In-class Writing
Since summer break began, we have the director’s notebook from theatre class. Firstly, it requires us to have a special play that we want to do during the senior year. The play that is unique to us in some way. Then, I actually research many plays that I might interested in. As I glance through the pages, the death of a salesman just caught my attention because I think the title is really interesting and confusing. A million of minds just came to my mind, why the author chose this to be the title? The confusion held for a second. As a result, I picked this book for this interesting title. Yet, when I actually read the book over the summer, a lot of thoughts just passed through. I realize the dark and deep sides of this book.
Well, back to the topic. The play is divided into two parts—the present time and the older time—that flows into each other. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is an old salesman who is tired of his travelling salesman jobs. He had 2 sons, one named Happy and one is Biff. Because of his mind always is not in the same page, his wife constantly let him to change his job to a New York salesman rather than running around. Yet, Willy is always having fantasy in his mind, talking to his brother, yelling to his wife. Willy then gets fired from his job because of his fantasy, imagining he is talking to his brother, yet his brother died long time ago in Africa. He also thought about he will be succeed in the later life with his family with loan money, yet his son Biff admits that he couldn't get a loan to start the new family business, Willy commits suicide so that Biff can use the insurance money to secure his future.
This story is kind of deep in people’s lives, describing Americans’ desperate and uneasy lifestyle. This play was written in the year of 1949. As people were eager to chase the American dreams in the reality, Miller depicted Willy’s failure of American dreams. After World War II, the United States faced irreconcilable domestic tensions and contradictions. Although the war had promoted American confidence, prosperity, and security, the United States then embroiled into a tense cold war with the Soviet Union. The excellence of the development in the United States had been devastated by the Cold War, frightened about the Communists, bitter racial conflict, and largely ignored economic and social stratification. This influences the writing style and the inspirations of Miller. He armed up for having self-realization and expression of personal meanings. Moreover, the conflicts in the death of a salesman comes from the relationship between Miller and his uncle, Manny Newman, also a salesman. His uncle, Miller, refused to accept the failure of his son and he always imagined a unstopped competition between his son and Miller. Miller then transform his dramatic affairs into a real fictional story protagonist, Willy.
Well, back to the topic. The play is divided into two parts—the present time and the older time—that flows into each other. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is an old salesman who is tired of his travelling salesman jobs. He had 2 sons, one named Happy and one is Biff. Because of his mind always is not in the same page, his wife constantly let him to change his job to a New York salesman rather than running around. Yet, Willy is always having fantasy in his mind, talking to his brother, yelling to his wife. Willy then gets fired from his job because of his fantasy, imagining he is talking to his brother, yet his brother died long time ago in Africa. He also thought about he will be succeed in the later life with his family with loan money, yet his son Biff admits that he couldn't get a loan to start the new family business, Willy commits suicide so that Biff can use the insurance money to secure his future.
This story is kind of deep in people’s lives, describing Americans’ desperate and uneasy lifestyle. This play was written in the year of 1949. As people were eager to chase the American dreams in the reality, Miller depicted Willy’s failure of American dreams. After World War II, the United States faced irreconcilable domestic tensions and contradictions. Although the war had promoted American confidence, prosperity, and security, the United States then embroiled into a tense cold war with the Soviet Union. The excellence of the development in the United States had been devastated by the Cold War, frightened about the Communists, bitter racial conflict, and largely ignored economic and social stratification. This influences the writing style and the inspirations of Miller. He armed up for having self-realization and expression of personal meanings. Moreover, the conflicts in the death of a salesman comes from the relationship between Miller and his uncle, Manny Newman, also a salesman. His uncle, Miller, refused to accept the failure of his son and he always imagined a unstopped competition between his son and Miller. Miller then transform his dramatic affairs into a real fictional story protagonist, Willy.
Then, the themes and the focus I want to make are the dreams, and the reality. Dreams are the most obvious theme in this book. His thoughts were dominated by the fact of material success and freedom. Being free and having a company of his own might be his final goal. He always held a positive thinking that he and his son might going to over succeed even though they are athletes. Willy often overestimates his neighbour Charley and his son. He is jealous that they can be so successful, yet these qualities were not for his family. As a result, he was eagered that he can borrow money from people, so that their family can be also rich and successful. However, dreams are just dreams. It will never going to happen. As a result, in my interpretation, I will highlight the dream of Biff first. Biff wants to have a herd business in the middle part of America. He even talks desirefully about his dream with Happy. In that part, in order to emphasize dreams, I can put some lights on them, displaying the happiness and enjoyable of that topic. Also, they can put on dramatic clothes to show their happiness. Maybe they can wear white short sleeves so that can represent the pureness and happiness when he mentions the dreams. Also, they can have much dramatic talking emotions. Maybe smiles to each other, shake their heads, sitting in the beds as they talk about their dreams. I will write more about other different ideas of the themes and other dreams related scenes. But the time is up.
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