Thank you for your help, I struggled when writing this for some reason. I don't really know anything about Uriah Heep I'm afraid, I pretty much included everything I have in my notes. Also I used "the reader" so much because I was unsure about using "I", is there any way I could make the essay more personal without using "I"?
Beggars of Britain Essay
Choose a non-fiction text which takes a strong stance on a social issue. Show how the writer makes you aware of his/her strength of feeling on the subject and discuss to what extent you were able to agree.
In his article “Beggars of Britain” Tony Parsons displays a strong stance against the social issue of begging. Parsons makes readers aware of his strength of feeling on this subject through his use of demotic language and informal register, tone, ideas, a personal anecdote, point of view and use of evidence. Readers are left feeling influenced by Parsons’ strong stance and cannot help but agree on some level with him.
The initial indication of Parson’s strong stance against this social problem is the alliterative quality of the title – “Beggars of Britain”. Parsons’ point of view is shown through the harsh, unpleasant sound of the title which sets the tone for his opinion which is to follow. The repetition of “beggars” in the opening sentences also makes the readers aware of this subject matter. The unpleasant imagery which is created in the opening paragraph by the mention of “beggars stinking of cheap lager with snot on their chin and a mangy mutt on the end of a piece of string” also shows Parsons disgust of beggars. This image becomes a motif and through this Parsons creates a constant reminder of his disapproval of beggars. Even after reading simply the first few sentences readers are left fully aware of Parsons’ stance on this social issue. However, at this point in the article readers are unsure of whether to agree with Parsons’ view as it seems unnecessarily harsh with no real explanation why.
As the article continues Parsons’ complete disapproval of begging is further displayed by his use of language such as: “cheap lager”. This is condescending and therefore suggests that Parsons feels he is superior to the beggars. However, through Parsons’ use of a minor sentence – “Lots of them” the magnitude of the social issue of begging is emphasised. Readers begin to feel a sense of understanding for Parsons’ point of view and can start to agree with his opinion on some level.
Parsons also uses extremely explicit language to show his sheer hatred for the beggars. He describes a gypsy beggar as an "obese hag", leaving us in no doubt as to her size, which he despises, and her ugliness. This explicit language makes readers fully aware of Parsons’ strong social stance on begging, as does the shocking language that Parsons uses throughout the article. Parsons use of the word “shagged” is perhaps to shock the audience, he feels they will revel in this language. When Parsons displays his point of view that these beggars “look like they could run a four minute mile” readers begin to partially agree with Parsons’ negative view of beggars as they too feel that many beggars could get a job if they only tried.
Parsons’ ideas in the article display his feelings on the subject of begging. Parsons feels that beggars “will be with us forever now” like a plague and this shows his hatred of beggars. Parsons’ main idea that “They have no shame” is very explicit and also shows his strong feelings of beggars. Readers can agree with Parsons when he states: “beggars where you live”. This engages readers as it suggests that begging happens all around and readers therefore agree with Parsons as they too feel that begging infects the places where they live.
Through Parsons’ continuous use of “ponce” his hatred of beggars is further displayed. The feminine connotations of this word show that Parsons considers beggars actions as not worthy. Parsons use of “Uriah Heep” as evidence, making reference to another text, shows a comparison between this character, the embodiment of misery, and beggars. It is clearly seen through this use of evidence that Parsons despises beggars, and by his use of a famous character readers gain a better understanding of his point of view and therefore agree with him more. Parsons’ use of harsh, alliterative language is continued throughout the article by his use of swear words: “shoebox full of shit”. This harsh language also shows his obvious disgust at beggars.
Parsons’ point of view that “The British have become a nation of nappy-wearers” is offensive and through this his feeling of beggars is further shown. By this statement Parsons is looking at the nation as a group and as being unable to do things for themselves. Therefore, at this point, readers do not agree with Parsons’ stance as they too are being included in his criticising and this statement seems too harsh.
During the article Parsons uses “American Psycho” as evidence to make readers aware of his strength of feeling of beggars. His use of this film shows that he feels in a similar way to Bateman, “the American psycho himself”, who is disgusted by beggars: “They inspire nausea and disgust in Bateman”. Parsons’ view that this is “perfectly credible” shows readers that he agrees with Bateman’s opinion of beggars. Although readers do agree on some level with Parsons opinion of beggars, Parsons’ use of this film to display his opinion is rather disturbing, and readers do not agree completely with Parsons and do not feel hatred this strong for beggars.
Parsons’ strong stance on begging is shown further when he uses sarcasm as a weapon: “no home, no job, no shame”. Parsons’ personal slant is epitomised with this comment, making his highly negative view of beggars obvious. Parsons further criticises beggars through his use of a harsh, mocking tone: “everybody knows you are going to piss it away”. Both of these comments are very tough on beggars and show clearly Parsons’ extremely strong opinion of this social issue. Parsons’ forthright point of view that “I don’t buy it” further reinforces this and harsh as his opinions may be, readers cannot help but admit that these thoughts have entered their mind on occasion.
Parsons’ use of a personal anecdote describing when he “used to give” is another technique which the write uses to make readers fully aware of his strong stance on beggars. His claims that “the people disgusted” him shows how he previously felt conditioned to give to beggars. Parsons’ feelings that his “concern has simply been exhausted” shows how he now refuses to be made to feel guilty. Parsons’ veracity is to be admired by readers as they can relate to being forced into giving to beggars. Readers at this point really agree with Parsons as they can understand his hatred of beggars – they too have been conditioned into giving. Although readers do not hate beggars quite to the extent that Parsons does, they have been influenced into having negative opinions too.
When Parsons simply puts his point of view across that he has “grown to truly hate them” his sheer hatred of beggars reaches its plateau. Parsons’ strong stance against beggars is further shown by the language use: “professional leeches”. Through this metaphor Parsons suggests that beggars suck away money from people. This unpleasant image displays Parsons’ unpleasant view of beggars. Readers agree with Parsons’ hatred at this point as although his view of beggars is cruel, he does acknowledge that there are some people who genuinely need to beg, those in Africa “with deformed legs crawling”.
In conclusion, in Tony Parsons’ article “Beggars of Britain” the writer makes his strong stance against begging clear to readers. Through informal language use, tone, ideas, a personal anecdote, point of view and use of evidence Parsons’ strength of feeling is made aware to readers. Although readers do find Parsons’ view of begging harsh they cannot help but agree with his negative view of begging to some extent as they too just expect beggars to waste their donations away. However, it would seem that Parsons’ has rather overstated his opinion. Readers completely agree with Parsons’ advice to “walk past them” and it cannot be denied that we too have, and do, say “No change, we say, no change”.
SS
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Beggars of Britain Essay
Choose a non-fiction text which takes a strong stance on a social issue. Show how the writer makes you aware of his/her strength of feeling on the subject and discuss to what extent you were able to agree.
In his article “Beggars of Britain” Tony Parsons displays a strong stance against the social issue of begging. Parsons makes readers aware of his strength of feeling on this subject through language use, tone, ideas, a personal anecdote, point of view and use of evidence. Readers are left feeling influenced by Parsons’ strong stance and cannot help but agree on some level with him.
