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ECOLOGICAL PREDICAMENT
ECOLOGICAL PREDICAMENT
STUDENT NAME
INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION
This essay develops the issues of ecological predicaments that is an issue facing the human species in contemporary society. Many human activities have been linked to the destruction of the environment that is the basic core reason for our survival. This essay seeks to enhance through the use of interdisciplinary systems and enhanced understanding through research to help solve the environmental crisis issue with an effort to see how we can live and co-exist with the environment without undermining the planet’s fabric life that is core to our existence. The focus of this paper is based on analysis of historical events and making connections between natural processes, biological diversity, migrations, economic and political activities in an environmental concept. The paper shows an environment history in relation to nature and culture, indigenous immigrants and the economy among others. It views the environment degradation, environmental conservation with a view of John Muir with his contributions to the conservation of the environment, their historical context, environmental restoration and environmental sciences and their ethics. The essay shows how the mission and strategy of the CSUMB improve education and create awareness on the sustainability-related issues. With a sense of place discussed and analyzed in the final part.
With the enlightenment of the role climate and plays in the influence of human activities and behaviour, and vice versa, the environment history was developed to study this relationship and their interactions. With history occurrence in the world, environmental history and its study have seen a particular tendancy that follows certain time scales, some key themes and the difference in geographical areas and location. The main components that were developed in the environment history were the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and the biosphere. The historical analysis of the environment was broadened to involve activities that were influenced by humans such as economic, political, social and even cultural analysis that helped in developing conventional history (Burke & Pomeranz,2009). The study helped in the acceleration of technological advancements into the prediction of the weather patterns helping in the acceleration of economic growth.
Depletion of resources and pollution that causes lack of growth of natural environment amounts to the high rates of degradation in the environment. The ecosystem, habitat and extinction of wildlife show how the human species play a big role in degrading the environments that are also supported by the high levels of pollution. Destruction of the earth through excessive consumption and killing of wildlife has seen the human species account for the ecological predicament that threatens our existence (Burke & Pomeranz,2009). The depletion poses safety issues with the existence of effects like acidic rain that reduces the quality and safety of the food we consume thus the address of environment degradation is vital.to prevent environmental degradation we ought to understand how it comes about thus helping the information of how we can develop policies to curb this contemporary issue.
Also known as John of the mountains and at times father of national parks, John Muir was an environmental philosopher renowned for his efforts in advocating for the conservation of wildlife in the united states. The environment conservation the renowned philosopher and author Munir advocated for including the practice that was set to balance the natural order of species that are interdependent for survival. As the father of national parks Muir was considered to be a most influential conservationist and an important figure in California and the administration of President Theodore whereby his legacy in shaping and inspiring conservational policies resulted in the establishing of the Sequoia and Yosemite National park. To the world, his legacy brought about enlightenment that often-glorified individualism hence the establishment of the national park system across the world (Starr,2005).
From the film High Sierra: A Journey on the John Muir Trail, Muir is recognized as an influential figure whose writings and ideology helped shape the view of environment conservation through establishment of the national parks that became an icon across several countries in the world. With a completed trail of 228 miles across the mountains in Sierra Nevada mountain range, John Muir trail was described as the American’s most famous trail that explores the evolution basin that was constructed by the sierra club in which Muir was the president until death. The trail was constructed as an idea that was originated from Theodore Simons. He was born in 1838 in the United Kingdom, Dunbar and died in 1914 in California Los Angeles after having attended University of Wisconsin, Madison.
As chronicled in the film Journey to the Sea of Cortez, John Steinbeck’s newspaper articles included in the harvest Gypsies that the human activities in the 1930s to 1940s an age of enlightenment when humankind became aware of existing climate and how it played a role in the influence of human behavior (Wagner-Martin,2017). With the founding of the journal, Annales contemporary society is able to relate the global influences involved in the environment and human society. Many people in the 1930s in California engaged in small scale farming as an economic activity. The people here majorly relied on agriculture as the society was made up of diverse people from across the globe who include the Japanese, Asians and a few African Americans. This era saw a huge migration from the plains whereby the environment conditions that majorly was the weather had contributed to destroying crops of the small farmers (Steinbeck,1936). These individuals migrated to California big farms with the hope of securing jobs in large plantations as laborers. Due to this migration, the new population in California was built out of orange groves, oil, tourism and real estate and with the availability of railroads access to outside market was quite easy. With the population growing appetite for leisure, tourism was promoted.
