1. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman By Ms. Schiff English III CPA

2. The American Dream Freedom includes a promise of prosperity and success James Truslow Adams said, “…life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” “all men are created equal” and they give the rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

3. In 1776 the American Dream meant the ability of having low-cost land for farm ownership Today it indicates the ability through participation in the society and the economy for everyone to achieve prosperity: – This includes : One’s child growing up and receiving a good education and career without artificial barriers Making individual choices without prior restrictions that limited people according to their class, caste status, religion, race or ethnicity Traditionally home ownership was a way to assess accomplishing the American Dream

4. Success, fame and wealth through hard work was the traditional American Dream Industrialization of the 19 th and 20 th centuries have changed that dream (previous bullet); replacing it with the philosophy of “get rich quick” Quest for money: big house and nice car now show a persons Americans success Americans have gone from traditional hard work to quick “easy” money “rags to riches”

5. Arthur Miller Was born in 1915 and raised in New York City He was a college student during the Great Depression of the 1930s (influenced his writings because he lived through the Depression) Concerned with social and economic injustices of capitalism Wrote about social and political pressures and their effects on human values and morality

6. Death of a Salesman Tragedy: “a form of drama exciting the emotions of pity and fear;” a character passes through a series of misfortunes leading to a final, devastating catastrophe Tragic Flaw: character defect that causes the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy Theme: fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work

7. Conflict: struggle between two opposing forces. – External: character vs. opposing forces Man vs. Man (another physical person) Man vs. Society (a group of people that feel the same about a topic/situation) Man vs. Nature (elements of nature including but not limited to weather) – Internal: character vs. self (inside the character’s mind) Man vs. Self (inner fight with ones morals; good vs. evil; right vs. wrong)

8. Setting of Death of a Salesman 1940s Brooklyn, New York Willy’s flashbacks take place in both Boston and New York Play takes place in a 24 hour time period

9. Character Development As we read the play we will write down character traits and how they evolve. When listing traits be sure to include page numbers so you can reference the information quickly during an essay, homework assignment or in-class discussion/do now assignment.

10. Willy Loman 60 years old (12) Salesman (12) Exhausted (12) “New England Man” (14) Wandering mind (14) Contradicts himself (16) example: “Biff is a lazy bum!” “There’s one thing about Biff-he’s not lazy.”

11. Rude (12-14) Mercurial (12)

12. Linda Loman Jovial (12) Willy’s wife (12) Nurturing personality (12) Admires Willy (12) Concerned about Willy’s state of mind (12) Makes excuses for Willy (12-14)

13. Biff Loman 34 years old Wants to be a farmer “lost”/ “finding himself” Well built/ personal attractiveness Dreams are strong but unacceptable Womanizer Doesn’t need materialistic things

14. Happy Loman Tall and powerfully built Very sexual Womanizer Won’t accept defeat Hard skinned Pretends to be content Apologist for Willy Materialistic

15. Competitive Has affairs Feels the need to “prove himself” to co- workers Lost but in a different way than Biff

16. Character Conflicts Biff: Man vs. Society (struggle to do what he is passionate about or what society deems the “proper” career) Man vs. Self (inner conflict trying to determine if he should do what makes him happy, or do what would make his father and society happy)