Fences by August Wilson Information

Fences by August Wilson

• When/Where does the play take place?

The play is set in the 1957 and later in 1965.  The place the play is set in is the dirt-yard and porch of the Maxson family's house in Pittsburgh, PA.

• What was going on in the US at this time point regarding politics, economics, sports, entertainment and technology? 

1957
In the 1950s the cold war had ended. Many people were not well off economically and lived very frugally. There was severe racism, severe sexism,  and fear of nuclear attack. Women had to enter the job market for families to send children to college. Inflation was a major issue in the 1950s. Consumer prices increased and there was slow economic growth. Television was relatively new in the USA in the 1950s. n economics, the federal spending was $76.58 billion and the federal debt was $272.3 billion. 

In sports, The Milwaukee Braves beat the NY Yankees 4 to 3 in the World Series. Boston won against the St. Louis Hawks (4-1) in the NBA Championship. Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story" debuts on the Broadway and brings violence to the stage.  In Science, a temporary artificial heart was invented by Williem Kolff. In the late 1950s, the "Little Rock Nine" integrated Arkansas high school.

1965

In 1965, Rev, Dr, Martin Luther King, Jr., and more than 2,600 others were arrested in Selma, Ala., during demonstrations against voter-registration rules (Feb. 1). Malcolm X, black-nationalist leader, was shot to death at Harlem rally (Feb 21.) The U.S. Marines land in Dominican Republic as fighting persists between rebels and Dominican army (April 28.). Medicare, senior citizens' government medical assistance program, begins (July 1). Blacks Riot for six days in Watts section of LA; 34 dead,, over 1,000 injured, nearly 4,000 arrested, fire damage put at $175 million (Aug. 11-16). Power failure in Ontario plant blacks out parts of eight states of northeast U.S. and two provinces of southeast Canada (Nov. 9). In terms of economics  the federal spending was $118.23 billion and the federal debt was $322.3 billion. The unemployment rate was 5.2%. In sports, The LA Dodgers won the world series against Minnesota. In entertainment, Bill Cosby starred in 'I Spy' and became the first African American to headline a television show.

Citation:

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1957.html
http://www.infoplease.com/year/1965.html

Race and Racism

Having a darker skin tone has been conditioned in our head as bad since birth. Most people always wish to change themselves, to be another person, because of the way they look. Usually, "colored" people with "unmanageable" hair wish they had light skin and straight "easy to manage" hair. Society has conditioned children to believe that who they are, who they were born as is something they should be ashamed of, something they need to change. Having "white" skin and straight hair is seen as the guidelines to society. "White" skin and easily manageable, straight brown or blonde hair was conditioned as the norm. Since we were children, the "black" character was deemed as the bad guy and the "white" character was deemed as a hero.

Barbie dolls conditioned into the minds of kids that being white, having fair and light skin is seen as better. Also, having straight blonde or brown hair was the best thing and anything else would be frowned upon. These subtle techniques of brainwashing trained who didn't have light skin and fair hair to believe they were scum. It modified the way a child looked at themselves in the mirror. It made them want to be just like the "white". Society has influenced children to abandon their heritage. Everyone wants to know where they came from, who they are and why they are here. Heritage having been wiped out, causes people to only be a label  Humans are labeled with names such as Dominican, American, African like cows labeled to be shipped out.

Women feel racism in a different way compared to men. Women feel more pressure to fit in with their hair, skin, etc. Men are not subjected as much to discrimination as woman are. Men are usually seen as "sex hounds" and rapist. They are seen as people who only think about sexual intercourse and want to have sexual intercourse 24 hours 7 days a week. In terms of racism, "white" men are seen as successful, "black" men are seen as dirty robbers and scum, and so on and so forth. In the terrible philosophy of this world, the darker your skin the least chance you have of success and the more you will come to subject yourself to wishing you were "white" or lighter.

Woman are told that they are weak, that they cannot do something unless tested vigorously. Woman usually feel that they should look a certain way to be beautiful. From barbie dolls to examples in magazines, woman are subjected to more social and peer pressure about how they look, where they are from and who they are. Some women feel  A survey has been conducted defining that woman are more subjected to feel a type of discrimination than men. Don't discriminate, just be yourself.

