English 4 Blog
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
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Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Fences Close Reading Chart
Act 1 Scene 3 Lines 80-215
Use of Language
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What do the words mean?
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Structure of Text
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Cultural/Global Theme
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Quotes
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“I thought we had an understanding about this football stuff? You suppose to keep up with your chores and hold that job down at A&P. Ain’t been around here all day on a Saturday. Ain’t none of your chores done...and now you telling me you done quit your job.”
(1.3.115-118)
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“I get good grades, Pop. That’s why he recruiter wants to talk with you. You got to keep up your grades to get recruited. This way I’ll be going to college. I’ll get a chance…” (1.3.129-131)
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“I don’t care what nobody else say. I’m the boss...you understand? I’m the boss around here. I do the only saying what counts.”(1.3.143-144)
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“Rose, I ain’t got time for that. He’s alive. He’s healthy. He’s got to make his own way. I made mine. Ain’t nobody gonna hold his hand when he get out there in that world.” (1.3.211-213)
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Analysis (Rationale)
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The diction of this quote is very informal and uses poor grammar. The sentence structure is abnormal and gets the main point across towards the end of the sentence. This shows how the style of the passage is unique and casual.
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This section of the play has a high denotative language and relatively low connotative language. This particular quote uses denotative language when referring to the recruiter and connotative language when it says ‘i’ll get a chance’ because this is symbolic to Cory facing racism and entering the sports world as a black athlete to begin integrating the sports community.
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This section of the passage is in the middle of the passage. This is the point where Troy tells Cory no to the football recruitment and this is a turning point because the beginning of the passage built up on the big deal of Cory being recruited and how it was a big opportunity for him and Troy just denied Cory that opportunity.
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This quote has a psychological element to it because Troy says that he is hard on Cory because he is preparing him for the real world. Every father, no matter what race or culture, tries to prepare his children for the real world and this is representative of that.
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Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Fences Scene Selection Rationale
We chose Act 1, Scene 3, lines 80-215 to represent our topic of the Civil Rights Movement. In this scene, Cory and Troy are talking to each other about major league baseball. They are talking about the varying opportunities that a white man has compared to a black man in the major league. “If they got a white fellow sitting on the bench… you can bet your last dollar he can’t play! The colored guy got to be twice as good before he get on the team”(1. 3. 90-91). This was said by Troy and shows how he believes that the opportunities for blacks and whites in the major league are not equal. During the Civil Rights Movement, there were advances to create equal rights and opportunities and this shows the institutionalized racism that existed in the major leagues.
Throughout the story Cory is being recruited to play football in college. Troy does not want him to pursue this opportunity due to Troy’s life experiences with racism within the sports community. “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”(1.3.123-126). This shows Troy’s opinion on Cory playing football. Troy was raised in a society that accepted racism and Troy thinks that Cory won’t have any future in sports because of it. This shows how Troy does not realized the changes being slowly made by blacks fighting for their rights in society. Cory is from a more recent and reformed generation and he sees the changes being made. He wants to utilize his new rights and opportunities and help fight for new ones.
Troy is allowing the racism in society to form his life by restricting him to a certain working class. He is living in the past and not progressing as the Civil Rights Movement progresses in society. Rose tries to talk sense into Troy. “Times have changed from when you was young, Troy. People change. The world’s changing around you and you can’t even see it” (1.3.214-215). Troy doesn’t listen and keeps the perspective he has from growing up in a society filled with racism.
Wilson, A. (2011). Fences. In C. Jago, R. H. Shea, L. Scanlon, & R. D. Aufses, Literature and Composition (pp. 212-216). Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
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