...Death of a Salesman Reaction Paper Travis Givens ENG 125 09 March 2014 Edward Wilson Death of a Salesman Reaction Paper Death of a Salesman is the literary composition play I chose to analyze. Arthur Miller's Pulitzer Prize winning play of 1949 is widely regarded as one of the cornerstone pieces of American literature. Death of a Salesman is centered on the life of Willy Lowman. It challenges the literary fact of achieving the American Dream. Willy is a 63 year old man and has been a traveling salesman all his life. Despite his hard work Willy, his wife Linda, and their two sons Biff and Happy have always lived on the brink of poverty. Willy has always been low end of the totem pole at his company, but Willy constantly tells himself and his family that he will soon get the "big break” he deserves. He has raised his two sons, Biff and Happy, to also believe that somehow life has cheated them and insists that one day they will get their due. Linda, Willy's loyal wife, lives under the thin veneer of denial that her husband has so long tried to keep from collapsing. In the end despite his protests otherwise, Willy knows he is a failure. He begins to slowly kill himself by inhaling gas fumes from a hose in the garage, an act that relieves his mental anguish and gives him a brief high. The gas also muddles Willy's mind, conflating past, present, and future. This shifting through time and space helps the reader/audience see how much pressure there has been on this simple...
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...Reaction Paper - Nonfiction ENG 125 September 25, 2012 Reaction Paper - Nonfiction “Who Will Light the Incense When Mother’s Gone” by Andrew Lam and “Salvation” by Langston Hughes are the two nonfiction stories featured in this reaction paper. Although, the time period in which each story was written is not the same, both of these nonfiction stories share a common theme. The subject of that theme is one where an elder teaches a person younger than themselves, the ways of their ancestors through religion or culture. Misunderstandings bought forth by failed communication is another theme that these two stories have in common. Both themes explain that a profound gap exists between the older and newer generation of people, regardless of the time period each one is in. For instance, in the story, “Who Will Light the Incense When Mother’s Gone“, the author writes about a Vietnamese teenager who has to learn the ways of his newfound American culture due to the pressure of his current times. While in the story, “Salvation”, the black American was pressured to follow and believe in Christianity in order to display obedience within his community. Both stories portray different cultural perspectives but they both provide a similar theme when it comes to values that are instilled into the younger generation through the methods used by the older generation. In each of these stories, the author provides a main character as the narrator, who also portrays the author himself...
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...Reaction 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...
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...Reaction Paper-Week IV Beverly L. Clanton University of Phoenix Eng/125 Molly Holmes 06/26//09 Reaction Paper-Week IV The nonfiction stories I read for this assignment were “Salvation, by Langston Hughes and Graduation, by Maya Angelou.” In the story “Salvation,” a young sinner, Langston Hughes, is brought to church by his aunt to “find Jesus." Even though Langston felt no connection to Jesus, he felt obligated to pretend, due to his love for his aunt. In our lives, many of our decisions are influenced by the ones close to us because of the love we have for them. We do not want to disappoint our love ones; therefore, occasionally one may defer goals and aspirations in fear of not receiving approval. When Langston Hughes says “So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I‘d rather lie too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved.” Having said this, young Langston has apparently overlooked his personal belief to receive an approval of salvation by the congregation. After reading this story, I realized that everyday individuals are faced with hundreds of decisions and choices. Sometimes our consciences conflict with one another and it is hard to make the most beneficial decision. This happens so often that most of the time it will go past unnoticed. Peer pressure is one of the most common of these "bad consciences." Teenagers are the most vulnerable to peer pressure because of their desire to receive approval from their friends. Even in my own...
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...A Dog’s Death Katrina Canter ENG 125- Introduction to Literature Dr. Sarah Bowman July 2, 2012 A Dog’s Death I chose A Dog’s Death to write about because it touched my heart. From the first line, I could tell that it was not going to be a good ending. I have lost animals before and I know what that emptiness feels like. I thought that I could not be whole again without my pet. In the poem, the author takes me through several emotions as well as several images and in the end sadness, sympathy for the owner and then empathy for the actions of the dog before she died (Clugston, 2010). The author uses the reader/response technique so that we can see and feel all the emotions of having a loved one die, whether it is a pet or a human being. The author sets the tone in the first line when he says that the dog must have been kicked or hit by a car (Clugston, 2010). The tone is apprehensive in the beginning because the dog is not acting as rambunctious as a puppy normally would, when the author talks about “her shy malaise” (Clugston, 2010). The tone goes from apprehensive to worry when the owner finds the dog under the bed barely alive. Then when the dog dies in his arms, there is grief and sadness. The last emotion in the poem is sympathy for the dog because even when she was dying, she still tried to please her owner by dragging herself over to the paper because she had diarrhea. When reading this poem, the author uses image to show me how the dog was...
