# data[].attributes.headline
August Wilson's childhood and Dysfunctional parenting

# data[].attributes.subject
August Wilson's childhood and Dysfunctional parenting

# data[].attributes.body
Hello! My name is Madison Angell, and this is my discussion post.

My research is on how dysfunctional parenting can have a long term, generational effect on children.

August Wilson grew up in a harsher childhood, mainly from the lack of a father figure and the racist bullying his got. He went through elementary and middle school being bullied for his darker features and his family. These points are critical in what can cause dysfunctional parenting and what can be affected by dysfunctional parenting. After living through that harsh childhood, Wilson took his mother’s name to cut ties with his father and worked part-time jobs at only 16. He wrote poetry in the night, wanting to become a voice for the African American society to show their perspective. But his views on the world was made from seeing how society treated his mother, how his father wasn't there. there is a reason that you need a mother and a father, even if his mother was as great as she may have been, she still isn't a father. This type of dysfunctional parenting was a great impact on the future children. Causing future parents to either continue the ways of their parental figures, further damaging the bloodline, or they would put a stop to it and prosper in life. That connects a lot to his play fences and how Troy displays his "affection." Like Wilson, he grew up with a harsher childhood but instead with a father that wasn't there for emotional support. Instead of being better than his father was, he went down the same path and affected his whole family.

# data[].attributes.body
I was very unfamiliar with August Wilson, so I learned lots about him through my research for my paper. However, the fact that stood out to me was the fact that his mother was African American and his father was a German immigrant, also just the way that he grew up. he really was the perfect bridge between white people and their perspective and African American people and their experience. Because Wilson grew up in African American culture and tradition he was able to write a very realistic play encapsulating an African Americans daily struggle. This fact connects to the focus of my paper, because like Troy and Cory, Wilson had to pave his own way through life, he too felt the unfair restrictions.

# data[].attributes.body
August Wilson wanted to ensure that African American culture was front and center in a world where Blacks were often pushed to the side. Everything about "Fences" embodies this fact. By centering African American experiences, Wilson provides an exploration of how these themes play out in the lives of black individuals and families who have been historically marginalized.

# data[].attributes.body
August faced constant racial bullying and bigotry from his classmates that he eventually ended dropping out of high school and teaching himself. I believe it is this experience that lead to Wilson writing Troy as a man full of regret and lack of self-fulfillment that plagued Wilson's early life.

# data[].attributes.body
August Wilson was born in Pittsburgh he had a hard childhood growing up. his father not being around and dealing whit racial discrimination seeing it and living it. August Wilson combine a few things about his life in the play. Wilson's mother was a strong women raisin her children alone. The one fact that i felt Wilson connected in the play was how he created Rose character to be a strong and loving mother just like his mother was.

# data[].attributes.body
One fact about August Wilson is that he grew up in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, a predominantly African American neighborhood, which became the setting for most of his plays1. This fact connects with the subject focus of the symbol “fences” in the play “Fences” as it reflects the physical and metaphorical boundaries within which Wilson’s narratives unfold. The Hill District, with its rich cultural heritage and history of racial segregation, serves as a backdrop for the characters’ struggles and aspirations. It represents the fenced-in environments that both protect and confine, much like the literal and figurative fences in the play. Wilson’s personal experiences in this neighborhood likely informed his portrayal of the characters’ lives, emphasizing themes of limitation and protection, aspiration and restriction, which are central to the symbol of fences in his work.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that August Wilson grew up in a poor neighborhood in Pittsburgh and he used his own experiences as a basis for the majority of his plays, as he did with "Fences." His play is set in a little neighborhood in Pittsburgh where a black family is fighting against racial inequalities and doing the best they can to make do with what they've got, just as he had to endure during his childhood.

