Essay Available:
Pages:
5 pages/≈1375 words
Sources:
2
Style:
MLA
Subject:
Literature & Language
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 18
Topic:
Exploring August Wilson's Play, Fences
Essay Instructions:
Essay 2
Parameters: This is your second formal writing assignment. You will receive a letter grade for this assignment based on the requirements and rubric posted below. You must address the question posed below. Your paper must be type written and follow the guidelines for out of class writing posted on the syllabus.
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is for you to demonstrate your ability to build upon the skills you developed in ENGL 1301, to illustrate your critical response to a variety of texts, and to write a literary analysis using the terminology in the book, one outside academic source, and your analytical skills.
Assignment: Address the following prompt in a complete, fully developed, and comprehensive essay of 1200 words (+/- 10%).
Prompt: Select ONE of the following prompts and address the question. Be sure to fulfill ALL requirements, including the use of an outside source.
1. Analyze the complexities and contradictions to be found in a well-rounded character from a play of your choice. Some good subjects might be Nora Helmer (in A Doll's House), Willy Loman (in Death of a Salesman), or Tom Wingfield (In The Glass Menagerie).
2. Write an analysis in which you single out an element of a play for examination – character, plot, setting, theme, dramatic irony, tone, language, symbolism, conventions, or any other element. Try to relate this element to the play as a whole. Sample topics: “Imagery of Poison in Othello,” “The Function of Teiresias in Oedipus the King,” “Irony in Antigone,” “Williams' use of Magic-Lantern Slides in The Glass Menagerie,” or “The Theme of Success in Death of a Salesman.”
3. Why is August Wilson's play title Fences? Explore the ways in which fences are used symbolically by Wilson and the literal and figurative meanings of fences to the main characters (Troy, Rose, Cory, Lyons, Gabe).
- You must use one primary source and one secondary source to support your claims.
- DO NOT write about Trifles.
- You must you the concepts, terminology and ideas that we have addressed in weekly assignments and lectures and covered in the text.
Save your Essay as: \"Last name_First name_Essay #_Title.\" E.g. Dent_Stu_Essay 2_Making Mouths.
Requirements:
1. The tone of academic papers is formal. Please do not write in first or second person or use informal language such as slang, text speak, clichés, regionalisms, and colloquialisms.
2. You should have an arguable thesis that states your position clearly. Your position will be your answer to the prompt.
3. You will introduce the work/works and author/s about which you are writing in the introduction.
4. You will support your thesis statement with claims. Those claims must be supported by textual evidence.
5. Do not write a plot summary.
6. Your paper will have an introduction that includes the thesis as the last sentence.
7. Your paper will have body paragraphs in which you support your thesis with reasonable claims and support.
8. You will proofread your paper for spelling, grammar, and mechanics errors. Any papers with more than 5 proofreading errors on any page will be returned ungraded and will be penalized as late when resubmitted.
9. Use active verbs. Rather than writing “She is loving the way he speaks to her,” write, “She loves the way he speaks to her.”
10. Make sure your subjects and verbs agree in number and person. Use your Rules for Writers Handbook from ENGL 1301 as a reference.
11. Use proper MLA citation. You may use Purdue's OWL, the MLA Handbook, your Rules for Writers Handbook, or any reference that does not generate your citations for you.
12. Include an original and thought provoking title.
13. You must have a header with your name, the assignment, course title, my name and date, and you must include page numbers. Your header will appear on the first page only.
14. You must use one primary source and one secondary. DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA, SPARKNOTES, CLIFF NOTES, MASTERPLOTS, OR MAGILL'S AS YOUR SECONDARY SOURCE.
An A paper will satisfy 12-14 of the above requirements.
A B paper will satisfy 10-11 of the above requirements.
A C paper will satisfy 8-9 of the above requirements.
A D paper will satisfy 6-7 of the above requirements.
An F paper will fail to satisfy at least 6 of the above requirements.
Due Date: The paper is due by 9:00 a.m. on March 17, 2013. You must upload your paper to the Turnitin by the deadline or your paper will be penalized 20 points for every day you are late.
