Cory

 All About Cory: //Add a favorite line of dialogue or a particular description and explain why you find it striking (arranged in chronological order). Please cite page numbers for easy reference. Be sure to include your name.//

**"He gets a lot of chances to play" (I.iii.33)**
 During his argument about the conditions of black baseball players in the Major League with his father Troy, Cory distinguished himself from Troy by showing his belief in a changing society that was more accepting towards blacks. While Troy stated that Clemente “could be something if they give him a chance”, Cory argued that Clemente “gets a lot of chances to play”. Cory did not inherit his father’s discriminating and stubborn views on the world, and as a talented athlete himself, he believed there was hope and that a chance of glory was waiting for him on the other side of the door. Cory showed optimistic and enthusiastic views on the possibilities ahead of him despite the limitations, or “fences”, that Troy has built to bound his son. -- Jacky

“They got some white guys on the team that don’t play every day. You can’t play everybody at the same time” Pg 34 (1.iii) This line from Cory to Troy discussing baseball and race is significant because it shows that they have two points of views that are opposite. Troy sees it as a problem that baseball teams don’t play non-white players all the time whereas Cory thinks that they don’t play because teams cant play everyone at the same time. This situation where Troy and Cory stand on two conflicting ends of an argument is present throughout the whole book. Wilson may be saying that the young people during this time were much more open about race and society then those who had grown up with severe injustice when times were worse like during the early 20th century. -- Andrew

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Like Troy, Cory is a boy with passion towards sports (football) and has faith in his dreams and future. However, Cory is still a child and has faced much fewer obstacles in his childhood, growing up with a mother, and a father that had at least been responsible for the family and the children for the past 18 years. Therefore, with the influence of Rose, the kind and caring mother, and all there is in his life, Cory has developed a much softer feature than Troy.This may be interpreted as "weaker".with his hesitent and the way he asks Troy a question using "Can I...". And he shows his softness and obedient towards his father by asking, why he never liked him. This shows his love and caring to the object ”father” and a tiny wish of the concept of “family” in his heart. --Linda =====

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        ===== ==<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> **"Just cause you didn't have a chance! You just scared I'm gonna be better than you, that's all." (pg. 58)**       ==

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<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">Throughout the play, we see Cory as submissive and obedient towards his father. However, we see a change in character after Troy denies Cory the chance of playing football, which leads to Cory telling the truth, something that Troy does not seem to approve of. All this time, due to multiple series of events prior to this one, Cory's frustration and irritation towards his father has been building up inside him, at which it reaches a point where he releases it, as seen here. The primary reason why Troy and Cory's relationship is so complicated is because Troy holds inside resentment that he "didn't have the chance" to play major league baseball. Consequently, when Cory was offered the opportunity to play, Troy became both overprotective and jealous, which led to Troy denying his son to play. Because Troy is stubborn and unwilling to the hear the truth, Cory’s outburst seems to be a futile attempt for Troy to face and accept the truth, ultimately straining their relationship with each other even more. --   Vickie    =====


 * " You ain't never gave me nothing! You ain't never done nothing but hold me back. Afraid I was gonna be better than you." (pg 86)**

I found this quote really significant because this is the part where Cory stands up to his father. His frustration manifests when his father is lecturing him again when he releases his fustration on his father, he also talked about how scared he was before and how he has changed. I believe this is the turning point for Cory from being a boy to a man, being able to stand up for himself and talk what he thinks. Although Troy and Cory are father and son, they begin to fight each other and without much relent. This shows that they are both serious but Troy being the father and the "responsible" one, he lowers the bat in the end. this shows the remaining sanity in Troy and also with Cory's defeat, it shows that Cory's journey of independence has only just begun. --Jerome

This is where Cory provokes Troy into fighting. This quote shows the growth in Cory, from a kid that easily gave into his father's opinions and point of view to a man that stood for his own beliefs even though they were against his father. This is the climax and bursting point of the father/son relationship, where Cory argues about everything Troy has done wrong. Unlike Rose, Cory decides to leave and is determined not to continue to put up with his father. After this scene, the audience may wonder what Cory might do to his children and their relationships, should he choose to have them. --John
 * "What you goona do...give me a whupping? You can't whup me no more. You're too old. You just an old man." (87)**