The initial indication of Parson’s strong stance against this social problem is the alliterative quality of the title – “Beggars of Britain”. Parsons’ point of view is shown through the harsh, unpleasant sound of the title which sets the tone for his opinion which is to follow. The repetition of “beggars” in the opening sentences also makes the readers aware of this subject matter. The unpleasant imagery which is created in the opening paragraph by the mention of “beggars stinking of cheap lager with snot on their chin and a mangy mutt on the end of a piece of string” also shows Parsons disgust of beggars. This image becomes a motif and through this Parsons creates a constant reminder of his strength of feeling against beggars. Even after reading simply the first few sentences readers are left fully aware of Parsons’ stance on this social issue. However, at this point in the article readers are unsure of whether to agree with Parsons’ view as it seems unnecessarily harsh with no real explanation why.
As the article continues Parsons’ complete disapproval of begging is further displayed by his use of language such as: “cheap lager”. This is condescending and therefore suggests that Parsons feels he is superior to the beggars. However, through Parsons’ use of a minor sentence – “Lots of them” the magnitude of the social issue of begging is emphasised. Readers begin to feel a sense of understanding for Parsons’ point of view and can start to agree with his opinion on some level.
Parsons also uses extremely explicit language to show his sheer hatred for the beggars: “obese hag”. This explicit language makes readers fully aware of Parsons’ strong social stance on begging, as does the shocking language that Parsons uses throughout the article: “shagged”. When Parsons displays his point of view that these beggars “look like they could run a four minute mile” readers begin to partially agree with Parsons’ negative view of beggars as they too feel that many beggars could get a job if they only tried.
Parsons’ ideas in the article display his feelings on the subject of begging. Parsons feels that beggars “will be with us forever now” like a plague and therefore his hatred of this issue is shown. Parsons’ main idea that “They have no shame” is very explicit and also shows his strong feelings of beggars. Readers can agree with Parsons when he states: “beggars where you live”. This engages readers as it suggests that begging happens all around and readers therefore agree with Parsons as they too feel that begging infects the places where they live.
Through Parsons’ continuous use of “ponce” his hatred of beggars is further displayed. The feminine connotations of this word show that Parsons considers beggars actions as not worthy. Parsons use of “Uriah Heep” as evidence, making reference to another text, shows a comparison between this character, the embodiment of misery, and beggars. It is clearly seen through this use of evidence that Parsons despises beggars, and by his use of a famous character readers gain a better understanding of his point of view and therefore agree with him more. Parsons’ use of harsh, alliterative language is continued throughout the article by his use of swear words: “shoebox full of shit”. This harsh language also shows his obvious disgust at beggars.
Parsons’ point of view that “The British have become a nation of nappy-wearers” is offensive and through this his feeling of beggars is further shown. By this statement Parsons is looking at the nation as a group and as being unable to do things for themselves. Therefore, at this point, readers do not agree with Parsons’ stance as they too are being included in his criticising and this statement seems too harsh.
During the article Parsons uses “American Psycho” as evidence to make readers aware of his strength of feeling of beggars. His use of this film shows that he feels in a similar way to Bateman, “the American psycho himself”, who is disgusted by beggars: “They inspire nausea and disgust in Bateman”. Parsons’ view that this is “perfectly credible” shows readers that he agrees with Bateman’s opinion of beggars. Although readers do agree on some level with Parsons opinion of beggars, Parsons’ use of this film to display his opinion is rather disturbing, and readers do not agree completely with Parsons and do not feel hatred this strong for beggars.
Parsons’ strong stance on begging is shown further when he uses sarcasm as a weapon: “no home, no job, no shame”. Parsons’ personal slant is epitomised with this comment, making his highly negative view of beggars obvious. Parsons further criticises beggars through his use of a harsh, mocking tone: “everybody knows you are going to piss it away”. Both of these comments are very tough on beggars and show clearly Parsons’ extremely strong opinion of this social issue. Parsons’ forthright point of view that “I don’t buy it” further reinforces this and harsh as his opinions may be, readers cannot help but admit that these thoughts have entered their mind on occasion.
Parsons’ use of a personal anecdote describing when he “used to give” is another technique which the write uses to make readers fully aware of his strong stance on beggars. His claims that “the people disgusted” him shows how he previously felt conditioned to give to beggars. Parsons’ feelings that his “concern has simply been exhausted” shows how he now refuses to be made to feel guilty. Parsons’ veracity is to be admired by readers as they can relate to being forced into giving to beggars. Readers at this point really agree with Parsons as they can understand his hatred of beggars – they too have been conditioned into giving. Although readers do not hate beggars quite to the extent that Parsons does, they have been influenced into having negative opinions too.
When Parsons simply puts his point of view across that he has “grown to truly hate them” his sheer hatred of beggars reaches its plateau. Parsons’ strong stance against beggars is further shown by the language use: “professional leeches”. Through this metaphor Parsons suggests that beggars suck away money from people. This unpleasant image displays Parsons’ unpleasant view of beggars. Readers agree with Parsons’ hatred at this point as although his view of beggars is cruel, he does acknowledge that there are some people who genuinely need to beg, those in Africa “with deformed legs crawling”.
In conclusion, in Tony Parsons’ article “Beggars of Britain” the writer makes his strong stance against begging clear to readers. Through language use, tone, ideas, a personal anecdote, point of view and use of evidence Parsons’ strength of feeling is made aware to readers. Although readers do find Parsons’ view of begging harsh they cannot help but agree with his negative view of begging to some extent as they too just expect beggars to waste their donations away. Readers completely agree with Parsons’ advice to “walk past them” and it cannot be denied that we too have, and do, say “No change, we say, no change”.
SS
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
redraft of essay
This is an essay that I wrote and got given back recently. I have just finished trying to redraft it to get a better mark - this was originally a 16 again!
Critical Essay
Choose a poem which has a strong emotional impact.
Show how the poet’s ideas and language combine to have this effect.
In your answer you must refer closely to the text and to at least two of: ideas, imagery, mood, structure or any other appropriate feature.
“Trio” by Edwin Morgan is a poem which is based on a very brief incident witnessed by the poet at Christmas time. When a young man and two girls are seen “coming up Buchanan Street, quickly,” the poet is instantly infected by the love and warmth shared by the trio and the use of the present tense creates a sense of reality. Through the poet’s language and ideas a strong emotional impact can be felt of love and happiness.
