...Death of a Salesman, Character analysis By Henry Cord Willy Loman, the main character in Death of a Salesman is a complex and fascinatingly tragic character. He is a man struggling to hold onto what dignity he has left in a changing society that no longer values the ideals he grew up to believe in. While society can be blamed for much of his misfortune, he must also be blamed himself to an equal extent for his bad judgement, disloyalty and his foolish pride. Willy Loman is a firm believer in the "American Dream:" the notion that any man can rise from humble beginnings to greatness. His particular slant on this ideal is that a man succeeds by selling his charisma, that to be well liked is the most important asset a man can have. He made a living at this for 30 years, but as he enters the later stage of his life, people have stopped smiling back and he can no longer sell the firm's goods to support himself. His ambition was one of greatness, to work hard and to be a member of the firm; and if he could not succeed in this respect, that he should at least be well-liked and be able to sell until the day of his death: When his friends would flock from all over the country to pay their respects. Willy's main flaw is his foolish pride, this it what makes him such a tragic hero. Yet there are many facets to his personality that contribute to the state he and the family are in during the play. His upbringing of the boys is one major issue, he raised them with the notion that if...
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...Death of a Salesman Analysis In the play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller crucifies the old-fashioned American Dream. Miller, while striking down the old idea that being well liked equates to being successful, shows that the American Dream of yesteryear can no longer be achieved. This idea is shown in both the last section of Act 2 and in the Requiem. Arthur Miller illustrates the condemnation of the old American Dream through Biff’s epiphany, Happy’s delusional success, and Willy’s funeral. While Biff flees Oliver’s office, he comes to a sudden realization that he’s been lying to himself his entire life and that Willy’s outdated version of the American Dream is unachievable for Biff and has caused him to fail. To reiterate this, Miller uses the “sky” (Miller, 1520) as a symbol for Biff’s possibilities. This is ironic, because Biff is running through “the middle of the [office building] and [he saw] the sky” without there being any windows mentioned. The “sky” (1520) that Biff sees isn’t the real sky, but the open-ness and the freedom that it grants. The sky also represents Biff’s chance to escape the web of lies that he has entangled himself in since high school, as its vastness is open and clear. The next way that Biff’s realization shows that the old American Dream has been demolished is that he denounces himself and his father of faking their way through life. As Biff and Willy argue, Biff admits that “[he is] not a leader of men” (1520) and that Willy is not either...
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...Death of a Salesman There are some who would argue that it is precisely the ultra-capitalist mentality of individuals like Willy Loman that has propelled the American Economy to global dominance, but Arthur Miller’s classic work “Death of a Salesman” begs the question: at what cost? What does it do to a person, this desperate need to “be number one man?” Each of Willy’s sons draw a different lesson from his life and their assertions about how one should live offer a compelling choice for modern readers. A psychological need to be the best, a deep desire for being universally liked, and an irrational longing to impress strangers with wealth and status are heavy burdens to carry – especially when they are inherited from parents and internalized at a young age. Willy Loman is deeply unhappy and this largely stems from the fact that his perception of himself and what he deserves does not line up with the realities of his life. He seems to have been a moderately successful salesman over the years until things began to almost imperceptibly turn against him. His emphasis on being liked comes at the expense of being respected. He has wholly bought in to the ‘rat race’ of industrial capitalism. His view of neighborly relations is a competitive one that mirrors his workplace philosophy, he is obsessed with “keeping up with the joneses.” Willy could have been very happy doing what he was passionate about which was carpentry, home repair, and handyman style work. Instead he...
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...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...
