WAEC Literature in English 2021 Theory — Question 18

Model answer

Points to develop: relation to theme; explanation/definition; 'fence' as a metaphor/symbol; 'fence' and 'fences'; significance of the title. The play centres on racial discrimination and its effects on an African-American family in the 1950s; they had to fight white segregation as well as deal with their own internal conflict, so they build both physical and internal fences while also putting up their own internal 'fences'. A fence is a structure built to separate one area from another, or to prevent people/animals from entering or leaving an enclosure. The play centres on the building of a fence in the Maxton backyard, which affects family life; Rose sings a song asking Troy and Cory to work together on it to heal the conflict between father and son. The fence becomes the physical barrier separating father and son — the constant friction between Troy and Cory can be seen as an emotional barrier — and even though the play centres on the building of a single fence, the title 'Fences' (plural) derives from the many other metaphorical fences in the play: the racism preventing Troy from a professional baseball career; the poverty/homelessness that shaped his life; and the fence he himself places between Cory and his football scholarship ambitions because of his own past discrimination.