The energy and enthusiasm of the trio is immediately shown at the beginning of the poem by the parenthesis of “,quickly,” and the youth of the “young man” and the “girls” adds to their obvious energy. A contrast can be seen between the happiness of the trio and the “sharp winter evening” which causes the reader to begin to feel the warmth of the group and perhaps even be infected by it. Through the trio’s obviously close relationship and from giving (they are bearing gifts) joy emerges and the religious side of Christmas is represented as being irrelevant. The imagery of the trio “under the Christmas lights” allows us to consider that this could represent the star of Bethlehem and that the trio could be the three wise men bearing gifts. It is ironic that Morgan conveys his belief that the Christmas story is just a story using this imagery and it is also ironic that Morgan believes in celebrating the commercial side of Christmas. The poet uses an analogy to further make the reader consider the love of the trio as being superior to the love brought by the birth of Jesus. When the poet passes the trio their warmth infects him as “their breath rises in a cloud of happiness”. While their breath is literally visible, metaphorically their warmth is also visible to Morgan who instantly feels infected by their love as they pass. At this point of the poem readers are already left feeling a strong, emotional impact of love and happiness.
When the young man declares: “Wait till he sees this but!” his character is brought to life and readers immediately realise that as this is a feature of the Glasgow dialect, the trio are a representation of those who could experience economic constraints and have a desire to make Christmas special despite this. This is yet another sign of the love the trio feel for each other as it shows just how hard much they will risk to make each other happy.
The love the trio share is further shown using figurative language. The Royal Stewart tartan coat the trio’s Chihuahua wears “like a teapot holder” is ironic as the dog is wearing the tartan of kings but this also shows that the trio greatly care for their pet. Also the simile “like a teapot” suggests warmth expressed by the group and the “mouth like favours” embodies the trio’s love as favours are given to close relatives as a token of love. This reinforces the strong emotional impact of love. This can further be seen through the personification of the guitar which “swells out” – this shows the pride the young man feels as this is perhaps going to make someone happy as a clearly special gift. It is tied with “a brisk sprig of mistletoe” to symbolise love and is being protected and nurtured with love by a “milky plastic cover”. The poet further displays the overflowing love displayed by the trio by the use of enjambment, which is used throughout the poem. Morgan makes the reader aware of the idea of God’s love as being fictional and the trio’s love as being tangible and meaningful through this use of enjambment.
In the next section of the poem there is a clear change of register which reinforces the inferiority that the love brought by the birth of Jesus has compared to the superior love of the trio. There is a real sense of irony in this part of the poem as Edwin Morgan uses a religious tone, “Orphean sprig! Melting baby! Warm Chihuahua”, to display that his beliefs lie with the commercial side of Christmas. Morgan reinforces how potent human love is when he describes “the vale of tears” which “is powerless before you” to express his view of how significant he feels the trio’s love for each other is. Ultimately, the poet feels that human love can conquer all and the trio have helped him to realise this. Morgan shows human love as more significant than the love brought by Jesus’ birth at this point to continue the strong impact of love in the poem. “Whether Christ is born, or is not born, you put paid to fate” shows how strongly Morgan feels over the superiority that human love has over religious faith. This section of the poem conveys that fate is being chased off by the power of the secular which is represented by the placement of “under the Christmas lights.”
The sheer strength of the trio’s love is shown as negative aspects and the “Monsters of the year go blank” and lose their ability to frighten the trio as they are defeated by the trio’s love at Christmas time. The group and their “march of three” are clearly entering the New Year with new hope and pride as they felt that their love is indestructible.
The final verse starts with a dash to close the parenthesis opened at the end of the second line. This is used to emphasise just how brief this interlude has been. However, brief as this experience was, Morgan has been greatly uplifted by the trio’s love. The parenthesis Morgan uses in the final verse is represented using brackets to insulate and protect the words. This is created to show that the poet has been embraced by the trio’s warmth. The repetition of “vanished” supports this idea by showing that although the group have been lost in the crowd, their spirit will remain with Morgan. The “laughter ringing them round” shows an outward sign of happiness and the ring is used to symbolise love.
“At the end of this winter’s day” Morgan is simply left to reflect on what he has witnessed and it can be seen that his spirits have been raised as a result of the obvious display of love he has seen. Some may claim that Edwin Morgan presents an over-romantic view in “Trio”, but there is no doubt that this, although somewhat brief, interlude has had a strong emotional impact on both the poet and the readers.
SS
Critical Essay
Choose a poem which has a strong emotional impact.
Show how the poet’s ideas and language combine to have this effect.
In your answer you must refer closely to the text and to at least two of: ideas, imagery, mood, structure or any other appropriate feature.
“Trio” by Edwin Morgan is a poem which is based on a very brief incident witnessed by the poet at Christmas time. When a young man and two girls are seen “coming up Buchanan Street, quickly,” the poet is instantly infected by the love and warmth shared by the trio and the use of the present tense creates a sense of reality. Through the poet’s language and ideas a strong emotional impact can be felt of love and happiness.
The energy and enthusiasm of the trio is immediately shown at the beginning of the poem by the parenthesis of “,quickly,” and the youth of the “young man” and the “girls” adds to their obvious energy. A contrast can be seen between the happiness of the trio and the “sharp winter evening” which causes the reader to begin to feel the warmth of the group and perhaps even be infected by it. Through the trio’s obviously close relationship and from giving (they are bearing gifts) joy emerges and the religious side of Christmas is represented as being irrelevant. The imagery of the trio “under the Christmas lights” allows us to consider that this could represent the star of Bethlehem and that the trio could be the three wise men bearing gifts. It is ironic that Morgan conveys his belief that the Christmas story is just a story using this imagery and it is also ironic that Morgan believes in celebrating the commercial side of Christmas. The poet uses an analogy to further make the reader consider the love of the trio as being superior to the love brought by the birth of Jesus. When the poet passes the trio their warmth infects him as “their breath rises in a cloud of happiness”. While their breath is literally visible, metaphorically their warmth is also visible to Morgan who instantly feels infected by their love as they pass. At this point of the poem readers are already left feeling a strong, emotional impact of love and happiness.
When the young man declares: “Wait till he sees this but!” his character is brought to life and readers immediately realise that as this is a feature of the Glasgow dialect, the trio are a representation of those who could experience economic constraints and have a desire to make Christmas special despite this. This is yet another sign of the love the trio feel for each other as it shows just how hard much they will risk to make each other happy.
The love the trio share is further shown using figurative language. The Royal Stewart tartan coat the trio’s Chihuahua wears “like a teapot holder” is ironic as the dog is wearing the tartan of kings but this also shows that the trio greatly care for their pet. Also the simile “like a teapot” suggests warmth expressed by the group and the “mouth like favours” embodies the trio’s love as favours are given to close relatives as a token of love. This reinforces the strong emotional impact of love. This can further be seen through the personification of the guitar which “swells out” – this shows the pride the young man feels as this is perhaps going to make someone happy as a clearly special gift. It is tied with “a brisk sprig of mistletoe” to symbolise love and is being protected and nurtured with love by a “milky plastic cover”. The poet further displays the overflowing love displayed by the trio by the use of enjambment, which is used throughout the poem. Morgan makes the reader aware of the idea of God’s love as being fictional and the trio’s love as being tangible and meaningful through this use of enjambment.
