Joseph Act II

Charley’s choice words to say at Willy’s Funeral were, “He's a man out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine... A salesman is got to dream, boy.”
The American Dream, Willy had ever so wanted to obtain had started out clouded. The lies and deceptions that occur in his life. His strong hopes of being well liked and hardworking fall short as he is fired from his job from who he claims he help rise in strength. He does the menial work of an intern in which he had found as insulting. He loses himself and the morals he stood by.

This picture represents Willy. He is at a point where nothing can go for him. He has been left by everyone. His brother, his neighbor, his wife, and his son all resent the actions Willy has taken in his life. He was never satisfied with them and his selfishness lead him to his utter death.

If I were to be included as one of Willy son’s I think he would forget about me consistently. He showed so much time to Biff he really didn't have much attention for anything other than being a salesman.

After reading the story Death of a Salesman are recurring themes that out to me throughout the story and that is about the American dream. too many people the American dream is to become rich and not worry about life and have enough money to make everybody happy in your life. throughout the story we see really struggled to do this or to even if paying any sort of amount of riches. This shows how hard the American dream is to acquire for people and if they set their goals high and they might become disappointed with the results that they acquire. Many people including Willy believe that you just get the American dream you don't have to necessarily work for it. Willy soon finds out that he is dead wrong and for the remaining of his life he worked towards that dream but he never quite gets too it.One of the main reasons that I believe that he never quite get to the American dream is because he feels too full of himself and believes that he alone can achieve it through his own sheer will but he doesn't understand that it requires more effort than a lot of people care to get and far few people actually achieve.This is shown by the end of the story when his family is practically falling apart. In the American dream none of that will ever happen and they would live happily ever after but as we now know the American dream is by far hard to achieve and acquire.

Aiden Searles
Blog #2

Throughout the play, Death of a Salesman, Biff stands out because he is trying to be realistic and to uncover the truth about himself and his family. This make him stand out because his father and brother fall into a disillusionment because of their serious desire to be well liked. In contrast to his father and his brother, Biff recognizes his failure and eventually manages to confront it. Willy and Happy alternatively, can’t seem to acknowledge the reality of their failures and shortcomings. When Biff discovers that Willy has a mistress, he loses the faith that he had in his father. Also, finding out about his father has committed adultery with this woman, Biff realizes that Willy and his ambitions are not as great as Willy claims. After this event, Biff is seen by Willy as an underachiever and seemingly a disappointment in Willy’s eyes, but Biff, being the realistic one of the three, sees himself as being trapped in Willy’s outrageous fantasy. Biff becomes determined to find out the lies surrounding the Loman family and becomes intent on revealing the simple and humble truth behind Willy’s fantasy. Another contrast between Biff and his father is shown with Biff’s desire to get territory in the west. That desire symbolizes his idea of the American Dream, while Willy is more concerned about a more materialistic version of the American Dream. This is shown when Willy throws out his wife stockings because he is too proud to let his wife wear an old pair. This disillusionment also is obvious when he denies the job offered to him by Charley.

The Death of a Salesman

In Act II in Death of a Salesmen the themes of betrayal and abandonment shows its ugly head and really starts to take a toll on the characters in the book. First it seems like Ben abandons his family and his brother when he leaves his home town for Alaska to follow his dreams leaving his bother trying to peruse his morphed idea of the American Dream. Later it seems Willy betrays his wife after Biff comes to see him in Boston to seek help from his dad after he was informed he failed math and wouldn’t be able to graduate only to find his dad hiding a women in the bathroom claiming she is just a “Seller” who was staying down the hall whose room was being painted when in fact he was cheating on his wife and family because as he told Biff in the same scene he was supposedly very lonely. This really is an eye opener giving some insight as to why maybe Willy and his son’s relationship was somewhat suffering. The theme of abandonment also plays a role when after Happy and Biff leave their father alone at the restaurant for two girls after Biff and his father have somewhat of a heated argument over a business meeting that takes place earlier that day. This really seemed to be Willies breaking point. He seems to just crumble and implode after that point in the play. What do you feel out of the two themes played the biggest role in the outcome of the play?

Death Of A Salesman Act II

The final showdown of the second act is like the end of the first act in structure and emotion. Linda once again acts as the voice of reason in the household, making fun of Biff and happy for their lack of care for their father. Biff and Happy result in improving themselves, Happy decides to settle down, while Biff breaks down emotionally and cries for his father. Biff admits that he was unavailable for months not because he did not care to contact his parents, but rather because he was in jail. This contradicts earlier indications that he did not care for his parents. The final confrontation between Biff and Willy is different for each. While Biff focuses on Willy's false dreams for himself and for his sons, Willy seems concerned only with what his sons think of him. Willy still retains a belief that Biff and Happy are important people capable of great success, while Biff takes the more realistic view that they are common people incapable of achieving their dreams. This returns to the theme of Willy's untouchable goal, which guarantee that he will never be satisfied in his real life. It is this impossibility to fully achieve success that drives Willy Loman to suicide. His suicide can be thought of as almost a sacrifice, because the belief that Biff may go into business with the insurance money he gained from his death. Willy's suicide may be related to his problems that were fixed with his elder son having realized how much Biff cares for him and convinced that Biff does not behave out of spite, Willy can now sacrifice himself for his son.

