Context

Question 1

Manny Newman

Answer 1

Miller’s Uncle who was also a Salesman.
He imaged a competition between his son and Miller

Question 2

Where did Miller write Death of a Salesman?

Answer 2

In a cabin he had built in a rural area: wanted to shut the world out.

Question 3

Comsumerism

Answer 3

buying material goods

Question 4

What is Death of a Salesman about according to Miller?

Answer 4

“the play looks from the edge of the grave at life”

Question 5

American Dream

Answer 5

American Dream, ideal that the United States is a land of opportunity that allows the possibility of upward mobility, freedom, and equality for people of all classes who work hard and have the will to succeed. The term/idea was became popular in the 20th century.

Question 6

When does DOS take place?

Answer 6

1949

Question 7

What was the play inspired by?

Answer 7

Miller’s experience of The Depression, which he said ‘is my book’

Question 8

What effect did The Depression have on Arthur Miller?

Answer 8

The Depression put a great strain on his family, and forced him to become a salesman for a short period (thus Death of a Salesman could be allegorical)

Question 9

When was the great depression

Answer 9

1929 - 1941

Question 10

What technique is used throughout the play?

Answer 10

Expressionism

Question 11

How is expression demonstrated in the play? What quote supports this?

Answer 11

What quote supports this?
Through the use of Willy’s memories - ‘an air of the dream clings to the place’

Question 12

What other technique does the play use?

Answer 12

Realism

Question 13

Why are there no conventional scenes in the play?

Answer 13

Miller said there are not conventional scenes, to make the play be as ‘seamless’ as possible, like in real life

Question 14

What effect does realism have on the language used?

Answer 14

The language is realistic and not poetic, but therefore creates pathos as we can empathise with the characters

Question 15

What did Miller say was the reason for ‘the common man’ for his play?

Answer 15

Miller said that ‘the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy as kings are’

Question 16

Where is the play set?

Answer 16

Brooklyn, New York

Question 17

Capitalism

Answer 17

Capitalism is an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are owned by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
Capitalism is one of the key things Arthur Miller was trying to critique when writing Death of a salesman, and suggests the financial pursuit of Willy is ultimately pointless.

Question 18

The Great Depression

Answer 18

With the stock market crash in 1929, America plummeted into the worst economic downturn it had ever faced - many banks, businesses, and individuals lost everything.
For Arthur Miller, Death of a salesman illustrates the personal effects of the great depression. The shattered dreams of the Loman family, and of the American people are reflected in the character of Willy Loman.

Question 19

World War II

Answer 19

The limping U.S. economy improved as parts of the globe plunged into WW2 in 1939. The economy shifted into high gear as manufacturers began to develop mechanized weaponry, communication technology, and advancements in medicine. By the time the war ended in 1945, new technologies focused on domestic improvements, everything from washing machines to automobiles.

Question 20

The American Dream

Answer 20

The American Dream is the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. In Death of a Salesman, the American Dream of the 1940s is reflected through the character of Willy Loman with his desire to achieve social recognition and materialistic success.

Question 21

Post War America

Answer 21

At the end of World War II, American soldiers returned home to a country quite different from the one they had left four years earlier. Wartime production had helped pull America’s economy out of depression, and from the late 1940s on, young adults saw a remarkable rise in their spending power. Jobs were plentiful, wages were higher, and because of the lack of consumer goods during the war, Americans were eager to spend.