In the next section of the poem there is a clear change of register which reinforces the inferiority that the love brought by the birth of Jesus has compared to the superior love of the trio. There is a real sense of irony in this part of the poem as Edwin Morgan uses a religious tone, “Orphean sprig! Melting baby! Warm Chihuahua”, to display that his beliefs lie with the commercial side of Christmas. Morgan reinforces how potent human love is when he describes “the vale of tears” which “is powerless before you” to express his view of how significant he feels the trio’s love for each other is. Ultimately, the poet feels that human love can conquer all and the trio have helped him to realise this. Morgan shows human love as more significant than the love brought by Jesus’ birth at this point to continue the strong impact of love in the poem. “Whether Christ is born, or is not born, you put paid to fate” shows how strongly Morgan feels over the superiority that human love has over religious faith. This section of the poem conveys that fate is being chased off by the power of the secular which is represented by the placement of “under the Christmas lights.”
The sheer strength of the trio’s love is shown as negative aspects and the “Monsters of the year go blank” and lose their ability to frighten the trio as they are defeated by the trio’s love at Christmas time. The group and their “march of three” are clearly entering the New Year with new hope and pride as they felt that their love is indestructible.
The final verse starts with a dash to close the parenthesis opened at the end of the second line. This is used to emphasise just how brief this interlude has been. However, brief as this experience was, Morgan has been greatly uplifted by the trio’s love. The parenthesis Morgan uses in the final verse is represented using brackets to insulate and protect the words. This is created to show that the poet has been embraced by the trio’s warmth. The repetition of “vanished” supports this idea by showing that although the group have been lost in the crowd, their spirit will remain with Morgan. The “laughter ringing them round” shows an outward sign of happiness and the ring is used to symbolise love.
“At the end of this winter’s day” Morgan is simply left to reflect on what he has witnessed and it can be seen that his spirits have been raised as a result of the obvious display of love he has seen. Some may claim that Edwin Morgan presents an over-romantic view in “Trio”, but there is no doubt that this, although somewhat brief, interlude has had a strong emotional impact on both the poet and the readers.
SS
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Redraft of redraft!
“Death of a Salesman” Essay
Choose a play which underlines how one person’s flaw(s) can have a significant impact on other people as well as himself or herself. Explain briefly the nature of the flaw(s) and then, in detail, assess how much the character and others are affected.
“Death of a salesman”, by Arthur Miller, is a play which follows Willy Loman’s struggle to find success in life. In his desperate attempts to die the “Death of a salesman” he installs the wrong morals into his sons and hasand has what might be seen as the wrong dreams. Willy’s flaws include his volatile nature, his inability to tell the truth and the guilt he suffers from due to his affair. Also, he lives in the past and continually uses this as an escape mechanism. His flaws lead to the downfall of both himself and his sons.
A major flaw of Willy’s character is his mercurial nature which is displayed throughout the play. In the first scene Linda, Willy’s wife, is clearly worried over her husband’s declining mental state. However, all Willy can do is snap at his wife over somewhat petty things. When Linda buys American cheese instead of Swiss Willy proclaims; “I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese.” This is a clear sign of Willy’s temperamental nerve which can snap at any sudden moment. His volatility causes him to get confused easily. Willy describes his son Biff as “a lazy bum!” and seconds later admits “he’s not lazy”. Willy has therefore contradicted himself without being aware of this in the slightest. His temper even leads to him losing his job – something his entire family depend on to survive.
Willy has two sons, Biff (the eldest) and Happy. Willy continually praises Biff and it is obvious that he favours him. Although it is normally important to praise a child, his flawed outlook on life and success mean that this is not such a positive thing. He also swears by the importance of personal attractiveness and popularity - he even values this over studying. “Be liked and you’ll never want” – This is his motto for life and he always enforces this upon his sons causing them to spend more time on sports than on schoolwork. When Bernard, a friend of the family, warns Biff that: “if you don’t start studyin’ math he’s gonna flunk you” Willy simply shrugs off this advice to his son to study as he feels that Biff’s popularity and sport success will alone lead to his son becoming a huge success. Ironically, Biff does flunk math, and is unable to go to university, because his father has instilled such morals into his sons. Even when Biff steals a football from his school Willy does not scorn him, but instead congratulates him on his “initiative”. The damage of Willy’s actions here can be seen later in the play when we learn that Biff has since been in jail for stealing.
Willy has many dreams which are highly unattainable and only set himself and his family up for disappointment. Willy dreams of getting a job in New York and makes his family feel optimistic that this will happen because of the loyalty he has shown his company. However, his boss Howard is dismissive towards him and instead fires him causing great financial problems for both himself and his family. Willy is clearly oblivious to how ruthless and callous the business world is: “You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away – a man is not a piece of fruit.” But in reality Howard can do this, as “business is business”.
Another flaw in Willy’s character is his desperation to leave something tangible behind. He is desperate to plant seeds in his yard but they will not grow because of lack of light. Willy’s comment: “a man has got to add up to something” shows his dire need to prove he is a success, but this is an impossible dream. His flaw of having arguably the wrong dreams means that he never feels content in life and that he has achieved nothing. This even rubs off on his sons who begin to have impossible dreams too: “The Loman brothers-eh?”
Willy cannot help but escape to the past whenever things go wrong. An ingenious flashback device is used throughout the play to allow readers a closer look into Willy’s deteriorating mental state. When Willy stumbles over the tape recorder in Howard’s office it is accidentally turned on and Willy is unable to turn it off. This symbolises Willy’s inability to switch off the past. Whenever something goes wrong in Willy’s life he escapes to a happier time when Biff and Happy loved and respected him. This flaw of using the past as an escape mechanism confuses Willy and the people closest to him. When Willy and his friend Charley are playing cards Willy imagines his deceased brother is there which confuses both of them and causes Willy to cheat in the card game. Willy ends up calling Charley an “Ignoramus!” and Charley storms out of the house. This shows how Willy’s mentality can push away the few friends he has.
Willy soon becomes trapped in a web of lies and cannot stop lying. However, this backfires on him when his boss Howard suggests: “go to your sons and you tell them that you’re tired.” Howard has been convinced that Willy’s sons are a huge success and will be able to help him out, but there is no way they can.
A major flaw in Willy’s character is his infidelity. When his son Biff discovered his father was cheating on his loyal wife he lost all respect for him proclaiming: “You fake! You phoney little fake!” He also suffers badly from guilt caused by this affair. This is seen through the symbolism of stockings. Willy gave his secret lover stockings that were originally meant for Linda. Now, whenever he sees Linda mending stockings – there is a serious lack of finance – he becomes irritated because of this guilt: “I won’t have you mending stockings in this house!” This hurts her and she is confused as she is oblivious as to why he is this way with her.
When Willy wrongly claims that he sold “five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston” his inability to admit that he is not the big success he strives to be can be seen. His idol Dave Singleman died what Willy describes as “The Death of a Salesman” as he died with people from all over the country at his funeral. Willy longs to die this way to prove that he is “well-liked” This is an unattainable dream as Willy is not popular and is unknown in the business world. Willy’s wife Linda is affected by this as at Willy’s funeral she asks: “Why didn’t anybody come?” showing that she has been fooled by Willy’s lies and is now left confused by how such a ‘successful’ man can die with such a pitiful turn-out at his funeral.