Money bay was considered a case study for “good environmental news” as it suggests how hard it is to come across good environmental news in the contemporary society whereby pollution is a crisis that has not been managed well. The levels of pollutions in the contemporary society amount to the effects of climate with high levels of global warming that has been caused by emissions from industries and other factories being a major concern. The Death and Life of Monterey Bay is a Story of Revival whose goal was aimed at saving the environment and ensuring one saves him money too saving the co-existence of nature and environment as a whole (Palumbi & Sotka,2011).
According to Merchant (1988), a renewal and synthesis as nature and culture come together in new visions and appreciation for a potentially green and golden state that contributes into the future through an interdisciplinary approach. Through the application of the sociological theory by the able that perceives man to be the nature’s way of developing culture and through the modernistic approach theory that highlights impacts of man activities affecting nature and the environment. The most appropriate approach to review the future of renewable energy considers education as a form of enlightenment that constitutes a state system. Thus, the interdisciplinary approach would seek to engage local and universal principles so as to sustain a manageable future world heritage and environmental stability with controlled pollution. The education system would involve teachings across various sections to help in understanding the complex issues surrounding the environment and make connections among the contents of natural sciences and humanities. This interdisciplinary approach through education would help in development of skills through research, critical thinking, peer collaborations, mapping, analysis and even proper communication creating an approach that provides for a life long learning and application of these skills in an effort to conserve the environment for a cleaner and safer future (Merchant,1988).
The California State University Monterey Bay through quality education that it envisions would help in providing enriching information’s useful to the future of renewal and synthesis by providing understanding to nature and culture. To ensure sustainability through the mission of CSUMB that based on academic excellence would build a multi learning community that would be prepared to be productive, responsible to the state of California and the global community at large (Jacob et al,2015). To ensure sustainability the values of the institution derived from its vision would help the society ethical reflect on their activities, collaborate with others to survive without having to degrade other lives that are basic for our survival which is the environment.
The conditions for our own survival are in the natural environment in which our own doing is undermining its ability to sustain life. The interdisciplinarity, project-based global perspectives and service-learning would help develop a basis of common focus in which the education would provide a solution for addressing our ecological predicament. The teaching programs and the academic goals of the institutions that focus on scientific sophistication and value of the earth and earth systems help create a sense of responsibility to the environment and through effective and ethical communication the common goal of enhancing sustainability would be achieved.
The strategic plan of the institution that was developed in 2008 and revised in 2013, on providing stewardship and community engagement would help the school lead in enhancing the economic and environmental sustainability providing a framework for the students to develop and reflect on the contemporary issues and how they can be managed(Jacob et al,2015). The school has to adopt hands-on activities such as community service to help in cleaning of the state at least each month in an effort to enhance sustainability through such form of steward it could set an example for other institutions across the world. The school could also develop a community education forum in the town halls to help educate the community in regard to our ecological predicament.
Pacific Grove, Monterey is a place I spent most of my time growing up with the beautiful coastal scenery it was a perfect place for my upbringing. Part of the lithosphere here is covered by a large body of water, the pacific which makes up the hydrosphere. The grove has a granite coastline with a mild climate throughout the year. The area has a population of slightly above 15,000 people according to census with a quite average cost of living that is in proportion with employment rates. Tourism is a major source of income with many visitors visiting the town due to its serene unobstructed beach views. The marine life consists of various water animals such as white sharks.
