TEACHING LITERATURE
DEATH OF A SALESMAN
I.
Are you a dreamer?
How often do you dream? On what?
Do you go after you dreams until they are fulfilled? We’ll see.
Work in groups of 5. Answer the questions and proceed and play the game to see your
personality type. Make your decision according to that of the majority of the group. (15
minutes)
Group I: The Yellow
Group II: The Green
Group III: The Purple
The questions:
1. Your family always wanted you to behave in the way they liked. What would you do?
a. I would be a person like they want.
b. I would go with the flow; who knows what’s in store?
c. I would do anything to achieve my goals through hard work.
2. All of your life, you worked to fulfill your family’s dreams. One day, you found out
that your life became terrible and boring. What would you do?
a.
b.
c.
I would quit my job and accept another job with a lower salary.
I would give up my job without telling my family the truth.
I would keep working for the sake of my family.
3. You always wanted your children to be successful and rich in the future. However, one
of them stood in front of you and blamed you for putting your nose into his job. What
would you do?
a. feeling disappointed, I would let them do what they want for the rest of their lives.
b. I would immediately detain them from their wrong way and show them the best.
c. I would wait till they realize their fault and ask me for some advice.
4. Throughout your career, many people offered you various satisfying jobs but you
always kept your position in the hope of becoming a very successful businessman in the
future. Finally, however, you realized that you will never have your dream career. How
would you feel?
a. I would feel regretful about not accepting the offers but never change my mind.
b. I would think that every cloud has a silver lining.
c. I would do anything to regain the offers.
5. You have found a job. What would be the first thing you look for?
a.The possibilities for moving up.
b.The work itself.
c. The daily routine and financial security.
6. You have graduated. What would you do next?
a. I would begin looking for work immediately.
b. I would have already a job lined up; I would start the day after my last exam.
c. I would wait a few months before starting my job hunt.
7. What would be your definition of success?
a. An activity that is the source of inspiration and pride.
b. Not the worst way to fill the day.
c. An absorbing activity, as long as it doesn’t require too much overtime—life is for living!
8. If you could be successful in only one area of life, it would be…
a. family and relationships.
b. work.
c. neither family, nor work—you could never choose between the two.
9. In your wildest dreams, you…
a. have a job you enjoy and that leaves you time and energy to spend with friends, family, and
just having fun.
b. are lounging on a yacht in the Caribbean after winning the lottery.
c. have worked your way up to being president of the company where you work.
10. When you were a kid at school, you were…
a. in the remedial class.
b. an average student
c. top of the class.
11. Your significant other is transferred to a new position 3,000 miles away. What do
you do?
a. I suggest a long-distance relationship since this will give me more time to work.
b. I give notice and start packing.
c. I can't wait to start a new career in a new city.
12. You’ve just seen your dream job posted on New York, but they’re asking for two
more years of experience than you actually have. What do you do?
a. You’re not quite sure you have the right qualifications, and are hesitant to apply—but you
take a chance any way.
b. You don’t apply; what’s the point if you’re not qualified?
c. You send off an application, knowing you’re the perfect candidate.
The results:
The first: Be careful -- that's not the best grade on this quiz. In fact, this may mean you have
an unhealthy obsession for your job. Does the term "workaholic" ring any bells? You tend to
put work before everything else, including relationships with others and even your own wellbeing. Because you often focus on the job to the exclusion of other aspects of your life, you're
at real risk for burnout.
The second: You're at the opposite extreme of the dreamers. In fact, you have very little
interest in -- or passion for -- the work you've chosen. It's time to re-evaluate your goals and
aspirations. What do you really want to do with your life? What are your major talents and
strengths? What's your idea of the perfect job? What matters most to you? If you can answer
these questions honestly, you'll be able to determine what sort of job best aligns with your
core values and abilities.
The third: Congratulations! You've been fortunate enough to find a career that's rewarding
and fulfilling. You're passionate about your work without crossing the line into obsession.
You have a healthy outlook that will enable you to weather job-related setbacks with poise,
and you've been able to achieve a balance between work and your personal life. The fact that
you have a clear career path enables you to acquire new skills while advancing professionally.
II.
Throughout “Death of a Salesman” , the Loman family cannot discern between reality and
illusion, particularly the father, Willy. This theme is evident throughout the whole of the play
and eventually leads to the downfall of the main character; Willy. Willy has many illusions
throughout the play. Willy is unable to escape from his mountain of lies and eventually kills
himself because of it.
Keeping these in mind, watch the two videos showing the real life and illusions of Willy
to identify at least 3 differences between the two. Discuss the following points in groups.
(5 minutes)
1.
2.
3.
III.
Willy’s mood
Willy’s expectations from his children
the family’s belongings
Think about how Willy’s and his family’s life would change if his illusions would come
true fill in the chart in groups to help you prepare a dialogue.
Real Life
Characters
Willy
Biff
Loman
Linda
Loman
An insecure, self-deluded traveling
salesman.
Willy
believes
wholeheartedly in the American
Dream of easy success and wealth,
but he never achieves it. Nor do his
sons fulfill his hope that they will
succeed where he has failed. When
Willy’s illusions begin to fail under
the pressing realities of his life, his
mental health begins to unravel. The
overwhelming tensions caused by
this disparity, as well as those
caused by the societal imperatives
that drive Willy, form the essential
conflict of Death of a Salesman.
Willy’s thirty-four-year-old elder
son. Biff led a charmed life in high
school as a football star with
scholarship prospects, good male
friends, and fawning female
admirers. He failed math, however,
and did not have enough credits to
graduate.
Since
then,
his
kleptomania has gotten him fired
from every job that he has held. Biff
represents
Willy’s
vulnerable,
poetic, tragic side. He cannot ignore
his instincts, which tell him to
abandon Willy’s paralyzing dreams
and move out West to work with his
hands. He ultimately fails to
reconcile his life with Willy’s
expectations of him.
Willy’s loyal, loving wife. Linda
suffers through Willy’s grandiose
dreams
and
self-delusions.
Occasionally, she seems to be taken
in by Willy’s self-deluded hopes for
future glory and success, but at other
times, she seems far more realistic
and less fragile than her husband.
She has nurtured the family through
all of Willy’s misguided attempts at
success, and her emotional strength
and perseverance support Willy until
his collapse.
Dream Life
Happy
Loman
IV.
Willy’s thirty-two-year-old younger
son. Happy has lived in Biff’s
shadow all of his life, but he
compensates by nurturing his
relentless sex drive and professional
ambition. Happy represents Willy’s
sense of self-importance, ambition,
and blind servitude to societal
expectations. Although he works as
an assistant to an assistant buyer in a
department store, Happy presents
himself as supremely important.
Additionally, he practices bad
business ethics and sleeps with the
girlfriends of his superiors.
Imagine that Willy and his family had fulfilled their dream lives. What kind of a life
would it be like? Work in groups and prepare a dialogue to see the difference.
Consider the following points:( 10 minutes )
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
materiality
their relationships with each other
their jobs and career
their love affairs
their dreams