In conclusion Willy Loman was an extremely flawed individual who had a huge impact on many people’s lives. He ruined his son Biff’s life as Biff has lived in a dream world and realises only by the end of the play that he is “a dime a dozen”. We have witnessed this process and the past which created it, and realise by the end of the play that Willy's failure to face reality has led to the tragedy of a family destroyed.
SS
Choose a play which underlines how one person’s flaw(s) can have a significant impact on other people as well as himself or herself. Explain briefly the nature of the flaw(s) and then, in detail, assess how much the character and others are affected.
“Death of a salesman”, by Arthur Miller, is a play which follows Willy Loman’s struggle to find success in life. In his desperate attempts to die the “Death of a salesman” he installs the wrong morals into his sons and hasand has what might be seen as the wrong dreams. Willy’s flaws include his volatile nature, his inability to tell the truth and the guilt he suffers from due to his affair. Also, he lives in the past and continually uses this as an escape mechanism. His flaws lead to the downfall of both himself and his sons.
A major flaw of Willy’s character is his mercurial nature which is displayed throughout the play. In the first scene Linda, Willy’s wife, is clearly worried over her husband’s declining mental state. However, all Willy can do is snap at his wife over somewhat petty things. When Linda buys American cheese instead of Swiss Willy proclaims; “I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese.” This is a clear sign of Willy’s temperamental nerve which can snap at any sudden moment. His volatility causes him to get confused easily. Willy describes his son Biff as “a lazy bum!” and seconds later admits “he’s not lazy”. Willy has therefore contradicted himself without being aware of this in the slightest. His temper even leads to him losing his job – something his entire family depend on to survive.
Willy has two sons, Biff (the eldest) and Happy. Willy continually praises Biff and it is obvious that he favours him. Although it is normally important to praise a child, his flawed outlook on life and success mean that this is not such a positive thing. He also swears by the importance of personal attractiveness and popularity - he even values this over studying. “Be liked and you’ll never want” – This is his motto for life and he always enforces this upon his sons causing them to spend more time on sports than on schoolwork. When Bernard, a friend of the family, warns Biff that: “if you don’t start studyin’ math he’s gonna flunk you” Willy simply shrugs off this advice to his son to study as he feels that Biff’s popularity and sport success will alone lead to his son becoming a huge success. Ironically, Biff does flunk math, and is unable to go to university, because his father has instilled such morals into his sons. Even when Biff steals a football from his school Willy does not scorn him, but instead congratulates him on his “initiative”. The damage of Willy’s actions here can be seen later in the play when we learn that Biff has since been in jail for stealing.
Willy has many dreams which are highly unattainable and only set himself and his family up for disappointment. Willy dreams of getting a job in New York and makes his family feel optimistic that this will happen because of the loyalty he has shown his company. However, his boss Howard is dismissive towards him and instead fires him causing great financial problems for both himself and his family. Willy is clearly oblivious to how ruthless and callous the business world is: “You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away – a man is not a piece of fruit.” But in reality Howard can do this, as “business is business”.
Another flaw in Willy’s character is his desperation to leave something tangible behind. He is desperate to plant seeds in his yard but they will not grow because of lack of light. Willy’s comment: “a man has got to add up to something” shows his dire need to prove he is a success, but this is an impossible dream. His flaw of having arguably the wrong dreams means that he never feels content in life and that he has achieved nothing. This even rubs off on his sons who begin to have impossible dreams too: “The Loman brothers-eh?”
Willy cannot help but escape to the past whenever things go wrong. An ingenious flashback device is used throughout the play to allow readers a closer look into Willy’s deteriorating mental state. When Willy stumbles over the tape recorder in Howard’s office it is accidentally turned on and Willy is unable to turn it off. This symbolises Willy’s inability to switch off the past. Whenever something goes wrong in Willy’s life he escapes to a happier time when Biff and Happy loved and respected him. This flaw of using the past as an escape mechanism confuses Willy and the people closest to him. When Willy and his friend Charley are playing cards Willy imagines his deceased brother is there which confuses both of them and causes Willy to cheat in the card game. Willy ends up calling Charley an “Ignoramus!” and Charley storms out of the house. This shows how Willy’s mentality can push away the few friends he has.
Willy soon becomes trapped in a web of lies and cannot stop lying. However, this backfires on him when his boss Howard suggests: “go to your sons and you tell them that you’re tired.” Howard has been convinced that Willy’s sons are a huge success and will be able to help him out, but there is no way they can.
A major flaw in Willy’s character is his infidelity. When his son Biff discovered his father was cheating on his loyal wife he lost all respect for him proclaiming: “You fake! You phoney little fake!” He also suffers badly from guilt caused by this affair. This is seen through the symbolism of stockings. Willy gave his secret lover stockings that were originally meant for Linda. Now, whenever he sees Linda mending stockings – there is a serious lack of finance – he becomes irritated because of this guilt: “I won’t have you mending stockings in this house!” This hurts her and she is confused as she is oblivious as to why he is this way with her.
When Willy wrongly claims that he sold “five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston” his inability to admit that he is not the big success he strives to be can be seen. His idol Dave Singleman died what Willy describes as “The Death of a Salesman” as he died with people from all over the country at his funeral. Willy longs to die this way to prove that he is “well-liked” This is an unattainable dream as Willy is not popular and is unknown in the business world. Willy’s wife Linda is affected by this as at Willy’s funeral she asks: “Why didn’t anybody come?” showing that she has been fooled by Willy’s lies and is now left confused by how such a ‘successful’ man can die with such a pitiful turn-out at his funeral.
In conclusion Willy Loman was an extremely flawed individual who had a huge impact on many people’s lives. He ruined his son Biff’s life as Biff has lived in a dream world and realises only by the end of the play that he is “a dime a dozen”. We have witnessed this process and the past which created it, and realise by the end of the play that Willy's failure to face reality has led to the tragedy of a family destroyed.
SS
Friday, January 05, 2007
Redraft
“Death of a Salesman” Essay
Choose a play which underlines how one person’s flaw(s) can have a significant impact on other people as well as himself or herself. Explain briefly the nature of the flaw(s) and then, in detail, assess how much the character and others are affected.
“Death of a salesman”, by Arthur Miller, is a play which follows Willy Loman’s struggle to find success in life. In his desperate attempts to die the “Death of a salesman” he installs the wrong morals into hi sons and has, what many would argue as, the wrong dreams. Willy’s flaws include his volatile nature, his inability to tell the truth and the guilt he suffers from due to his affair. Also, he lives in the past and continually uses this as an escape mechanism. His flaws lead to both the downfalls of himself and of his sons.
