Play: August Wilson’s Fences

Play: August Wilson’s Fences
Choose ONE of the following questions:
According to Question One about Fences on page 1281 in the Mays’ textbook, “…August Wilson describes Fences as revolving so completely around its central character [Troy Maxson]…” However, Rose is also an important character with a significant narrative. Write a two to three-page essay in which you explore how Fences might be more Rose’s story than Troy’s. In other words, make a claim that focuses on Rose. Maybe discuss how Rose’s life does not actually center as much around Troy as he thinks. Or maybe discuss how Rose represents not only African American women in pre-Civil Rights America, but all lower middle class and poor women. How could she have “…[left] some room for me” (1279). Another possibility would be to compare the generations of women – Rose, Troy’s mother, Raynell.
OR
Critic Harry J. Elam, Jr. coins the term “racial madness…that suggests that social and political forces can impact the black psyche and that decades of oppression can induce a collective psychosis.” Elam claims that years of racial injustice and oppression influence Troy’s decision to prevent Cory from playing football. In a two to three-page essay, contrast Troy’s goal to “go down swinging” to the goals of Rose, his sons, Gabriel, and Bono. Address the difference between how Troy thinks about the American Dream, and racial injustice the way the other characters think about it. Better to narrow your contrast between Troy and one or two characters. Must be two to three pages in length.
• Must include at least two literary analysis sources from LINCC (you can use ones I post) addressing the play.
• Must include Works Cited page with entries for literary analysis sources and the play.
• Must include direct quotes from the play and in-text citations for secondary sources (page numbers in parentheses).