In the book Death of a Salesman Willy is a very confused old man and not only is he old but his sons are old also The same way that he is. Willy is delusional in the sense of his job and in the sense of his life. He is constantly talking about people that is not that are not there and spacing out behind the wheel of his car. This shows how fragile people are really and how common problems in families are. His sons are two very completely different people the one cannot hold down a job to save his life he has been working as a farmer and was fired from that even though he believes that is his job. The other one is a player and is in the pursuit of riches. his name is happy even though he is far from happy. these examples show how far from the American dream this family actually is and what they are to do about it. and Willie's case he becomes very Bipolar in the case of his boys one minute he will be telling how lazy and disrespectful they are the next to you will be praising them for how hard-working and dedicated and focused they are at their job which goes to show you this state that Willy has put himself into. Not all dreams are what we want in life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HETr0xY9xXo

After reading the story Death of a Salesman are recurring themes that out to me throughout the story and that is about the American dream. too many people the American dream is to become rich and not worry about life and have enough money to make everybody happy in your life. throughout the story we see really struggled to do this or to even if paying any sort of amount of riches. this shows how hard the American dream is to acquire for people and if they set their goals high and they might become disappointed with the results that they acquire. Many people including Willy believe that you just get the American dream you don't have to necessarily work for it. Willy soon finds out that he is dead wrong and for the remaining of his life he worked towards that dream but he never quite gets too it.One of the main reasons that I believe that he never quite get to the American dream is because he feels too full of himself and believes that he alone can achieve it through his own sheer will but he doesn't understand that it requires more effort than a lot of people care to get and far few people actually achieve.This is shown by the end of the story when his family is practically falling apart. In the American dream none of that will ever happen and they would live happily ever after but as we now know the American dream is by far hard to achieve and acquire.

Post #2

In the second part of the play i feel the theme of abandonment has a big effect on the characters. Willy’s life charts a course from one abandonment to the next, leaving him in greater despair each time. Willy’s father leaves him and Ben when Willy is very young, leaving Willy neither a tangible (money) nor an intangible (history) legacy. Ben eventually departs for Alaska, leaving Willy to lose himself in a warped vision of the American Dream. Likely a result of these early experiences, Willy develops a fear of abandonment, which makes him want his family to conform to the American Dream. The picture i've chosen to represent this blog is writing on the wall that says “Please don’t leave me”. All Willy wants in his life is to keep his family together and live out the American Dream. But sadly it seems his family is falling apart at every turn even when things seem to begin to mend themselves.

Post #2

 After reading further on in Death of a Salesman, I realized another reoccurring theme throughout the story. Not only did I notice the reoccurring theme of betrayal between Willy and his father, Willy and Ben, and Willy and Biff. But now I discovered the theme of Willy wanting to live the American dream. Oddly enough the whole idea of abandonment and betrayal also link together with the theme of the American dream. Willy believes that if you acquire the “American dream” that a whole bunch of perks come with it. He thinks just because he is attractive and believes that he is a well-liked man in the business world that the American dream will just come to him. Willy never does achieve the American dream and he can blame that solely on his attitude about the American dream. He was way too confident in himself which in result came back to back fire. Willy’s idea in how to obtain the American Dream is the reason for psychological decline when he is not able to distinguish the American dream and his real life. The picture I found represents what I’m trying to say perfectly. It shows a sign saying American dream, “next exit.” The way Willy is going about it makes it seems as if it is really that easy to achieve. As if it really is at the next exit.

Death of a Salesman

                     
Willy believes in what he considers the promise of the American Dream, that a well liked and personally attractive man in business will undoubtedly and deservedly acquire the material comforts offered by modern American dream. "The man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want." - Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Act 1. A major theme in act 1 of Death of a Salesman is the American dream, this is shown straight from the beginning of the play when it starts in their home which most of the play takes place, and since home ownership is a central piece of the American dream it is shown in the setting. Another example of the American dream in act 1 is that Biff continues to try and win Willy's approval to try and show that he is a worker and focuses on financial success, this is done by Biff doing the outdoor work he loves and also profiting as a ranch owner. Willy’s ego is destroyed by doubts and piling evidence that he will never experience the fame and fortune promised by the American Dream even as he thought with hard work and being liked he shall obtain it almost as an American Promise. Willy cannot completely deny his real situation. Willy throughout act 1 retreats into his daydreams not only to escape the present but also to examine the past. He searches for the mistake that he made that cancelled his hopes for fame and fortune and destroyed his relationship with Biff. Why do you think Willy is so hung up on material and financial fortune? What do you think defines Willy's idea of the "American Dream"

