Fences Lesson 3
Answer the following questions:
1. What sort of stories does Troy tell?
Troy tells stories about the devil and death.
2. Why does he tell these stories?
Troy tells these stories because he feels that it is not his time to die yet. He wants everyone to see that he has a strong heart.
3. What do they tell us about him?
That he is a strong man. It also tells us that he is not afraid to die.
4. How does Troy describe (death?)
Troy described it as a fastball on the outside corner.
5. What does he mean by a fastball on the outside corner?
It probably means that he could hit that fast ball, which is death, and live.
6. When did Troy meet death?
The middle of July, 1941.
7. Why does he describe death as a person?
Because he feels that as long as he has his vigilance he can fight death and stay away from it.
8. How does he confront him (death)?
He struggles with it. Since he doesn't want to die, he said that he threw his sickle far so he could buy some time. He tells death that it is not his time to die yet.
9. Why does Troy tell this magnificently exaggerated story about death?
To show that he is a strong person and that he is not afraid of anything and he could overcome anything.
10. How does Troy believe he must deal with death?
By fighting it.
11. How are Troy’s descriptions of death and the devil similar to mythology?
Because he talks about death and the devil like they are real people.
HW #3 What sort of experiences change us?
The experiences that change us are the ones that stay in your mind forever. They could also be ones that teach you a lesson in your life.
Paragraph 1- Before
Paragraph 2-The experience
Paragraph 3 - How it changed me/how I learned
One experience that changed me was when my favorite uncle died. His name was David and he was the youngest of nine kids along with my mother. He had a big heart and it's a shame he died so young. I was 14 years old.
The night before my uncle passed I was in my house watching a Yankees game. I had a bad feeling, but I couldn't put it together. I knew something was wrong but nothing hit me on what it could possibly be. I was asleep and it was about four forty five in morning when my phone rang. I woke up to my grandmothers screams over the phone. At that point I knew something was wrong. I was so scared. I don't know what came over me. Somehow I managed to jump off of my bunk bed without breaking a leg. I threw on the first pair of sneakers that I found and I ran downstairs to my grandmothers house as fast as my feet could take me. When I got there my grandmother was screaming at the top of her lungs that my uncle was dead. Ever since I was little I have always been afraid of dead people. I don't know why, I guess I just am. When I saw my uncle Jamie holding my uncle David in his arms I wanted to pass out. It was as if I was living my worst nightmare. I ran to the phone and I called 911 while my parents and my uncle Jamie tried to do CPR. I had never in my life been so scared. I was so scared but I couldn't show it because everyone else was crying and screaming I had to keep my self together. It was crazy because I was the one in charge of everything. I had to speak with the police and the detectives and the people that do the autopsies. It was crazy! That was the hardest part because after everything was over, about a few weeks later I just blew up like a bomb. I couldn't sleep alone, I couldn't concentrate in school, my grades fell hard. Everything was a mess. There was even times I felt like God was punishing me because I didn't understand why or how he could take away my favorite uncle. He was like my father. If I could turn back time I would go back to the second I was watching my game all the way to the burial and erase it all and replace it with better things. Things that don't hurt me.
Now I understand that it was my uncles time to go. No one has the right to say when they are going to die or how long they are going to live. I'm not sad about it anymore because he is in a better place, a better place than me and he doesn't have to struggle anymore. I learned to not waste time because it is precious. To precious to waste on petty things. This experience changed me allot. I find my self more grown up and mature because it took allot of courage and strength to go through what I went through. Now I can face anything because that was the most difficult thing I have ever dealt with, anything else is a piece of cake to me.
Fences Lesson 4
Journal:
"Something I felt, but could not express…"
Something I felt, but could not express was when my cousin got pregnant and had to get married. Everyone was mad at her because she was studying to be a nurse and they said that she messed up her life. Everyone was really stressing her out. I felt like sticking up for her, but it wasn't my place. She was old enough to do what ever she wanted to do and she was going to go back to college, but no one saw things like I saw them so I just kept my mouth shut.
"Someone whom I feel distant from…"
Someone whom I feel distant from would have to be my mother. We never had that special bond between us and we don't talk about all the things most girl talk about with their mom's. She tries to show me love and be nice to me, but I'm not like that. I'm kind of like Troy, I she her tough love.
Activities:
1. What sort of relationship might take place between an adult and a child whose parent wasn’t there for him/her when he was growing up?
That type of relationship would be like a love / hate relationship because the child might feel way closer to one parent then the other. They would only show their love for the other parent when they want something from them. but when the parent leaves again, they hate them again.
2. Discuss and Answer the following questions:
1. How is Lyons described?
Lyons is describes as a musician. He is pretty old but you can tell he really doesn't have a stable job since he is always asking his father for money.
2. How old was Troy when he had Lyons?
Try was fourteen.
3. What sort of ritual do they go through each time Troy gets paid?
They have to deal with Lyons asking them for money.
4. Why doesn't Troy just give Lyons the money instead of going through his ritual?
because he wants Lyons to know that Troy thinks he should have a better job than playing music.
5. What does this tell us about Troy?
That his money means allot to him because he works very hard for it.
6.How do Troy an Lyons get along? How so?
Troy and Lyons get along like friends. They get along like friends because Troy doesn't want Lyons playing music. He believes its just a waste of time.
7. How does Troy describe the devil?
Troy describes the devil like a real person that was trying to kill him.
8. How does the devil find Troy?
Because he went to buy some furniture.
9. Who is the devil to Troy?
The guy that he pays for is furniture.
Troy and Lyon's relationship is more like a friendship. Lyons is always asking his father for money even though he should have his own. Instead of encouraging Lyons with his music he just tells him that he needs another job.