This region before European contact was inhabited by the Rumsen who basically were dependent on fishing, hunting and gathering making the region rich biologically (Jorgensen et al, 2009). The Spanish empire had invaded and incorporated the coastal city of the Americans under the royal authority. The empire expanded across the south to the Caribbean islands with the Spain golden age being in the 16th century. The Catholics monarchs led by Isabella of Castile and her husband followed a policy that saw them merge and create a single Spanish monarchy. The Spanish settled in America before others migrated to the region over a period of time that was mostly in the 18th century. The Spaniards developed the ranch-style buildings that had details to their chimneys tops and square towers with intricate stone and tile works. The government in an effort of conquest and assimilation had found a way to ask the natives to sign treaties that allowed them to live on reservations that were set aside for each tribe. The assimilation in CA was seen by a series of Indian wars between the Indian natives and whites who were set to protect railroad employees. (Jorgensen et al, 2009)
Marina Dunes State Beach is site provides a setting to consider natural processes associated with geologic forces, wind and ocean currents, climate patterns and weather conditions, wildlife habitat in marine and terrestrial habitats, human resource use and settlement patterns, and projected climate change impacts in the Monterey Bay region.
Carmel River State Beach and Carmel Mission are two sites combine the setting of ocean, river and estuary in the context of the Carmel Valley watershed and provide an opportunity to contemplate a variety of cultural landscapes and changes over geologic and human time scales. Monterey State Historic Park, Downtown Monterey, and Fisherman’s Wharf, these sites provide the physical setting associated with the establishment of Spanish rule in Alta California and its connection with maritime trade in the Pacific Basin in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cannery Row manifests the changes that occurred in the town of Monterey and the bay itself over the past century as a destination of diverse immigrants and as a setting for extractive and degrading resource uses that set the conditions for contemporary resource protection, scientific research and education, tourism and hospitality industries, and sustainability initiatives. CSUMB Sustainability Commons his field trip provides an opportunity for students to understand and appreciate the environmental, social and political events associated with the closure of Fort Ord and the creation of CSUMB in 1994.
The five California’s are socio-economically classified into Silicon Valley Shangri-La with educated people with high tech fliers, metro coastal that is an enclave California that enjoys financial comfort and security, Main street California that sees a higher development levels with education, security and longer lives for people here, struggling California is often across the suburbs state that has the low-income individuals and low levels of security as the forsaken five percent that is bypassed by the evolving world of tech and left in impoverished life in the state.
References
Jorgensen, S. J., Reeb, C. A., Chapple, T. K., Anderson, S., Perle, C., Van Sommeran, S. R., … & Block, B. A. (2009). Philopatry and migration of Pacific white sharks. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 277(1682), 679-688.
Jacob, W. J., Sutin, S. E., Weidman, J. C., & Yeager, J. L. (Eds.). (2015). Community engagement in higher education: Policy reforms and practice. Springer.
Biography of John Muir (2 parts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGOolPB8yO8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpgx-LkvHGE
High Sierra: A Journey on the John Muir Trail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcwLOGFNvFs
Merchant, C. (1998). Green Versus Gold. Washington DC: Island Press. (see index for specific page numbers)
Palumbi, S. R., & Sotka, C. (2011). The death and life of Monterey Bay: A story of revival. Island Press.
Starr, K. (2005). California: A History. New York: The Modern Library. (see index for specific page numbers)
Steinbeck, J. (1936). The harvest gypsies. San Francisco News.
Wagner-Martin, L. (2017). The Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research. In John Steinbeck (pp. 65-74). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Burke, E., & Pomeranz, K. (Eds.). (2009). The environment and world history (Vol. 9). Univ of California Press.
Ecological Crisis A Functionalist And Conflict Perspective
Ecological Crisis: A Functionalist And Conflict Perspective
Abstract
When people talk about ecological crisis, they often concentrate on the economic and political effects of human population on the environment; most of the writers do not consider the deep lying roots of social responsibility as a factor that influences the state of the environment. This paper employs sociological theory in unravelling these factors that lead to the environmental degradation, and the implications of these environmental issues on society. This paper uses sociological theories to examine the interactions between the environment and society in general. The functionalists identify oil spillage, desertification, gas flaring, deforestation and sea erosion as the causes of ecological crisis; on the other hand, conflict theorist believe the unequal distribution of resources around the world as the main reason why people face environmental issues. In order to fight this environmental issues, the government, multinational corporations (especially oil companies), and the society in general, need to address these issues before the crisis becomes uncontrollable.
