The American Dream in Death of a Salesman Essay Example for Free

The American Dream in Death of a Salesman Essay Consideration of colour, text size and font Present an analysis of issues and ideas linked to your class texts and areful choice of hyperlinks relating to these subjects Visual representations of your chosen and ideas Character section should profile one charcter from each of your texts, detailing their background, interests, etc Compose a blog with at least three messages on a topic relevant to an issue linked to your study ISSUES : The American Dream The American Dream is an issue portrayed through different aspects and characters in Death of a Salesman. Through the play, failed visions of the American Dream are contrasted with the successful ones, highlighting the abstract quality and implications of such delusions. Willy is unable to accept the disparity between his belief in his diminutive version of the dream and his own life. The failure of Willy’s dream is indicative of the fact that the bewildered circle of American society has broken down his personal relationships, and also that the society is unstable. This reveals the tragic side of the American Dream, where it does not bring anticipation, but affliction. In contrary to this, the play also demonstrates the prosperous version of the American Dream, through Willy’s brother, Ben, whose wealth is an example of tangible success. Ben is not alive and is a figment of Willy’s troubled imagination. He gloats and says, ‘Why, boys, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God, I was rich!’ The material wealth and pervasiveness of capitalism in American society drives Ben into giving up his intention of looking for his father, and instead, flourishing economically. Willy associates Ben with qualities that he himself severely lacks Realtiy vs Illusion Willy has dreams of material success, notoriety and has a misguided notion of the American Dream. These hopes dwarf the other aspects of his mentality and ultimately result in a psychological descent. He is then unable to distinguish his wild dreams and unattainable goals from the harsh reality of the present. Willy attempts to convince his sons that he is well-liked: ‘ and know me,boys, they know me up and down New England†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This demonstrates that he is discernibly delusional, as he is neither well-liked nor known. The pressure of striving for success becomes evident in Willy, where he becomes immoral, harsh and illogical. His intense desire for gaining respect results in reliving past memories and triumphs to boost his ego, which is adopted by his family, much to their detriment. His son Biff suffers through immense embarrassment and shame derived from his father’s failed hopes, distorting his own sense of purpose and reality. The Loman’s all live in a world of illusions, and their issues mostly revolve around Willy. Linda encourages Willy’s inflated sense of self by providing false compliments and the negative aspects of his personality. Abandonment and Betrayal The issues of abandonment and betrayal are prominent in Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman’s father and brother abandoned him as a child, leaving him emotionally unstable. This rendered him to be extremely deficient in terms of nurturing his children and emotional comfort. The betrayal from such a young age resulted in a lack of morals and an unhealthy perception of life, which would most likely have been non-existent with the presence of a father figure. Willy is evidently desperate for memories of his father: ‘No, Ben! Please tell me about Dad.’ As his fear of abandonment grows, Willy attempts to raise flawless children, reflecting his inability to understand reality. Even though he is set on Biff’s imminent success, Biff betrays him and he refuses to accept his father’s unattainable, dementia-driven dreams for him. Another example of betrayal in Death of a Salesman is when Willy, who fears betrayal from his family, ironically betrays Linda, by having an affair with another woman and also buying stockings for her. At this time, stockings were expensive and Willy’s unfaithfulness to his wife was shown when he bought stockings for a strange woman, rather than for Linda. At the end of the play, Willy ends up abandoning his own family, by committing suicide. SUMMARY ‘Death of a Salesman’ is a tragic play which explores the concept of material success, reputation and dreams. Willy Loman is a man who is chasing his unattainable goals and whose mind lives in the past. His mind is set on materialistic achievements, so much that his dreams are passed on to his family, as well. The Lomans are a family of delusional people – a family of lies and deceit. In the end, Willy is unable to abstain from reality anymore, and ultimately, results in him committing suicide. This play demonstrates the effect of the ‘American Dream’ and how people’s dreams can be shattered by false promises in their business lives and also their personal relationships. Willy LOMAN – character profile Name: Willy Loman Age: 45-55 years old Present Family: Linda Loman, Biff Loman, Happy Loman Profession: He has been a traveling salesman of the lowest position for 34 years Interests and goals: His dream is to become like Dave Singleman, who was a very popular salesman. He wants to be successful in life, and to be known to everyone as a great salesman. Background: His father and his brother abandoned him as an infant.

