Troy's Characters (Research Paper Sample)

Instructions:

English 1020
MLA Research Essay/ Fences with research component
Due: Dec. 7
Format: Double-spaced, 900-1200 words (not including Works Cited page), MLA style of documentation used for in-text citations and Works Cited page, 3 or more outside sources required plus your primary source which is your play within your anthology (total of 4 sources minimum listed on Works Cited page), no fancy fonts or computer graphics, use 12 print size, Times New Roman, give essay a unique title.
MLA documentation info:
*Research Sources should focus on literary criticism of August Wilson and his play Fences as connects to your selected thesis. Avoid simply inserting biographical info of author---“Wilson was born here, went to school here”, etc. as this is just “filler” and wouldn’t support your thesis in any way. For example, if your thesis is to show the character arc of the character of Rose, then your research should focus on her character, Wilson’s views on presenting female characters, and the like. A great resource to use is PGCC’s academic databases on the library website. Go to PGCC’s home page www.pgcc.edu to access the library. You can either type “Library” in the search box at the top or click on the Library link at the bottom of the page. Once you click into the library, click on Online Databases and scroll to a database entitled ARTEMIS Library Sources which combines two fine databases, Literature Resource Center and Literary Criticism Online. You may also peruse other databases as well, but ARTEMIS is a good place to start. You may not use Wikipedia as a source as it is not considered a scholastic source. Sparknotes, enotes, bookrags, Schmoop, gradesaver etc. are also not to be used. Again, it is recommended that your sources come from PGCC’s library databases. Avoid the use of dictionaries and encyclopedias, if possible.
How to format in-text citations from your text Fences: When citing from the text of the play, please include act, scene, and page number(s) after your direct quote or paraphrase from the text. i.e. (2. 3. 1358). This indicates that the quote or paraphrase is from Act 2, Scene 3, page 1358.
Follow MLA style of documentation for all in-text citations of outside research sources. Your Works Cited page as well as your in-text citations (parenthetical citations that occur after your quotes or paraphrases within the text of your essay), should be in the updated MLA style. As this is a second-level English course, it is assumed that you already have learned this style in your EGL 1010 course. However, I have opted to post a handout under Lecture Notes—MLA examples for guidance. You may also consult a good college writer’s handbook that has the updated MLA documentation style. Papers that do not have the two elements of MLA—parenthetical documentation within the text of your essay after any paraphrases or direct quotes from research and a Works Cited page will not be accepted.
Due: Dec. 7. No late papers accepted. Papers that are plagiarized will not be accepted. Continue to scroll for topic/thesis ideas. Please submit through Blackboard, following the guidelines presented in our syllabus under Assignment Policies.
Thesis Ideas: You may opt to choose ONE that I’ve provided or you may develop your own thesis---however, be sure to run it by me first if you’re unsure. Also, keep in mind that you may edit/revise the ideas I have here to suit your research ambitions…
1. How does Troy's character change over the course of the play? Create an essay where you trace and discuss the complete character arc of Troy Maxon. Is Troy a tragic figure, a modern hero, a villain or a combination of these types?
2. Fathers and sons: Analyze the relationship and conflicts between Troy and Cory. Go beyond just “retelling the plot.” Analyze why these conflicts are occurring. Reach inside the characters of Troy and Cory to tap into their motivation and behavior. Discuss in your conclusion whether a resolution is reached?
3. What about Gabriel? Gabe cannot be easily dismissed as just a “kooky” minor character. He seems to be quite important to the play (especially his actions at the end) and appears in pivotal scenes. What is his function? Analyze certain scenes in which he appears and how he affects Troy and others. What is his spiritual/religious significance?
4. Historical context: Create an essay in which you explore the late 40’s and 50’s in terms of world events, particular the sports color barrier and racial issues that affected August Wilson. While reading Fences, it is important to look at the year 1957 (in which the play took place.) Trace and comment upon pivotal events that you think influenced Wilson and his creation of the play and how these events of the past affect Troy. Were Troy’s fears/concerns for Cory “valid worries of his time?”
5. Professor William Cook, who teaches at Dartmouth, lectures and writes extensively on August Wilson and his work. He has talked a great deal on what he calls the “confessional duologue”—a “dialogue of personal encounter whereby characters compel certain self-disclosures from one another through interlinked session of talk.” Characters are “forced to speak what is dreaded to confront the ghosts they have refused to acknowledge.” How does this relate to Rose? According to Cook, it seems as if she is an “example of a person forced to confess her troubles with her life after years of keeping her frustrations bottled up inside her.” Create an essay in which you analyze the complex character of Rose and in which you discuss this “confession.” Discuss how she could be said to grow from a submissive victim of historical context to a strong heroine by the play’s end.
6. What is the play's attitude towards women? Do Rose and the women mentioned in the play typify roles of the 1950's or defy them? What attributes or actions of the female characters support your interpretation?
7. Discuss the significance of the title, Fences, as it relates to characters and themes of the play.
8. In many American plays, blacks play only minor roles or are only mentioned in passing by the main characters. Wilson reverses this by only referring to white characters but never having them appear on stage. What effect does this have on the play? How does their absence and presence inform the characters' world?
Would the play be more effective or less effective if the white characters mentioned in the play were more present? Provide textual evidence to support your answer.