I major theme I notice in The Death of a Sales Man was the Anerican dream. Willy Loman believes that he can obtain the American Dream by just being a businessman. That he can achieve it with little work because of his good looks and that he is well liked. He doesn't understand that he needed to work hard to achieve the American dream. He was blinded by his beliefs on the American Dream making it harder for him to actually achieve it. Biff says "He's liked, but not well liked" speaking to his friend Bernard. They had both been talking about Willy and that quote goes against what Willy says is a great way to achieve the American Dream. That since he is well liked it will be easier to achieve the American Dream. Biff says that he is liked by only a few people when he says that. That many people don't like him and that's one thing that makes it harder for Willy to achieve the American Dream. Do you think Willy will be able to achieve his vision of the American Dream because of his ability to be well liked or is biff right?

By Zach  Spassatempo

Willy Loman is established, through his words and actions, as a delusional man who cannot accept the present. His memories of better days are clearly shown to be very important to him, or, at least, that's what he's more focused on now. He sometimes brings up his memories during conversations,

"In the beginning...different jobs," (5) "Remember how...high school," (6) "Remember those two...between them," (6) "Remeber those...miles on it," (8) being a few examples. Willy's memories are so sacred to him that he even daydreams backs to those past events, one time happening from pages 16-28, back when his sons were in high school. It happens again when Willy's friend, Charley, comes over. The two were in the middle of a card game when Willy remembers when Ben came over for a visit. Willy interacts with both his memory and the present, which leads to a very confused Charley, who soon becomes angered enough to leave when Willy's memory interferes with the card game. 

His delusion about himself is shown he boasts about himself, saying how people know him and is someone to be respected, saying "Thay laugh at me, heh?...Call out the name Willy Loman and see what happens! Big shot!" to Biff once.

Willy's state now, the reason why he can't accept reality, is the result of being fired after working for a company for thirty-six years, never making a lot of money in doing so (in hopes of obtaining the American Dream), as explained by Linda, Willy's wife, to Biff and Happy. This knowledge helps to build Willy Loman's character. As a result of his "broken dream," Willy does not accept the present, and his mind is forced to turn to the memories of better days in order for him to cope, to escape the bitter truth or reality.

Aiden Searles

Blog #1

From reading "Death of a Salesman", I came across a few different themes throughout the story. One important theme is betrayal. Willy feels betrayed by Biff when he doesn't follow in his footsteps. Biff is unsure of what he is doing and due to that, he isn't going the way Willy wants him to. Willy takes Biff's rejection as an insult, and cannot see why Biff won't make the "right" decision of being a business man. Biff may feel this way because of Willy's betrayal to Linda with his affair. Willy doesn't realize he is betraying Linda. His business attitude of only being happy when he sells himself to someone is only destroying his life. it is destroying the connection he has with his family. Despite Willy's fear of betrayal, he is betraying everyone around him, and he is too narrow minded to notice it. Willy has always encouraged Biff to never settle for less than greatness and this causes Biff to have such difficulty, adapting to the real world actions. Betrayal occurs throughout the whole story but the most tragic betrayal is when Willy loses his job, which then causes Willy to lose himself. Willy cannot be the same man who he always was by not being a business man.

Osemwengie Act 1

Willy Loman is sixty-three years old and it's not happy with his life. His actions toward his family and toward himself don't show an emotionally stable man. He has been a series of accidents where he seems to of loss of consciousness behind the wheel. A lot of the things he says to his family have contradictory statements soon after his initial. The lapses he is going though will affect the whole of the story. As with old age delirious thoughts can plague his mind and possibly causing his end.

“Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world a young man with such personal attractiveness, gets lost. And such a hard worker. There's one thing about Biff he's not lazy.”pg.6

Willy holds the idealism that is the American Dream. This being that bring well like, a strong work ethic, and a stable family will help whomever to rise to prosperity. In a memory of 15 years earlier, Willy seen himself as not good enough. He has a supporting wife with him and because of the lack of success he had in his prime he wants to live it through his sons, but mostly his first born Biff. Biff Loman is thirty-year old and hasn't amounted to much. Minutes earlier from the quote above, Willy had called Biff a lazy bum. He has lived up to the expectations his father had set for him and before entering Act II he is going to actually try and be what his father had wanted him to be. Biff’s demeanor heading in is not positive. Do you think Biff can get the job, he would prosper in his career?