ECOLOGICAL CRISIS: A FUNCTIONALIST AND CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE
Introduction and Background
In recent days, it is common knowledge that world peace is not only threatened by regional conflicts, military arms, diseases and continued injustices among nations and people, but also due to people’s lack of respect for nature. In the words of Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai (1940-2011), a progressive and nature preservation activist, “If we do not protect nature, nature will destroy us”. Scholars and writers often write about the economic, political and social implications of pollution in the environment; demographers also consider the implications of an increasing population and urbanization on the environment (Hughes et al., 1989: 424-425); this paper, however, considers the interaction between humans, organizations, technology and their environment.
The environment is a habitat for animals and man; if it is not well taken care of, it becomes inhabitable and unable to sustain the growing population. Unlike the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the mortality rate has reduced to the advancements in medicine; however, these advancements in technology and need for better and luscious lifestyles gave rise to desserts, melting icecaps, overpopulation in urban areas, death of wildlife and hunger and poverty. Ecologists and agricultural specialists focus on trying to restore land altered and destroyed by human activity. Ecologists believe in the protection of the ecosystem and the importance of conservation biology in preserving species and waste-land restoration (Dobson et al., 1997: 515-522)
Most scholars who explore the interaction between the environment and society fail to pin-point the bigger picture, the finer details about ecological crisis; the sociological theories clearly present details of what people take for granted about social life, that are leading causes of issues such as global warming and the greenhouse effect (Berger 1963).
Objective of the Study
When considering issues about environmental degradation, it is important to consider the implications of human activity on the environment; the problem statement and the objective of this paper, therefore, explores how sociological theory uncovers the interactions between the environment and society. The study employs theoretical perspectives, which act are frameworks that enables the reader to visualize and understand the themes in this paper.
Literature Review
The Functionalist Theory
Functionalism is one of the major theories in sociology; perhaps the most accepted attribute of functionalism is the functionalists’ position that no human behavior, custom or institution exists in vaccuo; in an ecosystem, the elements must interact for , and they do so interdependently at many different levels (Spencer 1968: 13). The themes of functionalism originated from the works of Emile Durkheim, whose main interest was how a social system maintains its stability.
Functionalism interprets the society as different fragments, mechanism, processes, structures and functions; all of which have a role to play in the stability of society. Emile Durkheim cites that one of the most unique features of functionalism is its portrayal of the social system as being in a state of balance, or equilibrium among its components and the forces that affect the system (Anderson and Taylor, 2009).
Ecological Crisis: The Functionalist Theory
Functionalism offers major insights in explaining the issues in ecological crisis; however, it has the following drawbacks: it exaggerates stability, integration and consensus; it usually has a problem with change and dealing with history and; it disregards conflict, instability and dissent. Despite these drawbacks, functionalism is very useful in identifying the structural components of society and in describing society. It enables scholars to see the “bigger picture” of social life especially the recurrent behavioral; it expresses patterns of recurrent behavior and patterned institutions.
Functionalism approaches the ecological environment by examining the interactions between the various components of the ecosystem (Faia, 1989: 658-660). According to the functionalists, the ecosystem tends to sustain itself in a state of equilibrium; the components maintain a balanced and delicate relationship with one another. Functionalists stress that, in order to survive, it is essential to maintain a precarious balance between the non-living components (biosphere included) of the ecosystem and the living components of the system (Hughes, 1989: 425).
The Middle East and Africa are some of the most draught stricken regions due to the growing deserts in this regions. In Africa for example, much of the desertification is not caused by basic climate change alone, but also due to the increased use of marginal land for cultivation, grassing and as sources of charcoal and firewood. According to Tucker et al. (1991: 299-301), the adoption of deep plowing and the use of chemical fertilizers worsens the environmental degradation situation. Irrigated land in sub-Saharan regions becomes waterlogged, accumulates salt and loses its agricultural viability. People in these regions tend to congregate in areas close to wells, overpopulating and overgrazing the area, thereby trampling the ground reducing its viability.