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...O’Connor drives home the point that this family and their grandmother are completely out of touch with reality, by showing us the grandmother’s condescending manner, as is evidenced by her observation of the children’s mother’s attire, and her attitude toward the children. Her fatalistic and demoralizing attitudes about life create for her a reality in which she’s safe and superior. An example of O’Connor distorting reality and employing verbal and situational irony is when she has the grandmother state, “In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady,” the grandmother doesn’t actually expect to be killed and in reality, nobody could do that, but to you, the reader, it’s an example of foreshadowing. As Bailey drives on the dirt road in search of the old plantation, and the grandmother’s stricken with the realization that they’re not only on the wrong road, but in the wrong state, O’Connor employs a distorted situation. The car flips, and yet no one is really injured badly. “Help” then arrives, and you come to realize the “help” isn’t really help at all; it’s the Misfit and his accomplices. You’re horrified when the Misfit has his accomplices take the father and son into the woods and shoots them. O’Connor distorts reality by having...
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...But in my case, I am more important than you, I’m a paying customer, so it’s appropriate.” He moved his mouth in a similar fashion to that of a cow with a mouthful of cud. “Anyway,” he spat, “because you’re obviously deaf, I’ll ask again. Why in the hell are you working today?” “I’m sorry, what do you mean Mr. Jones?” Ina May’s voice was silky smooth and wrapped in pleasantry. “Don’t be callin’ me Mr. Jones! That’s my dad’s name and that s.o.b.’s been dead for over 40 years!” Ina May looked at Lucius with her head slightly cocked, still waiting for him to explain his question, “Ok then…Lucius,” she purred, “what do you mean why am I working today?” Lucius glared at Ina May with his one eye, looking her up and down, his mouth slightly agape, he wheezed as he breathed, “Well, today’s nigger day isn’t it?” “Lucius!” Ina May’s voice took on a tone of a mother scolding her child. Despite her scolding tone, she was silently wishing that Mr. Hobbs, her boss, were present. Conversely, she was thankful that Mr. Ball, the new salesman, hadn’t returned from his early morning appointment yet. Lucius cracked a slight smile, he had rattled Ina May already, and he was going to revel. “Well, damnit, “ he snapped, “it’s Martin Luther King Day, that’s nigger’s day to me!” “Lucius, you shouldn’t be talking like that…ever.” Ina May said firmly. And just as firmly she said, “Besides, Martin Luther did a lot of good for this country.” As an after thought, she weakly added, “And I’m not black...
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...Based on description, the two protagonists of the two stories, Hulga and the Grandmother don’t seem to be similar at all. The grandmother looks back fondly on days when people acted nicer and looking for a good man was much easier. In “Good Country People”, Hulga is rude, has a degree in philosophy, and likes the idea of… well, nothing. There isn’t that much similarity based on the descriptions given, but there is a similarity that wasn’t stated: the fact that both characters are more shallow than they think they are. Even with all her university training, Hulga isn’t a full believer in nothing. She just knows what to say to give this assumption. This is shown when she was shocked in Manley’s change of behavior, from a simpleton and bible salesman, Manley turns into someone who declares the truth behind what he sells. “I hope you don’t think I believe that crap! I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn’t born yesterday and I know where I’m going!” (O’Connor 201). The grandmother also liked to think of herself as a good person, but she only really became a good person after her meeting with “The Misfit”. Through the entire encounter with The Misfit, she begs and pleads not for the life of her family but to spare her life. Towards the end of her...
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...Physical pain is able to bring us great sufferings, but the pain of the soul could be much more greater and unbearable than physical; especially, if it comes from someone you love. Jon Krakauer, the author of the narrative "Into the Wild", describes the journey of Chris McCandless, 24-years-old young man to Alaska, which was made in an attempt to find inner peace and answers to unexplainable questions. The journey that he thought would transform his life and change everything. Rejected his comfortable life, his family, and even his name, Alexander Supertramp, as he called himself, following his ideals, had chosen difficult way. Depriving himself the most necessary things, he headed west towards his dream, what brought a lot of pain to his...
