Your comment post should be at least 250 words this week due Thursday by 11:59 pm (worth 70 points) and you will be responsible for responding (respectfully) to one of your classmates in at least a one paragraph reply entries by Sunday at 11:59 pm (worth 30 points).
*Think about the play we have been reading in class. Consider the story overall and really spend some time thinking about what the author's intent was.
In this week's blog, explore the nature of the “American Dream” both as YOU understand it and how it is represented in Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman.
In the play death of a salesman willy loman is a traveling salesman who lives in brooklyn and works in new england. this is a long trip for him to mak. he has done this for many years now and he's now grown restless and has started daydreaming and not paying attention to driving as he should be. he also has two boys who don't really come home very home often. Soon the boys find out that willy is trying to kill himself so the boys and willy’s wife can have the insurance money. This is a very strange take on the American dream. This take on the American dream is different because not everyone can achieve it through hard work. Now a days the chances of making the American dream through hard work alone is very slim. This has been going on for years but nowadays is only gotten worse. Today if you don't lie or cheat your chances of succeeding are very slim very very slim. This is what i think, yet some people know this and still try to do things the honest and just way. I am one of those fools. There are also the people that achieve the American dream through pure chance, the lottery, finding something rare and selling it, or mining and find diamonds (ben) i think all these points are demonstrated in death of a salesman. Such as when ben told biff “never fight fair with a stranger boy, you'll never get outta the jungle that way”.
ReplyDeleteMatt i liked the way you explained the blog this week. I agree with everything you are saying and it all fits perfectly with the American Dream. Willy goes off and does whatever he wants and doesn’t think about anyone else. The world is a crazy place and people don’t realize what they need to do. People all want to be successful but don’t work their way to it.
DeleteIn english we have been reading a play called “Death of a Salesman”. This play has many ups and downs that can get very confusing. The main character, Willy, is dealing with problems of his own that his wife is trying to help him with. He never understands what is going and changes what he says all the time. We also talked about the American Dream, and that is when people have the equal opportunity to be successful through hard work. May people don’t make it through success because they don’t want to put in the work or don’t pick good jobs. The American Dream relates to this play because Willy will not set to a low level. He wants to be successful and he also wants his two boys to be successful too. Willy says to be successful you need to be well liked and good looking. He doesn’t like education has anything to do with success and that is not true at all. Willy looks at life differently and his family can’t take it anymore. Willy and his family are both not happy with how life it going. Just because Willy makes money doesn’t mean you have to be happy. Him and his wife are in two different pages and Willy is a few pages back. His wife wants to make Willys life better but Willy won’t take it and never will. Hes relationship with his two sons are horrible too. They don’t like how willy is with his life and how he doesn’t bother to make it about the family.
ReplyDeleteVery true! I agree! The American dream is when people have the equally opportunity to be successful through hard work. Willy does aim to be successful with his two boys but has a twisted idea on hardwork.
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ReplyDeleteAmerica was founded based on the premise of every man should have the equal natural born rights, justice and the pursuit of happiness. The idea of nothing you say,practice or have will not have any consequences. As industries built up and commercials and ad became more frequent my personal belief is that American became somehow even more materialistic. The American Dream became about have a happy wife in a nice surrounded by a lawn and a picket fence. It was matter if you had a ice tray in your fridge and if your son made variety. Now that times have shifted once again it's a “get rich quick”, getting famous by being at the right place at the right time or hoping you can do your passion for the rest of your life. I personally like to keep things simply, as an young american woman I hope to gain opportunities to do things that make me happy. Thomas Jefferson somehow knew their is a pursuit to being happy, and everyone ideals of happy might differ.
In the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur MIller it is the American Dream is represented by the main character lack of being able to obtain it. He worked very hard all his life and attempted his raise his two sons well. Now both sons are lost and he is working of commission which is very little to none. While his older brother was in Africa at the right place at the right time and ended up being rich. Willy twisted the American Dream and that is shown in the play Death of a Salesman.
The American dream is when people have the equally opportunity to be successful through hard work. Willy does aim to be successful with his two boys but has a twisted idea on hard work.
DeleteThe play "Death of a Salesman" is the view of a man named Willy Loman. His job is to sell something to people. His wife admires him and loves him. The also has two sons named Biff and Happy. Biff is a restless people and can't get settled down. Happy is a lier to make himself better than the rest. This is how the Death of a Salesman plays the American Dream. For some part I agree with the play on how the American dream is. For example this play is based around "The Great Depression" where it is hard for businesses to come up with a lot of money. In Willy's case it is harder because his is own character. Willy is often seen in a Daydream talking to himself about the past. I think of the American Dream is a place where freedom is and were you can grow as a person of character. For example you can be what you want to be like a lawyer, fireman, cop, and much more. You can choose the path you want to go instead of someone tells you what you could be or not. As long as I have been alive (16 years or so) the world has be come more and more arrogant and selfish. The world are be coming more and more cruel, disrespectful, meaningless, and thick-headed. For example some people are greedy and list for money. In my truth full opinion I think as the years go on the American Dream is dead.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Daniel. I didn't even think about the fact that this is set around the time period of the great depression. I agree with your definition of the American Dream. Whatever you want to be or do you should do it whether people like and support it or not.
DeleteI also agree with Daniel as well. I agree with his definition of the American dream 100 percent. its your life. If you want to do something that you want to do, just do it no matter what anybody else thinks. Like I said before even if its flipping burgers at mcdonalds to being a professional athlete, itsa your life and you live it the way you want to. Your American dream.
