the prejudices he faces, they all show the resilience needed to keep going in life.
Jessica Mathew
ReplyDeleteBeing resilient means that you are able to withstand anything that comes in your way. It means to recover quickly. If you are resilient, it means you can get through things. The characters in fences show resilience. It shows resilience through the human spirit by showing us how people can also get through hard times. In fences Cory is resilient because he stand up for himself and doesn’t let people control him.
Question 3: Resilience is when you persevere through a difficult point in your life and still succeed. Rose I feel represents this word perfectly. She finds out her husband had an affair that led to a child and still managed to be strong. She distanced herself from her husband and adopted the child from the affair. This shows that even when Rose is going through a tough time she finds a way to be resilient and make the most of the situation.
ReplyDeleteQ3: Resilient - being able to recover quickly from difficult conditions. August Wilson explored this definition in different ways throughout the play. His quote, "I think my plays are a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit," can be seen in just the summary of the book. This is a colored family in the 1950's. That alone means that they all must have resilience to even be thriving in that society. Rose is a specific character who obviously has lots of resilience in herself. With Troy bringing home a baby that's not even hers, she still raises the girl like she's her own. Although she distanced herself from Troy, Rose is still able to keep going, bounce back, and adopt this poor child who was unfortunately brought into this.
ReplyDeleteQ-1: I think the black America sufferings that August Wilson is talking about is specificaly to the characters and not necessarily to the universal. Rose suffers with a lot of hurtfulness when Troy finally admits that he was seeing someone else and has a child. They have been married for so long that she feels sort of betrayed that he did not tell her soon enough.
ReplyDeleteTroy did also suffer in some aspects like losing the mother of his child, and the women that he says means a lot to him and makes him feel in a different way that he never felt before. What strikes me most as an African American is how he builds the actual fence after losing his child's mother. That really got me in my heart because I have lost my parents I felt like maybe I could of prevented that like building an actual fence and keeping them locked with me.
The resilient character was mostly Rose I think, and it's because of how she reacts to most things. Like from the part she found out that he was having a baby to him needing help with it she was calm and understandable. Especially in the baby situation she was stunned but calm, she ended up taking care of the baby but not taking her husband (he cheated). Also the way she reacted to her husband grabbing her arm was calm until Troy got pushed by his son. Troy is apparently also resilient because of the story (that could be false) about him almost dying to the cold/devil.
ReplyDeleteUniversal means to be relatable to everyone all around the world, something that everyone understands and agrees with and theater is one of those things. Most things in theater are like a giant poem or work of art; completely open for interpertation. They have these universal themes that everyone can relate to and share with one another and I think a big take away from fences is the feeling of community and love; how there are certain people who will do anything for you and follow you anywhere.
ReplyDeleteQuinn McGuire
ReplyDelete11/9/17
7th period
Resilience is a profoundly deep and complex thing to aquire. to stand when all else tells you not to and to give up and sink is possibly the hardest thing to do. How do you defy all senses and reason to turn back and give up? Hope. Hope is the foundation of resilience. Rose has the strength, love, and hope to carry her on or just keep her head afloat when her marriage collapses, her son leaves, her family is spread to spider webs. Rose has the hope that no one else had. Rose not only carried herself but an entire family and her husbands affair baby. She has the strength to resist and persist with all the weight life piled on to her. When her husband took her dreams away she still prospered and survived without her dreams, her family, or her stability. The world needs more Ruths to show us how to survive.
I think that the hardships that are portrayed in this play are much different than what you usually see. You have your generic problem of not having enough money in the household. You also have the problem of having mental illnesses that go untreated (Gabriel). You have many more different problems that are universal and can relate to other people one way or another. One of these is father-son relationships in the household. Rose was very resilient to be able to put up with all the trouble that the family had gone through and to be able to persevere through everyone else's struggles while she had an even greater struggle.
ReplyDelete-John Hempstead
Universal means "of, affecting, or done by all people or things in the world or in a particular group;" The thing about theater is that it represents something or someone. It portrays a message and I think that Wilson presumes to think that theater is something that everyone has. It's available to everyone and anyone. It might not be in a huge, extraordinary, lovely place but you can still get it from somewhere. It's accessible if it's just you and one other person or some random person on the street performing something. As long as the message of the theatrical performance get's around it is called theater.
ReplyDeleteThe aspect of the play thay it's characters and their relationships struck me as particularly profound in terms of their articulation of the black experience was Tory's origin story. I found Troy's origin story in relatio to it's effects on his family to be most profound because it had mostly to do with the racism that they went through and also factoring it out to truely measure human nature.
ReplyDelete-Wa'el
By: Kaeshad Williamson
ReplyDeletePeriod:7
12/02/17
Q3
Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or bad events. The idea of being resilient can be easily viewed in the play “Fences” because it shows the toughness and fight in certain people during certain times. The play shows how hard times brings out the true character of a person and how unexpectedly difficult events can arise. For example in the play “Fences” it displays the resilience in Rose, when Troy brought home the newborn baby that he had, had with another women to Rose and she agreed to take care of it. The play also displayed the resilience of Rose when Troy had told her that he had been having an affair with another women for years and she still stood by him. At these times in the play Rose was resilient and I feel like she got that resilience from her background as an African American women in Pittsburgh and her desire for a perfect family. Rose and other characters in the play like Cory were seen to be resilient to me and made me realize how strong people can be through tough times.
#3 I would say the story if fences is very reselient and it effectively captured the black american ideals. someone said god didn't see fit to give black men dreams but he gave them children. They maxon family has to be resilient not only to keep hope but to also to inspire future generations. I would say that Rose is very resilient for taking care of raynell and even troy through his troubles. Troy is also resilient because he has been through so much in his life and always found a way to help himself he believed in a better life despite all he had been through with his family. I would say resiliency comes from Troy and Rose because Corey has seen what they have gone through and how far he comes. All the main characters are resilient and complex characters. (except for Bono because he wasn't really given a character arc) From Gabriel and his way of fighting his way of through his mental disease To Corey of finding another way to support himself outside of his family.
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