Pancake Paper.......Fences(#1)

Lei Dennis-Osuagwu
10-14-08
1A-B



ESSAY

“FENCES”
By: August Wilson
Question 1.


Have you ever been put in a situation where it seems as if you have no control of anything around you? where it seems as if you have no say or power. Sometimes we feel as though life has knocked us down so much that there should be nothing to live for you feel as if you’re a victim of life. In Fences Troy Maxson is a tragic figure that is flawed. Fences to me is a play that is ultimately hopeful and not tragic. The only thing that may be considered as tragic is the death of Troy at the end of the play. There seemed to have been many metacomedy parts in the play, that’s gives room for humor, for example on page 14 of Fences, Troy was speaking to his elder son Lyons and he says, “I’ll be damned!, I’ll die and go to hell and play blackjack with the devil before I give you ten dollars”, I found that to be a comic relief of the tension that was there between Troy and Lyons, it was very humorous, because there was no way that he would play blackjack with the devil in hell. August Wilson uses figurative language to get a point across. August Wilson, seemed to have taken his time, to have constructed and written Fences, It portrays the everyday life of African Americans in the 1950’s, showing their struggles, good memories and family drama.
Troy was a man who wasn’t afraid to express himself, he was free spirited and good willed, he always thought he had things under control, he was the man everyone could run to in time of need, a Goodman good friend and good husband, he thought he new the next step of his life. As the play progresses, we the readers learn of the big secret, the fact that Troy had an affair outside his marriage, cheating on hi wife Rose, and fathering another woman’s child, and that was a situation where Troy didn’t have much control. At that point he gad felt as if the weight of the world had finally come down on him, with that we saw a family braking apart, his son Cory left and joined the Marines, and his wife Rose was highly disappointed, he had lost her and trust . Troy had finally caused his wife and other’s he loved while intending not to do so. At this point Troy probably feels as though there is nothing left for him, maybe even to live for.
Troy’s death was symbolic because he died as he was swinging his bat, my guess was that he was rumbli8ng with death. Throughout the play, Troy talks about meeting death, and being ready to fight death till the end, where he can’t fight no longer. Troy was ready for death, he even went ahead to say that if death was ready for him, it should come knocking at his door, and he’ll open, prepared and willing to fight for his life.
Troy Maxson had no control of his life he couldn’t change his fate, and couldn’t undo certain events that occurred in his life. He had to deal with the fact that he had offended people he loved, I’m certain that if the was a way to go back in time in his life he would go and make things right, with his family, be there for them a lot longer and tend to their need a lot more. It seems as if though we have all been put in a situation where we couldn’t control what was going on, our action, and our emotions, where we wish that we can just make the whole world stop so we can rearrange the order of events in our life. I personally can say that I have been there, been put in that binding state where, sometimes I ask myself “why me”?, “when will it end”?, or “is it ever going to end”?, these are the questions I asked myself all the time, I wanted to know if there was a way for me to change my fate or was it just going to be as it was, I had to come to the realization that life should be left as is.

Blog Homework.... Popular Mechanics(Style, Tone, & Irony)

Your homework is to read Chapter 9: Style, Tone, and Irony in the Bedford Reader, pages 339-345. After reading Carver's Popular Mechanics, answer THE question you were assigned in class from page 345.



Question 3:
How do small actions take on larger significance in the story? Consider the woman picking up the baby's picture and the knocked-down flowerpot.Hamdallah, Lei, Tiffany, Numoipre, Melissa W



REFLECTION:
This blog homework is my favorite because popular mechanics really explains the use of diction, style, tone and irony. I also enjoyed Curver's writing, it gave me a whole new idea about writing, and a new outlook on how to write.

Poetry Paper...... The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski

“THE LAUGHING HEART”
By: Charles Bukowski





Have you ever been at a point in your life where it seems as if all hope is lost? where all hope is lost?, where sadness and depression reigns?. Bukowski seems to be speaking about a dark place in one’s life, depression, suppression, anger, or sadness. This poem encourages one to no let certain situations bring them down, or sadden their hearts, one should take control of their life and make the best of it because where there is darkness there must surely be light, and where there is light there is a way out. Bukowski writes “the gods will offer you chances”, meaning that there are higher powers to help you find your way if you believe and also if you see the signs follow them and take opportunities given. In life everyone of us will have to die because there is no way to possibly beat or cheat death, it’s utterly inevitable. Bukowski, expresses the idea of knowing your life, what you want out of it, and what you mission is while your still alive then it’s obviously not worth living it. We all have one life to live, all we can do is live it to the fullest and not take it for granted, he also stresses the thought one is “Marvelous”, because truly we as human being are beautiful and unique, and the world is our place to dwell, enjoy and show off our magnificence and excellence.

Further more I feel that this poem “ The Laughing Heart” by Charles Bukowski, is a breath of fresh air to the world of poetry, it’s different, clean and heart warming, it makes you think, and have a whole new outlook on life, and also a grater appreciation for it, and everything it has to offer.