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Reading The Work

Act 2 Scene 5 was literally the scene I have been waiting for. I felt that August Wilson was constantly adding in literary devices along the play to make Troy’s death expected and climactic. It seemed that Troy finally had his intense wrestling match with Mr. Death and Mr. Death was victorious.

We Also see how life is for the rest of the family. Raynell is not 7 years old and Cory has became a member in the marines. Lyons had separated from Bonnie. As Cory came back he claimed that he didn’t want to go to his father’s funeral, and that he finally wanted to be able to say no to his father. That made Rose upset. She said that Troy gave his all to Cory just like how she is going to give her all to Raynell. She also said that Cory was just like his father. Also he was forced to leave the house at 17 just like Troy, although Troy did leave a few years younger.

I also noticed that throughout the entire play life was often compared to baseball. Troy often compared a lot to baseball. Another things was the song that everyone knew because of Troy. It was being sang by Raynell and Cory during their connection. 

Something that was commented about Troy’s death is that he grinned right before his death. This makes me believe that he couldn’t wait for his death, which makes sense for since after his mistakes he has seemed quite lonely. At the end Gabriel came with a trumpet and dance. Trying with all his effort to blow the horn so St. Peter could let Troy into heaven by opening the gates. It seemed as if he had been waiting on it for 20 years.

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Reading The Work

Act 2 Scene 3 was also very short. In the scene troy brought back his newly born daughter Raynell and asked Rose if she could help take care of her. He knew that he would not be able to care for Raynell alone. They both claimed that she was innocent and that she should not have to deal with the consequences of grown folks mistakes. Rose then agreed to help raise her but also said that Troy had no woman. This really gives much information on who Rose is in the play. She is very powerful to raise this child and continue to give to Troy no matter how much he takes or has done to Rose.

In act 2 scene 4 there is still a disconnect between Rose and Troy. Rose is still taking care of the baby as if she is her own while Troy seems to be very lonely. Lonely because he has to deal with his mistakes and has severed the bond he had with Rose and lost Alberta during the pregnancy of his daughter. As he was lonely he started to sing that sing “ Hear it ring! Hear it ring! Had an old dog his name was Blue, You know Blue was mighty true, You know Blue as a good old dog, Blue trees a possum in a hollow log, You know from that he was a good old dog”. This song foreshadows throughout the book many times. 

Also in Act 2 Scene 4 it was established that the Fence was finished being built. I think that August did that to set up the upcoming events that are about to prevail. Earlier in the book Troy said that he was going to build a fence and that when Mr. Death was ready to come knocking on that fence. Does this mean that Mr. Death will soon be knocking on the fence to have his wrestling match with Troy. As this scene continued there was conflict between troy and Cory. 

Cory made it known that he no longer respected his father in a way. “ I ain’t got to say excuse me to you. You don’t count around here no more”. This obviously struck some anger in his inebriated father. This led to an intense argument between Cory and Troy to the point where Cory swung a baseball bat twice at his father. They both tussled for the bat before Troy got it and came to the brink if hitting Cory with the bat, until he halted and told Cory to leave and forget about the house that he payed for. At the end of this scene Troy taunted death “ Come on! It’s between me and you now! Come on! Anytime you want! Come on! I be ready for you... but I ain’t gonna be easy”. august put this hear to let the reader know that Troy’s battle with death will happen very soon.

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Reading The Work

Act 2 Scene 2 was a fairly short scene. Troy’s baby from Alberta was born but also caused his Alberta to lose her life. This left Troy in an state that I couldn’t really define. But Troy’s last line In the scene was important. He was having a conversation with death and told him that he was going to protect all that was his and that when Mr. Death was ready to get Troy Maxson to knock on the fence. Troy said he will wrestle with Mr. Death. I think that that line was significant because it may possible be the moment to set up Troy’s death. aldo due to Alberta dying death is definitely one of the most prominent themes consistently throughout the play.

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Reading The Work

Act 2 Scene 1 was definitely the most drama packed scene by far. This entire scene was about Troy’s affair. It started by Bono talking to Troy about how good of a woman Rose is because Bono knew that Troy was cheating on Rose with Alberta. Bono knew how much Rose gave to Troy and he didn’t want to see Troy hurting her. Troy also knew how much Rose gave him, which is why he hard a hard time bring something so devastating to her.

Troy had eventually gained the courage to tell Rose. Rose was upset, she also knew how much she gave to Troy. She gave Troy a child and 18 years of her life. For her to do so much for him just to find out that Troy has lied to her and has got another woman pregnant made her furious which lead to a fierce argument between Troy and Rose. 

As the argument was coming to a conclusion, Rose tries to walk away. As she walked away Troy grabbed her arm. Rose told Troy to let go because he was hurting her. Troy did not let go and continued to grab her as she repeatedly said stop. Cory the exited to outside the house and hit Troy which cause Troy to drop to his feet. Troy then got up and said “ Alright. That’s strike two. You stay away from around me boy. Don’t you strike out. You living with a full count. Don’t you strike out”. Which ends this scene. 