A major flaw of Willy’s character is his mercurial nature which is displayed throughout the play. In the first scene Linda, Willy’s wife, is clearly worried over her husband’s declining mental state. However, all Willy can do is snap at his wife over somewhat petty things. When Linda buys American cheese instead of Swiss Willy proclaims; “I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese.” This is a clear sign of Willy’s temperamental nerve which can snap at any sudden moment. His volatility causes himself to get confused easily. Willy describes his son Biff as “a lazy bum!” and seconds later “he’s not lazy”. Willy has therefore contradicted himself without being aware of this in the slightest. His temper even leads to him losing his job – something his entire family depend on to survive.
Willy has two sons, Biff (the eldest) and Happy. Willy continually praises Biff and it is obvious that Willy favours him. Although it is normally important to praise a child, Willy’s flawed outlook on life and success mean that this is not such a positive thing. Willy swears by the importance of personal attractiveness and popularity - he even values this over studying. “Be liked and you’ll never want” – This is Willy’s motto for life and he always enforces this upon his sons causing them to spend more time on sports than on schoolwork. When Bernard, a friend of the family, warns Biff that: “if you don’t start studyin’ math he’s gonna flunk you” Willy simply shrugs off this instruction as he feels that Biff’s popularity and sport success will alone lead to his son becoming a huge success. Ironically, Biff does flunk math, and is unable to go to university, due to his father installing such morals into his sons. Even when Biff steals a football from his school Willy does not scorn him, but instead congratulates him on his “initiative”. The damage of Willy’s actions here can be seen later in the play when we learn that Biff has since been in jail for stealing.
Willy has many dreams – unfortunately these are all highly unattainable and therefore just set himself and his family up for disappointment. Willy dreams of getting a job in New York and makes his family feel optimistic that this will happen because of the loyalty he has shown his company. However, his boss Howard is dismissive towards him and instead fires him causing great financial problems for both himself and his family. Willy is clearly oblivious to how ruthless and callous the business world is: “You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away – a man is not a piece of fruit.” But in reality Howard can do this, as “business is business”.
Another flaw Willy has is his desperation to leave something tangible behind. He is desperate to plant seeds in his yard but they will not grow due to lack of light. Willy’s comment: “a man has got to add up to something” shows his dire need to prove he is a success, but this is an impossible dream. His flaw of having arguably the wrong dreams causes him to never feel content in life and that he has achieved nothing. This even rubs off on his sons who begin to have impossible dreams too: “The Loman brothers-eh?”
Willy cannot help but escape to the past whenever things go wrong. An ingenious flashback device is used throughout the play to allow readers a closer look into Willy’s deteriorating mental state. When Willy stumbles over the tape recorder in Howard’s office it is accidentally turned on and Willy is unable to turn it off. This symbolises Willy’s inability to switch off the past. Whenever something goes wrong in Willy’s life he escapes to a happier time when Biff and Happy loved and respected him. This flaw of using the past as an escape mechanism confuses Willy and the people closest to him. When Willy and his friend Charley are playing cards Willy imagines his deceased brother is there, this confuses both of them and causes Willy to cheat in the card game. Willy ends up calling Charley an “Ignoramus!” and Charley storms out the house. This shows how Willy’s mentality can push away the few friends he has.
Willy soon becomes trapped in a web of lies and cannot stop lying. However, this backfires on him when his boss Howard suggests: “go to your sons and you tell them that you’re tired.” Howard has been convinced that Willy’s sons are a huge success and will be able to help him out, but there is no way they can.
Willy suffers badly from guilt caused by his previous affair. This is seen through the symbolism of stockings. Willy gave his secret lover stockings that were originally meant for Linda. Now, whenever he sees Linda mending stockings – there is a serious lack of finance – he becomes irritated because of this guilt: “I won’t have you mending stockings in this house!” This hurts her and she is confused as she is oblivious as to why he is this way with her.
When Willy wrongly claims that he sold “five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston” his inability to admit that he is not the big success he strives to be can be seen. His idol Dave Singleman died what Willy describes as “The Death of a Salesman” as he died with people from all over the country at his funeral. Willy longs to die this way to prove that he is “well-liked” This is an unattainable dream as Willy is not popular and is unknown in the business world. Willy’s wife Linda is affected by this as at Willy’s funeral she asks: “Why didn’t anybody come?” showing that she has been fooled by Willy’s lies and is now left confused by how such a ‘successful’ man can die with such a pitiful turn-out at his funeral.
In conclusion, it can be seen that Willy Loman was an extremely flawed individual who had a huge impact on many people’s lives. Overall, he probably had the biggest impact on Biff’s life as Biff has spent his entire life in a dream and, only by the end of the play, has realised that he is “a dime a dozen”. It is through the playwright’s use of characterisation, structure and flashbacks that we can see Willy’s flaws and the effects they have had on both himself and on others.
SS
Choose a play which underlines how one person’s flaw(s) can have a significant impact on other people as well as himself or herself. Explain briefly the nature of the flaw(s) and then, in detail, assess how much the character and others are affected.
“Death of a salesman”, by Arthur Miller, is a play which follows Willy Loman’s struggle to find success in life. In his desperate attempts to die the “Death of a salesman” he installs the wrong morals into hi sons and has, what many would argue as, the wrong dreams. Willy’s flaws include his volatile nature, his inability to tell the truth and the guilt he suffers from due to his affair. Also, he lives in the past and continually uses this as an escape mechanism. His flaws lead to both the downfalls of himself and of his sons.
A major flaw of Willy’s character is his mercurial nature which is displayed throughout the play. In the first scene Linda, Willy’s wife, is clearly worried over her husband’s declining mental state. However, all Willy can do is snap at his wife over somewhat petty things. When Linda buys American cheese instead of Swiss Willy proclaims; “I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese.” This is a clear sign of Willy’s temperamental nerve which can snap at any sudden moment. His volatility causes himself to get confused easily. Willy describes his son Biff as “a lazy bum!” and seconds later “he’s not lazy”. Willy has therefore contradicted himself without being aware of this in the slightest. His temper even leads to him losing his job – something his entire family depend on to survive.
Willy has two sons, Biff (the eldest) and Happy. Willy continually praises Biff and it is obvious that Willy favours him. Although it is normally important to praise a child, Willy’s flawed outlook on life and success mean that this is not such a positive thing. Willy swears by the importance of personal attractiveness and popularity - he even values this over studying. “Be liked and you’ll never want” – This is Willy’s motto for life and he always enforces this upon his sons causing them to spend more time on sports than on schoolwork. When Bernard, a friend of the family, warns Biff that: “if you don’t start studyin’ math he’s gonna flunk you” Willy simply shrugs off this instruction as he feels that Biff’s popularity and sport success will alone lead to his son becoming a huge success. Ironically, Biff does flunk math, and is unable to go to university, due to his father installing such morals into his sons. Even when Biff steals a football from his school Willy does not scorn him, but instead congratulates him on his “initiative”. The damage of Willy’s actions here can be seen later in the play when we learn that Biff has since been in jail for stealing.
