REFLECTION

Literature is a study in human nature, one that is too deep for formal analytical science-like concepts. When I first read a big time Russian novel, what so impressed me was that a 200 year old story seemed so immediately true, that it was talking about my life, right now and situations that I had observed real people go through. What makes the stuff great is its grasp of the human dilemma together with the rhythm, meter and satisfaction of the writing itself. Ever since I started to learn literature I started to think of books and poems in a different way because by studying literature, you can understand what people thought of in the past time, and by understanding those concepts, you are able to further understand the commonality of all human beings.
I have always thought of myself as a good reader but reading in literature class taught me that there is more to reading than what I used to do. I got to know that there were some open pot holes in my reading which needed to be filled up. I really enjoyed the reading in this class because it was easier to comprehend when a text or poem was always read twice or more by two or more people. I also loved the class discussions, where we all had open and healthy arguments about a controversial stuff that we read. My reading goal for next quarter is to be a better reader than I was in the first quarter.
My writing skills have improved dramatically during the course of this quarter, which has helped me a lot in the essays I had to turn in for my college applications. All throughout this quarter we have had to do a lot of essays which I thought at first was too much but realized in the long run that it was very good since it helped me build more stable and better essays than I used to write. My weakness at first used to be; coming up with ideas to write about but that has not been a problem for me quite recently. I know that by the time I would finish next year I would have mastered the writing process and would be coming up with great essays.

PANCAKE PAPER

Of all the books I have read so far, “Fences” by August Wilson has always been my favorite of them all. I have read it over and over again, and the more I read it the more clearer and interesting I find it to be. “Fences” was published in 1983 and has received quite a handful of awards. August Wilson, author of “Fences” died on October 2, 2005 at the age of 60 after being declared as one of the most influential writers in the 20th century. “Fences” tells the story of the struggles an African American family had to go through, both at home and outside home. August Wilson's use of social commentary is quite significant. He also throws more light on the American dream which was hard to achieve by African Americans during the post slavery times. The symbol of a “fence” also shows barriers as different conflicts among the characters.
First and foremost, August Wilson uses “fences” as a symbol of the American dream, as the backbone of the overall theme of the story. Literally, the white Pickett fence built in the Maxson’s house symbolizes the image of the American dream. Their house, education and some opportunities they attained (like Troy getting to drive at work) are also symbols of the American dream. The American dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. And it is this dream that the Maxson’s like any other African American family in the early 1950’s were trying to achieve.
August Wilson also uses “fences” as a symbol of Troy Maxson’s separation and isolation. Troy’s negative view on society made him a closed minded person; it eventually builds up a barrier between him and his son Cory. He feels that since he did not get anywhere trying to play baseball, his son would also fail trying to play a football. By doing this he not only shuttered Cory’s dreams of playing football but also his chance of going to college and living a better life in future. Troy also built a fence between him and Rose when he had a child with another woman. After eighteen years of what seemed to be a perfect relationship, Troy ruined everything by cheating on his wife with another woman and so Rose wanted to have nothing to do with him again after that incident. Again, Troy built a fence between himself and Lyons when he refused to go to watch Lyons play in the band, claiming that it was a waste of time and that Lyons should rather find a better job like the one he was doing. Lastly, Troy built a fence between himself and death, after claiming he had wrestled with death for three days and three nights and won, but that fence did not hold for long since death had the best of him.
It is observed that in spite of all the conflicts that went on in the Maxson’s house there was still some amount of love that they showed to each other. Rose was more or less the backbone of the family. She was really selfless and always tried to keep the family protected and united at all cost. She also corrected Troy whenever he went wrong and even it didn’t take Bono (Troy’s closest friend) that long to notice that and so he even made Troy aware of that shortcoming of his, “Some people build fences to keep people out… and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you.” Also, in another perspective, Troy not letting Cory play football in an attempt to create a better future for him shows Troy’s love for his son. Troy’s acceptance of Gabriel into his house after he got injured in the World War and he also bailing him out of jail several times also shows Troy’s love for his family. All their efforts to keep the family together were in vain since the whole family broke up anyway.
When reading the play, one initially believes that the fence building project didn’t really do anything for the family because their conflicts got the better of them but we start to see hope for the family again after Troy passed away. Readers not only see how barriers can break people down but how they can bring a family together. Troy Maxson’s death brought the whole family back together again. Troy was gone and so were the fences he had built between himself and his family. They put all hatred aside and came back together as a family to witness the funeral of their dear relative.

FENCES RESOURCE BANK

Of all the books I have read so far, “Fences” by August Wilson has always been my favorite. I have read it over and over again, and the more I read it the more clearer and interesting I find it to be. “Fences” was published in 1983 and has received quite a handful of awards. August Wilson died on October 2, 2005 at the age of 60 after being declared as one of the most influential writers in the 20th century.
The story in “Fences” is about the struggles an African American family had to go through, both at home and outside home. August Wilson's use of social commentary is quite significant. He also throws more light on the American dream which was hard to achieve by the African American during the post slavery times. He also incorporates the conflict that goes on in the Maxson's family.