# data[].attributes.body
August Wilson, the author of "Fences," had a difficult childhood and struggled with his own lack of self-fulfillment. He dropped out of school in the ninth grade and faced many obstacles as an African American playwright trying to break into the industry. His experiences with feeling unfulfilled and facing adversity likely influenced his portrayal of Troy's struggles with unfulfilled dreams and missed opportunities in "Fences." Additionally, Wilson believed that theater could be a powerful tool for African American self-expression and empowerment, which suggests that he recognized the importance of self-fulfillment and personal accomplishment.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that August Wilson was born in 1945 which explains why the story was set in a time that race was a key factor in what a person could and couldn’t do. Such as when Troy couldn’t join the MLB because of his race. Wilson had experience when it came to being treated differently because of his skin color so I think that he transferred that into his writing.

# data[].attributes.body
August Wilson was accused of plagiarism by a racist instructor which then caused him to drop out of school. Wilson went on to write numerous plays with the subject of african american efforts and achievements being discredited simply due to their race. Namely, in Fences, when Troy begins to talk about Jackie Robinson and the people he knew that played better than Jackie.

# data[].attributes.body
Something I learned when reading about an interview done on the August Wilson was that he based the character of "Rose," and many other African American women within his plays, on his mother. He described her as a strong and very principled woman. Wilson sees his mother as selfless and nurturing like he portrays "Rose" to be in the play. The role of a nurturing mother and wife is what is expected of society at the time.

# data[].attributes.body
There were key points in August Wilson’s life, that directly impacted the story. An example of this in a biography produced by Gale in Context, Wilson’s biological father wasn’t part of his life growing up. I connected this with Troy telling the story about what put him in prison ( Wilson, Pg, 713-714 ) and why he wasn’t in Lyon's early life ( Wilson, Pg. 696 ).

# data[].attributes.body
After having a rough life due to discrimination August was kicked out of school for being falsely accused of stealing school work. So he had to go to the public library in order to read and learn for himself. Mainly to get himself out of a place and lead him to somewhere where he can make a name for himself. That leads me to connect him with the character Cory. Cory tries his hardest to make something for himself and kept trying. From August and Cory you can see that they both wanted more and knew that they could get it in the end.

# data[].attributes.headline
August Wilsons life in relation to fences

# data[].attributes.subject
August Wilsons life in relation to fences

# data[].attributes.body
August Wilson was born into a mixed family however his mother divorced his birth father and married another man. This stepfather I found was the main inspiration for Troy Maxson in Fences. It was this man's character that created the character we know in Fences. I found this interesting because a lot of authors, playwrights, etc use real life people as inspiration for their characters so the fact that his own step father was the inspiration for Troy was interesting.

# data[].attributes.body
Something that I learned from fences are the gender roles and how the different genders affect the living situation at home. Something else I learned from the play, is how someones lack of self-fufillment can lead to an unhappy house hold and lead to problems. For example, the fact that Troy was unhappy with his living situtation at home, he decided to cheat on rose to fill that void. This relates to my paper because I am exploring how the lack of self-fufilment can lead to this.

# data[].attributes.body
I believe August Wilson to be very intelligent and gives use many messages before his death. I learned from him that we all go through struggles and how love is how we should battle our hard times and we should all be united. Racism really taught me this because looking back it doesn't fix anything or make our image as people any better but with love and unity we could battle any task that comes.

# data[].attributes.body
August Wilson used the topic of baseball to show how blacks had the American Dream taken away from them with out giving them a chance. This relates to my topic because troy has a bad perspective for blacks to grow into the American Dream with his past with baseball.

# data[].attributes.body
One fact I learned about August Wilson that connects with my topic about gender roles is that his mother; Daisy Wilson influenced his view of African American women. Wilsons mother raised his whole family alone on welfare. This is significant because it portrays how women have that "gender role" of taking care of their family.

# data[].attributes.body
August Wilson was born Frederick August Kittel and decided to take his mother's last name as his own when he was a young adult. His father was mostly absent in his childhood, leaving his mother to be the main caregiver of him and his five siblings. My research paper is about the role of Rose in the family- she protects her children and her family dynamics (keeps the peace). I felt that this related to Wilson's experience because his mother is very similar to Rose in that she had a strong relationship with her children and was the foundation of their family.

# data[].attributes.body
Identify one fact that you learned about August Wilson (author/playwright of Fences).  Explain how the fact connects with the subject focus for your research paper.