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...pain of their pasts and starting new lives. Athos Roussos, a Greek geologist, finds Jakob a 7-year-old Jewish boy from Poland hiding in a forest in Biskupin, an archeological site known as the “Polish Pompeii.” Athos knows right away after seeing Jakob that this boy needs his help in order to survive the war. He knows how dangerous it is to smuggle the Jewish boy across all the borders along the long way to his home in Greece. He decides to bring Jakob to Zakynthos, a Greek island, where he is able to hide the boy from the Nazi soldiers that are trying to kill him. First, Jakob has problems adjusting to the situation that his parents are dead and his sister is missing, but with Athos’ help he finds a way to move on with his life. Athos and Jakob are living together on Zakynthos for many years. Michaels, the author, brings up the question about their relationship, making the reader ask himself how each of them benefits from being with each other. The author lets Jakob explain “We were a vine and a fence. But who was the vine? We would both have answered differently” (Pg. 108). Michaels gives the impression that the roles are clearly defined in the relationship. Jakob is the helpless young boy that is rescued from his tragic destiny by Athos. From this perspective, Michaels makes Jakob the vine that...
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...RESEARCH REPORT ON Xenophobia and the Nigerian Community in Johannesburg By Albert Egbe CHAPTER ONE IDENTIFYING THE STUDY 1.1 INTRODUCTION: In its report on Tuesday 13th March 2012, the internet news service News24.com reported that Nigeria has lashed out at South Africa, accusing its authorities of targeting Nigerians and alleging “xenophobia”, after 125 Nigerians were refused entry into ORT International Airport in Johannesburg over vaccination cards. The report continued to say that the same day 28 South Africans were refused entry into Nigeria in an apparent retaliatory move. Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Olugbenga Ashiru, was reported to have said that despite “cordial “ relations at the leadership level of the two continental power houses, immigration authorities and police in South Africa were “fueling the irritation between our two countries” (News24.com– retrieved on 13/03/2012). What exactly is xenophobia? According to Coulson, L,. Carr, C.T., Hutchinson, L, and Eagle, D (1984).editors of the Oxford Illustrated Dictionary , xenophobia may be defined as a morbid dislike or fear of foreigners, foreign customs etc. It comes from the Greek words “xenos,” meaning “stranger”, ” foreigner”, and “phobos”, meaning “fear”. The internet encyclopedia “Wikipedia” suggests...
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...from the women, a fact that takes on a larger significance as the play progresses. The investigation begins with Henderson questioning Lewis, who discovered the murder the day before. Lewis explains that he was on his way into town with a load of potatoes and stopped at the Wright farmhouse to see if John and Minnie wanted to share a telephone line with him, since they were neighbors. The farmer admits that he didn’t think John would be interested, since he didn’t like to talk much and didn’t seem to When he appeared at the Wright’s door early in the morning, he found Minnie rocking nervously in a chair, pleating her apron. When he asked to see her husband, she quietly told Lewis that he was lying upstairs with a rope around his neck, dead. Lewis summoned his partner,...
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...but insight of all of this he was successfully able to rescue over twelve hundred Jewish men and women from death. Schindler was a very tall and handsome man. Needless to say, he was adored by all the young women he met eyes with. However, Schindler fell for a beautiful young girl named Emily. After only six weeks of courtship, they were married. Sadly, after only a few months of marriage, Schindler began to heavily abuse alcohol. He also had several affairs resulting in two children out of wedlock. In 1929, during the Great Depression, the Schindler family business went bankrupt. At this time, Schindler’s father left his mother, and she died soon after. Finding himself jobless, Schindler sought work in nearby Poland as a machinery salesman. The saving of the first Schindler Jews began in 1939, when he came to Krakow in the wake of the German invasion. In Krakow, he took over two previously Jewish owned companies that dealt with the manufacture and sales of kitchenware products. In one of the businesses, however, Schindler was merely a trustee. Looking more for his own power, he opened up a small enamel shop right outside of Krakow near the Jewish ghetto. Here, he employed mostly Jewish workers. This in turn saved them from being deported to labor camps. Then in 1942, Schindler found out through some of his workers that many of the local Krakow Jews were being sent to the brutal Plazow labor camp. This is where Schindler’s connections with the German government were...
