Part 1: Fences
Troy relies on racism as a projection of his own feelings. When Cory is selected for a football scholarship, Troy refuses to be pleased or supportive of him. Instead, Troy is dismissive and tells Cory, "The white man ain't gonna let you get nowhere with that football no way" (1.3.78).
For most of his life, Troy has carried a regret that he wasn’t able to play professional baseball, as a result of racial discrimination. He argues that he doesn’t want to subject Cory to the same disappointment. The people around Troy attempt to convince him that things are different now to how they were back then. Rose says, "They got lots of colored boys playing ball now. Baseball and football" (1.1.76).
Cory accuses Troy of jealousy: "You just scared I'm gonna be better than you, that's all" (1.4.166). This certainly seems plausible. It appears that Troy is projecting onto white people, his feelings about his son’s possible success.
Part 2: The Dollshouse
Some aspects of Nora’s relationship with her husband seem very dated now. A large part of their connection seems to be based on her massaging his ego, as seen in the following line: NORA: "Christine is [] is frightfully anxious to work under some clever man, so as to perfect herself—" (Ibsen,1.282).
Nora has frequently been spoken of as a pioneering feminist heroine (Templeton). AS the story moves forward, Nora slowly distances herself from her controlling husband. Throughout the play, there are many references to women and their traditional roles. As with the traditional husband-wife relationship depicted in this play, the drama seems dated by the references to traditional male-female roles.
However, in many ways the play doesn’t seem dated at all. There are still plenty of relationships based on inequality or on firmly dictated roles. It is still not unusual to hear of a person in a relationship being controlled by another.
Part 3: Research Papers
One of the most challenging aspects of writing a research paper is the planning. In my experience, deciding what to focus on specifically, and deciding what to include and exclude, are quite difficult. I find myself writing on one topic and then deviating onto a related topic. This can work in a larger piece of work, but for shorter research papers it is important to stay on track with the main focal point. Providing I have a strong draft thesis statement, and refer to it frequently enough, I can usually keep to the point. However, if my concentration wavers, writing the paper can end up taking twice as long.
Part 4: Definition of Poetry
Finding a definition of poetry is not an easy task. There have been many opinions and thoughts on the matter. For example, Dante said that poetry is: “Things that are true expressed in words that are beautiful” (Backpack Literature). This is one of many vague definitions that have been recorded.
I believe that poetry is a means of expressing specific concepts in a beautiful manner. An example of this in action is Natasha Trethewy’s work. In “A conversation with Natasha Trethewy,” (LenoirRyneU) the poet speaks about her book, Beyond Katrina. She discusses the concept of nostalgia, and how returning to places after years away will inevitably feel different because the person who has been away for years will have themselves changed.
Poetry really can serve a number of different purposes for all kinds of different people. Therefore I think it is impossible to summarize it in just one definition.
Works Cited
LenoirRyneU. “A Conversation with Natasha Trethewy.” YouTube. 11 Oct. 2011. Online. 23 June. 2016.
Templeton, Joan. “The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Isben.” Modern Language Association. Fenwick Friers. Jan 1989. Online. 23 June. 2016.