Coors :: essays research papers

The Coors company got started when Adolph Coors and was 15 years old when he tool a ship to New York form Germany in 1868. With his savings and with the help of a partner, he started developing a brewery. Which took place in 1882. Then he bought his partner out and Adolph Coors started running on his own. As Adolph’s progress was going, people started to fight the sins of drinking and along came prohibition. Because of prohibition Adolph turned his brewery into making porcelain and selling malted milk instead of making beer. Adolph during the WWI he had to work really hard to get drinking legal again because of prohibition. His son Adolph Jr. Coors had help his father keep the business and to keep it running in the 1920’s. Adolph Jr.’s father died in June of 1929, the age of 82, as he was on vacation with his wife. While his wife was trying to get over influenza. They were unsure of his of his death; it could have been suicide. But after his death he left his ch ildren 2 million dollars and the brewery. 1933 prohibition was repealed. One of few breweries that actually lasted. During 1933 Adolph Coors Jr. took over the business after his father died. During the great depression Adolph the 3rd got ready to join the brewery business and also Joe and Bill joined too. There was a one-week strike from labor force. Many people thought that Coors discriminated against blacks, women, and homosexuals. Joe and his family plus his business was not publicly scared because of Joe Coors expressing his views and onions open. In the 1977 Coors business workers went on strike against lie detector tests, personal trust, and like searches discrimination everyone protested against Coors beer. It was almost 10 years before the boycotts against Coors ended.

Famine, Affluence, and Morality Essay

Whilst reading Singers ideas of a global village in which a person is obligated to aid someone in need regardless of proximity, has moral bearing, but also portrays a rather one sided view of what we consider as â€Å"helping† other starving nations in need. For example, approximately 1 in 8 Americans live below the poverty line, in saying this; the question comes to mind, why we should be concerned with poverty in other nations without first worrying about our own problems. When presented with Singers views concerning helping other third world nations and the guilty spirit he implies through his article, it is imperative that the reader not get so wrapped up into what’s best for the global community and start thinking what’s best for each sovereign nation. I do not fully disagree with the points presented by Peter Signer, but, I feel that industrialized nations such as America are facing their own problems that must be resolved first before we can start worrying about other nations. For example, American families are being forced to pay interest on a debt that was created out of thin air, by this I am referring to the current economic institution known as the Federal Reserve which has been a â€Å"thorn† in the side of every taxpaying American, it was the federal reserve act of 1913, which would force the American people into Inflation, Deflation, never ending debt, slavery, and bondage through money created out of thin air and sold to the treasury, at interest, for its bonds, which are guaranteed by the American taxpayer. According to the Human poverty index, the United States ranked 16th, which is one rank below the United Kingdom (Thoren & Warner, pg. 23). I feel these problems should be solved first, before we concern ourselves with what is happening with other countries around the world. Whilst arguing what I feel will be of the most benefit to the country in which I live, I feel that once these problems are solved, it would be wise to help other nations, not just because of the business relationships that could develop through such processes, but also because of the global image such feats would produce. For example, during World War two, America developed a weapon that’s strength was unknown until its time, the Atomic Bomb. The Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, and in an effort to reduce tension between the United States and those notions within the region of Hiroshima, the United States helped rebuild Hiroshima. The point in all this being that by helping other nations the United States can acquire new allies and develop lasting business relationships. Furthermore, Peter Singer claims that although there is a common distinction between duty and supererogation, this does not justify such a distinction. I feel that it is morally right to contribute to those nations which are less fortunate than we are, but this view of morality must be in accordance with a moral code the ordinary man can relate to. For instance, the ordinary man, being asked to do things he/she considers unnecessary, could result in a general breakdown of compliance amongst the citizens of that particular country. As stated earlier, there must be a balance between the amount of aid we permit other countries to have, and the amount of aid we give ourselves. How can one nation help another, if that nation is suffering from the same conditions? It is imperative to the survival of America that its economic system is sound, and its industry provides enough decent paying jobs for its citizens. Considering Americas current situation, I strongly feel that certain major problems, such as unemployment and the country’s economic system should be the first priority, then helping other countries in need would be the second most important priority. Singer’s article contains many parallels with the pervious viewpoints discussed, on page six he state â€Å"We ought to be preventing as much suffering as we can without sacrificing something else of comparable value (Singer, pg 5).† This statement contains much wisdom. Singers view point considering those citizens who have accumulated extraordinary amounts of wealth, and the need for them to give there surplus wealth to the less fortunate closely resembles the theology of many religious institutions. While although I believe that those citizens that are more fortunate than others should be more swayed to donate an amount greater than those individuals who are less fortunate, I do not believe they should be obligated to do so. If those individuals, who worked hard, and accumulated an extraordinary, amount of wealth, were forced to donate more than those who are less fortunate, the system itself would be incredibly flawed. Many people forget that many of those individuals who have accumulated vast amounts of wealth did so through running a successful business, which, in some instances, employs a great number of people. When forcing such individuals to donate more, employee wages could be affected. In conclusion, while I do not agree with every point made by Mr. Peter Singer, I feel that helping developing nations is an essential aspect in developing peaceful relationships amongst nations. Furthermore, it is essential that citizens involved in helping developing countries should not be forced to pay more than they can afford without reducing their standard of living. It is imperative that underdeveloped nations receive the help needed, but also the citizens contributing to those nations donate an amount that can be agreed upon. References Thoren & Warner. The Truth in Money Book. Chagrin Falls: Ohio, 1986 Signer, Peter. Famine, Affluence, and Morality. Philosophy and Public Affairs 1972

