Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman – Group Presentations Students will be divided into 5 – 6 groups Each group will be responsible for presenting their findings on one of the topics below Each group will have 20 – 30 minutes to present their findings You MUST be creative in your presentation (the more creative the better). Do not read directly from your sheet of paper. You MUST use quotations from the novel to support your opinions. You MUST have visuals to accompany your presentation Each group will be given a topic and symbols/images which should be examined by looking at the whole play.

Topic # 1: • Death of a Salesman is a play about the “last terrible day of a man and about the flood of facts and lies, of reality and fantasy, of the actual and the potential that made him and killed him”. • Define Arthur Miller’s notion of “The American Dream” and discuss how Willy Loman’s perversion of “The American Dream” contributed to his death. • Symbol/Image: Jungle, Diamonds

Topic # 2: • Death of a Salesman is Biff’s story. It is a play about a son’s trouble with his father. Discuss this concept analyzing whether or not Biff makes a discovery and finds both his true self and understanding. • Symbol/Image: Sports, The Woman

Topic # 3: • Decide on Linda’s function in the play. Discuss whether Linda is Willy’s constant mainstay or a contributing force to his fatal commitment to the wrong dream. • Symbol/Image: Ben, Flowers

Topic # 4: • Look at all the women in the play. What is their purpose and what do they tell the audience about where women “belong” in “The American Dream”. Draw parallels between Linda and the woman. How are they similar? How are they different? How do they change our perspective on Willy? • Symbol/Image: Willy’s House, Stocking

Topic # 5: • Are the minor characters in the play: Charley, Happy, Bernard, and Howard, functional, true-to-life characters acceptable in their own right? If not, then they are stereotypes. What is the function of the minor characters in this drama? • Symbol/Image: Tape Recorder, Sneakers

Topic # 6: • Why is Death of a Salesman considered a tragedy? What are the main elements that make this play tragic? Has Arthur Miller made his drama a believable tragedy? Why or why not? • Symbol/Image: Linda’s Inability to Cry, Seeds

Topic # 7: • The present and the past are “intertwined” in Willy’s mind. His past experiences are just as vivid as his present circumstances, and “all boundaries between now and then have been destroyed”. • How does Arthur Miller achieve this blending of past and present? What are the effects of this juxtaposition? • Symbol/Image: Music, The Woods

Topic # 8: • What is a Requiem? Why does Arthur Miller include the Requiem? How does the inclusion of the Requiem change the tone/mood of the play? What would the play be like if the Requiem was omitted? • Symbol/Image: Payments, Flute

Topic # 9: • Discuss the irony of the Requiem of Death of a Salesman. The Requiem has been attacked for its sentimentality. If in fact the Requiem is “tearful” did Miller put the tears there or does the audience? If it is Miller, “What does this say about the play as a whole?” If it is society, then what does this say about us? • Symbol/Image: Salesman, Suicide

Death of a Salesman – Group Presentations