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Work 2: Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman (1949)Period 2 2019-2020“Introduction” (to Death of a Salesman)By Christopher Bigsby___Questions for the “Introduction”The “Introduction” provides us with the context necessary for getting a better understanding of the origins and mechanics of Arthur Miller’s classic play, Death of a Salesman (1949). While looking over the “Introduction,” then, we should be on the lookout for the elements of:Area of Exploration 2: Space and Time This AoE expresses the importance of context for both the composition and reception of a work. Relevant considerations here are:Part OneWork 2: Vocabulary List 1Historical EventsCultural ContextPart TwoWork 2: Vocabulary List 2Relevant Biographical InformationMechanics of the PlayThere are also two vocabulary lists I would like you to complete for the play.It is exceedingly important that you explain each of these items until you are satisfied that YOU understand them---an understanding represented, say, by your ability to relay the information to someone else.Work 2: Vocabulary List 1.Also I would like if you would complete the following vocabulary list. Explain each of these items until you are satisfied YOU understand them:Irony:Stage Direction:National psyche:Scene Change:Disillusionment:Regret:Idyll:Myth:Tragedy:Comedy:Hubris:Nemesis:Tragic Flaw:Monologue:Soliloquy:Anti-Hero:Symbol:Motif:Theme:Historical EventsThe “Introduction” discusses several of the following historical events which are important for understanding the context in which Death of the Salesman (1949). Explain each of these items until you are satisfied YOU understand them:What happened in “The Depression of the 1930s?”The Depression of the 1930s was a severe, worldwide economic downturn in the United States. The Depression spread to other countries in the world. The economy declined because of a major fall in stock prices in 1929 (Stock Market Crash of 1929).What does “the Stock Market Crash of 1929” refer to?“The Stock Market Crash of 1929” refers to the time when the share prices on the New York Stock Exchange collapsed. After this crash, other Stock Exchanges collapsed as well. What does the “roaring 20s” refer to?The Roaring Twenties refer to the decade after the World War I. It was a period of economic prosperity. People were the successful and the state was flourishing. The stock market continued to rise because of this wealth. Describe several elements that describe Post-War America:The United States experiences a huge economic growth. After World War II, the United States became the richest country in the world. This success came from the automobile industry that produced a lot of cars very quickly. Work became more productive. Farmers experienced a lot of competition, which is why many farmers moved to the West.Cultural ContextWhat does “Manifest Destiny” refer to?Manifest Destiny is a belief in America that territorial expansion is inevitable and important. America had a higher value than other places in North America, which is why they wanted to occupy these areas.Explain Bigsby’s statement: “In an immigrant society, which has, by definition, chosen to reject the past, faith in the future is not a matter of choice.” (p. vii)The American dream faded, because of the Depression. However, the dream didn’t fade mentally. The dream cannot be denied easily. However, when there is no real American dream anymore, you cannot choose what the future will be. You will see when it happens.Explain the phrase “the business of America is business.” Who said it and what does it mean?“The business of America is business” is a famous quote of Calvin Coolidge, who was President of the United States from 1923 to 1929. The quote means that the government should not interfere with all business in America.What does the idea of “the American Dream” refer to? (Here’s a little help: American Dream video with some help. Here is some general information: wikipedia)The American Dream is the belief in the ideals of opportunities, freedom and equality for everyone in America. It is the dream of a life with personal success and material comfort. People want to have individual accomplishments. No matter who you are, everyone can have the American Dream.Bigsby writes about Willy Loman: “His vulnerability comes from the fact that he is a true believer.” (p. xviii). What is he a true believer about? What does this mean from the context?Willy Loman is a true believer in America. He keeps believing that America a place where everything is perfect. He thinks that it is his fault that he is not a successful salesman. He blames himself rather than the society, which is less structured around the human needs. Although the society has changed, Willy Loman still thinks that it is a perfect place.Work 2: Vocabulary List 2.Explain each of these items until you are satisfied YOU understand them:Aside:Apostrophe:Colloquialism:Climax:Allegory:Didactic:Parody:Protagonist:Roman-à-clef:Subtext:Hyperbole:Relevant Biographical InformationWe learn a good deal of relevant biographical information from Miller’s autobiography, as reported by Bigsby. In particular, we learn that much of the representation of the dynamics in the Lohman family were modeled from the Newman family: Manny Newman, Buddy Newman, friends of the Miller family.Miller describes Manny Newman as the model for the character of Willy Loman: “a competitor, at all times, in all things, and at every moment.” (p. viii) And it is this sense of competition that is “a perfection of America” (p. viii) What do you think this means? Connect your answer with something you found in the historical events or cultural context sections you completed above.Miller describes the scene of an encounter (reported p. ix) with Manny years later, after the successful debut of his play All My Sons: “We confronted one another. And he said, referring to his eldest son—out of the blue, now mind you I haven’t seen this man in all those years—he said, ‘Bobby is doing very well.’” What do you think this encounter says about the character of Manny? And what does it say about Willy Loman, the character?Miller describes Manny’s wife as someone who “bore the cross of reality for them all” (p. viii). In particular, in supporting her husband, Miller says she was always “keeping up her calm, enthusiastic smile lest he feel he was not being appreciated” (p. viii). How does this characterization compare to Linda? Find one example from Act One which seems to bear this point out.Like Biff, Miller himself was an athlete in his youth. A sports injury, however, precluded Miller’s participation in WWII. We are never told whether the sons in the play, Biff and Happy, were participants in WWII. Do you think either of the sons were participants in WWII? How might their involvement or non-involvement explain the behavior of either of the characters in the play?Mechanics of the PlayMiller’s Death of a Salesman is particularly well-known for integrating a number of peculiar stage elements including flashbacks in which characters play their past selves, conversations with characters only the audience and Willy Loman see as concocted from within his delusional mind.According to Bigsby, Miller described the structure of the play as having “geological strata” (p. x). What does he mean by that? Provide an example from Act One of the play to support your answer.The play takes place within a single twenty-four hour cycle; however, suggests that this is only one kind of time in the play. There are also “social” and “psychic” times (p. xif.). What is meant by each of these different “times?”Bigsby states: “For the very structure of the play reflects his anxious search for the moment his life took a wrong turn, for the moment of betrayal that undermined his relationship to his wife and destroyed his relationship with a son who was to have embodied his own faith in the American dream.” (p. xi) Describe why Willy Loman might be looking for the moment his life took a “wrong turn,” especially given what you said about the American dream above.Bigsby describes Willy Loman’s problem as “he has so completely internalized the values of his society that he judges himself by standards rooted in social myths rather than human necessities” (p. xviii). What might some of those social myths rather than human necessities be? Give an example from the play.Bisby writes about Willy Loman: “Meaning is deferred until some indefinite future. Meanwhile he is a salesman, traveling but never arriving.” (p. xiii) What might this statement mean? ................
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