Author’s argument for Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
In Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman (1949), Miller portraits the struggle of an average man on his quest to become successful. Willy, the father did everything possible he could in life to ensure that his children would live lives of ease, but his children have other dreams. In the case of Biff, the oldest son, he rather work on a farm and not be in the business world, something his father Willy wants him to be, but Biff realizes he is not fit to be in that type of world. Miller portraits through Willy the pain and suffering of the common man and what he goes through to succeed by whatever means it takes. Given the time set this play was written in Miller is able to depict the struggles and scarifies of the average man. Biff being the oldest, Willy has big expectations of Biff being a great business man and making it big and thus sacrifices what he thinks will let Biff f accomplish the dream Willy has for Biff. In the end, Willy’s tragic outcome just shows the extremes the common man is willing to go and what he has to do even if he has to lie, cheat, and steal in their attempt to succeed.
Vocabulary:
Simonize-to polish with wax
Incipient-beginning to appear or develop
Carte Blanche- permission or authority given to somebody to act with freedom or discretion
Imbue- soak something with something
Enthralled- completely fascinated
Tone:
Longing, solemn, reflective
Rhetorical strategies:
Metaphor- “Linda: Biff, a man is not a bird, to come and go with the springtime” (54).
Telegraphic sentence- “Willy: Biff Loman is lost” (16).
Allusion- “Charley: Why must everybody like you? Who liked J.P. Morgan?” (97)
Rhetorical question- “Linda: And what goes through a man’s mind driving seven hundred miles home without having earned a cent?” (57)
Periodic sentence- “Linda: …But now his old friends, the old buyers that loved him so and always found some order to hand to him in a pinch- they’re all dead, retired”(57).
Questions:
How did Biff’s discovery of his father’s affair affect their relationship?
What role did the flashbacks play in the character of Willy?
Is it worth going to the extremes for success for a dream that one has and not the other person?
Memorable quote:
"Happy: All right, boy. I’m gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. It’s the only dream you can have- to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him” (138).
Discussion Questions:
ReplyDelete1. Biff never looked at his father the same way after he saw Willy with the other women. He gave Willy the feeling that he had stopped loving him.
2. The flashbacks were what brought Willy happiness when he felt as if his sons and himself were not being successful as he had planned. The flashbacks were took place when Willy saw himself and his family as being very successful.
3. No it is not worth going after someones else's view of success because the person trying to reach that idea of success will never really be content with their life. They will always be worried whether or not they have lived to that persons expectations, when they should be focusing on their own happiness.
1. After Biff found out about the affair, it not only changed his relationship with his father, but it also changed his life and the way it turned out. When Biff found out, he started defending his mother when Willy undermined her. Every time Willy would tell Linda to be quiet, Biff would get mad. It also changed the way Biff acted about everything. It killed his motivation to try.
ReplyDelete2. The flashbacks helped the audience realize what went on in Willy's life. It helped the audience see what kind of man Willy was. The flashbacks helped the audience see why things are the way they are. The flashbacks helped show why the relationship between Biff and Willy isn't right. The flashback shows how good of a living Willy used to make. The flashbacks show what kind of life Willy used to have.
3. It is worth going to the extreme to achieve such success. Everyone want's that ultimate dream of living easy, with a good job, stable house, and a great family. It's something that not everyone can achieve. If one is truly worthy, and willing to work for it, then that should be all the reason to go for it. It may be hard, but it is possible.