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...Reaction Paper - The Hanging of the Mouse Jamie Moore ENG/125 9/9/2011 Julia Reeves The storyline in this short story is that in a town made up of animals, all of the different species came together in the town square to watch a criminal mouse be hanged for his crimes. The writer used animal names, looks, or characteristics to fit them to a part in the story. The executioner is a raccoon, due to the fact that raccoons, like executioners, have black masks. A praying mantis was in charge of the religious ceremonies, because ‘praying’ is in the creature’s name and prayer is linked to religion. And large brown beetles were the soldiers because of their armor-like shells. The writer portrayed the mouse to be very remorseful of what he had done when the mouse hung his head and cried with sorrow as he was being taken to the noose. In the third paragraph, the story states that during the mouse’s walk of shame, the animals of the crowd tipped their heads back and sniffed the air with pleasure. This was most likely described in the story because animals are believed to be able to smell fear, as well as the fact that people often put their noses up in the air when they feel like they are better than others or to show another that they are being shamed. The story implies that the mouse had done something very serious to be hanged for his crimes, but the writer does not specify what the mouse’s crimes were. When the King’s messenger, who was a very large and overweight bullfrog...
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...The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Reaction Paper- Fiction: Drama Sherryl Cascella September 1, 2014 ENG/125 Judy Williams The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Reaction Paper- Fiction: Drama The Death of a Salesman tells the story of Willy Loman’s last day. The entire story addresses Willy’s inability to change or accept responsibility for the mistakes he made. He is unable to acknowledge that he is an average man in America living an average life. Even with the love and support from friends and loved ones, he still feels an immense amount of regret about decisions he made in the past and spends a large amount of time retreating into the past and reliving moments where he felt successful. The three themes within the play are denial, contradiction, and the desire to live the “American Dream” by being liked and successful. Denial is portrayed in many of the characters. Willy is in denial about the amount of success he has achieved as a salesman. He is unable to accept the fact that he is nothing but a mediocre salesman and even has to take out a loan from his friend in order to pay his bills. Later in the story Happy begins to display some of the very same characteristics that Willy does. He is seen to exaggerate his job position in order to appear more successful than he is, leading to a fight with Biff. Willy makes several statements about how “easy” it is to live the American Dream and even makes the statement “Certain men just don’t get started till later...
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...Mirror Rosalind Sledge ENG 125: Introduction to Literature Instructor Michelle Pinkard November 5, 2012 Mirror by Sylvia Plath is a poem that focuses on the purpose and existence of a mirror. The mirror is showed to be the speaker of the poem by in the beginning, describing itself and explaining its character as though it is human. One is able to feel emotion by understanding the important qualities it possesses. The mirror also metaphors itself as a lake and tells the important relationship it has with a woman. Women are drawn to mirrors searching for beauty but are often disappointed and turn their backs looking elsewhere. The mirror represents truth and is not intended to hurt or be cruel. This poem is very engaging by way of point of view, language, and imagery which helped to address a common human experience in how a woman sees herself. The point of view in a piece of literature work is very important in that it helps a reader to understand the narrator’s purpose of the story. The poem Mirror is told from a first person’s point of view in which the speaker is a mirror explaining what it reflects. In the first stanza, it states, “I have no preconceptions / Whatever I see, I swallow immediately / Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike” (cited in Clugston, 2010, Poems for Reflection, para. 13). By knowing the thoughts of the narrator, it allows a person to not only understand but to also feel the emotions portrayed within the story. While reading the poem, one...
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...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...
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...Reaction Paper - Nonfiction ENG/125 - Literature in Society Reaction Paper - Nonfiction In class this week our discussion was about nonfiction and some differences from fiction. Google dictionary (n.d.) states “nonfiction is prose writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people, such as biography and history.” For our assignment this week we were asked to select two of the five nonfiction texts from our week four readings. After thoughtful consideration, I have chosen to write my reaction paper about “On Going Home,” by Joan Didion and “Who Will Light the Incense When Mother’s Gone?” by Andrew Lam. In any form of writing the reader can find various literary elements such as plot, character, setting, theme, and point of view. Also when a writer writes they have a purpose in mind. The writers purpose might be to inform, persuade, or entertain their readers. The writer may also want to describe something to the reader. In both “On Going Home,” by Joan Didion and “Who Will Light the Incense When Mother’s Gone?” by Andrew Lam I consider the theme to be the main element of both essays. In “On Going Home”, Didion’s theme is that of belonging and family. In Didion’s text, she makes use of three of the four main purposes of writing. Didion’s very first sentence is informing the reader as to why she is going home. The sentence reads “I am home for my daughter’s first birthday.” (Barnet, Burto, & Cain, 2014, 20111, 2007, 2005, 2003, p. 636) Didion...
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...|[pic] |Syllabus | | |College of Humanities | | |ENG/125 Version 3 | | |Literature in Society | Copyright © 2010, 2008, 2006 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course introduces themes in literature and provides guided study and practice in reflecting on themes which describe the human experience across cultural and societal boundaries. The course includes readings from literature in different genres and cultures. Students study the literature in thematic units and are asked to make connections to their own lives and cultures. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies...
