Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman, written in the years following World War II (WWII), is widely considered to be among Americas most celebrated theatrical works. Willy Loman, the plays protagonist, is a salesman whose dwindling commission can no longer afford to maintain the lifestyle his family leads. As the plot unravels, what is revealed is a contrarian depiction of the American Dream, the notion that wealth, material comfort, and the happiness they supposedly provide can be attained with hard work. The play was massively popular because it shed light on what many Americans felt was an unrealistic pressure placed on their shoulders; rather than work to be happy, Americans were working to be financially wealthy. The discontent of Willy and his descent into darkness, both moral and mental, embodied the reality of the American middle class. Life in American pop culture was a saccharine, morally whitewashed stereotype, presenting expectations to which few could live up. Pressured to work and achieve the financial successes expected in a post-war society that covets monetary excess, Willy is slowly driven into a state of emotional and mental ruin. Essentially, Willy dies doing all the right things a typical American man in the Post-War Era ought to. Scholar Gerald Weales asserts that for Miller, Willys tragedy lies in the fat that he had an alternative he did not take, [and] having chosen the wrong star he reached fro it until he died of stretching. A significant part of the plays popularity is grounded in this clash of ideology the sparring concepts of American wealth and prosperity with individuality and reality. Terry Otten writes in Temptation of Innocence in the Dramas of Arthur Miller that Death of a Salesman, probably more than any other dramatic play, provokes critical [arguments] about the viability of tragedy in the modern age and particularly in American culture. Willys descent is found in all aspects of his life, from the stock character of the nuclear family to gainful employment and the desire to achieve and earn more in life. Members of his immediate family his wife, Linda, and his youngest son, Happy, in particular reinforce the notions that drive Willy into his state of despair. Ironically, Willy can never shake himself free of the shackles he fastens to his own life by holding onto the illusory notion that he can somehow become wealthy by simply living life the way he thinks it should be lived. He still looks up to Ben, an older relative who built his wealth off African diamond mines. The only Loman to leave material gain behind is Willys eldest son, Biff, who with his work in Texas represents the agrarian icon of American life glorified before financial gain dominated the cultural zeitgeist. Consequently, Willy looks down on him to a degree, concluding that Biff can never attain the dream in his current role. Ironically, Biff is perhaps the sole character in the play to accurately observe what happens to his father, and disillusioned by Willys state, decides to seek his own path to happiness and the American Dream. The concept of the dream is something that is debilitating to Willy; the more he pursues it, the further he descends, growing increasingly delusional in his encounters with his sons. His moral fiber, a concept valued possibly even more in Protestant America than money, wanes as he takes on a mistress despite his wifes devotion. In keeping with the concept of materialism eroding the human spirit and morality, Biff, the character least associated with Willys lifestyle, is the one to gain the most from Willys suicide, a path upon which the salesman ventured in order to provide his eldest son with a life insurance settlement. At the end of the play, it is revealed that Linda has made the final payments on the house she and Willy spent their lives paying off, stating that they are finally free. Arthur Millers story of the destruction of a middle class American worker follows the structure of a classic protest play, or a stage play with a social message. Dan Vogel writes on the complexity of Willys character and the plot at large, stating that despite Willys end, his story is not necessarily a tragedy since Death of a Salesman merely tells the story of a little man succumbing to his environment, rather than a great man destroyed through his greatness; there is no question of grandeur in such a tragedy. I. R. Choudhuri notes the irony of the American Dream is what draws its audience, stating that democracy proclaims the individual in society to be free, and American democracy, in addition, approves the myth of [Willys] infinite success and happiness; and yet, these same laws and social conventions constrain and frustrate him in what he has come to believe as the birth-right of a member of the greatest open society. For Choudhuri, Millers approach to the theme of the play is drawn through undistinguished citizens, everyman-type characters whose appeal to the typical American audience is in their mundane nature. Willys circumstances are not outlandish and fantastical. He is not a Danish prince avenging the death of his father, nor is he a Moor in Venice struggling against the machinations of a society that ostracizes him. Lomans downfall is perhaps the most appealing part of the play and the component of Millers work that made Death of a Salesman so popular. Willys demise is not something out of a fairy tale it is by his own hand metaphorically and in the end quite literally. Loman cuts himself off from any help he might get from his neighbor, his sons, and his wife; unsure even of his performance as a salesman should he act the rugged individualist or play at casual charm? Willy feels deeply guilty about his past performances as a breadwinner, father, and husband. The pressure placed on Willy warps the values of the family and leaves the protagonist unsure of his identity, which leads to his destruction and ultimately made the play palatable for an audience who may very well have been a collection of Lomans. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bigsby, C.W.E. (2000) Modern American Drama, 1945-2000. Cambridge: Cambridge U P. Bloom, Harold (ed). (1991) Willy Loman. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. Bloom, Harold (ed). (1996) Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. Bloom, Harold (ed). (2000) Arthur Miller. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers. McConachie, Bruce. (2003) American Theater in the Culture of the Cold War: Producing and Contesting Containment. Iowa City: U of Iowa P. Miller, Arthur. (2005) Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Books. Otten, Terry. (2002) Temptation of Innocence in the Dramas of Arthur Miller. Columbia: U of Missouri P.

