Fences Paper
Fences
August Wilson Fences is the second major play written by August Wilson which was premiered in 1983. The set of the play was in 1950’s in Pittsburg and was a part of series of play wrote by Wilson. The play won the highly respected Pulitzer Prize for drama in the year 1987. There are many issues which were prevalent in the society during the time of the play which are encompassed and incorporated in the play. The reasons of the play winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama are discussed in the following parts of the paper. August Wilson was born to a white German father and an African American woman from North Carolina. Wilson grew up with his mother in the absence of his father with five other siblings. He grew up in economically depressed neighborhood which was predominated by the African American immigrants. Poverty and racism were some issues that he faced most of his life. This upbringing made him aware of the struggle the African American population was facing at the time. Wilson faced a lot of discrimination at school. He was accused of plagiarism just because the work he came up with was so good, that the teachers thought wouldn’t come from a black person. August Wilson educated himself by reading at the library after he dropped out of school because of the incident. At the age of 12 he began reading black writers. This greatly influenced his writing style and the subject of his writings. Fences is a part of the series Pittsburg Cycle by August Wilson. The series have plays in different decade which details the African American struggles and hopes during the time of the plays. The plays were written for different decades showing the progress in the African American community at the time. “Fences” was the sixth play in the series. The play Fences is about black family who is struggling in the 1950’s. The plot is about an African American family but the basic appeal is universal. The main issues which rise in the
August Wilson Fences is the second major play written by August Wilson which was premiered in 1983. The set of the play was in 1950’s in Pittsburg and was a part of series of play wrote by Wilson. The play won the highly respected Pulitzer Prize for drama in the year 1987. There are many issues which were prevalent in the society during the time of the play which are encompassed and incorporated in the play. The reasons of the play winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama are discussed in the following parts of the paper. August Wilson was born to a white German father and an African American woman from North Carolina. Wilson grew up with his mother in the absence of his father with five other siblings. He grew up in economically depressed neighborhood which was predominated by the African American immigrants. Poverty and racism were some issues that he faced most of his life. This upbringing made him aware of the struggle the African American population was facing at the time. Wilson faced a lot of discrimination at school. He was accused of plagiarism just because the work he came up with was so good, that the teachers thought wouldn’t come from a black person. August Wilson educated himself by reading at the library after he dropped out of school because of the incident. At the age of 12 he began reading black writers. This greatly influenced his writing style and the subject of his writings. Fences is a part of the series Pittsburg Cycle by August Wilson. The series have plays in different decade which details the African American struggles and hopes during the time of the plays. The plays were written for different decades showing the progress in the African American community at the time. “Fences” was the sixth play in the series. The play Fences is about black family who is struggling in the 1950’s. The plot is about an African American family but the basic appeal is universal. The main issues which rise in the
Cited: BRANTLEY, BEN. "It’s No More Mr. Nice Guy for This Everyman." The New York Times 27 April 2010: 3. Article. Busby, Margaret. "August Wilson Distinguished black American playwright who reclaimed the stories of his people." The Guardian (2005): 7-9. Document. Wilson, August. Fences. New York, New York: Pengiun Group, 1983. Play, Drama.