I found this quote quite interesting because all throughout the play, Cory has been a very obedient and respectful son who almost never argued with his father and in the few times where he has, he always gave in in the end to Troy. However in this scene of the play, Cory has his most intense confrontation with Troy and the two almost get into a physical fight but in the end, Cory decides to leave home. Through this line and the confrontation that ensued, We can tell that Cory has grown up from the submissive and obedient son to a defiant young man who is no longer willing to suffer Troy's harsh and conflicting personality. --Roy
 * " I ain't going nowhere! Come on... put me out! I ain't scared of you." (88)**

Interestingly, although Cory appears as a strong character longing for his independence, he admits in this line that he has always feared Troy. Cory often displays his disapproval of his father's decisions, such as concerning his football career, and building the fence. However, in this line, he displays his inner fear towards his father. It is possible that seeing Troy "staring back at [him]" contributes to pushing Cory to break away from his father. Ironically, while a son is meant to respect and look up to his father, Cory's overwhelming inner fear of Troy causes him to "find a way to get rid of [Troy's] shadow". It is apparent that Cory believes Troy's image follows him like a shadow, potentially invading Cory's spirit. Therefore this line offers a further explanation to Cory's neverending fight for freedom and independence from his father. --Angus
 * "Everywhere I looked, Troy Maxson was staring back at me... hiding under the bed... in the closet. I'm just saying I've got to find a way to get rid of that shadow, Mama." (II.v.97)**

**"I ain't got to say excuse me to you. You don't count round here no more" (pg. 85)**
Throughout //Fences,// Cory has been a passive character who could easily be manipulated by his more outgoing father. Although Cory has always been obedient, as readers we can see that his relationship with Troy is rather tense. Cory has a promising future due to his football skills but since his father has this constant need to be depended on, he is held back by Troy which only further strains their relationship. The tension between the two characters results in Cory holding in his emotions which eventually burst out as seen in this quote. From this quote we can see how Cory truly feels about Troy and his wanting for independence. --Jimmy

**“I can’t drag Papa with me everywhere I go. I’ve got to say no to him. One time in my life I’ve got to say no.” (p. 96)** Although Troy is dead in this scene, this quote demonstrates Cory's desire for freedom from Troy as he still feels as though Troy is constantly shadowing over him. Cory is so overwhelmed by the thought of breaking free and defying his father (saying “no”) that he has lost perception between the right and wrong thing to do. It is obvious, that the “right” thing for him to do is attend the funeral. However, ironically, the more he tries to defy Troy, the more he transforms into Troy’s stubborn and intolerant character. Here, Rose once again intervenes and talks some sense into Cory. Ultimately, Cory attends the funeral as proof that he isn’t Troy, but himself (as he desires to be in another quote "I don't want to be Troy Maxson. I want to be me." (p. 97)). --Niu Niu

Cory says this when he is walking over Troy to get into the house after Troy has confessed to Rose that he had an affair and Rose is currently taking care of the baby Raynell. What Cory says here is like a metaphor for what he has been trying to do for most of the book: to get around the barriers Troy has set up to prevent Cory from reaching his dream of becoming a football star and just being his own person without any influence and opression from his father. --Henry
 * "You in my way. I got to get by."**

“I ain’t quitting the team. I don’t care what poppa say.” This quote shows Cory’s determination to play football where Cory is shown as a strong character when he talks to Rose about staying in the team but shortly afterwards he quits the team revealing that Cory’s obedience to Troy dominates more than his determination to play football. Cory determination to stay on the team is also the beginning of defying Troy and breaking free from him, where later onwards the frustrations and emotions in Cory burst out causing him to break free from Troy and run away from home. Neville