Time Management Essay -- Lifestyle Living

'Things that matter most should never be at the mercy of thing that matter least'. We let this happen much too often. Many of us waste our time on things that are neither important nor necessary, instead of using that time for things that are significant. Time management is not only how to get more out of your time, but really how to become a better person. Time is a very hard thing to manage, because we can neither see it or feel it until it has passed. Before we can manage our time we must know exactly what time is. The dictionary describes it as, the duration of one's life; the hours and days which a person has at his disposal. How we dispose of that time is time management. It's the way we spend our time to organize and execute around our priorities. Remember just because time is intangible doesn't mean that it is not valuable. I want to teach you about the background of time management, the different styles and how to use them, and how it will change your life. Background Time management today is not as it was in the past. It has grown with time. Stephen R. Covey places time management into four generations. He feels it has evolved the same way society has. Each generation grows on the one before it. For example, the agriculture revolution was followed by the industrial revolution, which was then followed by the informational revolution. The first wave or generation is basically notes and checklist. Which really only identifies the demands placed on our time and energy. Calendars and appointment books characterize the second generation. This reflects an attempt to look ahead. The third generation is current time management field. It?s the last two generations with the ideas of prioritization, clarifying values, and comparing the worth of activities. It also includes the idea of making a specific plan to accomplish goals and activities that we determined to be of value. Because this all may be too restricting for people they turn to the previous genera tions to preserve relationships, and spontaneity. And the last generation, which is just beginning to emerge, is a different type of time management. The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves. The generation focuses on relationships and results. Time management is forever changing. We each see it in our own way. It has been used since the start of time and will only improve. Just beca... ...nd this style of time management to be the best. It incorporates the best of time management styles and combines them altogether in a very logical easy to understand manner. How Does It Change Your Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Learning how to manage your time and successfully applying it to your life will liberate you. Really, time is the freedom and power we need to better ourselves. Once time management has become a way of life you will find your self-living a more relaxed lifestyle. Your whole life will become less stressful. While some stress is useful, it can help in focusing and increasing efficiency; too much stress creates problems. In fact, 70% of medical visits are stress related. Time management may very well improve you health. It may improve your career by helping you to be able to plan the use of your time so that tasks can be completed in timely manner, and so time is available for planning, thinking, and reflection. It will indubitably better your social life by giving you more time to spend with loved one. Also it will give you more personal time to yourselves. Because we are managing such a precious commodity that is time, the way it effects ourselves is endless and pr iceless.

Engage in Personal Development in Health, Social Care or Children’s and Young Peoples Setting

As a childminder I have a duty to be registered and inspected with Ofsted. This ensures that I am working to the high quality and standard as required by Ofsted and the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is my duty is to ensure that I provide consistently high levels of childcare, within a safe, positive, warm and happy environment where children always feel welcome. I have a duty to plan supervised activities for the children, to enable them to learn and develop at their own pace within the EYFS as appropriate for their individual age groups.I am also responsible for completion of all relevant paperwork adhering to guidelines to maintain constant structure of my childminding practice and implementing any additional requirements as they occur. It is paramount to my childminding practice to continue to perform all of these duties to give parents peace of mind that their child/children are receiving the correct level of care and support to flourish in their own individual learning.To pro mote and maintain high levels of professionalism whilst carrying out my work. To ensure I provide a safe environment for the children at all times.To carry out risk assessments on areas used for childminding within my home and garden area, and also of any places regularly visited and review these on a regular basis. To implement and update policies and procedures keeping in line with Ofsted’s guidance. Prepare and provide healthy balanced meals for children whilst being aware of any child’s individual dietary requirements. To maintain discipline of all children within my care encouraging positive behaviour at all times. To build and maintain good relationships with any people involved with the children’s lives, parents/teachers/social workers etc.I must be aware of any signs and symptoms of potential abuse and the current legislative procedures for reporting it. I need to be taking children in my care to childminding groups and playgroups to allow them interacti on with other children. I must make, maintain and implement plans covering long-term, medium-term and short-term to offer varied activities to stimulate children’s learning in different areas. I am required to make observations of children in my care to allow a picture to build on their learning abilities to assist in my planning of activities and to highlight any areas of difficulty children maybe experiencing to allow help to be sort as required. Mainly responsible for giving children within my care the best possible environment for them to thrive and feel safe whilst away from their carers/parents.1.2 Complete the table below describing how the relevant standards apply to your role Relevant Standards Expectations of your own work role EYFSNational Minimum Standards for Regulated Childcare (Wales)National Occupational StandardsJob DescriptionCommon CoreCode of Conduct