Willy has many dreams – unfortunately these are all highly unattainable and therefore just set himself and his family up for disappointment. Willy dreams of getting a job in New York and makes his family feel optimistic that this will happen because of the loyalty he has shown his company. However, his boss Howard is dismissive towards him and instead fires him causing great financial problems for both himself and his family. Willy is clearly oblivious to how ruthless and callous the business world is: “You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away – a man is not a piece of fruit.” But in reality Howard can do this, as “business is business”.
Another flaw Willy has is his desperation to leave something tangible behind. He is desperate to plant seeds in his yard but they will not grow due to lack of light. Willy’s comment: “a man has got to add up to something” shows his dire need to prove he is a success, but this is an impossible dream. His flaw of having arguably the wrong dreams causes him to never feel content in life and that he has achieved nothing. This even rubs off on his sons who begin to have impossible dreams too: “The Loman brothers-eh?”
Willy cannot help but escape to the past whenever things go wrong. An ingenious flashback device is used throughout the play to allow readers a closer look into Willy’s deteriorating mental state. When Willy stumbles over the tape recorder in Howard’s office it is accidentally turned on and Willy is unable to turn it off. This symbolises Willy’s inability to switch off the past. Whenever something goes wrong in Willy’s life he escapes to a happier time when Biff and Happy loved and respected him. This flaw of using the past as an escape mechanism confuses Willy and the people closest to him. When Willy and his friend Charley are playing cards Willy imagines his deceased brother is there, this confuses both of them and causes Willy to cheat in the card game. Willy ends up calling Charley an “Ignoramus!” and Charley storms out the house. This shows how Willy’s mentality can push away the few friends he has.
Willy soon becomes trapped in a web of lies and cannot stop lying. However, this backfires on him when his boss Howard suggests: “go to your sons and you tell them that you’re tired.” Howard has been convinced that Willy’s sons are a huge success and will be able to help him out, but there is no way they can.
Willy suffers badly from guilt caused by his previous affair. This is seen through the symbolism of stockings. Willy gave his secret lover stockings that were originally meant for Linda. Now, whenever he sees Linda mending stockings – there is a serious lack of finance – he becomes irritated because of this guilt: “I won’t have you mending stockings in this house!” This hurts her and she is confused as she is oblivious as to why he is this way with her.
When Willy wrongly claims that he sold “five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston” his inability to admit that he is not the big success he strives to be can be seen. His idol Dave Singleman died what Willy describes as “The Death of a Salesman” as he died with people from all over the country at his funeral. Willy longs to die this way to prove that he is “well-liked” This is an unattainable dream as Willy is not popular and is unknown in the business world. Willy’s wife Linda is affected by this as at Willy’s funeral she asks: “Why didn’t anybody come?” showing that she has been fooled by Willy’s lies and is now left confused by how such a ‘successful’ man can die with such a pitiful turn-out at his funeral.
In conclusion, it can be seen that Willy Loman was an extremely flawed individual who had a huge impact on many people’s lives. Overall, he probably had the biggest impact on Biff’s life as Biff has spent his entire life in a dream and, only by the end of the play, has realised that he is “a dime a dozen”. It is through the playwright’s use of characterisation, structure and flashbacks that we can see Willy’s flaws and the effects they have had on both himself and on others.
SS
Thursday, January 04, 2007
DEATH OF A SALESMAN ESSAY
“Death of a Salesman” Essay
Choose a play which underlines how one person’s flaw(s) can have a significant impact on other people as well as himself or herself. Explain briefly the nature of the flaw(s) and then, in detail, assess how much the character and others are affected.
“Death of a salesman”, by Arthur Miller, is a play which follows Willy Loman’s struggle to find success in life. In his desperate attempts to die the “Death of a salesman” he installs the wrong morals into hi sons and has, what many would argue as, the wrong dreams. Willy’s flaws include his volatile nature, his inability to tell the truth and the guilt he suffers from due to his affair. Also, he lives in the past and continually uses this as an escape mechanism. His flaws lead to the both the downfalls of himself and of his sons.
A major flaw of Willy’s character is his mercurial nature which is displayed throughout the play. In the first scene Linda, Willy’s wife, is clearly worried over her husband’s declining mental state. However, all Willy can do is snap at his wife over somewhat petty things. When Linda buys American cheese instead of Swiss Willy proclaims; “I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese.” This is a clear sign of Willy’s temperamental nerve which can snap at any sudden moment.
His volatility causes himself to get confused easily. Willy describes his son Biff as “a lazy bum!” and seconds later “he’s not lazy”. Willy has therefore contradicted himself without being aware of this in the slightest. His temper even leads to him losing his job – something his entire family depend on to survive.
Willy has two sons, Biff (the eldest) and Happy. Willy is continually praising Biff and it is obvious that Willy favours him. Although it is normally important to praise a child, Willy’s flawed outlook on life and success mean that this is not such a positive thing. Willy swears by the importance of personal attractiveness and popularity-he even values this over studying. “Be liked and you’ll never want” – Willy is always enforcing this upon his sons causing them to spend more time on sports than on schoolwork. When Bernard, a friend of the family, warns Biff that: “if you don’t start studyin’ math he’s gonna flunk you” Willy simply shrugs off this instruction as he feels that Biff’s popularity and sport success will alone lead to his success. Ironically, Biff does flunk math, and doesn’t get into university, due to his father installing such morals into his sons. Even when Biff steals a football from his school Willy does not scorn him, but instead congratulates him on his “initiative”. The damage of Willy’s actions here can be seen later in the play when we learn that Biff has since been in jail for stealing.
Willy has many dreams – unfortunately these are all highly unattainable and therefore just set himself and his family up for disappointment. Willy dreams of getting a job in New York and makes his family feel optimistic that this will happen because of the loyalty he has shown his company. However, his boss Howard is dismissive towards him and instead fires him causing great financial problems for both himself and his family. Willy is clearly oblivious to how ruthless and callous the business world is: “You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away – a man is not a piece of fruit.” But in reality Howard can do this, as “business is business”.
Another flaw Willy has is his desperation to leave something tangible behind. He is desperate to plant seeds in his yard but they will not grow due to lack of light. Willy’s comment: “a man has got to add up to something” shows his dire need to prove he is a success, but this is an impossible dream. His flaw of having arguably the wrong dreams causes him to never feel content in life and that he has achieved nothing. This even rubs off on his sons who begin to have impossible dreams too: “The Loman brothers-eh?”
When Willy wrongly claims that he sold five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston” his inability to admit that he is not the big success he strives to be can be seen. His idol Dave Singleman died what Willy describes as “The Death of a Salesman” as he died with people from all over the country at his funeral. Willy longs to die this way to prove that he is “well-liked” This is an unattainable dream as Willy is not popular and is unknown in the business world. Willy’s wife Linda is affected by this as at Willy’s funeral she asks: “Why didn’t anybody come?” showing that she has been fooled by Willy’s lies and is now left confused by how such a ‘successful’ man can die with such a pitiful turn-out st his funeral.
