English 102

Journal Assignment 2

Journalists typically have to answer very basic questions about a news story to determine the facts. These questions involve who, what, when, and where. When writing about literature, we also want to answer questions that involve how and why.

For this journal entry, develop a how or why question about August Wilson’s play Fences and then provide a thoughtful, paragraph-length answer to your own question. Your question should be interesting, and potentially complicated.

Examples from Angela’s Ashes:

• Why does Frankie turn out to be so thoughtful and successful after having been raised by such irresponsible parents?
• Why does Frankie’s father drink so much and avoid taking care of his family?
• Why are many members of Angela’s family so bitter?

Answers to questions like these should be supported by evidence from the text as well as some logical interpretations of that evidence.