death of salesman

[Dodi404]

بليييييز ابغى نقطتين مهمتين في هذه المسرحيه death of salesman

1- Ameraica dream
2-Modern tragedy

في اقرب وقت الله يوفقكم

[علاء]

على كل حال هذا الي حصلت وبقية الاعضاء فيهم البركة

مع التنبية لوضع الطلب في قسم الطلبات في المواضيع المثبته

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As a matter of fact , in 1949 Arthur Miller wrote the play, Death of a Salesman. The play is a Parody on the concept of the American Dream. The aim of my Essay is to explain in what ways this statement can be said to be true. But at first; what is the American Dream?

Well, if you are an American and if you have a family, a house and a car, a decent job with a good salary and if you consider yourself to be surrounded by people who respect you for who you are, you can be said to have reached the American Dream. The concept of the American Dream became a popular idea during the nineteenth century when millions of people immigrated to America in search of better lives. At that time, a better life could mean a cottage or perhaps a house, some cattle and a piece of land to cultivate. Even today the meaning of the American Dream is quite the same; be sure to have valuable possessions, a social life with high standard and keep up good standards .
The phrase the American Dream came into the American vocabulary starting in 1867 when writer Horatio Alger came out with his book “Dick.” It was a rags-to-riches tale of a poor boy in New York City who saves his pennies, works hard and eventually becomes rich. It became the model that through honesty, hard work and determination, the American Dream was available to anyone willing to make the journey.

There are several connections to the concept of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman. One can be found on page 32 when the principal charachter Willy Loman expresses his jealousy towards the successes of his brother Ben. Ben knew what he wanted, Willy says. He started with the clothes on his back, walked into the jungle and came out enormously rich at the age of twenty-one owning several diamond mines. Willy continues: “That man was a genius, that man was success incarnate!” (32) Another example of a man’s success, and therefore also of the American Dream, is found on page 38. Willy’s imaginary memory of Ben describes their father as a great inventor who travelled with his whole family westwards through America. He was successful in selling his inventions and he also became rich. On page 54 Willy remembers one occasion when his son Biff was playing at Ebbets Field. There was this glow around him and people cheered his name when he came out. He was a star then and this kind of personal success is also a typical example of the American Dream. And as described on page 62, Willy himself experienced a personal success in his work. It reached its peak in 1928, when his commission average was at its highest level.

The whole story of the play is in itself justifiably so a parody on the American Dream. Willy Loman is a weary 63-year-old man who wants nothing more than to reach the American Dream, but in reality he fails (has failed?) big time. He is no longer a good salesman, he does not earn enough money, he does not manage to communicate with his family, his sons’ lives are a disappointment to him and he disrespects his own family by having a mistress. The parody lies in the gap between Willy’s wishes and his actual accomplishments. Willy does not have a healthy ideal self, compared to his real self. The rift is too deep for two feasible reasons. Firstly, it is not possible for Willy to achieve all of his goals due to external circumstances such as a changed labour market and the free will of his sons. Secondly, it is not possible for Willy to achieve all of his goals due to internal circumstances such as a decreasing capacity to master social situations and a consciously made choice to commit adultery.

Willy Loman, in his naive world between determined hope and painful awareness, represents a parody of the American Dream. But at the same time, he represents a memorable saying by George Bernard Shaw: “You see things as they are and ask, ‘Why?’ I dream things as they never were and ask ‘why not?’”