Willy can’t help but escape to the past whenever things go wrong. An ingenious flashback device is used throughout the play to allow readers a closer look into Willy’s deteriorating mental state. When Willy stumbles over the tape recorder in Howard’s office it is accidentally turned on which symbolises Willy’s inability to switch off the past. Whenever something goes wrong in Willy’s life he escapes to a happier time when Biff and Happy loved and respected him. This flaw of using the past as an escape mechanism confuses Willy and the people closest to him. When Willy and his friend Charley are playing cards Willy imagines his deceased brother is there, this confuses Charley and causes Willy to cheat in the card game. Willy ends up calling Charley an “Ignoramus!” and Charley storms out the house. This shows how Willy’s mentality can push away the few friends he has.
Willy soon becomes trapped in a web of lies and cannot stop lying. However, this backfires on him when Howard suggests: “go to your sons and you tell them that you’re tired.” Howard has been convinced that Willy’s sons are a huge success and will be able to help him out, but there is no way they can.
Willy suffers badly from guilt due to an affair he had in the past. This is seen through the symbolism of stockings. Willy gave his secret lover stockings that were originally meant for Linda. Now, whenever he sees Linda mending stockings – due to a serious lack of finance – he gets irritated due to the guilt he feels: “I won’t have you mending stockings in this house!”. This hurts her and she is confused as she is oblivious as to why he is this way with her.
In conclusion, it can be seen that Willy Loman was a very flawed individual who had a huge impact on many people’s lives. Overall, he probably had the biggest impact on Biff’s life as Biff has spent his entire life in a dream and, only by the end of the play, has realised that he is “a dime a dozen”. It is through the playwright’s use of characterisation, structure and flashbacks that we can see Willy’s flaws and the effects they had on both himself and others.
SS
Choose a play which underlines how one person’s flaw(s) can have a significant impact on other people as well as himself or herself. Explain briefly the nature of the flaw(s) and then, in detail, assess how much the character and others are affected.
“Death of a salesman”, by Arthur Miller, is a play which follows Willy Loman’s struggle to find success in life. In his desperate attempts to die the “Death of a salesman” he installs the wrong morals into hi sons and has, what many would argue as, the wrong dreams. Willy’s flaws include his volatile nature, his inability to tell the truth and the guilt he suffers from due to his affair. Also, he lives in the past and continually uses this as an escape mechanism. His flaws lead to the both the downfalls of himself and of his sons.
A major flaw of Willy’s character is his mercurial nature which is displayed throughout the play. In the first scene Linda, Willy’s wife, is clearly worried over her husband’s declining mental state. However, all Willy can do is snap at his wife over somewhat petty things. When Linda buys American cheese instead of Swiss Willy proclaims; “I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese.” This is a clear sign of Willy’s temperamental nerve which can snap at any sudden moment.
His volatility causes himself to get confused easily. Willy describes his son Biff as “a lazy bum!” and seconds later “he’s not lazy”. Willy has therefore contradicted himself without being aware of this in the slightest. His temper even leads to him losing his job – something his entire family depend on to survive.
Willy has two sons, Biff (the eldest) and Happy. Willy is continually praising Biff and it is obvious that Willy favours him. Although it is normally important to praise a child, Willy’s flawed outlook on life and success mean that this is not such a positive thing. Willy swears by the importance of personal attractiveness and popularity-he even values this over studying. “Be liked and you’ll never want” – Willy is always enforcing this upon his sons causing them to spend more time on sports than on schoolwork. When Bernard, a friend of the family, warns Biff that: “if you don’t start studyin’ math he’s gonna flunk you” Willy simply shrugs off this instruction as he feels that Biff’s popularity and sport success will alone lead to his success. Ironically, Biff does flunk math, and doesn’t get into university, due to his father installing such morals into his sons. Even when Biff steals a football from his school Willy does not scorn him, but instead congratulates him on his “initiative”. The damage of Willy’s actions here can be seen later in the play when we learn that Biff has since been in jail for stealing.
Willy has many dreams – unfortunately these are all highly unattainable and therefore just set himself and his family up for disappointment. Willy dreams of getting a job in New York and makes his family feel optimistic that this will happen because of the loyalty he has shown his company. However, his boss Howard is dismissive towards him and instead fires him causing great financial problems for both himself and his family. Willy is clearly oblivious to how ruthless and callous the business world is: “You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away – a man is not a piece of fruit.” But in reality Howard can do this, as “business is business”.
Another flaw Willy has is his desperation to leave something tangible behind. He is desperate to plant seeds in his yard but they will not grow due to lack of light. Willy’s comment: “a man has got to add up to something” shows his dire need to prove he is a success, but this is an impossible dream. His flaw of having arguably the wrong dreams causes him to never feel content in life and that he has achieved nothing. This even rubs off on his sons who begin to have impossible dreams too: “The Loman brothers-eh?”
When Willy wrongly claims that he sold five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston” his inability to admit that he is not the big success he strives to be can be seen. His idol Dave Singleman died what Willy describes as “The Death of a Salesman” as he died with people from all over the country at his funeral. Willy longs to die this way to prove that he is “well-liked” This is an unattainable dream as Willy is not popular and is unknown in the business world. Willy’s wife Linda is affected by this as at Willy’s funeral she asks: “Why didn’t anybody come?” showing that she has been fooled by Willy’s lies and is now left confused by how such a ‘successful’ man can die with such a pitiful turn-out st his funeral.
Willy can’t help but escape to the past whenever things go wrong. An ingenious flashback device is used throughout the play to allow readers a closer look into Willy’s deteriorating mental state. When Willy stumbles over the tape recorder in Howard’s office it is accidentally turned on which symbolises Willy’s inability to switch off the past. Whenever something goes wrong in Willy’s life he escapes to a happier time when Biff and Happy loved and respected him. This flaw of using the past as an escape mechanism confuses Willy and the people closest to him. When Willy and his friend Charley are playing cards Willy imagines his deceased brother is there, this confuses Charley and causes Willy to cheat in the card game. Willy ends up calling Charley an “Ignoramus!” and Charley storms out the house. This shows how Willy’s mentality can push away the few friends he has.
Willy soon becomes trapped in a web of lies and cannot stop lying. However, this backfires on him when Howard suggests: “go to your sons and you tell them that you’re tired.” Howard has been convinced that Willy’s sons are a huge success and will be able to help him out, but there is no way they can.
Willy suffers badly from guilt due to an affair he had in the past. This is seen through the symbolism of stockings. Willy gave his secret lover stockings that were originally meant for Linda. Now, whenever he sees Linda mending stockings – due to a serious lack of finance – he gets irritated due to the guilt he feels: “I won’t have you mending stockings in this house!”. This hurts her and she is confused as she is oblivious as to why he is this way with her.
In conclusion, it can be seen that Willy Loman was a very flawed individual who had a huge impact on many people’s lives. Overall, he probably had the biggest impact on Biff’s life as Biff has spent his entire life in a dream and, only by the end of the play, has realised that he is “a dime a dozen”. It is through the playwright’s use of characterisation, structure and flashbacks that we can see Willy’s flaws and the effects they had on both himself and others.
SS
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