JFK's Inaugural Address

Open Ended Question

Throughout his Inaugural Address John F. Kennedy discussed the role of science in shaping our world. The negative impact Kennedy believe science has had on the world was the death of many by the use of science. In Kennedy's opinion, Science is power but with power comes corruption and ultimately destruction. Kennedy believes that science will 'engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction'. Kennedy believes science can positively affect the future by letting 'both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors'. This means he wants humans to use their technological advances to help humanity rather than destroy it. Although many weapons of mass murder are created worldwide, Kennedy's dream still lives on; there are people throughout the world who advance towards an improvised and positively technologically advance world.



Kennedy believes the nations of of the world can make a difference by encouraging
every nation help each other in their time of need. In his Inaugural Address, Kennedy states "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich." This means human society should help each other in their time of great need. Kennedy also encourages the nations of the world to strive for peace rather than 'the dark power of destruction'. This means that Kennedy wishes for everyone in the world to get along, no war or disputes. In the world of today, war is an everyday occurrence  a wise man once said, "the world runs on war, our country always needs to be at war to please the companies within it." Kennedy's wish does live on in the hearts of many though, there are people who strive for peace such as Martin Luther King Jr.

St. Patrick the Missionary

Patrick's first encounter with Ireland was at the age of sixteen where he was sent to Ireland and sold into slavery. While he worked in Ireland as a shepherd, he developed a deep faith in god and claims that as he sleep one night, he had a vision of how to escape. After Patrick's escape from about six years of slavery, he went back to Britain, and then to Gaul where he studied under St. Germain for twelve years before returning
again to Britain. In Britain he felt a calling to return to return as a missionary to Ireland; he stayed there for another 30 years converting, baptizing, and setting up monasteries.By the end of the 7th century, Patrick
had become a legendary figure, and the legends have continued to grow since then. There are many legends regarding St. Patrick; the legends state that he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the concept of Trinity (he refers to it as the combination of  the father, son and the holy spirit). Another legend states that he put the curse of God on venomous snakes in Ireland and drove all the snakes into the sea where they drowned. St. Patrick died on March 17, AD 461 and the day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.

Source:

http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/historyofpatrick.htm

Think Different again

The human race are a judgmental bunch. "People generally react to those who are willing to step outside the box of comfortability and normalcy and behave in a way that is considered unconventional or unacceptable". In other words, people usually judge the freethinkers as 'Crazy', people who go against the flow, they are deemed mad, insane, and demented lunatics. Don Haskins was a freethinker, a man who took risk and stepped away from the flow. It was very important for Don Haskins to think different. Don Haskins coached the Texas Western basketball team and recruited three African American players into the team; he put them on the field and showed the world that color does not determine who is good at what. In the movie 'Glory Road', the story of Don Haskins and the Texas Western basketball coach is depicted, the way they impacted society was shown. 

The Slide of Determination

The Slide of Determination

Snow had fallen from the sky the night before leaving the world in a crystal white blanket. Everything had a white fluffy snow over it. Streets were covered and needed to be cleaned. Front and backyards waited for children to run, play, make snowmen and snow angels  and throw snowballs. It was inviting, like a warm blanket and outside was where I was headed. My mother dressed us with many layers of clothing, three pairs of pants, two thick socks, two tank tops, a long shirt, a t-shirt, two thick sweaters, a large jacket, a scarf, two pairs of gloves, and cozy indoor boots. My siblings were dressed similarly and ready to play in the snow. My mother quickly dressed herself in layers and grabbed the house keys and camera. We were headed to the local elementary playground park. My siblings, my mother and I walked down the block carefully  snow blanketed the ground and twigs and rocks hidden underneath it.