Essay Sample Content Preview:
(student`s name)
(professor`s name)
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Exploring August Wilson`s Play, Fences
One of ten plays included in the Pittsburgh Cycle, a series that depicts the life of African-Americans in various decades, Fences covers the 1950s, a time of changes for the United States in general. Fences is centered on the life of the Maxsons and their struggle for racial equality ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "URL" : "/today/2009/putting-up-fences/", "accessed" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2013", "3", "8" ] ] }, "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Waltz", "given" : "Vicky", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "BU Today", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2009" ] ] }, "title" : "Putting Up Fences", "type" : "webpage" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=54900c70-f9ec-4015-babd-35e8c6475221" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Waltz)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Waltz). But more than racism, Fences tackled important themes that unite and divides families and communities. It recovers the lost traditions of the black slaves which made them withstand the challenges and turmoil of those savage years. Music, family, love, spirituality - all these have played major roles in making the African-American one of the most resilient races today.
More than the drama, the play is known for its vast imagery and its ability to transcend boundaries ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Shannon", "given" : "Sandra Garrett", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2003" ] ] }, "publisher" : "Greenwood Publishing Group", "publisher-place" : "Westport", "title" : "August Wilson's Fences: A Reference Guide", "type" : "book" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=80b09b26-961c-46cd-983f-e238585543c7" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Shannon)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Shannon). Using a language that is understood by many, August Wilson was able to forge bonds between people of different races and cultures, hence earning him the recognition as one of the greatest American playwrights since Tennessee Williams ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Isherwood", "given" : "Charles", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "The New York Times", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2005", "10", "3" ] ] }, "publisher-place" : "New York", "title" : "August Wilson, Theater's Poet of Black America, Is Dead at 60", "type" : "article-newspaper" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=42a9a544-a1f8-439f-8c1e-432791b58ccd" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Isherwood)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Isherwood). Though the play centered on the experiences of the African-American after World War II, it has universal themes that depicts our very own struggles - love, acceptance, duty. Perhaps this really the intention behind Fences - to show the detail of life of certain cultures and races so as to depict experiences which are not only Asian, African or American. In August Wilson`s words:
…my plays offer (white Americans) a different way to look at black Americans…in Fences they see a garbageman, a person they don't really look at.... 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. ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Isherwood", "given" : "Charles", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "The New York Times", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2005", "10", "3" ] ] }, "publisher-place" : "New York", "title" : "August Wilson, Theater's Poet of Black America, Is Dead at 60", "type" : "article-newspaper" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=42a9a544-a1f8-439f-8c1e-432791b58ccd" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Isherwood)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Isherwood)
From the beginning of the play, we are reminded of the role of the fence. The play opens on the yard of the Maxsons: "The yard is a small dirt yard, partially fenced, except for the last scene" ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Wilson", "given" : "August", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2010" ] ] }, "publisher" : "Samuel French, Inc", "title" : "Fences", "type" : "book" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=35197b91-2415-44a7-a617-8c223fdd067c" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "manualFormatting" : "(Wilson 2)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Wilson)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Wilson 2). We know from these words that the story progresses in the same manner as the fence is built. The fence is incomplete at the beginning signifying an incomplete story, or perhaps one may say that it also represents the demeanor of Troy Maxson who feels that his life is lacking because there was a fence that blocked him from achieving his dreams.
Troy was once a baseball player, perhaps one of the greatest in the Negro leagues, if his friend Bono was to be believed. As the story progresses, we discover that Troy is discontented with his life - if only he didn`t come in the leagues too early (at a time when segregation in the Big Leagues were still prevalent), he could`ve played pro. At present, he is a garbage man, unhappy with the lack of opportunities for personal improvement. But then he expected this. Based on his experiences in life, he knew that dreaming is not for the black man. This is apparent in his words about Cory playing football, "The white man ain`t gonna let him get nowhere with that football…He ought to go and get recruited in how to fix cars or something where he can make a living" ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Wilson", "given" : "August", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2010" ] ] }, "publisher" : "Samuel French, Inc", "title" : "Fences", "type" : "book" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=35197b91-2415-44a7-a617-8c223fdd067c" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "manualFormatting" : "(Wilson 5)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Wilson)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Wilson 5). Troy believed that the black man has to earn his keep, he has to be realistic so he can feed his family. This was the fence Troy put up around him. The reality, his side of the fence, is that of struggles and hardships. That is where the black man is supposed to stay. On the other side is the land of dreams, of the white man, the land of prosperity and happiness. Such symbolism for the fence can be found all throughout the story. Many times, Troy referred back to his difficult life, to his life of despair and helplessness, on one hand, and on the other, the life he had to forget because ...
