1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
The play, "Death of a Salesman" is a story about the Loman family and their quest to achieve the picture perfect American life. However, the family faces multiple conflicts between each other and ultimately fail at the one thing they were all thriving for, a normal and happy life. The beginning of the play focuses around one of the main characters, Willy. His job is a traveling salesman and he absolutely hates it to pieces. He's been a travelling salesman for the majority of his pathetic life and he is not getting anywhere with his so called profession. He also cheated on his wife years ago but he couldn't get away from the guilt. This leads him to become depressed and often think about suicide. He begins to ignore his wife and get into constant arguments with his oldest son, Biff, who used to make Willy proud (He was the all star football player, a real straight shooter) but now only mirrors his failures. Willy has a second son, Happy, who he gets along with much better. Happy along with Linda (the wife) are the more innocent members of the family who have good intentions towards each other. Linda worries about Willy and his sanity, and tries to have him talk to his boss to get relocated to more local areas. Willy stalls on that conversation with his boss because he knows it will never happen. He's been doing so poor on his sales that he can't even bear to step foot in his boss' office. When Willy finally got the courage to ask his boss to be relocated, he was fired due to his old age and lack of sales. Willy's termination led him to go mad. The mixture of Willy being fired, Biff being a total flake and not being able to keep a job, and Happy wanting to impress everyone to the point of embarrassment sent the family over the edge and Willy into a ditch. The play ends at Willy's funeral where none of the problems the family had faced were solved, leaving them in the same place that they started.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)
CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
Because this piece of work is a play, all of the characterization is indirect. We must learn everything about the characters from what the others say to each other.
Willy speaks to Linda about their son Biff.
WILLY: How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life? A farmhand? In the beginning, when he was young, I thought, well, a young man, it’s good for him to tramp around, take a lot of different jobs. But it’s more than ten years now and he has yet to make thirty-five dollars a week!
LINDA: He’s finding himself, Willy.
WILLY: Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace!
LINDA: Shh!
WILLY: The trouble is he’s lazy, goddammit!
LINDA: Willy, please!
WILLY: Biff is a lazy bum!
Here you can tell how Biff acts based on the conversation between Linda and Willy. They are discussing how they feel he is becoming a failure.
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
Because this story is a play, the author does not have any narrative parts. The diction and syntax all are specific to which character is speaking.
An example of Willy's diction is..
WILLY (with pity and resolve): I’ll see him in the morning; I’ll have a nice talk with him. I’ll get him a job selling. He could be big in no time. My God! Remember how they used to follow him around in high school? When he smiled at one of them their faces lit up. When he walked down the street... (He loses himself in reminiscences.)
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
The main theme in this play is The American Dream as well as guilt. The whole family tries to achieve this picture perfect life but ends up failing in their attempt to look perfect from the outside. While Willy lets the guilt of being an adulterer as well as not living up to his own expectations put him in a depressed and angry state.3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
The expressed tone in the play was monotone. All of the emotions of the characters pretty much stayed the same throughout, including their dialogue.
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)
CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization. Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
Because this piece of work is a play, all of the characterization is indirect. We must learn everything about the characters from what the others say to each other.
Willy speaks to Linda about their son Biff.
WILLY: How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life? A farmhand? In the beginning, when he was young, I thought, well, a young man, it’s good for him to tramp around, take a lot of different jobs. But it’s more than ten years now and he has yet to make thirty-five dollars a week!
LINDA: He’s finding himself, Willy.
WILLY: Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace!
LINDA: Shh!
WILLY: The trouble is he’s lazy, goddammit!
LINDA: Willy, please!
WILLY: Biff is a lazy bum!
Here you can tell how Biff acts based on the conversation between Linda and Willy. They are discussing how they feel he is becoming a failure.
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How? Example(s)?
Because this story is a play, the author does not have any narrative parts. The diction and syntax all are specific to which character is speaking.
An example of Willy's diction is..
WILLY (with pity and resolve): I’ll see him in the morning; I’ll have a nice talk with him. I’ll get him a job selling. He could be big in no time. My God! Remember how they used to follow him around in high school? When he smiled at one of them their faces lit up. When he walked down the street... (He loses himself in reminiscences.)
He is very concerned about Biff but at the same time realizes that he needs a lot of help in the motivation department.
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
The protagonist in the play is Willy Loman and he is a static character. He is one-dimensional as the only thing he wants is the perfect American life. He works and works days on end for the dream but it ultimately gets him nowhere. He is old and his sales aren't up to par so he gets fired. The stress of everything going on eventually leads to his death and he never realizes that the material things aren't important anyways. Willy is also a flat character because he never reached the self realization that a round character would.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
After reading this play I felt as if I definitely read about characters. It was difficult for me to get into the story and take interest in it maybe because the characters were not developed fully in my eyes. Without the description and personal thoughts from a narrator, I felt as if I needed to know more about them.
An example of the dry text that didn't do me any good was,
WILLY (with wonder):I was driving along, you understand? And I was fine. I was even observing the scenery. You can imagine, me looking at scenery, on the road every week of my life. But it’s so beautiful up there, Linda, the trees are so thick, and the sun is warm. I opened the windshield and just let the warm air bathe over me. And then all of a sudden I’m goin’ off the road! I’m tellin’ya, I absolutely forgot I was driving. If I’d’ve gone the other way over the white line I might’ve killed somebody. So I went on again — and five minutes later I’m dreamin’ again, and I nearly... (He presses two fingers against his eyes.) I have such thoughts, I have such strange thoughts.
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
The protagonist in the play is Willy Loman and he is a static character. He is one-dimensional as the only thing he wants is the perfect American life. He works and works days on end for the dream but it ultimately gets him nowhere. He is old and his sales aren't up to par so he gets fired. The stress of everything going on eventually leads to his death and he never realizes that the material things aren't important anyways. Willy is also a flat character because he never reached the self realization that a round character would.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character? Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
After reading this play I felt as if I definitely read about characters. It was difficult for me to get into the story and take interest in it maybe because the characters were not developed fully in my eyes. Without the description and personal thoughts from a narrator, I felt as if I needed to know more about them.
An example of the dry text that didn't do me any good was,
WILLY (with wonder):I was driving along, you understand? And I was fine. I was even observing the scenery. You can imagine, me looking at scenery, on the road every week of my life. But it’s so beautiful up there, Linda, the trees are so thick, and the sun is warm. I opened the windshield and just let the warm air bathe over me. And then all of a sudden I’m goin’ off the road! I’m tellin’ya, I absolutely forgot I was driving. If I’d’ve gone the other way over the white line I might’ve killed somebody. So I went on again — and five minutes later I’m dreamin’ again, and I nearly... (He presses two fingers against his eyes.) I have such thoughts, I have such strange thoughts.
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