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...Nonfiction Reaction Paper ENG/125 Nonfiction Reaction Paper The nonfiction stories I have decided to write about are; “Who Will Light the Incense When Mother’s Gone?” by Andrew Lam and “Salvation” by Langston Hughes. Both of these stories are about a significant event in the authors lives in which they choose to write about. “Salvation” is a story about the author trying to find his way into the church and finally see the light or Jesus so his soul will be saved and his sins forgiven. ; “Who Will Light the Incense When Mother’s Gone?” was a writing about his mother having a hard time with the American culture and how her son, the author Andrew Lam, will be when he leaves home and how the traditions she raised him on slowly will disappear along with her when she passes along. Both stories seem to send a message of events in the author’s lives where they wrote about them because of certain memories in their lives, and I will briefly go through each story in different ways. Summary of Strategies by the Authors I think Langston Hughes in “Salvation” tries to get the reader to imagine a hot sweltering church on a balmy Sunday morning. This would be the setting for the young boy at 12 years of age trying to see Jesus in another aspect because he is becoming of age for the church. The authors strategy is not to confuse the reader but to make the reader understand that Langston was not lying about seeing Jesus but in fact did not believe in Jesus because he left the boy...
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...Human Experience - Relationships Tammy Johnson, Donna Washington, and Anthony Butler ENG/125 August 30, 2011 Carla Clemmons Human Experience - Relationships Relationships are part of everyone’s life and they are what make people who they are. Relationships influence an individual’s way of thinking and the way the act. Relationships can also be difficult to maintain. Relationships are a way of connecting with people that are close to you and that you care about. Everyone needs or wants to be loved and cared about at some point in their life. Personally experiencing another can be interesting and an essential part of life. * The readings that give examples of the human experience of relationships are “A Doll’s House,” Henrik Isben, “Woman’s Work,” Julia Alvarez and “On Going Home,” Joan Didion. In the drama “A Doll’s House,” the relationship between a husband and wife is played out. This play demonstrates the conflict of a wife deceiving her husband. It also shows different ways a husband treats his wife. Throughout the play, Nora is referred to as her husband’s “little Skylark” (Isben, 1879). The title of the play symbolizes the way Nora is treated and how her husband thinks of her. She is thought of like a mindless doll that is living in her “doll house” The irony in this play is that while Nora’s husband thinks she does not have a mind of her own, she takes it upon herself to go out and take a loan out to get her family through a rough time. The time...
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...UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULA AND FACULTY 2007 – 2011 Proposed 2009 – 2013 2 Requirements for the BBA degree: Foundation Courses 40-41 Credits Core Courses 45 Credits Departmental Requirement 24 Credits Minor 15 Credits Total variable requirement for Graduation 124-125 Credits Foundation Courses Communication Skills ENG 101 ENG 102 ENG 105* ENG 106 ENG 202 Listening and Speaking Skills English Reading Skills Business English Advanced English Skills Introduction to English Literature 40-41 Credits 9 3 3 3 3 3 * Prerequisite ENG 101 & 102 Note: students not exempted from ENG 101 and ENG 102 will have to take ENG 101, ENG 102 and ENG 105. Note: students exempted from ENG 101 and ENG 102 will have to take ENG 105, ENG 106, ENG 202 Computer Skills CIS 101* CSC 101** Fundamentals of Computer System Introduction to Computer Science 3 3 3 * For students without basic knowledge of computer **For students with basic knowledge of computer & mandatory for students with Major in subjects offered from the SECS Numeracy MAT 100* MAT 210* Basic University Mathematics 1 Basic University Mathematics 2 6 3 3 3 *MAT 100 and MAT 210 mandatory for SLAS majors(English, Media & Communication, Anthropology) other than Sociology MAT 101* MAT 211* MAT 102* MAT 212* Intermediate University Mathematics II Probability and Statistics Introduction to Linear Algebra & Calculus Probability & Statistics for Sc. & Engr. 3 3 3 3 **MAT 101and MAT 211 mandatory for...
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...Course Overview This course seeks to examine the major international financial organizations which have emerged and survived in the international system in the post World War II era. Emphasis will be placed on the Bretton Woods institutions, namely the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB). Course Objectives • To show the relationship between the theoretical and practical dimensions of International Financial Organizations in relation to mainstream IR theories and in the subfield of International Relations known as International Political Economy • To introduce students to the major international financial institutions which have impacted on world politics in the post World War II era • To critically assess the roles, contributions, operations and prescriptions of these organizations particularly in the context of developing countries • To locate these organizations within the theoretical realm of the development problematique of the Third World You can realize these objectives by • Regular and punctual lecture and tutorial attendance. • Tutorials are mandatory, roll will be taken and there will be no pandering to absenteeism. Students must attend 75% tutorials otherwise students will be debarred from writing exams. • Frequently assimilating and reviewing lecture notes • Reading all recommended articles and relevant chapters from the designated textbooks before attending class since lectures frequently make references to and offer perspectives...
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