WAEC Literature in English 2022 Theory — Question 15

Model answer

Points to develop: i. Relation to theme; ii. Character identification; iii. Troy's upbringing; iv. Results of Troy's upbringing; v. Influences Troy passes on his children. The play reflects the racial discrimination of the 1950s which impacts the lives of black Americans, particularly Troy and his family. The blacks are discriminated against and this shows in many facets of their lives. The blacks are relegated to the back seats of the society. Troy has to protest at his workplace before he gets promoted from being a garbage carrier to being a truck driver; he experiences racial discrimination as a baseball player. Troy Maxson is fifty two years old. He is large and has thick heavy hands. Troy is the father of Lyons, Cory and Raynell, all from different mothers. He is the husband of Rose. A son of an unsuccessful sharecropper, Troy left home at age fourteen. He has now built a family with his wife and children. Troy is a truck driver in a sanitation department. He is a friend of Bono. Troy's father was a very hard-working man, although he was always in debt. His father used confrontation and violence to put fear in him. Troy engaged in a near-death confrontation with his father over sexual abuse of his girlfriend. He subsequently left his father's home in Alabama, travelling two hundred miles to the city. Troy's earlier upbringing seems to have given him a wrong perception of parenting. He sees himself as a commander who cannot accept his children's views. Troy learns the value of hard work and a sense of responsibility. Besides, Troy experiences racism as a boy when he is denied the opportunity to play baseball. As an adult, his honesty and awareness of wrong enable him to change his status at his work place and become the driver of a garbage truck. Troy's refusal to let Cory play football is an influence from past upbringing. Troy repeats the mistakes of his father. He drives his son Cory away from home because of a fierce argument that nearly turns physical. Troy's sense of hard work and responsibility is picked up by his sons, especially Cory. He wants his children to work hard. This is evident in Lyons' insistence on paying back the ten dollars he borrowed from him and Cory going away to educate himself and become a Marine Corporal. In conclusion, Troy's upbringing has positive and negative influences on him and it also manifests in his relationship with his children.