Death+of+a+Salesman

=//Death of a Salesman// by Arthur Miller= To begin our study of the play, we will be reading and discussing Marge Piercy's poem and analyzing one of Edward Hopper's paintings.


 * Marge Piercy - "To Be of Use"**

jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.** the black sleek heads of seals bouncing like half-submerged balls.**
 * The people I love the best
 * They seem to become natives of that element,

= =  What kind of people does the speaker like? Why use the comparison (metaphor) to a swimmer or seals?

who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again.
 * I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,

I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest** who are not parlor generals and field deserters but move in a common rhythm when the food must come in or the fire be put out.**
 * and work in a row and pass the bags along,

 What effect does the image of people working in a row have on your understanding of the work the speaker describes?

Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust. But the thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident. Greek amphoras for wine or oil,** but you know they were made to be used. The pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real.**
 * The work of the world is common as mud.
 * Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums

 Explain the simile "as common as mud." What does it tell us about work? Why use the reference to Greek amphoras and Hopi vases?  Overall, what does the speaker tell us about what makes work valuable? Here is Edward Hopper's "Office at Night."

 What observations can you make about the painting? Describe all that you see. Based on what you can see, what conclusions might you draw? For instance, what can you tell about the relationship between the woman and man in the painting based on how she stands, how he sits, etc.? What do the colors, especially the light and darks convey about the scene? What conclusions can you draw about the work that these individuals are engaged in?


 * __WRITING ASSIGNMENT__**

//Death of a Salesman //: Writing Assignment Act 1/part 1 We have examined Edward Hopper’s “Office at Night” painting. You read the scene in which Biff and Happy complain about their working lives and you have observed the way Willy avoids or covers up the truth about his life. **__What do the painting and the play have to say about the price one might have to pay to gain success in the workplace?__** The essay should be organized into a thesis statement and 2 body paragraphs: ** 1st : form a **THESIS ** that says **__what both the painting and play say about the price__** an individual might have to pay in order to achieve success in the workplace.
 * 
 * Thesis:**

2nd: form a **TOPIC SENTENCE ** about what the Painting has to say about the price one might have to pay to achieve success in the workplace.
 * Topic Sentence #1: What price does the individual in the painting seem to be paying? **

__**To develop the paragraph **: find 3 specific details from the painting that you will comment on in your analysis. What visual details in the composition tell us something about the price the man is paying in order to achieve success in his work?
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';">Details that you will use to SHOW the price: **

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';"> __

3rd form a **<span style="border-right: windowtext 1pt solid; padding-right: 0in; border-top: windowtext 1pt solid; padding-left: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; border-left: windowtext 1pt solid; padding-top: 0in; border-bottom: windowtext 1pt solid; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;">TOPIC SENTENCE ** about what the PLAY has to say about the price Willy, Biff, or Happy is playing in an attempt to achieve success in the workplace.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';">Topic Sentence #2: What does (Willy or Biff or Happy) do to try to achieve success and what price does your character seem to be paying for trying to be successful? **


 * <span style="border-right: windowtext 1pt solid; padding-right: 0in; border-top: windowtext 1pt solid; padding-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; padding-bottom: 0in; border-left: windowtext 1pt solid; line-height: 115%; padding-top: 0in; border-bottom: windowtext 1pt solid; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif'; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;">To develop the paragraph **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';">: find 3 specific details from the play that you will comment on in your analysis (use at least one-two examples, one-two quotations). Keep your main focus on ONE character (either Willy, Biff, or Happy) and show his actions and the consequences of those actions as he attempts to be a success.

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';">QUOTE: **
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';">EXAMPLE: **
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';">QUOTE: **
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Garamond Pro','serif';">EXAMPLE:

FINAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT: REGENTS PRACTICE **

Regents Practice Task IV: The Critical Lens For this part of the test, you will be given a quotation, called a __Critical Lens__. Here is an example of one: // There is but one cause of human failure. And this is man’s lack of faith in his true self. // Your job is to: <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Provide a valid interpretation of the quote <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Agree or disagree with the statement <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Use two works of literature to support your position on the quote <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Use two literary elements or techniques in the discussion of the literary works Here is what you can do to get started: <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Circle all the key words in the quote (the critical lens) <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Rewrite the statement in your own words <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Think about how the literature you have read can be used to agree or disagree with the quotation <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Begin writing with: According to the quotation/statement, “Quote the lens.” <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Next sentence: The statement/the author claims/suggests/implies that (put the statement in your own words; this will count as an interpretation.) <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Agree/disagree <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· NAME the TWO works of literature & give authors’ names for the works you will use to write your essay.

// There is but one cause of human failure. And this is man’s lack of faith in his true self. // Try working with the quotation that appears in the box above:

Now, let’s see how //Death of a Salesman// can help us to develop an essay in response to the quote: Examine the following scenes from the play; __look for quotations that deal with truth and lies:__ <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Biff speaks to Happy about how it went with Bill Oliver, then to Willy (pp.103-117) <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Linda confronts Biff and Happy about leaving Willy at the restaurant (pp. 122-125) <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Willy discusses his plans with Ben (pp. 125-127) <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Biff confronts Willy (127-132) <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· At the funeral, Biff, Happy and Charley comment on Willy (137-138)