The most implicit impacts of desertification is widespread poverty and degradation of large pieces of land. Deserts are harsh environment to live in; human-induced deserts ameliorate the attempts of the global organization to control climate change; it is, therefore, the role of society to actively participate in actions that aid in combating economic crisis. Structural functionalism, therefore, explains how a change in one component of the social system affects all the other components of the social system. Environmentalists predict that by 2020, over 50 million people worldwide will be environmental refugees; people who will have migrated due to lack of a viable environment to secure a livelihood.
In Nigeria and the oil producing companies art the Niger-Delta are a good example of the interaction between the environment and the people; the various oil companies in this region and in other oil producing regions contribute to environmental pollution especially plant and aquatic life. Economically, the amelioration of these pollution effects costs the government a lot of money; it is common knowledge that when state funds are involved, politics plays a major role in this process.
Other activities such as the use of diesel and other fossil fuels, use of air fresheners and factory effluents contribute to environmental degradation. According to the functionalist theory, human beings should become more aware both latent (unintended and unrecognized by the components in the system) consequences, and manifest (intended and recognized by the components in the system) consequences of their deeds on the environment. Such precaution fosters a state of equilibrium and balance, where all components coexist in harmony.
The Conflict Theory
According to Anderson and Taylor (2009), conflict theory stresses on the role of power and coercion in producing social order. Karl Marx saw society as consisting of various fragments that have to compete for economic resources in order to survive; Hughes (1999: 60), also supports this assumption by Marx, stating that wealth, power and prestige are always in limited supply; for one to gain these resources, other people in the system have to suffer loss.
Social order becomes the result of domination by those who possess an excess of social, economic and political resources. Power, therefore, determines who gains and who loses in a social system. According to this theory, inequality exists in a social system due to the selfish and individualistic acts of those in power. People in a social system become the subjects of coercion from those in power, for social order and social bonds to exist. Conflict theory therefore, studies the technicalities of how some groups gain power, how they dominate others, affecting the will of other people in a social system (Anderson and Taylor, 2009).
Ecological Crisis: The Conflict Theory
When it comes to conflict theory, society offers different opinions about different issues; conflict theory lacks a unified opinion. Environmental issues are therefore no different; some conflict theorist blame the unequal distribution off resources around the world for ecological crisis instead of the scarcity of resources. That is, they blame the people who fight to disproportionately acquire the available resources and not how much economic resource is available. Hughes (1989:425) cites that, the critical decisions affecting the environment do not favor the present and future generations, but rather, the individuals and groups that impose their will on the rest of society.
Conflict theorists divide people into two groups; those who favor the economy over the environment and; those who advocate for environmental protection over economic development. Though conflict theorists agree about many things, they sometimes come to different conclusions. In the case of desertification in African countries, conflict theorists do not blame desertification on the African people, but rather on the pressure from Western and European countries to produce cash crops for export rather than food crops for the natives. This might be due to the IMF and World Bank conditionality on granting funds to these third world countries.
According to a 1990 World Bank report, between the years of 1980 and 1987, African farmers only increased their food crop by 1.3%, which was less than half the increase in population. Later on, the price of cotton and other commodity prices fell simultaneously, making it difficult for the African nations to repay their debts to the IMF and World Bank. This only makes the African countries more reliant towards the donor nations, increasing the state debt; this only leads to exploitation of African nation by this donor countries. Financial assistance is only disbursed to those nations that “cooperate” with these donor nations (Farnsworth, 1990).
Most oil producing countries such as Nigeria in the coastal Niger delta have other minerals at their deltas that remain untapped due to greed by the rich and powerful; the coastal resources are vital for many indigenous locals; however, the wealthy in society destroy these heritage with construction of more oil plants, residence and other coastal infrastructure, thereby polluting the marine environment especially the fisheries. Marine life, especially fish and other food resources in the seas are the victims of oil spills in these coastal regions (Sumit, 1992: 139). The ocean is an essential and global life-support habitat which can also be used for recreational purposes; once polluted, aquatic life dies and the quality of life reduces.
