Turn in NOW!:

Frost Analysis
– Analysis on top
– Directions/Poem/ru
bric packet stapled
to the back
– Take out poems
that you did not
use.

Frost Annotations
– Name on top
– You’ll get these
back next class to
study with. KEEP!!
Today
Clip from the play:
Denzel Washington
 Background on
Fences & August
Wilson
 Read next scene
 HW: FINISH ACT I!

“Dreams” by Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Fences

Play that tells an individual’s story in a
way that showcases the social history of
the time period (1950s +).

Can one person’s story be (or become) the
story of a whole group of people?
Context
Language/Dialect- The “N” Word
 Setting- Place Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

– Contrast immigrant experience

Setting- Time
– Post WWII
Baseball
 August Wilson’s legacy- understanding
play’s impact.

Sharing Context Information

Groups of 5 – each with a different article.
– 7-8 min silent read/scan
– If group of 4- leave off white copy

Go around; each person shares main ideas
while others listen. Listen well, please.
– 10 minutes to share.
1957
From Act 1; Scene 1- What is Wilson
saying about the African American
experience?
 How does this scene portray life in 1957?
 What does Wilson say about the African
American Dream?
 How does Troy’s life reflect the changing
status of African American’s in 1957?

Troy Maxon
How does Wilson characterize Troy?
 First impressions of this character
 Find specific evidence to support claims

Pg 10 - 12
Wrestling with death…
 Clip from Broadway production
 Why might this be important?


What else do you notice about
relationships? Troy and Bono, Troy and
Rose, Troy and Cory, Troy and Gabe
Themes and Motifs
Fences & Boundaries/Barriers
 Relationships: father/son, husband/wife,
past/present
 Changing times, Generational
Cycles/Patterns (how to break them)
 Responsibility
 Faith/Religion/Judgment

Fences
The play is titled “Fences,” a fence is
being built on stage—obviously it’s a
dominant metaphor.
 So—what is a fence literally? What kinds
of metaphoric fences do people erect?
Which of those do people put up to
protect themselves? Which are imposed
by others?
 Mending Wall Flashbacks??

Types of Fences
segregation
 gender bias
 family estrangement
 generation gap
 psychological barriers [e.g. not being able
to understand

– emotional/communication barriers
Act 1; Scene 2

Can one person’s story be (or become) the
story of a whole group of people?
Announcements/HW

Reminders:
– Frost Review- Thursday 3:30-?
– Gatsby/Fences Review- Friday @ Lunch

HW: Complete Act 1
– Remember to read everything; stage
directions in italics are very important to
understanding the unspoken details of the
performance.