(professor`s name)
(course number)
(date of submission)
Exploring August Wilson`s Play, Fences
One of ten plays included in the Pittsburgh Cycle, a series that depicts the life of African-Americans in various decades, Fences covers the 1950s, a time of changes for the United States in general. Fences is centered on the life of the Maxsons and their struggle for racial equality ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "URL" : "/today/2009/putting-up-fences/", "accessed" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2013", "3", "8" ] ] }, "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Waltz", "given" : "Vicky", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "BU Today", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2009" ] ] }, "title" : "Putting Up Fences", "type" : "webpage" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=54900c70-f9ec-4015-babd-35e8c6475221" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Waltz)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Waltz). But more than racism, Fences tackled important themes that unite and divides families and communities. It recovers the lost traditions of the black slaves which made them withstand the challenges and turmoil of those savage years. Music, family, love, spirituality - all these have played major roles in making the African-American one of the most resilient races today.
More than the drama, the play is known for its vast imagery and its ability to transcend boundaries ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Shannon", "given" : "Sandra Garrett", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2003" ] ] }, "publisher" : "Greenwood Publishing Group", "publisher-place" : "Westport", "title" : "August Wilson's Fences: A Reference Guide", "type" : "book" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=80b09b26-961c-46cd-983f-e238585543c7" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Shannon)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Shannon). Using a language that is understood by many, August Wilson was able to forge bonds between people of different races and cultures, hence earning him the recognition as one of the greatest American playwrights since Tennessee Williams ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Isherwood", "given" : "Charles", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "The New York Times", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2005", "10", "3" ] ] }, "publisher-place" : "New York", "title" : "August Wilson, Theater's Poet of Black America, Is Dead at 60", "type" : "article-newspaper" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=42a9a544-a1f8-439f-8c1e-432791b58ccd" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Isherwood)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Isherwood). Though the play centered on the experiences of the African-American after World War II, it has universal themes that depicts our very own struggles - love, acceptance, duty. Perhaps this really the intention behind Fences - to show the detail of life of certain cultures and races so as to depict experiences which are not only Asian, African or American. In August Wilson`s words:
…my plays offer (white Americans) a different way to look at black Americans…in Fences they see a garbageman, a person they don't really look at.... 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. ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Isherwood", "given" : "Charles", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "The New York Times", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2005", "10", "3" ] ] }, "publisher-place" : "New York", "title" : "August Wilson, Theater's Poet of Black America, Is Dead at 60", "type" : "article-newspaper" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=42a9a544-a1f8-439f-8c1e-432791b58ccd" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Isherwood)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Isherwood)
From the beginning of the play, we are reminded of the role of the fence. The play opens on the yard of the Maxsons: "The yard is a small dirt yard, partially fenced, except for the last scene" ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Wilson", "given" : "August", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2010" ] ] }, "publisher" : "Samuel French, Inc", "title" : "Fences", "type" : "book" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=35197b91-2415-44a7-a617-8c223fdd067c" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "manualFormatting" : "(Wilson 2)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Wilson)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Wilson 2). We know from these words that the story progresses in the same manner as the fence is built. The fence is incomplete at the beginning signifying an incomplete story, or perhaps one may say that it also represents the demeanor of Troy Maxson who feels that his life is lacking because there was a fence that blocked him from achieving his dreams.
Troy was once a baseball player, perhaps one of the greatest in the Negro leagues, if his friend Bono was to be believed. As the story progresses, we discover that Troy is discontented with his life - if only he didn`t come in the leagues too early (at a time when segregation in the Big Leagues were still prevalent), he could`ve played pro. At present, he is a garbage man, unhappy with the lack of opportunities for personal improvement. But then he expected this. Based on his experiences in life, he knew that dreaming is not for the black man. This is apparent in his words about Cory playing football, "The white man ain`t gonna let him get nowhere with that football…He ought to go and get recruited in how to fix cars or something where he can make a living" ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Wilson", "given" : "August", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2010" ] ] }, "publisher" : "Samuel French, Inc", "title" : "Fences", "type" : "book" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=35197b91-2415-44a7-a617-8c223fdd067c" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "manualFormatting" : "(Wilson 5)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Wilson)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Wilson 5). Troy believed that the black man has to earn his keep, he has to be realistic so he can feed his family. This was the fence Troy put up around him. The reality, his side of the fence, is that of struggles and hardships. That is where the black man is supposed to stay. On the other side is the land of dreams, of the white man, the land of prosperity and happiness. Such symbolism for the fence can be found all throughout the story. Many times, Troy referred back to his difficult life, to his life of despair and helplessness, on one hand, and on the other, the life he had to forget because ...
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