There exists conflict between non-oil producing and oil-producing states in Nigeria due to mismanagement of resources. There also exists conflicts between the aviation industry and the environmental activists about the contribution of aircraft to air and noise pollution in the environment. According to Gosselin (2010), Canadian oil extractor Suncor, faces various law suits due to major oil spills on the Canadian soils; the company responded by launching clean energy projects and wind power projects to reduce environmental pollution. Boeing, an American aircraft manufacturing company, also faces concerns from environmental groups regarding aircraft carbon emissions and noise pollution; this has led to the recent developments in the aviation industry where fossil fuel is slowly being faced out by biodiesels and biofuels (Bowen 2011).
According to Conflict Theorists, expanding economic activities and other human requirements increases the pressure on land and its resources. This increases the conflict between the wealthy and the less fortunate resulting to social instability. These conflict have dire consequences on people since lives and property are lost in the process. In order to create a sustainable environment, it is necessary for the political economic and social forces to efficiently distribute economic resources among the various elements of the social system. Effective land use, resource management and planning are policies that can re-establish social order.
Methodology
This research employs qualitative methods in tackling the problem statement; an in-depth approach of how and why is used to define the relationships between the environment and the humans. These shows the role play human beings in environmental degradation and also why the consequences of their actions are as they appear. Qualitative methods also allows the research to draw empirical support for the research hypothesis and objectives.The qualitative methods used is the critical analysis of case studies in Africa, Canada and the U.S. The research is based on direct observations such as the recent demonstrations by moms in Colorado due to air pollution.
Conclusion
This paper shows that sociological perspectives can be used to analyze the interaction between people in society and the environment in general. In order to combat environmental degradation and mitigate ecological crisis, it is important for all the forces in a social system to work together in the effective use and distribution of resources. These includes; political, technological, social, legal and economic forces; if these forces work together in ensuring that human action is not only driven by profit, the environment will be a better place to live in.
References
Anderson, M.L. and Taylor, H.F. (2009). Sociology: The Essentials. Belmont, CA: ThomsonWadsworth.
Bowen, H. (2011). Air Force Wants 50% Use of Biofuel by 2016. Standard-Examiner. Retrieved on July 30, 2011 from http://www.standard.net/stories/2011/07/29/air-force-wants-50-use-biofuel-2016
Dobson, A.P., A.D. Bradshaw and A.J.M. Baker. (1997).“Hopes for the Future: RestorationEcology and Conservation Biology”. Science, 277: 515-522
Faia, M.A. (1989). “Cultural Materialism in theFunctionalist Mode”. American SociologicalReview, 54: 658-660.
Farnsworth, C.H. (1990). Report of World Bank sees Poverty.
Gosselin, P. (2010). The Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel environmental and healthimpacts of Canada’s oil sands industry: report. Ottawa, Ont.: Royal Society of Canada
Hughes, M., Zanden, J. W., & J, K. C. (1999). Sociology: the core (5th ed.). New York:McGraw-Hill.
Spencer, R.F. (1965). “The Nature and Value of Functionalism in Anthropology”. Functionalismin the Social Sciences: The strength and limits of functionalism in anthropology,Economics, Political Science, and Sociology. Monograph 5 in a Series Political andSocial Science. Don Martindale (Ed.). Philadelphia; February, 13.
Tucker, C.J., H.E. Dregue and W.W. Newcomb. 1991. “Expansion and Contraction of the SaharaDesert from 1980 to 1990”. Science, 253: 299-301.