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...HOW TO SELL ANYTHING TO ANYBODY – JOE GIRARD Page 1 of 13 About the Author _ “ The World’s greatest salesman “ - The Ginness book of Records named him , twelve times “ Number One Positive Thinker “ - Dr. Norman Vincent Peale , author of The power of positive thinking Introduction:“Salesmen are made, not born. If I did it, you can do it. I guarantee it “ says Mr Joe Girard, . On January 1 st 1978, Joe Girard quit selling cars. During his fifteen- year of selling Cars (1963 – 1977) he sold 13001 cars at retail. Most of his time is now spent in writing books and columns, giving lectures, sales rallies and consulting. In this book the author describes his own life experience of how he became the number one salesman in the world. Some salient points from his above book are given below: - 1 Winning Bloodless Victories • When a salesman sells there is no loser. Both the buyer and the seller win if it’s a good sale. • If you think the sale ends when ,like they say in the car business , you see the customer’s taillights,you’re going to lose more sales than you ever dreamed of. But if you understand how selling can be a continuing process that never ends, then you’re going to make it the big time. • We are talking about automobiles. People buy them about every three or four years and even less often among the middle and working –class people who were most of my sales. If you are selling clothes or booze or things that people buy a lot more often, getting them back again and again...
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...the endless world, glide her eyes to know us, mouth to sing us asleep by night, hands to touch us awake at dawn. Grandma, O dear and wondrous electric dream ... When storm lightnings rove the sky making circuitries amidst the clouds, her name flashes on my inner lid. Sometimes still I hear her ticking, humming above our beds in the gentle dark. She passes like a clock-ghost in the long halls of memory, like a hive of intellectual bees swarming after the Spirit of Summers Lost. Sometimes still I feel the smile I learned from her, printed on my cheek at three in the deep morn ... All right, all right! you cry, what was it like the day your damned and wondrous-dreadful-loving Grandma was born? It was the week the world ended ... Our mother was dead. One late afternoon a black car left Father and the three of us stranded on our own front drive staring at the grass, thinking: That's not our grass. There are the croquet mallets, balls, hoops, yes, just as they fell and lay three days ago when Dad stumbled out on the lawn, weeping with the news. There are the roller skates that belonged to a boy, me, who will never be that young again. And yes, there the tire- swing on the old oak, but Agatha afraid to swing. It would surely break. It would fall. And the house? Oh, God ... We peered through the front door, afraid of the echoes we might find confused in the halls; the sort of clamor that...
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...Growing Up Paper 3/31/2014 Parenting comes with a magnitude of struggles, from teaching your children right from wrong to helping them learning through experience, even if it’s through mistakes. Parents and grandparents have a lot in common starting with their love for the children in their lives. Unfortunately that doesn't always stop grandparents and parents from bickering about a variety of issues, especially about the guidelines of the child’s life. In the memoir Growing Up, by Russell Baker, Russell’s grandmother, Ida Rebecca, and his mother, Lucy Elizabeth disagreed on most everything due to a clash in ideals and generations. Russell Baker had a tough life, but succeeded, probably because of his mother’s constant hectoring. Lucy Elizabeth always wanted her children to be successful in life. To her, that meant that they needed to make a name for themselves through business. As a child, Russell constantly was told to make something of himself. From a young age, Lucy Elizabeth was very driven. She often speaks highly of her Papa and how he was “a good man.” He was her model of excellence. Although Papa failed at succeeding in life, he never gave up. She wanted her to brothers and her husband to turn out like the good man her father once was. When they failed to make some she turned to her children to make something of themselves. Russell talks about how his mother despised inactivity and was forced to start working at the age of eight so that he was able to keep up...
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