Death of a Salesman
By Arthur Miller
Assignments:
During Reading:
Act 1:
□
□
□
study guide
Reader Response Journal (post to Turnitin.com)
Reply to another’s journal
Act 2:
□
study guide
Requiem:
- (no assignment)
Post Reading:
□ Test
□ journal
□ reply to another’s journal
Themes:
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American Dream
Corruption of American Dream
Illusion vs. reality
Role of morality in man’s life
Self-esteem/ perception
Problem with capitalistic society
Some prompts for writing (if you need them):
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List Willy’s slogans on life
How are foils developed in this play?
How does one achieve success? What are the various characters’ versions of success?
What great flaw does Willy have?
Essential Questions
1. How are belief systems represented and reproduced through literature?
2. How is memory of the past shaped by one’s present experiences?
3. How is the present shaped by one’s experiences in the past and one’s hopes for the future?
4. What occurs when one fails to reach one’s American dream?
5. What are the potential conflicts when one’s perception of reality is skewed?
6. How does family legacy impact the course of one’s life?
7. How do decisions/actions and consequences vary depending on the perspectives of those involved?
8. How does an individual's response to prejudice/ discrimination/exclusion reveal his morals, ethics, and
values?
Characters
Willy Loman
Linda Loman
Biff Loman
Happy Loman
Charley
Bernard
Ben
The woman
Howard Wagner
Miss Forsythe & Letta
Viewing Response Log
Double-Entry Viewing Journal
This is a template. Please use notebook paper to establish your own journal.
Events/ scenes/ lines from the film
My reaction
Date ____________
Record things that strike you as worthy of
analysis in this side.
Ex: Willy’s first words to his wife are “It’s all right.
I came back.”
__________________________________
You can respond to the same things you would
respond as you read (characterization, theme,
plot sequence, foreshadowing). And then
particular connections to film.
This is where you analyze and respond.
And here comes my analysis:
Clearly Willy knows that his wife is concerned
about him. It seems that this is not the first time
Willy has had an issue. The next few exchanges
show that Willy doesn’t completely appreciate
her worrying. I imagine that he feels that he is
supposed to be an independent man and doesn’t
want to be taken care of too much. Also, it
seems that he has “smashed” the car before this.
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See the suggestions for journals as well.
How will this be assessed?
Since each class period is 47 minutes, it is appropriate that you write at least 3 responses a day.
If you don’t have much to say about an item you record in the left-hand column, then you
should record more. Each journal needs to leave me confident that you are actively viewing
the film and processing it.
* I will stop the film early so you can use the end of the period to respond. *
Act 1
Comprehension Questions
After we watch Act 1- consider the following. You may need to examine the script in the book
in order to respond. For the most part, the book and film are in the same order, but some
places are a little off.
Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper.
Respond in at least a few complete sentences for each question.
If you do not have information for a question, then you should speculate.
Attempt to answer each question thoroughly.
1. Why is Willy home? Why is Linda alarmed that he’s home?
2. Why is Willy annoyed at Biff? How does he describe Biff?
3. How has the neighborhood changed? Why does it matter to the story that his
surroundings are no longer the way they used to be?
4. How does Linda treat Willy? How do the boys feel about him? Is Biff trying to spite
Willy? Why does Biff come home in the spring?
5. Why won’t Happy go out West with Biff, and why won’t Biff stay? Why doesn’t either
son get married and settle down?
6. How does Willy act toward the boys when they are young? How do they act toward
him? How does Willy feel about Charley and Bernard?
7. What does Willy’s reaction to Biff ’s theft of the football tell us about Willy? What does
Willy seem to be obsessed with at this point?
8. Willy praises and then curses the Chevrolet; he tells Linda that he’s very well liked,
and then says that people don’t seem to take to him. What do these inconsistencies
tell us about Willy?
9. “Five hundred gross in Providence” becomes “roughly two hundred gross on the whole
trip.” How does Linda take Willy’s stories? What does this reveal about her?
10. Why does Charley visit? How does he feel about Willy?
11. Who is Ben? Why does Ben appear? What does Willy think about the future? About
the past? What does Ben teach Biff? Why does Willy feel “kind of temporary” about
himself and want Ben to stay?
12. What does Linda think is the trouble with Willy’s life? Why is she angry at her sons?
Why does she put the rubber hose back after she had taken it?
13. Why is Willy interested when Biff mentions Bill Oliver? Why do they argue? How does
Happy try to capture attention?
Death of a Salesman
Act 1: Quotation Review
Directions: Determine who is speaking and to whom. Then write an adjective to describe the
character that you feel is best defined in the given quotation.
1. “I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese. Why am I always being contradicted?
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
2. “And it’s a measly manner of existence. To get on that subway on the hot mornings in
summer. To devote your whole life to keeping stock, or making phone calls, or selling or
buying….And always to have to get ahead of the next fella. And still---that’s how you build a
future” (22).
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
3. “Men built like we are should be working out in the open.”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
4. “I just have an overdeveloped sense of competition or something, but I went and ruined her,
and furthermore, I can’t get rid of her.”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
5. “Because Charley is not—liked. He’s liked, but he’s not---well liked.”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
6. “Because the man who creates personal interest is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and
you will never want.”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
7. “Pop, I told you I’m gonna retire you for life.”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
8. “Ben! I’ve been waiting for you so long! What’s the answer? How did you do it?”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
9.
“I lost weight, Pop, you notice?.”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
10. “Either he’s your father and you pay him that respect, or else you’re not to come here.”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
11. “It’s just—you see, Mom, I don’t fit in business. Not that I won’t try.”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
12. “Wait a minute! I got an idea. I got a feasible idea.”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
13. “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it—because personality always wins the day.”
Speaker ____________________ Listener(s) ________________________
Adjective ___________________ describing _________________________
Act II – Study Guide
Respond thoroughly and in complete sentences.
1. Why is Willy’s mood upbeat at the start of Act Two? What does he expect to happen?
2. Why does Willy tell Howard about Dave Singleman? Why does Howard tell Willy to drop
off his samples and forbid him to go to Boston? Why is this such a blow to Willy?
3. What is Willy’s philosophy? How does Biff as a football hero embody his father’s dreams?
Why does Charley say Willy hasn’t grown up?
4. What is Willy’s impression of Bernard when he sees him in his father’s office? Why does
Willy exaggerate Biff ’s importance? Why does Bernard ask what happened after the game at
Ebbets Field?
5. Why won’t Willy work for Charley? Why is Willy able to ask Charley for money? How is
Charley’s view of what a salesman needs different from Willy’s view?
6. In the restaurant, how does Happy reflect Willy’s values? Why does Miller have the girls
come in?
7. How does Biff ’s realization that his life is a lie underline the theme of the play? Why does
Biff take Bill Oliver’s fountain pen? Why can’t he tell his father what happened with Bill
Oliver? Why do Biff and Happy leave Willy at the restaurant?
8. Why did Biff go to Boston? What does he discover when he sees the Woman? Why is it
that Biff never went to summer school?
9. Why does Linda tell the boys, “Get out of here, both of you, and don’t come back!”?