...Paper to "The Death of a Salesman" ENG/125 October 19, 2015 Reaction Paper to "The Death of a Salesman" In Arthur Miller’s Play Death of a Salesman, the play recollects the last 24 hours of the Loman’s family life and the events leading up to the death of Willy Loman. The title of the play is symbolic to the unraveling of the picture perfect family imagine that Willy created to everyone around him. The title is also symbolic to Willy losing his career as a salesman. Arthur Miller was very clever with his themes by using flashbacks throughout the play. He used four major themes according to SparkNotes Editors. (2002). Appearance vs. reality, the individual vs. society, the individual vs. himself, and the perception of the American Dream. Willy has been a salesman all his life. He has brought his sales experience into his personal life. He was selling the idea that his marriage and family life are perfect. His sons Biff and Happy are not what Willy had imagined or made them out to be. He wanted them to be successful business men just like him; however they are not. Willy has sold his lies for so long about his happy family that he can’t even remember what the truth is or doesn’t choose to remember. Willy is a man of many mistakes and doesn’t take accountability for the mistakes that he has made and often twists the truth to make himself the victim. I think Willy is a very relatable character. He by all means is not perfect and only wants the American Dream for his...
Words: 777 - Pages: 4
...settlers created America, they also brought over that social inherent ideal. Slaves in every culture were considered a substandard version of their special elite race. Slaves were commonly abused by all societies who owned them to show power and control. Slavery began prior to and after the development of colonization, but international trade of slaves was not ban until the early 1800’s. The ban resulted in the domestic and illegal trade of slaves which proved to be extremely profitable. Life was dismal for a slave. They endured many tragedies, abuse, disease, death and anxiety of their fate. Slavery in the United States was a social and moral crime, and a tragedy in the 18th and 19th century because it affected many demographics, used human lives for profit, and separated families at against their will. A common misconception is that slave were not only from African descent, but in reality many came from different races from around the world. When American settlers came to America, many battles occurred with the Native Indians. After taking their land, the natives were one of the first slaves in America. The African slave was popular in Europe and soon thousands of African slaves were sold in America. Out of 11,800,000 African slaves shipped across the Atlantic, 20% of them did not survive, and only 6% were sold in the America; the slave trade increased by natural reproduction. (1) Many peasant Europeans’ from Ireland and Germany believed they would have a better chance in America...
Words: 720 - Pages: 3
...cause for all the violence and murders in America? Remember the tragedy that took place on December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, when Adam Lanza opened fire and fatally shot twenty children and six adults. What about the event that took place just six months before that in a theater in Aurora, Colorado? On July 20, 2012, James Holmes open fired during a shooting scene in The Dark Night Rises. His actions had killed 12 people and injured 58 others in the meantime. Saying guns are the cause of these shootings, is like saying that the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, were the cause of all those deaths, and that the planes momentarily crippled our nation. Even though changes in gun laws are necessary; Limiting magazine capacity, conducting background checks and reinstating the Assault Rifle Ban will not directly affect gun violence in America. Gun control controversies are not something that has just come about in the past few months. America has dealt with gun control issues for decades, as well as anti-gun groups that want to disarm America. In 2009 before Barack Obama got sworn into office for a second term, gun sales were on the rise around the country. Gun sales continued to rise mostly out of fear that once in office, Barack Obama would promote legislation to disarm the American citizens. In a news conference Mr. Obama stated, “Gun-owning Americans do not need to rush out and stock up before he is sworn in next...
Words: 2502 - Pages: 11
...Compare and Contrast Willy Loman and Othello If there was a completely perfect, virtuous hero with no flaws, there would be no sense of enjoyment at watching horrible events afflicts this perfect person? Conversely, if the individual had too many flaws, vices, and moral depravity, it would not be a tragedy; it would simply have been seen as his getting what was coming to him, karma, if you will. Although Othello and Willie Loman can be said to fall within the definition of a tragic hero, each represents a very different interpretation of the concept. Othello, the tragic hero of Shakespeare’s play by that name, is an even more sympathetic character. Othello’s tragedy is orchestrated entirely by the scheming, malevolent Iago. Iago, having very little motive, creates a web of deceit by convincing Othello that his new bride, Desdemona, is unfaithful. “Receive it from me. I speak not yet of proof. Look at your wife; observe her well with Cassio, Wear your eyes thus, not jealous nor secure” (Act III, Scene III, Lines 196-198, Othello). Othello’s jealously eventually causes him to murder Desdemona by smothering her. One could argue that Othello isn’t truly a tragic hero. After all, what fatal flaw does Othello have? Aren’t all of his actions simply the result of the malicious intent of another? This cannot be true, for, if so, Othello would not be the classic it is today. An audience does not want to watch a totally innocent person randomly punished. Rather, an audience...