Fences is a Pulitzer Prize
Fences Review
student’s name
Institutional affiliation
Fences is a Pulitzer Prize award-winning drama that was written in 1983 and premiered about years later. The movie’s setting dates back to the 1950s to a section of Pittsburg occupied with black people from the middle class. In 2016, a screen version of the play was released, which stars Denzel Washington as Troy who also doubles as the director (Wilson, 2016). He is married to Viola Davis, who stars as Rose with whom they share their son Cory. Other characters in the film are his best friend and co-worker Bono, his eldest son Lyons and disabled veteran brother Gabe. As the plot unfolds, the audience witness anguished family drama forged from Troy’s sense of old-fashioned sense of destiny. This text represents a review of the movie. It explores if and why I like the movie, if the acting was good, as well as the effective specific scenes from the movie. Further, it asserts the contribution of the characters in the film and the role I would play if I were to play a role in this film.
There are many reasons why I like this movie. First of all, the environment setting in which the movie is set is very intriguing. The movie dates back to the late 90s. As I watched the movie, I got a feel of how it looked like back then. As Troy leaves for work in the company of his co-worker Bono, we see them walk the streets as they chat on their way home. The streets are filled with cars that are packed close to each other within the neighborhood. Children are seen laughing and playing in the corridors. This gives me the feel of a communist community. I also like the movie because it talks about something that happens in society, yet people have failed to address it. This is the fact that parents push their children to the edge in the current society because of personal reasons instead of supporting their children. In this case, Troy did not want his son to play football because his own career in baseball did not turn out as he had anticipated it would. Troy’s bitterness had clouded his judgment, and he refused to open his eyes to the fact that things were changing and that people of color were being accepted and were excelling in sports.
The acting was top-notch. This is not only because Troy and his wife Rose were taken up some of the most exemplary acts in the film but because Denzel doubled as an actor and director. Additionally, the character of Gabe, who is Tory’s brother, brings to life the reality of the struggles that this family is going through. Most specifically, the audience gets to experience firsthand the breakdown that Rose is going through after she delivers a long monologue of scalding, tearful, and rose-running agony. She talks about her half-sisters and half-brothers and drags America’s racist past into the picture. The film is filled with heaviness, and as one is watching it, they get the sense that the lives of every person matters no matter their race or how noble they are.
I feel that the most effective scene is the scene where Troy’s eldest son comes home to borrow ten dollars from his father. Although acting is effective throughout the play, this specific scene amplifies Troy’s real character of ego and pride. Lyon is an easygoing musician who, against his father’s wishes, wants more out of life than the ordinary. Troy is full of negativity, and he keeps telling Lyons to ditch his career and joining him at his job as a garbage collector. Troy refuses to loan him the 10 dollars insisting that if he had a decent job, he wouldn’t need to borrow in the first place. As a father, he is not supportive of his dream, bringing out his character as a bitter person.
In my opinion, the supporting cast is solid, and they all played a significant role in pushing the agenda of this film and plot. First of all, Troy’s wife Rose strikes as a devoted lady who helps keep every member of the family together. She keeps the family balanced. She is always talking sense into her husband. For instance, she asked Troy to let his son play football and insisted that he loan his eldest son 10 dollars. The character of Gabe is the most interesting. His brother, who was once in the military, suffers a metal in his head and is rebellious. He refused to stay in the house Troy had purchased with the money from Gabe’s incident. Bringing out such as character is not as easy as it seems in this case, the character was well executed. Bono also plays a role because he is the listening ear that Troy needs while telling his never-ending stories.
If I were to play a role as a cast in the film, I would play Cory’s role. For some reason, I relate to the position he is in. Corry was offered an opportunity of a lifetime, which was meant to turn his life around. But he did not have a good relationship with his father. All he wanted was for his father to recognize him and applaud him for a job well done. But on the contrary, his father was always quarreling with him. He did not want him to follow his dream to become of playing football. I have been in similar situations, of dilemmas where you are forced to sacrifice your dreams because you want to make another person happy. This should not be the case; parents should leave their children to decide the path they want to follow in life.
The film Fences follows the life of a dynamic black family in Pittsburg in the 1950s. The film shows us how our environment shapes our intentions and that, at times, parents are bound to mess up their children’s lives by imposing on decisions. Parents should not over impose decisions to the point of being over-controlling. Times are changing, and children should be allowed to follow a path they have chosen.
References
Wilson, A. (2016). Fences (Vol. 6). Penguin.