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: rgb(5,11,240); FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">**More about Cory:** //Attach a visual aid (photograph, painting, shape, color, etc) that represents a character trait of Cory. Be sure to label your contribution and explain the connection. Also include your name.// <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">Throughout the play, it is apparent that Cory strives hard to emulate his father in the sense that he loves and devotes his time to baseball, just like Troy dedicated his adolescent years towards the same sport. However, due to Troy’s limited scope and perspective on the world, especially towards racial discrimination, Troy generates many conflicts. One of these conflicts is seen between Troy and Cory. Because Troy is a very stubborn and obstinate character, he is unwilling to change even though his surroundings and the people in them have changed. This stubbornness leads to many disagreements between Troy and Cory which is ironic in the sense that most of their arguments relate to what they love most: baseball (both directly and indirectly). Unlike Troy, Cory tries to achieve his dreams by accepting and adapting to the changes that is occurring around him. For this reason, I felt that Cory could be represented as a butterfly. All butterflies have to go through the process of leaving their cocoons and going out into the world. Instead of staying in his comfort zone (the cocoon), like Troy seems to, Cory is willing and able to accept changes and move on from the past, just like a butterfly leaves its cocoon and goes into a new environment. Even though both strive for the same things, Cory is able to become more successful because he has a more open mind than Troy, and therefore able to accept changes in his surroundings. --Vickie <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Georgia,serif">



in this play, Cory's life is similar to that of Luke Skywalker. Furthermore, this photograph showing the juxtaposition of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader is a perfect representation of the conditions Cory is born into. Cory's father, Troy, attempts to destroy Troy's dreams. Despite the benefits of playing football and going to college, Troy is like Darth Vader in this picture, looming over "Cory", and forcing him to follow his father's path. As a result, Cory's struggle and determination to break away from his father, and become a different person than Troy is depicted here through Luke holding the lightsaber. As Cory fights back againsthis father both emotionally and physically, deperately trying to prevent himself from becoming like him, Luke, especially in this picture, holds up his lightsaber against his father, and fights for his own life and freedom. Cory refuses to accept a job at the A&P as pitiful as his father's. Similarly, Luke refuses to join his father in "The Dark Side". Consequently, Cory's strive for freedom and to be different from his father is represented in this photograph through Luke Skywalker's breaking away from Darth Vader. --Angus

The Darth Vader - James Earl Jones - Troy connection was intended.

Cory reminds me of an Abandoned Mine because of his massive potential in football. Because of Troy, Cory was denied to play football in college, which in that time is a huge pity because getting into college football wasn't an easy thing to achieve. Because of this, the talent and skill of Cory was left untapped and because of this, hatred and fustration grew within Cory. Just like an abandoned mine, Cory is not stable. As a teenager, we all know this is the time when our hormones are raging and sometimes we tend to get angry easily. Because of the denial, Cory's hatred and fustration are trapped in his body, waiting until one day the hatred will overflow and burst out of Cory. This release of hatred is most obviously shown in <span style="COLOR: rgb(245,117,117)">page 86 when Cory talks back to Troy, and talking without holding back, which is like a mine collapsing on its foundations completely, due to poor maintanence. If Troy wasn't so self centered and delusional about responsibility, Cory and Troy might have gotten along well, just like how a mine can produce a great amount of mineral output if the proper managment and care was given to the mine. --Jerome

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Cory is like a piece of drying ceramic that is being forced to transform by Troy. Throughout the play, Troy persistently tried to shape Cory into the person he wanted Cory to be, a person that would take up a stable job so that he could support the family financially. Restricted by his father’s stubborn view of the racist society, Cory desperately wished to be independent and battled to create a unique identity different from his father, similar to how a piece of drying ceramic resists the changes that the artist’s hand is trying to make. Whenever there was a conversation between Cory and Troy, a conflict ensued, such as the discussion about black baseball players, which led to Troy’s anger at Cory’s decision to quit his job and play football. Eventually, the piece of drying ceramic will break from the force of the artist’s hand. When Cory finally ran out of patience with his dad, he decided to take extreme measures and used physical violence against Troy, “throw[ing] a glancing blow that catches him on the chest and knocks him down” and shattering this relationship between father and son. --Jacky

