What did you like, dislike or find confusing in Fences by August Wilson?

A reaction paper on August Wilson's Fences is a very personal assignment. Only you know how you have reacted to the play, what you like and did not like, and what you are still confused about. That said, though, let's brainstorm a few ideas to help you get started.

We'll start by thinking of a few things you might have liked about the play. Perhaps the character Rose appealed to you. She is a strong woman who knows her own mind and who doesn't hesitate to speak it. Further, she is loyal and loving. Even when Troy cheats on her and has a child with another woman, Rose remains married to him. Their relationship changes, but she stays faithful.

What may be even more surprising is Rose's choice to raise Troy's baby after the little one's mother dies. Rose takes that baby in and raises her as her own daughter, treating her just as she would a child of her own and loving her dearly. She realizes that the child is not at fault for her parents' actions, and this is admirable. You might also like or relate to the friendship between Troy and Bono or perhaps to Cory's desire to play football even though it is against his father's wishes.

Now let's think about some parts of the play you might not have liked. Perhaps the language didn't sit well with you. There is a lot of dialect in this work and quite a few words that would not be said in polite company these days. Yet the play reflects a setting in which such words were regularly used and people didn't think much about them. You might also have disliked Troy's unfaithfulness to Rose and his attempts to justify it by saying that his mistress helps him relax and laugh. This attitude makes many readers angry, for Troy has a wife and a family and, as Rose says, she has given up her own desires and even needs for his sake, yet he refuses to do so for her.

As for parts of the play that confuse you, Gabriel might be a good candidate. After Gabriel is severely injured in the war, he is left thinking that he really is the archangel Gabriel. He is usually quite amiable and concerned for his family, especially Rose and Troy, but his actions can be erratic. At the end of the play, after Troy's death, Gabriel tries to blow his horn and ends up performing a strange dance and howling song. Gabriel's motives are difficult to determine here, but perhaps he is opening the gates of Heaven for Troy the best way he knows how.

What aspects did you like, dislike, or find confusing in the play Fences?

One benefit of writing a reaction paper is that you can focus on your own thoughts and feelings, without needing to do lots of outside research. One downside, however, is that you may wonder if you're doing it "right."

For the reaction paper described here, I recommend narrowing down what you write based on two points:

1. Which poem will you write about?

2. Based on what you understood from reading August Wilson's Fences, what are your thoughts and feelings about the poem?

If there's a poem you really liked or really disliked, that can be a good choice. If there's a poem that completely confused you, that poem may also make a good choice. If you're equally confused by all the poems, you can pretty much choose one at random. A poem that reminds you of an event or person in your own life could make a good choice, too, whether you liked, disliked, or didn't understand it.

Once you've chosen the poem and you know generally what you want to say about it, start by expressing this in one or two sentences. For instance,

I chose the poem ____ because in Fences, the fence was a symbol of family strength and unity, but here, the fence seems to be a symbol of minding one's own business. I find this confusing.

Then, think about two or three points that support what you just wrote. If you're using the example above, for instance, your points might be "I don't see how a fence can be two things at once," "Isn't a fence just a fence?", and "Fences are used to divide property, but both this poem and Fences imply that a fence brings people together, which is the opposite of what I expect."

If the reaction paper is short—only a page or so—you can write down your various points, maybe add a little to each in one or two more sentences, and then end by restating your first sentence: "These are the reasons I find this poem even more confusing after reading Fences."

If the reaction paper needs to be longer, use each of your supporting points as the first sentence of its own paragraph. Write two or three more sentences in each paragraph to explain that supporting point. For example,

I don't see how a fence can be two things at once. Either the fence keeps people out of someone else's business, or it keeps people in. A gate could go both ways, but neither the poem nor Fences focuses on gates. They both focus on the fence.

If you write a longer version of the paper, you'll still want to end by restating the first sentence.