Vampire Vs. Vampire Myth - 2146 Words

Vampires within literature and film traditionally follow a similar archetype of what a vampire consists of and the traits they harbor. Many European and Western vampire narratives share similar appearances, habits and afflictions. Most readers and viewers are extensively familiar with what they believe a vampire to be most often comparing these vampires to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Dracula is the quintessential example of modern vampires and has a significant and lasting impact on the genre of vampires both from the novel and subsequent films. Simply put, most individuals are familiar with the traditional vampire, who is generally a fair skinned male that drinks the blood from victim’s necks with sharp pointy fangs. These vampires are most often depicted as being fearful of Christian symbolism, being deterred with crosses and holy water. Traditional vampire novels provide a framework that fill us with preconceived notions of what it means to be a vampire yet there are many examples of the vampire myth within other novels that attempt to turn this narrative on it’s head and change what we believe to be a true vampire. This archetypal vampire exists differently in many cultures around the world and every society has a different conception of what a vampire is. The myth of the vampire allows individuals to connect with a dark, mysterious part of themselves. This myth is often associated with sexuality and gender roles, showing a development over time. Due to the fact thatShow MoreRelatedThe Narrative Of The New Zealand1495 Words   |  6 Pageslives of three vampires, Viago, Deacon and Vladislav as they struggle to try to cope with the complexities of modern life. 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Dracula is a Vampire/Victorian book that expresses a lot of elements for example: symbolism. Literary terms such as gothic and romantics are terms used to discuss, classify, and analyze novels, poetry, and books like Drac ula. These terms are the mostRead MoreLiterary Elements Of Bram Stoker s Dracula1994 Words   |  8 PagesVampire stories are full of mystery and suspense and also very interesting, but did you know that the story of Dracula has plenty of literary elements that better help the reader analyze and understand the story better than before. Dracula is a Vampire/Victorian book that expresses a lot of elements for example: symbolism. Literary terms are terms used to discuss, classify, and analyze novels, poetry, and books like Dracula. These terms are the most important aspects in a piece of work. ThroughoutRead MoreHow I Read Literature Like A Professor Notes3177 Words   |  13 Pagesolder figures violated younger girls †¢ The vampire leaves his mark on the victim/ steals innocence †¢ The vampire is corrupted with older values †¢ Victim gets stripped away of youth, energy and virtue †¢ Death/destruction of victim †¢ Vampirism symbols- selfishness and exploitation †¢ Scary things (ghosts, vampires, etc.) symbolize various aspects of our more common reality †¢ Ghosts and vampires are always about something other than their selves †¢ Vampires and ghosts gain strength by weakening someoneRead MoreTwilight: Book vs. Movie Essay example2328 Words   |  10 PagesTwilight: Book vs. Movie When comparing the book Twilight, written by Stephanie Meyers, with the movie Twilight, screenplay written by Melissa Rosenberg and produced by Catherine Hardwicke, there are multiple visual differences between the two. Some important scenes were changed or even omitted from the original text, leaving noticeable gaps in the movie’s plot. There are big and important differences, which are obvious, while there are also less important differences between them such as names