Cory is like a stretched out rubber band, when a rubber band is stretched out it will spring forward upon release. Like the rubber band, Cory has grown and has the potential to excel however Troy refuses to let go thereby keeping Cory in the same place. As illustrated in the picture, the rubber band is fully stretched out showing how Cory is ready to become an independent figure, however the fingers refuse to let go keeping the rubber band still. The stretched out rubber band also shows how Cory's emotions have been strained out by Troy. Cory is a character who can understand his emotions, however when confronting Troy he grows scared and submissive causing these emotions to be dragged out over time. --Jimmy



Cory is like a branch. The idea is similar to Jimmy's plastic bland thing, but different in many ways--- Cory has grown into a man, with strength and his own ideas and isn't that mentally controlled by Troy as much anymore. He has some features similar to Troy, as I said above, they have their dreams and keeps faith in them. Branches, can hold things that doesn't weigh as much, but as the weigh gains and gains, the branch can bounce back, or eventually break. Cory is held back by Troy, being acted upon all these forces by Troy, accumulating his anger time after time, eventually causing him to leave the house. And I think a branch is good to present Cory's features since there can be leaves, moss, flowers, or any kind of plant grown out onto the branches, and there could be living creatures resting on the branches.--this is interesting as it shows more liveliness and features Cory have under the influence of Rose, which are softer than Troy's features. --Linda

While he was in the house he was being held back by Troy and had to follow his rules, this can be thought of as the nest and Troy taking care of him. When Cory leaves he takes everything he learned from Troy and he went into the Marine Corps. I think that is a very high achievement for Cory to get to a place in society that demands a lot of respect. When Corey enters the last scene, “his posture is of that of a military man, and his speech has a clipped sternness”, contrasts the setting. Corey seems to be coming out of another world when he comes back to the dumpy Pittsburg neighborhood. This also shows how far Cory had come to get to the Marine Corps. I thought that a Eagle would be appropriate to depict because of its symbolic meaning for freedom, honor and courage. --Andrew

In my opinion, Cory is like a baby cub who needs the support of his family when he is young since he is still not strong enough to support himself and is vulnerable to the real world. The cub like Cory is also subject to it's parents wishes and demands However, as Cory grows older, he aspires to certain hopes and dreams of his own that he wants to accomplish but in order to do this, he must become independent and completely free of anything that would force him to depend on his parents again and this point in Cory's life is shown in Act II Scene 4 where Cory and Troy get into a major fight and Cory decides to move out of the house for good. This is very similar to a cub because as a baby cub grows up, it must also at one point leave its parents and go off to face the real world by itself. Another similarity that can be found between the two is that a cub is raised solely by the mother and sticks with the siblings for a while after they leave which is kind of like Cory in the sense that Cory's relationship with Rose is a lot closer as opposed to his relationship with Troy which is very unstable to say the least. Troy also remains close with Lyon, his half brother, throughout the whole play. -- **Roy

** Throughout the play, Cory is determined to break free from Troy. He desires the freedom to be himself and to chase after his dreams; however, he is constantly restricted and controlled by Troy’s unreasonable and stubborn character. Cory can be depicted as a music box in the sense that Troy has constant control over the lid of the music box, and whether or not the music (Cory’s potential) is played. If the music box is left open long enough, the piece will be able to cycle once through; however, just as Cory reaches his full potential playing football and getting recruited (when a piece reaches its climax), it’s as though Troy shuts the lid on Cory. Ultimately, when Cory leaves, the music box is no longer in Troy’s possession and he is no longer able to control the lid of the music box. It is only then, that the music box is left open long enough for Cory to reach his full potential (Marine Corps). --Niu Niu



Neville: To me, Cory is like a balloon. A balloon pumped with air is similar with Cory’s emotions being held back until the point of burst. As Troy holds him back and irritates him, his emotions are held back until the point where he can’t hold his emotions any longer the emotions inside of Cory will burst out resulting in the dispute between Troy causing him to leave home. The air in the balloon represents Cory’s emotion to Troy where the balloon itself represents Cory’s barrier in preventing his true emotions to Troy. After Cory leaves home, Cory is able to reveal his true emotions against Troy without a barrier, where it’s similar to the balloon, once the balloon has popped the air trapped by the balloon is free.