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Content:

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Tracing and examining how Troy’s character changes over the course of the play. Is he a villain, a modern hero, a tragic figure or a combination of these?
Troy transforms into a fearful, unloved and lonely person from his initial status as the center of focus on his social world and family relationship. Although, Troy tries to escape his life, he engages life and challenges death using his convictions. Troy’s character changes over the course of the play. His character displays a combination of various personalities; though he can be considered as a modern tragic hero. Wilson August depicted most of the characters having distinct roles which have made it easy for the readers to understand their personalities. Troy is the most difficult character to understand in the play. His mindset is fixed on the past; he faces tragic flaw because he does not let the past go. Troy’s life revolves around hardships, abuse, poverty, conflicts, and racial discrimination which had negative effects in his life including people around him. The aim of this paper is to justify that in this play, August Wilson wanted to make readers understand how complex Troy Maxson (the modern tragic hero of the play) is.
“Fences” examines the conflicts in Troy’s mindset. He lives in a Christian-oriented society but believes that Christianity is not a religion for the black Americans (Shannon 127). He is convinced that Christian God forsaken African American people. The play is set during 1950s in which Troy is depicted as a garbage collector. He is so frustrated because he struggles with the impacts of abandoning school early in order to assist his father in doing farming. Poverty influenced him to start robbing and later he was imprisoned because he murdered somebody. In his fifteenth year in prison, Troy realized that he is talented in baseball sports. He remained determined to achieve his potential in the baseball game, though was denied the opportunity because of his African origin. He does not go for church services to seek direction or comfort.
Menson-Furr views that the play begins with Troy and Bono journey to home after completing their job on Friday (181). Troy is seen complaining about racial discrimination that black Americans are facing at workplace. He is angry that only white men are allowed to work as truck drivers while African Americans reduced only to work as garbage collectors. His upset also is triggered by unfulfilled talent of his baseball sports and having served imprisonment in jail for several years. All these negatively affect his relationship with his brother (Gabriel), his son (Cory), his wife (Rose) and other characters. Despite, he loves his wife; Troy has an affair with Alberta. Later, Alberta becomes pregnant, but she dies in childbirth; thus leaving the baby girl to Troy, who has no alternative, but asks Rose to take care of the child. He is a self-inflicted person; this is a problem that influenced him to deny his son obtaining scholarship through his football career.
He becomes loveless, friendliness, and lonely when his secrets, anger, and fear begin affecting him, and consequently, his loved ones disrespect him. Lives of his family members changed, and they no longer depend on his presence. Wilson presents that although, people around Troy warn him that the actions he is doing have tragic effects, he stubbornly continues to follow his own actions (11). Troy is dissatisfied with his life. He is unhappy because racial discrimination stopped his interest in becoming pro baseball player. As the garbage collector, Troy feels unfulfilled and trapped. Cory obtains an opportunity to join college based on a football scholarship, although Troy declines to sign the permission paper. Troy claims that he does not want his son to experience suffering from the similar racial discrimination which barred Troy from becoming an active baseball player. This becomes a major problem when Troy informs Cory’s high School football coach that Cory can no longer play football anymore. This ruins Cory’s hopes of joining college. Troy creates both small and big conflicts with all characters in the play (Snodgrass 27). He causes conflicts as a consequence of his ability to believe in self-created illusions. He believes in illusions as a result of his inability of accepting choices and reality in real life.
Troy is a responsible person, but his thwarted dreams influence him to believe in self-created illusions (Elam 346). In the play, Troy entertains Rose and Bono with an epic narrative about his struggle with a personified death or evil character. Troy often re-inflicted his battle against Death Personified that he always narrates in a baseball terminology; although, with time this became a reality. He meets his death while fighting the rag ball he tied to a tree in the garden. During his funeral, Troy’s family members renewed their relationships; Rose gently advises Cory to abandon the emotional fences which have been separating him with Troy.
When he is so self-pitied and vulnerable, Troy talks about his pastime life experience rather than seeking Christian inspirations to heal his emotional wounds. He prefers the pastime life experience since they have cultural response of the African Americans to the situations which faced them. Such a belief cultural system is quite different from Christianity. Troy believes in such a cultural system that allows his marital infidelity and encourages the habit of extorting his brother’s money. While his is not interested in Christianity, Troy is obsessed with his baseball game which is more relevant in his life. According to Shannon, whereas Alberta provides Troy with unconditional emotional and physical relationship, Gabriel offers him with a financial base (134). Troy thinks that he does not require any divine inspiration while such human alternatives are ava...

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Troy's Characters (Research Paper Sample)

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