Babylonian Mathematics and the Base 60 System

Babylonian Mathematics and the Base 60 System Babylonian mathematics used a sexagesimal (base 60) system that was so functional it remains in effect, albeit with some tweaks, in the 21st century. Whenever people tell time or make reference to the degrees of a circle, they rely on the base 60 system. Base 10 or Base 60 The system surfaced circa 3100 BCE, according to The New York Times. â€Å"The number of seconds in a minute - and minutes in an hour - comes from the base-60 numeral system of ancient Mesopotamia,† the paper noted. Although the system has stood the test of time, it is not the dominant numeral system used today. Instead, most of the world relies on the base 10 system of Hindu-Arabic origin. The number of factors distinguishes the base 60 system from its base 10 counterpart, which likely developed from people counting on both hands. The former system uses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, and 60 for base 60, while the latter uses 1, 2, 5, and 10 for base 10. The Babylonian mathematics system may not be as popular as it once was, but it has advantages over the base 10 system because the number 60 â€Å"has more divisors than any smaller positive integer,† the Times pointed out. Instead of using times tables, the Babylonians multiplied using a formula that depended on knowing just the squares. With only their table of squares (albeit going up to a monstrous 59 squared), they could compute the product of two integers, a and b, using a formula similar to: ab [(a b)2 - (a - b)2]/4. The Babylonians even knew the formula that’s today known as the Pythagorean theorem. History Babylonian math has roots in the numeric system started by the Sumerians, a culture that began about 4000 BCE in Mesopotamia, or southern Iraq, according to ​USA Today. â€Å"The most commonly accepted theory holds that two earlier peoples merged and formed the Sumerians,† USA Today reported. â€Å"Supposedly, one group based their number system on 5 and the other on 12. When the two groups traded together, they evolved a system based on 60 so both could understand it.† That’s because five multiplied by 12 equals 60. The base 5 system likely originated from ancient peoples using the digits on one hand to count. The base 12 system likely originated from other groups using their thumb as a pointer and counting by using the three parts on four fingers, as three multiplied by four equals 12. The main fault of the Babylonian system was the absence of a zero. But the ancient Maya’s vigesimal (base 20) system had a zero, drawn as a shell. Other numerals were lines and dots, similar to what is used today to tally. Measuring Time Because of their mathematics, the Babylonians and Maya had elaborate and fairly accurate measurements of time and the calendar. Today, with the most advanced technology ever, societies still must make temporal adjustments - almost 25 times per century to the calendar and a few seconds every few years to the atomic clock. There’s nothing inferior about modern math, but Babylonian mathematics may make a useful alternative to children who experience difficulty learning their times tables.

