August Wilson's Pittsburgh
Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3
Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.
PA ELA CC.1.2.11-12.B
Cite strong evidence to support analysis of informational text.
PA ELA CC.1.4.11-12.S
Write clear, focused text to convey a well-defined perspective.
Objective(s)
Students will:
- Analyze how August Wilson uses setting in Fences to shape character, conflict and theme.
- Use multiple sources (literary, visual, experiential) to construct meaning about community and identity.
- Compose an analytical reflection that synthesizes literary, visual, and personal or observed perspectives to develop and support a theme about how communities shape identity.
Big Ideas:
- Neighborhoods and communities shape individual identity and collective experience.
- Literary works are shaped by historical, cultural, and social contexts.
- Setting functions as both a physical and symbolic force in storytelling.
- Multiple perspectives shape how communities are experienced and remembered.
Essential Questions:
- How do cultural identity and environment influence how individuals see themselves and the world?
- How do shared histories and struggles strengthen or complicate the bonds within a community?
- How does understanding the historical and social context of the Hill District deepen our interpretation of Fences?
- How does August Wilson use setting to shape character, conflict, and theme?
Vocabulary
- dramatic setting
- perspective
- conflict (internal/external)
- historical context
- motif
- subtext
- collective memory
- oral tradition
Materials and Resources
- computer with internet access (individual or shared)
- "August Wilson's Hill" module
- Carnegie Museum of Art: Charles "Teenie" Harris archive
- projector (optional, for whole-class viewing)
- selected excerpts from Fences
- cameras or alternative visual tools (drawings, maps, found images)
- writing materials
- reflective analysis standards-based rubric
Instructional Procedures
Day 1: Introduction & Context
Introduce August Wilson’s work as deeply rooted in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Wilson's observations of his neighborhood, scratched bits of conversation on notepads, and interactions with the people of the Hill became the foundations of his Pulitzer Prize-winning plays. The Hill District was not only a close-knit community, but also a thriving cultural center that experienced significant disruption due to mid-20th century urban redevelopment policies.
Contextualize August Wilson’s biography, by noting how his experiences in these spaces, while not always positive, influenced his worldview and writing. Using a projector or individual devices, guide students through the "August Wilson's Hill" Module. Focus on:
- Historical images and locations central to Wilson’s life.
- Descriptions of how these locations influenced Wilson’s worldview.
- Discuss how the Hill District served as a cultural and social microcosm that inspired Fences.
The character of Troy Maxson of Fences is said to be inspired by Charley Burley, a middleweight boxer from the 1940s and 1950s, who lived across the street from Wilson’s childhood home. In addition, the life story of David Bedford is also within the character of Troy Maxson. Wilson drew from what he knew – the interactions, relationships and socio-economic challenges of the people of the Hill community – to write his poetry and plays.
The Hill District, the setting of Fences, serves as a microcosm of the African American experience in the mid-20th century. The neighborhood represents a community with shared histories, struggles, and aspirations. The characters within Fences are deeply connected to one another and gatherings, such as Friday night card games, strengthen the bonds among neighborhood members. August Wilson skillfully weaves together individual stories within the context of the neighborhood to explore generational conflicts, collective identity, and systematic challenges (internal vs. external conflict). The struggle for personal happiness is closely connected to the larger story of community expectations and limitations.
Students will compose an evidence-based analytical reflection that synthesizes literary, historical, visual, and personal or observed perspectives to develop and support a theme about how community shapes identity and storytelling. As students read, analyze images, and participate in discussion, they should gather ideas and evidence for this final reflection.
Literary Analysis: Setting as Social Space. Guide students in analyzing how the Hill District functions as more than a backdrop in Fences -- as a shared social space, a source of collective memory, and a site of generational tension and resilience. Emphasize that, like a character, a community can shape values, relationships, conflicts, and outcomes.