DeleteThe American dream is when people have the equally opportunity to be successful through hard work. Willy does aim to be successful with his two boys but has a twisted idea on hard work. He believes that they should work in business or for someone. But the American dream you don't have to work for someone you can run your own company or like how Biff wants to own his own ranch. You don't have to be in the city or running around the world like Willy does, and how he wants his son to do. Willy believes that you should be rich and powerful and well-liked. Yes in some people's eyes being rich is very important and u can't have a proper live if ur not . Willy’s brother Ben was his role model he wants his son to be rich and and as brave and well-liked like his brother Ben. A lot of times in a person's life they want to either be like a person or be that person. Willy wishes he was more like Ben rich well-liked. But Willy raises his two sons Biff and Happy to be like Ben. Which set off a bad relationship and a bad parenting skills. Therefore parents believe that they should raise their kids to know money is everything and being rich is important. Willy teaches his sons that in the play. When Biff moves to Texas and isn't making thousands and isn't very known, that makes his dad made . Willy then feels like a failure.
ReplyDeleteThat is the truth, successful is part of the American Dream. You describe it perfectly in the way it is used in the "Death of the Salesman" . Willy does feel he failed because of his sons. I agree with you on this statement you made
DeleteI have come to understand that the American Dream is having the capacity to fulfill one’s ambitions.And in order to this one most have a skillful ability, motivation, dedication, and be willing to work really hard to achieve their American Dream. John D. Rockefeller will be someone who had or lived the American Dream ,for he had analytical skills and adeptness at numbers,Rockefeller and his brother entered the oil business. Which later on led them both to start their own company of standard Oil, and perhaps this is one of U.S successful company in history . Which will make John D. Rockefeller a very wealthy man.Anyway this is not the only reason to why Rockefeller fulfilled the American Dream because as a minor he will help support his family .As well as even being humble enough to loan his savings to his neighbors, even when his savings quantity wasn't very high.And because of this reason this shows how Rockefeller was someone who had dedication and had worked extremely hard to achieve to where he was after his standard oil company.Moving along the way Arthur Miller reperesnts the American Dream in his play, Death of a Salesman will be sort of the same to how normally the American Dream is describe but it has it's few twist when Miller describes it in his book,because Willy wants to achieve the American Dream but he hasn't been successful to do so because the decisions he had made in the past. So this could be way he constantly has this illusions were he likes to think he is actually living in them and has a possibility to change his life and achieve the America Dream.
ReplyDeleteThe American Dream has been viewed and will from now on be looked at differently by every person in America. They may be similar definitions and may use some similar words in our definitions but otherwise we all have different points of views on “The American Dream.” My view of “The American Dream” is that no matter what it may be whether it is a job at McDonalds or a quarterback for an NFL team if you are passionate about your job and passionate about your job and happy with the life you are living then that to me is “The American Dream.” In Death of a Salesman their view of “The American Dream” is basically that you have to be successful and have money to be living the “American” way which I completely disagree with. I don’t think you need money to be successful and happy in life. As long as you’re happy in your life and happy with who you are, who you are with, and what you’re doing then that to me is what the American Dream is. You don’t need to be a millionaire with a 3 story house and a full family to be living the American Dream. You can work a minimum wage job, be a single mom, and have 2 kids living in an apartment and be living the American Dream. In Death of a Salesman it isn’t that way at all which I completely disagree with. But then again, the views of the American Dream are different to everyone and they were probably very different in the 1900s compared to now.
ReplyDeleteIn this week's blog, explore the nature of the “American Dream” both as YOU understand it and how it is represented in Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman.
ReplyDeleteThe ‘American Dream’ can be describe in different ways the way I see it is the big hopes you have for yourself and want to accomplish in your life. This may go for some people who don't have these same opportunities in other places. When I think of it my head is filled with imaginations like having a wonderful job,house etc. This is not always true but the whole point is living a great life while living here in the America. Making the best you can out of your life but many people may have different things to accomplish when you accomplish something it makes you feel great. It should always make you feel like you can do something jobs are a huge impact on the word “American Dream”. In “Death Of a Salesman” the main thing for them was a job and looking good for everyone which was based on getting a good job to make them have enough to pay everything they needed. That was the huge thing that take place the play. The American Dream is part of that that sums up the topic of having a job that is what I think of it.
Kenny figueroa
ReplyDeleteThe book death of a salesman is a book by auther miller and its about a man named willy loman who thinks that being well liked is the most important thing in business. How this book relates to the American dream is that everyone in this country has their own perspective of what the American dream is. For some, the some, the American dream could be winning the lottery or maybe for some its having a family and supporting them. While for others its going to college. No matter what, its your dream, your American dream. In death of a salesman, the American dream is represented throughout the play. Its represented because Willys American dream is what he thinks when he sees his brothers bens life. His car, him being super successful and rich. He thinks that’s the American dream and he wants his sons biff loman and willy loman to be successful like his brother ben was. But the thing with that is that his older son Biff, doesn’t want that dream, he doesn’t want to do business even though hes good at it. Biff wants to live his own life the way he wants to live it and no other way but his father willy loman doesn’t respect that. His father believes that it is idiotic and stupid of his son for believing that. To me, I think that the American dream is anything you want it to be. It can be from flipping burgers at mcdonalds to being a professional athlete in the sport you love the most.