Selection 2: Fences
Fences: Act II Scene 1
Reading: Read Act 2 Scene i
Stage Directions, Summary: Saturday Morning - After Troy warns Cory about "striking out," Cory's up early the next day, out in the yard, busy hitting a ball with a bat. The stage directions say the Cory attempts to mimic Troy, but Cory's swing is a bit awkward. Cory's athletic ability in football appears more natural, given the attention he's received from college scouts. Seems like a good, dutiful kid, no?
Troy, Cory, and Bono discuss the fence, and when Cory goes inside, Bono interrogates Troy about "getting those walking blues" or wandering away from home (spending time with another woman, Alberta).
Troy tells Rose of Gabriel's INCARCERATION (arrest) and of Alberta's pregnancy...tough scene!
After reading Act II scene 1, pages open the Fences questions for Lesson 2 and answer the questions. A blank copy of the questions is available here: Fences questions. Submit these questions on the Lesson 2 Assignment Sheet.
NEXT: Lesson 2 Reading: Poetry
Fences: Act II Scene 1
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Reading: Read Act 2 Scene iStage Directions, Summary: Saturday Morning - After Troy warns Cory about "striking out," Cory's up early the next day, out in the yard, busy hitting a ball with a bat. The stage directions say the Cory attempts to mimic Troy, but Cory's swing is a bit awkward. Cory's athletic ability in football appears more natural, given the attention he's received from college scouts. Seems like a good, dutiful kid, no?
Troy, Cory, and Bono discuss the fence, and when Cory goes inside, Bono interrogates Troy about "getting those walking blues" or wandering away from home (spending time with another woman, Alberta).
Troy tells Rose of Gabriel's INCARCERATION (arrest) and of Alberta's pregnancy...tough scene!
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NOTES ON THE TEXT: |
page 61 "Joe Louis" -- a prominent black boxer in the mid-20th century; holder of the heavyweight belt for over 10 years. Louis knocked out German Max Schmelling in a 1938 fight. Given the context of the fight (year, nationalities, race) why might this fight represent more than a heavyweight boxing belt? page 61 "I don't see why Mama want a fence around the yard noways. " Fences: Neither Cory or Troy can see Rose's want for a fence. Bono, on the other hand, comments that "...people build fences to keep people in" and not just out. Bono goes on to say that "Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you." page 63 "I been trying to figure a way to work it out." No stories or tales here: Troy faces the reality that the affair he's started may negatively affect Rose. page 70 "We're not talking about baseball!" In telling Rose about the affair, Troy reverts to comparisons with baseball, aligning his frustrations and failures of the last eighteen years with a base-runner stuck on first base. What Troy overlooks are the sacrifices Rose has made over the same period of time: "I been standing with you!" |
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Discussion Board Assignment: From your reading in Act 1 scene 4 and Act 2 scene 1, find a passage from the play that relates a piece of wisdom passed from one generation to the next. Quote and cite the passage. Discuss the lesson being taught. Post your response to the Discussion Board and cut/paste to the Lesson 2 Assignment Sheet. |
After reading Act II scene 1, pages open the Fences questions for Lesson 2 and answer the questions. A blank copy of the questions is available here: Fences questions. Submit these questions on the Lesson 2 Assignment Sheet. NEXT: Lesson 2 Reading: Poetry
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