Words: 846 - Pages: 4
...“If the proper study of mankind is man, man’s inescapable problem is himself-what he would like to be, what he is, what he is not, and yet what he must live and die with.” –John Mason Brown (Brown 207) The Two Sides of America and Willy Loman America is a madman. America became a man who fell off his rocker and is free to roam the earth to disturb the minds of those who inhabit it. The American dream is often considered a fantasy by those who criticize it. Capitalism sometimes may not be all that it is cracked up to be when you get down in the dirt and start building. Even when you begin to believe you are moving forward you can be eternally unsure of the direction you are moving. At this point, the race to the top can drive you crazy. In Arthur Miller’s play A Death of a Salesman, the central character Willy Loman embodies the American dream and he is certainly mad. In the story, Willy works as a growing salesman who is getting older and tiring from travelling for work for small returns. His hard work goes unrewarded as each paycheck goes right into the house which always needs to be serviced and mended. This house as it gets to be paid off after 25 years finally becomes owned by the family who ironically may soon not live in the house together. Willy’s family consists of his humble and caring wife, Linda, and his two handsome and able-bodied sons Happy and Biff. The story centers around the external conflict of Willy pushing Biff to be what he wants him to be and Biff’s...
Words: 2904 - Pages: 12
...longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms." Furthermore, if ambiguous “right to bear arms” includes all arms, wherein lies the line of weaponry that cannot be purchased. Should atom bombs, grenades, even used tanks be available to the general public. Gun control advocates argue that such rights have no substantial constitutional limit. Furthermore, this right was established over two centuries ago, in a long passed time where advanced weaponry consisted of single fire muskets. The founders of this country would clearly not have such a haphazard policy so as to encourage...
Words: 1921 - Pages: 8
...out a gun and shoots a young teenager to death because he caught her trying to steal more than five hundred dollars in goods. Or how about a good old fashioned shoot out? If you were thinking that I was referring to a small western town back in the late eighteen hundreds, you'd be wrong. The wild, wild west has made a comeback to modern America. That era, synonymous with lawlessness and vigilante justice is being revived in essence by the introduction of legislation called "Stand Your Ground". Currently, there is a debate raging in our country over the rights of gun owners in regards to gun control and startling increases in justifiable homicides all over the United States. Recently, there was an incident that sparked a huge backlash against the National Rifle Association (NRA) and their support of a law called "Stand Your Ground". The law states that "... a person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if: (1) He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony...". (FL Statute, 776, 2011) The incident involved an armed self appointed Caucasian neighborhood watchman named George Zimmerman and an unarmed seventeen year old African American male, named Trayvon Martin. The situation began as the watchman patrolled the neighborhood and spotted the young man as he was returning home from the store...
Words: 3554 - Pages: 15
...Tennessee Williams won lots of theatrical awards for his masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire. As a result, Blanche, the heroine in the play, had been the focus point of the critics. This thesis tries to analyze profoundly the cause of the tragedy of Blanche from several aspects .As Williams T concluded, ‘The heroine Blanche was struggling between reality and fantasy, finally, her spirit was broken drastically under the beat of ruthless reality. She was the typical weak woman and victim in the patriarchal society. Her tragedy shows that the woman can’t escape the control of the typical patriarchal society in any case of resistances.’(Williams, 2).Some of William’s points will be elaborated in this paper which includes four parts. Chapter one serves as an “introduction”, which gives a general review of main characters in the novel. Chapter two, “Character of Blanche” ,Blanche’s being trapped by the conventionality; Blanche’s illusion about men; Blanche’s illusion about herself; her husband’s suicide; Stanley’s rude behavior and sense of dominance; Stella’s betrayal; Mitch’s desertion and the cold realistic world. In conclusion, it is the Blanche’s illusion about men ,herself and cruelty of Stanley that mainly causes her tragedy. Keywords: tragedy conventionality illusion 1．Introduction 1.1 Review of the protagonist In Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire," each character represents something different. The play centers around two characters, Blanche and Stanley...
Words: 4562 - Pages: 19
... Mass shootings have caused many controversy in our American community. People should stay at home safe instead of going to shopping centers, movie theatres, and other public places risking the danger due to all the violence and massacres going on in America. Throughout the decade there has been many cases involving interactions with people in possession of guns. Since as long as I know, mass shootings have become a global issue that has increased within the years. In addition, mass shootings have doubled within the past 10 years, not to mention, these crimes have resulted in numerous deaths, due to the wrong people in possession of firearms. Occurrences like...
Words: 989 - Pages: 4
...DEATH OF A SALESMAN Study Guide for Teachers World-Class Theatre in the Heart of Vermont 703 Main Stre e t , W eston, V T 05161 www.westonplayhouse.o rg The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company The 2010 WPTC Teacher’s Workshop and the School Matinee and Touring Production is made possible in part by grants from: The Bay and Paul Foundations Mountain Room Foundation National Endowment for the Arts The Shubert Foundation The Vermont Country Store and The Orton Family Vermont Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities With additional contributions from: Black River Produce Berkshire Bank Clark’s Quality Foods Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Okemo Mountain Resort Thrifty Attic …and an ever growing family of individuals who believe in the impact that the performing arts can have on its community. This Teachers Study Guide was compiled and edited by Rena Murman. Credit and thanks to the following theatres for materials used or referenced from study guides created for Death of a Salesman: Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, MN; Kennedy Center, Washington, DC; Lyric Theatre, London; Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh; Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT. © 2010 Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational and cultural institution. WPTC Performance Guides may be duplicated at no charge for educational purposes only. They may not be sold or used in other publications without the express written consent...