"The snow looks so awesome!" My sister exclaimed.
"I want to eat it," my brother reached down and grabbed a handful of snow. He pushed the scarf down and licked the cold crystal snow.
"Ew!" I exclaimed startling my brother, "You never know a dog could have done pee on it."
"Do you see any footprints on the snow?" My sister smugly questioned.
"Yes," I replied pointing to the small footprints on the ground. Automatically my brother spat out the now melted snow and dropped the mush he had on his hands.
"Let's keep going to the park," my mother sighed.
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At the Park
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Untouched snow covered the entire area, the schoolyard park was untouched and ready to be played with. The slides were covered completely and seemed dangerously slippery. Across the field was a flock of geese. They all huddled together and squawked occasionally.
"I call the middle slide!" my brother exclaimed running towards the larger playground.
My sister automatically ran after him. "Wait up dude!" she shouted gleefully. I ran after them jumping slightly so I wouldn't fall in the deep snow.
In a matter of minutes we had climbed the playground to the slides and each slid down.
"I bet I can make it to the top," my brother boasted.
"In your dreams," I scoffed crossing my arms.
"Yes I can!" My brother protested, "If i make it to the top you owe me candy!"
"And if you don't and I make it to the top? What will I get?"
"Then he will owe you candy," My sister intervened.
"I'm going first my brother exclaimed. He ran to the middle slide and placed his booted feet on top the end of the slide. My brother gripped the slide and pulled his body forward. His hand slipped and he slipped onto the ground.
"You lose!" My sister shouted.
"My turn," I shoved my brother out of the way and gripped the middle slide. I placed one foot on the end and moved it around to test the slipperiness of the slide.
"Very slippery, " I muttered. I glared at the top of the slide and envisioned the candy that came with reaching the top. 'I can do this!' I thought, 'Imagine the candy!' 

I grasped the side of the slide tighter and began to climb. One foot after another in an endless struggle to reach the top. 'I can't give up! I mustn't give up!' I thought to myself, 'I'm almost there!' then my feet slipped and I lost my grip on the sides of the slide. Sliding down slightly I cussed under my breath. I quickly gripped onto the side of the slides and climbed faster. I pushed on the edges of the slide with my feet and pushed my body upwards. Step after step I was getting closer to the candy, my goal. With one more step I made it to the top and stood at the top of the playground slide.
"YES!!" I screeched, "I WIN! I WIN, I WIN! TAKE THAT!" I pointed to my brother and cheered loudly. I reached the top, I got the candy.

The end

St. Valentine's story and Advice from me to you.

Origin of St.Valentine's Day

Valentine's day is named after a kind man  named Valentine who died over a thousand years ago. There are two different versions of the St. Valentine story, the one about the protestant and the one about the Catholic. Both versions agree that Saint Valentine was a bishop who held secret
marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II. Claudius II had banned marriage because he felt it made men weak and he did not
want weak men in his army. The ban on marriage greatly shocked the Romans but they did not protest against the almighty emperor. The Kind bishop Valentine realized the injustice and saw the trauma of young
lovers who gave up all hope of marriage. He held secret marriages for young lovers hoping to get married. Before long, Claudius II learned of Bishop Valentine's secret marriage ceremonies and had him arrested. As the story goes, while waiting for his sentence in prison Valentine managed to in some way help Asterius, his jailer, blind daughter. When Claudius II met Valentine, he was impressed by the dignity of the latter.  Valentine refused to agree with the emperor about the ban on marriage and in turn the emperor tried to convert Valentine to the Roman gods. Valentine refused to recognize the Roman gods and attempted to  convert the emperor knowing the consequences that were soon to follow. Emperor Claudius II sentenced Valentine to be executed. Meanwhile, Valentine had formed a deep friendship with Asteriu's daughter. It pained the young girl to hear about her friend's soon to be death. As the story goes, Valentine asked his jailer for a pencil and paper. He wrote a farewell letter to Asteriu's daughter and signed it, "From your Valentine." Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14, 270 AD. In conclusion, the 14th became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint. Further into history, the day became known as St. Valentine's day, a day where men wrote love letters, called 'Valentine's' to women. A celebration of love.

Sources:
http://www.theholidayspot.com/valentine/history_of_valentine.htm
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In terms of advice for breakups, I suggest that you are truthful. Always tell the truth no matter how bad it is. I suggest the couple compromises and talks out their problems. Around the holiday season, spend a few days with one family and a few days with the other family. At April fool's day do not play any exaggerated pranks that might cause you to breakup. During spring don't do anything idiotic or cheat on your lover. If you truly love and/or have interest never do anything that might make you or your lover uncomfortable.