Provide a selected excerpt (or allow students to locate one) that illustrates life within the community. Suggested moments include (Scene numbers may vary slightly by edition.):
- Troy and Rose’s fence argument – Act II, Scene 1 (power, duty, gender roles)
- Cory and Troy’s confrontation – Act II, Scene 4 (generational conflict, masculinity)
- Troy’s “death” monologue – Act I, Scene 4 (oral tradition, myth, identity)
- Friday night gatherings – Act I, multiple scenes (community, storytelling)
Ask students to briefly reread and annotate for:
- language and tone
- evidence of conflict (internal/external)
- references to place or community
Use the following questions to guide analysis:
- What details about the Hill District shape characters’ perspectives or choices?
- How does Troy's language reflect his relationship to his environment?
- How does the fence function symbolically? In what ways does the yard intensify conflict and responsibility?
- How does understanding the role of place in Fences help us think about the relationship between community and identity more broadly?
Invite students to build on one another’s thinking using discussion stems such as:
- “Building on ___’s idea…”
- “A different perspective might be…”
- “I see this differently because…”
Prompt students to consider:
- In what ways does the community act like a character in this scene?
- How do shared spaces influence relationships between characters?
Visual analysis: Community as Historical Record. To delve deeper into Wilson's world, explore Charles "Teenie" Harris's photographs documenting Hill District life. His photographs serve as historical primary sources. Emphasize that, like literature, visual texts capture perspective, highlight certain stories, and leave others unspoken.
Charles "Teenie" Harris documented life on the Hill for the Pittsburgh Courier for the mid-1930s to 1975. His photographs, now preserved by the Carnegie Museum of Art, capture a world that would have been familiar to August Wilson. Invite students to explore the Charles "Teenie" Harris archive.
Using a structured analysis routine (e.g., See–Feel–Think–Wonder or ORQ), analyze selected images. Begin with careful observation, move from observation to inference, and then to primary source analysis:
- What do you observe/notice? (people, setting, objects, actions)
- What details stand out?
- How does this image reflect a particular moment in time?
- What does this suggest about community life?
- What story is being told?
- What questions does this raise?
Bridge the visual analysis to Fences:
- How do both the photograph and the play represent community, conflict, or identity?
- What shared theme idea about community is revealed in both Fences and the photograph?
Homework:
Invite students to share the story of their neighborhood, community, or place that has meaning to them using 3-5 visual representations. Students may choose from a variety of formats, including:
- Photographs
- Sketches or illustrations
- Maps or symbolic diagrams
- Found or archival images
- Written description without images (alternative)
Students will write a brief reflection for each visual, explaining its significance, and be prepared to share in a way that feels comfortable to them. Reflection prompts:
- What characteristic or idea does this place represent?
- Why is this space, object, or image meaningful to you?
- How has this place shaped your identity, perspective, or values?
- What story does this place tell, even if it cannot be photographed directly?
Students should select an approach that feels safe, respectful, and appropriate for them. The focus is on reflection and meaning, not documentation of private or personal spaces. Students should consider how they are connected to this place and what it represents in their life. This place may be:
- A current or former neighborhood
- A community space (school, library, park, place of gathering)
- A symbolic or remembered place that has shaped identity
Culturally Responsive and Trauma-Informed Considerations: Students may focus on strengths, challenges, memories, transitions, or resilience, depending on their comfort level. Students should avoid reinforcing stereotypes and represent communities with care and respect.
Students are encouraged to:
- Avoid photographing people without consent
- Use images symbolically when direct documentation feels unsafe or inappropriate
- Share only what they feel comfortable making public
Day 2: Synthesis & Meaning-Making
Facilitate a gallery walk, slideshow, or small‑group sharing to allow students to view and respond to peer work. Invite students to consider how the same place can be understood differently depending on perspective, memory, and lived experience. Emphasize that there is no single “correct” story of a neighborhood or community; rather, communities are understood through multiple, sometimes competing narratives.
Frame this discussion as a parallel to August Wilson’s approach in Fences, where characters inhabit the same physical environment yet interpret and respond to it in distinct ways. Some stories are spoken aloud; others remain implied, yet all contribute to meaning.
