Fences Study Guide Name______________9

(1)

Fences Study Guide Name______________

9

^th

Grade English Class______________

Characters

Characters Association to Troy Maxson

Troy Maxson Protagonist

Setting

(2)

The Play

What is August Wilson saying in the second paragraph of The Play?

Pre-Reading

1. What are fences and what are their purpose?

(3)

Fences

By August Wilson

Post-reading reflection and journal

Pages 1-8

Directions: After we act out Fences, answer the following questions thoroughly. This is due at the end of period and will count as a Writer’s Notebook grade.

1. Where does Scene One begin and what characters are talking?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

2. What did Troy do that is making him talk about possibly being fired?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

3. What does Bono accuse Troy of on pages 3-5?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

4. What is Troy’s response?

______________________________________________________________________________

(4)

5. What reasons does the nararrator give for Rose’s devotion to Troy on page 5?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

6. What are your impressions of Rose and Troy’s relationship at this point?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

7. What news does Rose tell Troy about Cory?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

8. How does Troy react?

(5)

Fences

By August Wilson

Post-reading reflection and journal

Pages 9-20

1. What happened to Troy’s baseball career?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

2. What does Troy say about death?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

3. What is Lyon’s profession?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

4. What does Lyon’s want from Troy?

(6)

5. What are your first impressions of Troy and Lyon’s relationship?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

6. What is Lyon’s wife’s name?

_____________________________________________________________________________

7. What job does Troy suggest to Lyons and what is Troy’s reaction when Lyon’s turns down the offer?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

8. What are Lyons and Troy fighting about on pages 18-19?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

9. What does Troy tell Bono at the end of the Scene One?

(7)

Fences

By August Wilson

Post-reading reflection and journal

Pages 21-28

1. What is Troy’s mood when he wakes up in the morning?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

2. Where was Cory? And what did Troy want Cory to be doing that morning?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

3. What is Gabe current mental condition? How did become this way?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

4. Who does Gabriel believe he is? WHY does he believe this?

(8)

5. Where does Gabe say he saw Troy’s name written?

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

6. Where does Gabe live? What does Troy think about him living there?

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

7. What do we learn about the $3,000 that Gabe received from the military?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

8. What are Troy’s feelings about the money?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

9. Where does Troy say he’s going at the end of the scene? Where do you think he’s REALLY going?

(9)

Fences

By August Wilson

Post-reading reflection and journal

Pages 29-40

1. What is Troy’s response to Rose when she asks him about the game?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

2. What is your first impression of the relationship between Troy and Cory?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

3. What does Cory ask Troy to buy and what is Troy’s response?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

4. What are Cory and Troy’s “understanding about this football stuff” according to Troy?

(10)

5. At this point, do you think that Troy will sign the paperwork to give permission for Cory to play football in college?

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

6. What does Troy tell Cory he has to do?

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

7. Why does Cory ask Troy why he never liked him? What is Troy’s response?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

8. What reason does Troy give Rose about not wanting Cory to play football in college?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

9. What is Troy saying to Rose at the end of Scene 3?

(11)

Fences

By August Wilson

Post-reading reflection and journal

Pages 41-58

1. What are Troy and Bono celebrating in Act 1, Scene 4?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

2. Why did Lyon’s visit Troy and Rose? What is Troy’s response to his visit?

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

3. Gabe now lives at Miss Pearl’s house. How does Troy feel about this? How do you know?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

4. What do we learn about Troy’s father? Characterize Troy’s father.

______________________________________________________________________________

(12)

5. What was Troy’s relationship like with his father? Explain.

______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

6. How do you think Troy’s experiences and relationship with his father affected his relationship with his own sons (Lyons and Cory)? Explain.

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

7. At the end of the scene, Troy says to Cory, “I’m gonna tell you what your mistake was. See…

you swung at the ball and didn’t hit it. That’s strike one. See, you in the batter’s box now. You swung and you missed. That’s strike one. Don’t you strike out.” Interpret this metaphorical passage. What is Troy saying to Cory? Give a thorough analysis and then give a prediction of what you think will happen between Troy and Cory in the second act of Fences.

______________________________________________________________________________

(13)

Fences

By August Wilson

Post-reading reflection and journal

Pages 59-72 Act 2, Scene 1

1. What happened to Gabe?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

2. Why does Bono think Rose wants the fence built?

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

3. What does Bono say about Troy on page 62?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

4. What is Bono accusing Troy of doing?

______________________________________________________________________________

(14)

5. What does Rose think would be best for Gabe? Explain.

______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

6. In your own words, what is Troy saying to Rose on pages 69-70? Explain.

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

7. In your own words, what does Rose say to Troy on page 70-71? Explain.

______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

8. What happens between Troy and Cory at the end of the scene?

______________________________________________________________________________

(15)

Fences

By August Wilson

Post-reading reflection and journal

Act 2, Scene 2 Pages 73-77

1. On page 75, Troy and Rose have a dialogue about Gabe. What happened to Gabe? What role did Troy play in this situation?

______________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. In Troy’s soliloquy on page 77, he speaks directly to Death. Explain what he says to Death. In other words, what is his message to Death?

______________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(16)

Fences

By August Wilson

Post-reading reflection and journal

Act 2, Scene 3 Pages 78-79

1. Troy brings his daughter to his house, and at first Rose is unwelcoming. She then tells him that she will take care of the child because “…you can’t visit the sins of the father upon the child”

(79). Interpret this quote. What does Rose mean when she says this?

______________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. Rose tells Troy that while she’ll raise his daughter, he is “a womanless man” (79).

Characterize Rose in the play now. How has your opinion of Rose and Troy changed throughout the play?

______________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

(17)

Fences

By August Wilson

Post-reading reflection and journal

1. Review: In your own words, explain what Rose is going to do with Troy’s daughter.

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

2. Review: Is Rose going to continue to take care of Troy? What passage tells you this?

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

3. Why do you think Cory left the yard when Troy enters?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

4. What do you make of Bono and Troy’s relationship? Why do you think things have changed?

______________________________________________________________________________

(18)

5. Explain, in your own words, the argument between Cory and Troy. Why is this significant?

______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

6. In your own words, what is Troy saying at the end of the scene? Who is he talking to? AND why would August Wilson end the scene this way?

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(19)

Fences

By August Wilson

Post-reading reflection and journal

1. When this scene opens, what has happened?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

2. Where has Cory been?

______________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. What has happened to Lyons?

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

4. Is it significant that Raynell tells Cory that Troy still called him room Cory’s room and kept his football in the closet?

______________________________________________________________________________

(20)

5. How did Troy die? What could this be symbolic of?

______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

6. In your own words, what is the conversation between Rose and Cory about? Do you agree with Rose or Cory?

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

7. What do you think were some of Troy’s fences? Explain.

______________________________________________________________________________

(21)