Death of a salesman A03 Flashcards
How can the american dream be achieved
through a combination of hard work,courage and determinism .
How did the dream shift post world war II
The early 19th century version of the dream invlolved making a fortune off of the discovery of land whereas post war it became surrounded by industry and capitalism.
How does the shift in the american dream represent society
Representative of the country’s economic shift from agriculture to urban industry.
How does miller explore the american dream
the american dream is presented as superficial and meaningless,the play questons it’s feasability and consequences.
What is meant by Realisim
Accurately portraying everyday characters,situations and problems.
What is meant by expressionism
reaction to realism,portrays inner psychological life of a character,conentrates on subjective view rather than objective one.
How is DOAS a Tragedy
A tragedy represents the downfall of a central character,DOAS is a domestic tragedy as in contrast to neoclassical tragedy,the protaginist is an ordinary individual and does not start off with high status.
What was the wall street crash
sharp decline in US stock market values contributing to great depression.1929
What is the great depression
greatest and largest economic recession,caused drastic declines in employment and things became more expensive.’‘tragedy of a common man’’
What was arthur miler’s background and how does this relate to the play
Miller saw the effects of the great depression on his father’s business which declined , he moved to a house in brooklyn and faced lifestyle changes because of this- reflects this through the loman family.
When was Death of a Salesman written and in what setting
Post World War II-1949,America.
Miller’s resentment of TAD
By positioning the figure of a salesman at the centre of his drama,miller explores some of the effects of these socio-economic conditions.The drama voices the playwright’s resentment against the damaging power of the american ethos of consumption and private economic success
'’There was still a feel of the depression,the fear that everything would disappear’‘(miller)
The looming threat of collapse is observed in the text with willy being on the verge of collapsing.Willy,at moments in the play is abandoned encapsulating the ultimately unattainable nature of the american dream.
James truslow adams-alt perspective of TAD
the american dream as an ideal social vision in which ‘‘each man and each woman shall be able to attain..the fullest stature of which they are innately capable’.appeal to reestablish american dream.
Miller represents american society satiricallyand condems it’s callous materialism and engulfing capitalism;and yet at the same time he does not deny the idea that material success is vital for an individual’s wellbeing.The play even nurtures the idea that the ambition to acquire money may be morally commendable.The play constructs TAD attainable and commendable when it is founded on values that are broader than just individual gain,TAD is harmful as long as it is based on harmful greed-reconstruction of TAD?.
What is the conflict in TAD and how is this reflected in DOAS
There was a conflict between the profit motive and the desire for individual enhancement on one hand and the idealistic concern for the nature of american society on the other.Miller later reffered to willy as an embodiment of the conflicts of american society,
self-delusion-disintegration of willy’s mind,contradicts himself.The disintegration of willy’s mind is something private to his character but also mirrors american society.
