Level 2: Why does the author believe that "Fences" is such a transfixing play?

Level 3: Despite Troy being a harsh figure on his family, what would lead the author to believe that Troy is characterized as the hero in this story?

Level 4: What are three different points that the author made in this review that you agree or disagree with? Why or why not? 

Level 2: What do you believe Barnes meant when he said that if August had been white his plays, “(...) they would have had a different fire in a different belly?” 
Level 3: Do you think that Barnes would have written this review if there had been other actors on stage?

Level 4: Do you think that Barnes would have written this review if there had been other actors on 

stage?

4: What do you think about Wilson’s idea that you don’t necessarily have to go to the place of your origins in order to embrace those origins? What importance does it have when people embrace those origins rather than not?

Level 2- Why are gender roles important in society and how does that translate into the play? 

Level 3- Do you agree with Kubitschek when she says that “His intermittent recognition of his father’s inadequacy does not lead to any other conception of fatherhood” (pg. 801)? 

Level 4- Consider Troy’s background, do you think that the way he acted towards women in the play is understandable? 

level 2: Compare and contrast your ideas about who the hero of fences is to how the reviewer (for whom Troy is the hero) decides the hero.

level 3: The setting of “Fences” is in the late 50s. What would happen to the context and takeaways of the story if it was set in a different era? 

level 4: On page 790 the review states “but calling Wilson a “black” playwright is irrelevant.” Do you agree with this statement? Explain why or why not. 

Level 2: Analyze Wilson’s last interview question on page 798. What does it mean when Wilson said he believes the conflict is primarily internal? 
Level 3: Who does August Wilson remind you of? Is there any text-to-self, text-to-text, or text to world connections you could make from gathering information given in the interview with August Wilson? 

Level 4: On page 795 Wilson says he believes “The conflict in black America is between the middle class and the so-called underclass and that the conflict goes back to those who deny themselves and those who aren’t willing to.” Do you agree with Wilson’s perspective on this subject? Explain why or why not. 

Level 2: What does it mean when Koprince says, “Troy’s efforts to prevent his son from playing football can be viewed as a form of “racial madness?” Find evidence from the text. 

Level 3: Besides the examples Koprince uses, what else might have caused Wilson to use the metaphor of baseball in his play? 

Level 4: Do you agree with the way Koprince explains baseball’s impact in August Wilson’s story “Fences” and how it influences the content? Explain why or why not. 

Level two: Did the author describe Troy’s relationship with Rose as healthy? 

Level three: Do you think that most people see Troy as a villain or a hero when they watch the play on a stage? 

Level four: Was Bono a really big influence on Troy in the play? What made him an important character? 

Level two: In the reading, the author states: “Fences does not, of course, present black men as failed human beings and women as the preservers of undamaged original spiritualities” (pg. 803). What does this mean to you? 

Level three: In what ways do you believe that Fences was accurate in the ways that gender roles were represented for that time period? 

Level four: After reading, do you agree with the statement: “Men’s and women’s languages in Fences reflect the separation of their spheres of activity” (pg. 802). Explain why or why not. 

Level two: Identify an example of humor in the review and explain its significance. 

Level three: Do you agree with the author’s statement that the hero of this play is Troy Maxson? Do you think that reading the play versus watching it will have an effect on what people think of Troy? 

Level four: Do you feel that you “looked with your own eyes, felt with your own heart” (pg. 790) when you read Fences. What is your initial reaction to the play, if not that?