[Dodi404]

مشكور اخوي ماقصرت0

[Daleen]

Death of a Salesman: American Dream vs American Reality
Over the years, people have flocked from foreign nations to rejoice in the diversity of America. They come with the hopes and dreams of money and the silver screens. However, many are faced with the brutal reality of hardship, rather than the fairytale ending of a famous millionaire. A song by Toshihiko Takamizawa captures the generalized immigrant realization, ?Chasing after the dream/ Pride goes before the fall/ In the end will I find/ It?s a mirage after all?? (American Dream, Takamizawa) Takamizawa?s quote questions the tangibility of the American Dream. Arthur Miller?s Death of a Salesman examines the clashing of American Dreams against American Reality through the eyes of Happy, Willy, and Biff.
Happy loses himself to the unattainable American Dream and therefore forebodes his own failure through his delusions. Happy, always living in the shadow of his brother, grows up to assume the role of his father. His warped concept of success is formulated by Willy?s advice. Willy tells the boys in a flashback, ?The man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who create
. . .
? (139) With the death of Willy comes the end of illusions. In this play, the dementia of each character grows with the encouragement of its surrounding society. Over time, Biff comes to realize that his family has thrived on lies.
When Willy finally begins to see the reality of his life, he hides in his dreams until he eventually dies to achieve them. To himself: I joke too much! The smile goes. The characters of this play focus on the comparison between the downfall of dreamers versus the success of realists. It?s the only dream you can have-to come out number-one man. His inner conflict arises when Biff attempts to work but finds he cannot rise to the top position automatically. He fought it out here and this is where I?m gonna win it for him. Meanwhile, Happy?s cry seems hopeless, intertwining with the screams of unfulfilled dreams of many businessmen before him.

أتمنى أكون أفدتك

[Daleen]

DEFINITIONS

Ordinary people in tragic situations, all central characters die or destroyed in the end.

styles

Meaning of Modern Tragedy: ordinary people in tragic situation.
Modern Tragedy: dark scenes, dark faces, everyone is destroyed or die.
Modern Tragedy: funny at the loss of humanity, laughter without substance.
Modern Tragedy: everything is simplified. People are stripped down to what is essential.
Modern Tragedy: must fall from the throne.
Modern Tragedy: they don't have to look real, real in essence, any action is simple.
Must fall from the throne.
Person in high position, falls to great depth. All central characters die or are destroyed.
They don't have to look real, real in essence, any action is simple.
Tragedy has to go beyond Drama. Tragedy has to bring on emotionally more than drama, it has to bring catharsis. This has got to be an enormous impact on the audience. The audience has to feel disemboweled at the end of the play. That is what tragedy has to achieve. And drama only has to move the audience.
The difference between a drama and Modern Tragedy: modern tragedy is to fall from great height all central characters die, no way out of dilemma. Has to be done in stylized manner.
Very stylish Modern Tragedy.
"In the end, it can't look like acting."

[Daleen]

Death of a Salesman: Modern Tragedy
Arthur Miller is a great modern American dramatist who keenly observes the ambitions and ideals of an individual as well as the internal and external forces which are responsible for the tragic failure of these ideals. “Death of a Salesman” is a beautiful example in this regard in which the protagonist of the play, Willy Loman, intensely desires an outstanding success for himself and for his sons but this desire is thwarted by powerful social and commercial forces which causes a tragic defeat of Willy Loman’s dreams.

“Death of a Salesman” is one of those great pieces of art which have been the subject of hotly debated controversy. Arthur Miller calls it a tragedy and there are several critics who see eye to eye with him but these are sources of highly learned critics who bring certain allegations to prove that it falls far short of having the status of tragedy. First of all they reject it on the basis of Aristotelian concept of tragedy and tragic hero and assert that, instead of being a king or prince, Willy Loman is a common man who remains unable to arise required tragic feelings. Therefore, it cannot be placed among great Sophoclean and Shakespearean tragedies.

There are certain critic like Eric Bentley and Eleaner Clark who regard Miller’s socio-political philosophy. They think that the play cannot attain the stature of a guanine tragedy because of its extreme awareness, not it can be a social drama because it is inflated by its tragic aspirations. They say that the theme of “Death of a Salesman” is the little, man as victim and protagonist is too passive and too little to play the tragic hero.