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Reading The Work

In act one scene 4 of Fences by August Wilson I noticed the theme of death again. Gabriel ( Troy’s brother that suffered a war time accident) walking and singing “ Better get ready for the Judgement! Better get ready for...Hey!...Hey!...There’s Troy’s boy.” This is an example of foreshadowing due to Gabriel saying this slight earlier in the play. The use of Gabriel’s fictional sighting make me believe that Wilson is using it to set up a tragic sent that will happen later in the play. ( I think it is the death of Troy). 

Also in this scene we learned that Bono was raised without his father in the household. I thought that this was quite interesting because it is quite common in the African American community for children to not know their father. I feel that Wilson used this possibly make a connection between characters in his play to some members in the audience  who could possibly relate. 

The stereotype of not having a father was quite the opposite for Troy, for his mother was the one to run away from home due to his cruel and harsh father. I learned that Troy did not have much of a connection with her father, but he did teach him how to work. He made sure that he could work in the fields to provide more money for his house.  One of the final important things I noticed in act one scene 4 was Troy’s transition from being a child to being a man. When his father whooped him in front of a woman Troy hoped to have relations with, Troy decided to fight back. His father retaliated and all he could remember was waking up by the river with two swollen eyes. From that point on he had to live on his own. Which started his transition from a boy to a man.

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Reading The Work

In act one scene 3 of Fences I got to see a little bit more on how troy viewed the rest of the world. Troy played baseball after prison and happened to be very good at it, but due to his race he was discriminated against. This ultimately effected his judgement on colored people in sports.

 Due to Troy being discriminated against Troy refuses for his son to play sports. Troy’s son Cory played ball in school and loved it. He was also very good at it and got recruited to play for free in college. This was something Cory wanted desperately but Troy disagreed with due to his experiences. He believed that Cory needed to focus on working. Something that will guarantee an income for him.

“ I don’t care where he coming from. The white man ain’t gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway. You go on and get your book-learning so you can work yourself up in that A&P or learn how to fix cars or build houses or something, get you a trade.” Troy wants Cory to be successful and doesn’t want him the same thing to happen to Cory that happened to him. He didn’t want Cory to get too devoted in sports because he knows how this world is. This introduces the theme of race.

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Reading The Work

While reading Act one scene 2 of Fences by August Wilson one of the earliest things I noticed again was another theme of death. We learned that Troy’s brother who served in the military had suffered an accident and returned with a metal plate in his head. Ever since that accident he has believed that his job was to chase all the hell hounds away from the gate of heaven. In other words after his accident he became very connected with god.

One of the things Gabriel would often say is something about St. Peter; but there was one part that seemed very significant. “ Troy...St. Peter got your name in the book. I seen it. It say... Troy Maxson. I say... I know him! He got the same name like what I got. That’s my brother!” This paragraph makes me believe that something tragic will happen in the story soon. Something like the death of Troy.

Another thing I noticed in scene 2 was Troy’s views on his own life and accomplishments. “That ain’t what I’m saying, woman! I’m just stating the facts.If my brother didn’t have that metal plate in his head... I wouldn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. And I’m fifty-three years old. Now see it you can understand that!” This makes me believe that Troy is upset on his current status in his life. He feels that he hasn’t accomplished much on this planet despite being on it for 53 years.

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Reading the Work

As I read Act 1 scene 1 of Fences by August Wilson I notice some examples of character traits of the main character Troy Maxson. We are first given a regular description of Troy such as his age and his bareness. There then was a talk about his “largeness”. “It is this largeness that he strives to fill out and make an accommodation, his largeness informs his sensibilities and the choices he has made in his life”. This makes me to believe that Troy really leaves an impact. Like you will always know where he has been and where he is going due to his largeness. I also feel like something with his “largeness” will come up later in the book.

Also in the first scene August did a great job in establishing Troy’s views on racism and how it has affected his views on other people and the world. “ The white man ain’t gonna let him get nowhere with that football..........ought to go and get recruited in how to fix cars or something where he can make a living”. Earlier in the scene we found out that Troy used to play baseball but due to his race he was discriminated against and prevented from striving in the sports. This experience has changed his looks on the world because he now wouldn’t allow his son to go pro with sports due to the fear discrimination. Troy believes that in order for his son to live he will need a job with the handy work.

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How I Chose My Book

After deciding that want something with a male African American protagonist and a female supporting character, Mr. Kreinbring recommended the book Fences. After reading a brief summary and review of the book its’ grasp on racial injustice amongst both sports and jobs or (work and play). Fences eventually was my choice.

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STB Summative part 3

It was a serine July day and the sun was bright red similar to a ruby studded with diamonds. The sun starts to set alongside with it's brightness as my heart starts to hum even louder than a red dragons roar. That is when I started to think of my love. The nights becomes smooth and gentle, softer than the walk of a red ladybug. As the sun set the bright red light in my heart gleamed brighter and redder than the sun. That was when I knew my love was greater than the sun.

