Teaching August Wilson's Fences.

Have students identify and describe the important relationships on the play. The examination of the
relationships will enable students to examine the portrayal of the characters and aid them in
understanding some of the central questions of the play. The play leaves many of the ethical questions
up for interpretation, and it's up to the students to do that interpretation to make some kind of sense of
the play.

Some possible relationships that the students might identify include:

Rose & Troy

Troy & Gabriel
Troy & Cory
Troy & Bono
Troy & Alberta
Troy & his father

Divide the students up into groups to address the social issues addressed in the play. All students will
get a chance to participate in their groups, even if they don't participate later when the groups report to
the larger class.

In order to address the complicated social questions the play brings up, I pose the following questions
to the groups. Students should explain their answers to show how they are using textual evidence to
support their point of view.

Do Rose & Troy love each other? Have students read out the dialogue between the two on pp. 67-71.
Did Troy take advantage of Gabriel for his money? Would institutionalization be better for him?
Was Troy right in discouraging Cory from pursuing a career in football?
What is the importance of Troy and Bono's daily ritual?
Did Troy love Alberta?
How did Troy's father influence him?

Each group should report their discussions on the relationship they chose. Was there disagreement in
the group? What were the specific points of disagreement?

Think about what Cory says about Troy at the end—doesn't Troy dominate the play, as he dominated
the character's lives. Why is that?

The language of the play—is there significance to it? Why use the vernacular and does it work? Is it
realistic and convincing? Why don't we use it when we write in class? Would students get an A if they
used Wilson's language in their research papers? Why not? Goes all the way back to Aristotelian
diction, I think.

The “Old Blue” song—is it about Troy? Dying? He sees himself as a kind of old dog that can't learn
new tricks—treeing coons in heaven. See his complaints about how his life is a routine of the same old
stuff.