Now we consider the other side where Miller himself and certain other critics are clarifying all these charges. First of all, they scrutinize Aristotle’s concept of tragedy and tragic hero and says that in modern world royal system is finished and kings, queens and princes etc. are not present with ancient pomp and show. So their modern presentation with ancient glorification will make the plays unrealistic. Furthermore, a common man can also be the hero of a tragedy because common people also suffer like royal figures. So the concept that royal figures are necessary for tragedies should be changed according to the demands of time and age.

Bentley says this play evokes pity but not terror and if we watch it carefully we notice that it arises both pity and fear because the play shows individual against “the seemingly stable cosmos surrounding us”. From this total examination of the “unchangeable environment comes the error and fear that is classically associated with tragedy”. Miller shows the position of an ordinary man, his passions, feelings and dreams against machines and flat system where all relations have cost their meanings and importance.

Traditional subjects for tragedy were royal environment and war of achieving throne but now these subjects have no attraction for us. Now these subjects look to us alien however today we have fear to lose position in society and to cause our ownself in the ocean of machines. So, now with the course of time subjects of tragedy should be changed.

The play has a tragic end too. Willy dies and gives up his life but does not give up his dream, does not leave his values and his past. Some critics say that Willy’s sacrifice is useless and all his values, ideas and spirit dies within him but when we think that the same may happen with us we feel pity and fear. In our society anyone of us can become Willy Loman anytime. Miller says:


“Willy Loman has broken a law, without whose protection, life is insupportable and incomprehensible to him and to many it is the law which says that a failure in society and business has no right to live.”

To conclude we may says that arguments of both sides are strong. No doubt, “Death of a Salesman” is not a typically traditional tragic play like Shakespearean tragedies and Aristotelian Tragedies but it has tragic theme, tragic character and tragic end that arouse pity and fear. We can call it a modern tragic play or to be more exact, a modern social tragic play.

[Try To Reach]

الرائعة Daleen

جزاك الله خير

بارك الله فيكِ

[Mr.Muhamad]

شكراً لك على هذه الكلمات الرائعة

[اميرة مكة]

طيب لوو تكرمتم عند طلب بخصوص الموضوع نفسه
ابي عن الmotif in this play please

واكون لكم ممنونة

[اميرة مكة]

للمرة الثانيه اطلبكم يااهل المنتدة وتخذلوني :( الله يسامحكم بس

[M.o_o.N]

Motifs



Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.
Mythic Figures



Willy’s tendency to mythologize people contributes to his deluded understanding of the world. He speaks of Dave Singleman as a legend and imagines that his death must have been beautifully noble. Willy compares Biff and Happy to the mythic Greek figures Adonis and Hercules because he believes that his sons are pinnacles of “personal attractiveness” and power through “well liked”-ness; to him, they seem the very incarnation of the American Dream.

Willy’s mythologizing proves quite nearsighted, however. Willy fails to realize the hopelessness of Singleman’s lonely, on-the-job, on-the-road death. Trying to achieve what he considers to be Singleman’s heroic status, Willy commits himself to a pathetic death and meaningless legacy (even if Willy’s life insurance policy ends up paying off, Biff wants nothing to do with Willy’s ambition for him). Similarly, neither Biff nor Happy ends up leading an ideal, godlike life; while Happy does believe in the American Dream, it seems likely that he will end up no better off than the decidedly ungodlike Willy.

The American West, Alaska, and the African Jungle



These regions represent the potential of instinct to Biff and Willy. Willy’s father found success in Alaska and his brother, Ben, became rich in Africa; these exotic locales, especially when compared to Willy’s banal Brooklyn neighborhood, crystallize how Willy’s obsession with the commercial world of the city has trapped him in an unpleasant reality. Whereas Alaska and the African jungle symbolize Willy’s failure, the American West, on the other hand, symbolizes Biff’s potential. Biff realizes that he has been content only when working on farms, out in the open. His westward escape from both Willy’s delusions and the commercial world of the eastern United States suggests a nineteenth-century pioneer mentality—Biff, unlike Willy, recognizes the importance of the individual.