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STB Summative part 2

Some literary devices that were also quite present in Salvage The Bones were metaphors. An example is when Esch was describing the geographic features of Bois Savauge. She said that the area where the black people were was the " black heart" and compared the area where the white people live to "pale arteries". This use of this metaphor helps explain the set up of the town both physically and socially. It also help understand the contrast.

The use of this metaphor differs from the use of the metaphor in " A Letter to God". The use of the metaphor in "A letter to God" is to help show the severity of things while the metaphor in Salvage The Bones helps show the contrast in an area. I would say that the metaphor used in Salvage The Bones was significant due it's topic and relation to the real world

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STB Summative part 1

My group was assigned " A Letter to God" by Gregoria Lopex y Fuentes. There were a lot of literary devices in this short story. The first literary device I notice is imagery. The short story starts of talking about a house and describing it's surroundings. This imagery is very necessary because it helps paint a picture in the audience's head. Without the the image there would be a loss of a connection between the short story and the audience. This imagery also allows the audience to have a more of an accurate representation of the the set up.

The next literary device that was actually quite prominent was metaphors. For an example " Very large hailstones began to fall. These truly did resemble new silver coins". This comparing the hail to silver coins help audience understand that hail was heavy. Without the metaphor the severity of the hail would not be best described.

Another example I had of a metaphor was when Lencho was compared to an ox. It helps the reader understand how hardworking Lencho is. It also helps with the set up of the rest paragraph.

These are just a few examples of literary devices in " A Letter to God"

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How I chose my book

Choosing my book for this assignment is way harder than I thought it was going to be. I had multiple ideas of what I was going to read but as I started to read them I realized that they were not the best fit. It also very hard to get a book that I want to read that follows the requirement given.

My first choice of a book was Things Fall Apart but I feel as if that book is a little dated. I chose that book because I like the culture displayed but that was the only reason I really had to pick the book. I think that I just wanted to say that book because I was in a rush in picking one. Yes it follows the requirements but I think it would be harder to do the things required later.

My next choice was Your Blues Ain't Like Mine. It is a great book but I feel as if I read so many books that are similar to that. I didn't want to read a book that was similar to a book I already read so I just didn't use that one. I wanted to read a book with a male African American protagonist and female African American supporting character. So I better keep looking.

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Movie Night

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The Portrayal of a Rebel

            As I was watching “ A Rebel Without a Cause” my task was to identify how teenagers were portrayed and so I did. These teenagers were portrayed to be quite reckless. Portrayed to be rebels. I say this because in the movie “ A Rebel Without a Cause” teenager would slice other teenager tires, get into knife fights, drink to full intoxication, steal cars, and drive those stolen cars off of cliffs.Their was even a kid who shot some of the other teenagers.                                    As I watched all of the things these teenager were doing I couldn’t help but to ask why? Why did the teenager do what they did? I started to recognize the lives of each teenager. We had Jim who has a father that is not a father figure to him and Jim also believes that he always messes up. We also have Judy, who yearns for her father’s affection but fails to receive it. She just wants his love so bad and when she doesn’t get it she finds a boy. We also have a mysterious boy Plato. Plato seems to have no one. No father figure at all and woman that watches over that is not his mother but seems to be a maid. Plato seems to more affectionate to Jim than Judy even thought it seems that he sees both of them as his parents. The way he acts towards Jim leads the audience to believe that he is homosexual which would be wildly socially unacceptable in 1955.                                                                                                                                   For my second movie I watched something closer to our time. As I watched this teens were still perceived as rebels. The movie I watched was “Dope”. In “Dope” their was three teens who seemed to be nerds at first until one day they met the wrong guy; or was he the right guy? This guy was the spark to the other three teenagers drug sells. These three teenagers were now forced to sell dope due to this man who put it in one of the guys back pack. You would think that this could have ruined their lives but it didn’t. Them selling the drugs raised them money and the facts that they could sell drugs without being caught ensure one of them a spot in Harvard. So in this case I guess being a rebel really helped them out.                                                                                              From movies way back in 1955 to even movies in 2017 teens are perceived as rebels. Portrayed to not follow the rules. Believed to not care. If we were to compare that to reality are they wrong? 

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Original

Many people heard of the classic song “Feeling Good” which was composed by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. We all nod our heads and smile as we sing “ birds flying high you know how I feel”, but when we think of that song do we think of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. Or do we think of the phenomenal Nina Simone. We also don’t think of the boring bland way the song is sung when done by anyone other than Nina Simone. Technically we would say that Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse’s version is the original one but is it? What makes something original? The thing that makes something original is if it is unique. What makes it different than other things. Nina Simone added an amazing jazz  theme to the song which made it hers. The uniqueness of the vibes of her song makes the song an original. It makes us believe that she thought this herself, that she lived this herself, that she felt this herself . When I hear Nina Simone’s version I believe that their is no other thing like this. So the most original thing I can think of is Nina Simone Feeling Good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5Y11hwjMNs

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This corrupts thought because use of the word ugly. What defines an ugly personality. This could lead us to think that a pretty face will have an ugly personality; but, once again what defines a bad personality. This post makes us question pretty people. What is a “pretty” person.