Free Essays on Technology In The Classroom

Technology in the Classroom The best method for improving educational standards is to utilize every tool available, including state-of-the-art technology. The effects of implementing technology in education would be extremely beneficial and crucial in today’s growing technological world. Such effects would include expanding the way information is delivered, providing distance education, and new educational programs. Computers and the Internet have expanded the way in which information can be delivered to the students of today. Today's networking technologies provide a valuable opportunity to practice new learning techniques. In effect, educators are discovering that computers are facilitating learning. Computer based communications, or telecommunications, can offer many educational opportunities; therefore, educators will need to adapt current teaching methods to incorporate this new media into the classroom. Computers have made a fundamental impact in most industries, providing a competitive advantage that has come to be essential to many businesses. Therefore, schools must also use technology to improve the educational process. School systems often consider purchasing a computer network, and justify its purchase by applying it to routine administrative tasks, such as attendance records and grading. While these tasks are very important, they only show a small part of what technology can do for a school. The effects of technology must go further than simply keeping attendance; it must focus on keeping students interested and productive. Since computers and the Internet have expanded in such a way in which education can be delivered to students, it is currently possible to engage in "distance education through the Internet. Distance education involves audio and video links between teachers and students in remote areas. Video conferencing allows groups to communicate with each ot... Free Essays on Technology In The Classroom Free Essays on Technology In The Classroom Technology in the Classroom The best method for improving educational standards is to utilize every tool available, including state-of-the-art technology. The effects of implementing technology in education would be extremely beneficial and crucial in today’s growing technological world. Such effects would include expanding the way information is delivered, providing distance education, and new educational programs. Computers and the Internet have expanded the way in which information can be delivered to the students of today. Today's networking technologies provide a valuable opportunity to practice new learning techniques. In effect, educators are discovering that computers are facilitating learning. Computer based communications, or telecommunications, can offer many educational opportunities; therefore, educators will need to adapt current teaching methods to incorporate this new media into the classroom. Computers have made a fundamental impact in most industries, providing a competitive advantage that has come to be essential to many businesses. Therefore, schools must also use technology to improve the educational process. School systems often consider purchasing a computer network, and justify its purchase by applying it to routine administrative tasks, such as attendance records and grading. While these tasks are very important, they only show a small part of what technology can do for a school. The effects of technology must go further than simply keeping attendance; it must focus on keeping students interested and productive. Since computers and the Internet have expanded in such a way in which education can be delivered to students, it is currently possible to engage in "distance education through the Internet. Distance education involves audio and video links between teachers and students in remote areas. Video conferencing allows groups to communicate with each ot...

Lit short paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lit short paper - Essay Example He goes on further to say that he loves not only the Supreme but also the infinitely small – the thimble, spurs, plates and flower vases. The Supreme would point to god and that adoration comes naturally to creatures of God (which would include the poem himself). The enumeration of the above objects point to a consideration of their usefulness. The reader is given an inkling next of the poet as being a man who smokes. He starts the stanza by saying â€Å"For heaven’s sake, the planet is beautiful† as though to imply that it goes without saying that the world we live in is not only beautiful but filled with things like â€Å"smoking pipes cupped in the hand† which are sources of enjoyment for men (and also for women). This rather long stanza goes on to mention other things not only useful to man but handmade by man – keys, salt cellars. This is followed by a description of the intricacies that make up the things stated – the curve of the shoe, the weave, the smokiness of chairs. He does not stop here. He continues enumerating other things that man needs to make life easy and clean and comfortable – spectacles, nail, brooms, clocks, compasses and coins. In the next stanza which is shorter, he marvels at the multitude of pure things has made of wool, wood, glass, rope, tables, ships and stairs. Then the poet waxes sentimental when he remembers feathers, love’s blossoms vanished – glasses, knives, scissors that bear â€Å"finger marks of a distant hand†. It seems that the poet associates these things within easy reach with someone else’s hand – probable that of the loved one who is no longer around. He writes of them as â€Å"lost in the most forgotten oblivion†. How strange that he banishes them to oblivion and yet remembers them. Is he applying reverse psychology here? Sadly, he looks for objects he loves but does not own in houses, streets, elevators

Research and Analysis of Business Problems Essay - 2

Research and Analysis of Business Problems - Essay Example , the superficial view is quite deceptive as the company is facing challenges in the forms of union problems, huge debts and environmental ripples like price rise, etc. In this report I have presented an overview of the problems and tried to evaluate and analyze them. The prime problem at Ford is its debt. Concerned about the financials of the company, the management has decided to reduce the existing workforce in order to reduce the annual payroll budget and thus achieve some financial relief. This in turn has triggered employee unrest and has troubled the management-union relationship at Ford. It has been suggested that the company should take to brainstorming sessions through joint management councils to sort out problems and adopt a collaborative approach to find the solutions. Collective bargaining should be patronized to appease the employees and white collar compensation should be reduced to gain their confidence. The company should divest and at the same time protect employee rights through regulatory contracts. Ford Motor Company (Ford), headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, is a global leader in the automotive industry. The company has manufacturing facilities and distribution network spread over six continents. Globally it has 90 plants a workforce of more than 200000 employees (Ford Motor Company-a, n.d., â€Å"Ford Global†). Currently the company follows General Motors (GM) and stands at second position in terms of sales volume (Freep-a, 2010, â€Å"January Auto Sales†). The corporate goal of Ford, as reflected through its mission statement, is "to become the worlds leading Consumer Company for automotive products and services" (Samples-Help, 2006, â€Å"Ford Motor Company Mission Statement†). Ford has also encapsulated its organizational plans and goals in the form of â€Å"One Ford Mission† (Ford-a, n.d., â€Å"One Ford†). According to this composite statement, Ford wants to work as a goal oriented team which strives to attain automotive leadership