Guiding Discussion: Community, Place, and Perspective
- What makes a neighborhood a community? (refer to National Geographic definition of neighborhood)
- How do physical spaces reveal the interests and lives of the people within them?
- How has your neighborhood changed over time? What stories does it hold? Consider the history, the conflicts, the social gatherings, buildings and public space.
- Who are the people of your neighborhood? How do individuals and relationships shape a community’s identity?
- In what ways do shared spaces contribute to a sense of belonging, or exclusion?
- How has your neighborhood defined who you are? Reflect on how neighborhoods, both past and present, shape identity and storytelling.
Anchor discussion in Fences by revisiting how place, conflict, and perspective shape meaning in the play. This mirrors the work of August Wilson in Fences, where characters, relationships, and conflicts are grounded in the lived realities of the Hill District. Similarly, the photographs of Charles "Teenie" Harris document everyday moments that, when viewed collectively, tell a much bigger story about community.
As a class, revisit a key insight from Fences: the yard functions as a space of both conflict and responsibility, while the fence operates as a recurring motif symbolizing protection, division, and control.
Guide students to transfer this analytical lens to their own examples of place:
- A park where people gather may suggest connection or continuity.
- A closed business or quiet playground may reflect economic change, transition, or loss.
Emphasize that places are not neutral; they carry history, relationships, and layered meanings. Different individuals experience the same space in different ways, depending on role, memory, and context.
Turn and talk: In pairs or small groups, students identify a shared theme (e.g., belonging, conflict, resilience, change) that emerges across literary text, visual sources, and lived experience. Invite volunteers to share responses, reinforcing how synthesis strengthens analytical thinking and interpretation.
Sentence starter: “A shared theme is ________. In Fences, this is shown when ________. In the photograph, this is reflected through ________. In our community, this appears as ________.”
Assessment
Students compose a one-page analytical reflection (blending personal insight with text-based analysis) in which they identify a shared theme about community and analyze how it appears across:
- Fences (one specific moment or line)
- The August Wilson’s Hill Module
- A photograph
- Their own or observed community experience
Writing may include reflective voice, but should maintain an academic tone supported by evidence. Criteria for Proficiency:
- Clear claim
- Relevant and cited evidence from all required sources
- Synthesis across texts and experiences
- Coherent organization and reflection
Paragraph 1: Claim and theme
Paragraph 2: Fences evidence
Paragraph 3: Photo/module analysis
Paragraph 4: Personal or community connection
Extension/Further Study
Explore additional modules in the Pittsburgh Hill District Learning Tool.
Deepen the analysis by comparing Fences to another play in Wilson’s Century Cycle, focusing on its depiction of the Hill District.
Research the impact of urban redevelopment on the Hill District.
Read a short biography of August Wilson.
Examine photographs from ca. 1938 to further discuss perspective and meaning-making.
Related Lesson Plans
Pittsburgh Hill District Learning Tool
Learning modules highlighting 1920-1957 and the intersections of journalism, jazz, activism, and playwright August Wilson.
Perspectives in Primary Sources
Examine several photographs from ca. 1938 to initiate discussion of perspective, meaning making, and understanding.
Timeline Unit
Exploring connections between Pennsylvania writers, historical events, and place through collaborative timeline work.
References
American Theatre. August Wilson: “I Still See Myself Developing as a Playwright.”
https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/04/20/august-wilson-i-still-see-myself-developing-as-a-playwright.
Carnegie Museum of Art. Charles “Teenie” Harris Archive. Carnegie Museum of Art, https://carnegieart.org/art/charles-teenie-harris-archive.
Library of Congress. “Getting Started with Primary Sources.” Teachers, Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/programs/teachers/getting-started-with-primary-sources/guides.
“Neighborhood.” National Geographic Education,
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/neighborhood.
Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. “See, Feel, Think, Wonder.” Project Zero, https://pz.harvard.edu/resources/see-feel-think-wonder
Sesame Street. “Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?” YouTube, uploaded by Sesame Street,
https://youtu.be/V2bbnlZwlGQ.
Wilson, August. Fences. Plume, 1986.