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AUGUST WILSON "FENCES"

Of all the books I have read so far, “Fences” by August Wilson has always been my favorite of them all. I have read it over and over again, and the more I read it the more clearer and interesting I find it to be. “Fences” was published in 1983 and has received quite a handful of awards. August Wilson, author of “Fences” died on October 2, 2005 at the age of 60 after being declared as one of the most influential writers in the 20th century. “Fences” tells the story of the struggles an African American family had to go through, both at home and outside home. August Wilson's use of social commentary is quite significant. He also throws more light on the American dream which was hard to achieve by African Americans during the post slavery times. The symbol of a “fence” also shows barriers as different conflicts among the characters.
First and foremost, August Wilson uses “fences” as a symbol of the American dream, as the backbone of the overall theme of the story. Literally, the white Pickett fence built in the Maxson’s house symbolizes the image of the American dream. Their house, education and some opportunities they attained (like Troy getting to drive at work) are also symbols of the American dream. The American dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. And it is this dream that the Maxson’s like any other African American family in the early 1950’s were trying to achieve.
August Wilson also uses “fences” as a symbol of Troy Maxson’s separation and isolation. Troy’s negative view on society made him a closed minded person; it eventually builds up a barrier between him and his son Cory. He feels that since he did not get anywhere trying to play baseball, his son would also fail trying to play a football. By doing this he not only shuttered Cory’s dreams of playing football but also his chance of going to college and living a better life in future. Troy also built a fence between him and Rose when he had a child with another woman. After eighteen years of what seemed to be a perfect relationship, Troy ruined everything by cheating on his wife with another woman and so Rose wanted to have nothing to do with him again after that incident. Again, Troy built a fence between himself and Lyons when he refused to go to watch Lyons play in the band, claiming that it was a waste of time and that Lyons should rather find a better job like the one he was doing. Lastly, Troy built a fence between himself and death, after claiming he had wrestled with death for three days and three nights and won, but that fence did not hold for long since death had the best of him.
It is observed that in spite of all the conflicts that went on in the Maxson’s house there was still some amount of love that they showed to each other. Rose was more or less the backbone of the family. She was really selfless and always tried to keep the family protected and united at all cost. She also corrected Troy whenever he went wrong and even it didn’t take Bono (Troy’s closest friend) that long to notice that and so he even made Troy aware of that shortcoming of his, “Some people build fences to keep people out… and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you.” Also, in another perspective, Troy not letting Cory play football in an attempt to create a better future for him shows Troy’s love for his son. Troy’s acceptance of Gabriel into his house after he got injured in the World War and he also bailing him out of jail several times also shows Troy’s love for his family. All their efforts to keep the family together were in vain since the whole family broke up anyway.
When reading the play, one initially believes that the fence building project didn’t really do anything for the family because their conflicts got the better of them but we start to see hope for the family again after Troy passed away. Readers not only see how barriers can break people down but how they can bring a family together. Troy Maxson’s death brought the whole family back together again. Troy was gone and so were the fences he had built between himself and his family. They put all hatred aside and came back together as a family to witness the funeral of their dear relative.

SESTINA PAPER

“Sestina” means songs of sixes. There are six six-line stanzas and a final three-line stanza. In each six-line stanza, the writer repeats six end-words in a prescribed order and then uses those six words again, in any order, in the final three-line stanza. The author, Elizabeth Bishop came up with this marvelous poem using this form of poem writing. In this poem, the poet tells a painful story of a grandmother and a child living with loss. The poem setting is in a kitchen on a rainy afternoon in September.

The setting; atmosphere and place are vital to the story. The chilly, rainy weather mirrors the unhappiness in the kitchen. The season (fall) as well as the month (September) and the word “equinoctial”, also tells us the mood of the house at that time. Also, the emphasis on the word “tears” tells the mood of the house. The “tears” tips the poem towards the absurdity. Although the grandmother tries to remain cheerful, (considering the presence of the child) her fears give her away, and thus the child, eventually sees the sadness in his/ her grandmother. The fact that it is a man whom the child draws “with butting like tears” may suggest that someone, the grandfather or perhaps the child’s father has left or died.

The grandmother plays a vital role in this poem. The first and second stanza’s focuses on the grandmother. The grandmother tries to maintain a steady and cheerful atmosphere in the house, specifically because of the child but with the rain and the condition of the weather around, it is very difficult for the grandmother to do that. Not even the jokes she read from the almanac was enough to keep her from shedding those tears. The grandmother also invites the child to come for breakfast, which also is a gesture of peace and serenity. Also, the kitchen, particularly the stove permits Elizabeth Bishop to emphasize the grandmother’s desire for warmth and comfort.

The poet tries to personify the almanac and the stove in many forms. The grandmother believes in the predictions of the almanac. The almanac and the stove also play a role in the poem. There is a little argument between the stove and the almanac in the fifth stanza. The stove believes that things just happen because of destiny not because someone says it is going to happen. The almanac believes that he can predict what is going to happen and that things don’t happen just to happen.

“Sestina is a poem that has a lot to offer. A poem which I believe has a deep story within it. It tells of the present, while giving hints of the characters pasts and future. But it is clearly seen that the main point the poet wanted to send across was about the presence of grief in that house. The grief is serious and the final three lines even indicate that the problem will persist and in the last stanza where it ends with an “inscrutable house,” the last thing that should be inscrutable is your house.