Words: 13575 - Pages: 55
...for people and that has caused many problems. Nowadays, people can buy guns online and in local stores such as Wal-Mart! At the age of 18, a person can legally buy a long gun, and at the age of 21, a person can buy a handgun. As of today, Americans own between 262 million and 310 million firearms as reported by Hill, Edward. The Gallup Organization estimated that 44 percent of American households own at least one gun. The large amounts of guns and people who own them have caused many tragedies and violence. It is impossible to pick up a newspaper or listen to the news and not learn about a mass shooting or an accidental gunshot. Fifteen of the 25 worst mass shootings took place in the United States in the last fifty years. In the past year, there have been 16 mass shootings in the United States, leaving at least 88 people dead. These shootings occurred at local places such as malls, theaters, courthouses, and even elementary schools. Many suspects of these shootings had no criminal background but did have an easy access to guns. For example, the young man, who killed 20 children and 6 adults from the Sandy Hook Elementary School, got his guns from his mother, who had purchased them to teach her son self-defense. Instead of limiting the sales of guns to almost anyone, many states now feel that allowing more gun possession will keep them safe. For example, Texas passed a law during the fall of 2013 which allowed teachers to have the right to bear...
Words: 1092 - Pages: 5
...Reaction Paper – “Death of A Salesman” by Arthur Miller Marcos Leiva ENG/125 April 6, 2015 Mr. Ozichi Alimole Reaction Paper – “Death of A Salesman” by Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman is a tragedy about the struggles of a middle class family living in Brooklyn, New York during the 1940’s. The play is a scathing critique of an American society that places emphasis on hollow materialistic values. Arthur Miller personifies the struggle between what society believes to be the “American Dream” and the middle class family trying to make that dream a reality, through the play’s protagonist Willy Loman, who is a depressed, overworked, and spiritless working man with delusions of grandeur. Originally written as a short story, Arthur Miller’s uncle (who was a salesman) inspired him to turn the story into a play. When the drama hit Broadway in 1949 it was a total hit and transformed Miller’s career, as well as gained him recognition as a gifted playwright, with the production winning the Pulitzer Prize that year and has remained a classic to this day. Chasing the “American Dream” Willy Loman is the play’s tragic hero and as the story line progresses the audience gets to learn how truly depressed Willy Loman is and how he has an unrealistic view on the world. The play starts with Willy coming home early from work because of a business trip to New England he has cut short. He tells his wife that he kept finding himself daydreaming while he was driving...
Words: 1401 - Pages: 6
...On the evening of June 17th, 2015, tragedy struck the United States once more. As a reoccurring event in our country, it appears there are people in this world out for the greater evil in their actions. This was the case on the infamous night last June, when the concept of race drove one man to unimaginable lengths. At approximately 9:00 that night, the Charleston Police Department in South Carolina began receiving a plethora of phone calls reporting that there was a shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The callers had described a white man with blonde hair opening fire on a group of people within the church during a Bible study. It was then reported that the shooter had fled the scene. This would be the largest mass shooting...
Words: 1715 - Pages: 7
...the remnants of sundown exile, the systematic expulsion of African Americans once it was dark; deemed as dangerous, they were once forced to leave the boxed quarters of $110,000 median income every night… official or not, this sundown policy was in place less than thirty years ago, and its racist crumbs remain. The town, named Lake Oswego, was nicknamed Lake No Negro—fitting considering the town is 90% white and only 0.7% African American—and while sundown no longer means expulsion, there is still, to this day, protests of new trains, bus stops, and apartment buildings because, and only because, it would let them in. The town evokes a West Coast sense of racism, not articulated or verbalized, instead perpetuated through nods or looks or words like...
Words: 1488 - Pages: 6
...Throughout the history of the United States, the issue on gun control has been an intense debate. Adam Lankford, a University of Alabama criminologist, conducted a survey in 2007 which unearthed an astonishing “ownership rate of 88.8 firearms per 100 people”. With over 3/4 of the United States population owning guns, most would think that the owners would treat their weapons with respect; however, the national average of gun-related deaths in 2009 was 10.2 deaths per 100,000 people (“Gun Control Issues, Public Health, and Safety”). Seeming like a small number to most, if the numbers are calculated using the countries prior population in 2009 of 308 million people, there would be about 31,416 deaths each year. Slowly swelling over the years,...
Words: 1094 - Pages: 5
