The symbolic prop I chose was the kitchen table that only had three chairs. There are four people in the house at the time of the play, yet the table only has three chairs to show the conflict between the family; as none of them can be together at the table at the same time. There are no spare chairs also, so it shows that the division is permanent within the family, no matter what they do to try to come closer together. I would research the concept of the nuclear family which was evolving at the time that this play was written. With nuclear families, it was not uncommon for estranged members of the family or older family members to remain in the same house. It is uncertain how many people would be in the house at a time, so it is unknown how many chairs would be needed at a table. Also, with a larger number of people in the home, conflict between them is also inevitable, so the missing chair would symbolize the the inevitable conflict created from the new concept of the nuclear family.
The suitcases are definitely symbolic, in quite a literal way. Willy has baggage. He takes the suitcases with him when he leaves, implying that although his problems exist while he’s at home with his family, it doesn’t directly affect them. At least he doesn’t think it does. Everywhere that Willy goes, his disorders follow him, at home, on business, etc. The suitcases are never show as open on stage. Suitcases represent travel, and this emphasizes the fact that Willy is very disconnected from those around him. He keeps a lot of distance between his feelings and his family. No one actually thinks they’re crazy, and Willy would probably never think that his family thought of him as sick, since he likely doesn’t think of himself that way. The suitcases do not exist in Willy’s spells unless in the hands of another person. Ben has a suitcase with him, and he is a burden that Willy carries with him. Willy hadn’t seen him in years before he died, and when he was alive, Willy was constantly being compared to him. The suitcase is there in the hotel as well, with the Woman, who represents guilt. Inside his own head, Willy believes he’s completely lucid, and projects his hardships onto others who cannot protect themselves (since they are only memories). The suitcases symbolize distance, regret, burden, and memories.
The symbolic prop I chose is the solo flute playing. The flute is often heard right before one of Willy’s episodes. Being that Willy’s father played the flute, and that it is associated with his troubling dream sequences, this represents the way that Willy’s relationship with his father causes many of his issues. This also can be compared to how Biff’s relationship with Willy leads to many of Biff’s problems. I will research the way an adult is affected by their poor parental relationships. This should apply to both Willy and Biff and explain some of the reasoning that causes their drastic actions.
The prop i selected was the family car. The car is symbolic in the ways of good and evil. It provides a way for Willy to go to work and make money for the family. At the same time the workplace is where his affair began. So it's that bridge between good and evil, heaven and hell. In the end it ends up taking Willy's life and what was thought to be a luxury back then ended up being an instrument of doom.
The prop that I chose from the play is Linda’s and The Woman’s Stockings. I believe that they symbolize a source of conflict and how characters see themselves and others. I will research studies on outbursts of guilt and sources of conflict.
The prop that I chose as symbolic was the Loman's house. The house represents the "old culture" of the neighborhood while the buildings and streets around it represent the "new culture" of the neighborhood. It represents Willy's lack of willingness to change anything in his life. The way Willy describes the house like run-down and old looking represents the way he feels inside his own body: tired and old. The house really reflects his dementia because of the fact that every time he's done with a trip, he comes home all tired, but very willing to argue with his family about the littlest things, like cheese. The fact that he gets angry over the smallest things reflects his dementia, and the house, with everyone in his family there, really brings out his disappointment and anger even more than just with Linda there.
The prop I chose are the seeds. Willy goes out, in the night, to plant his garden. This represents his desire for the growth and prosperity of his family and his household, but the fact that he is doing it in the dark represents that the time has run out for his family to be successful. These seeds also show the struggle that Willy faces daily to provide for his family, specifically putting food on the table. Finally, the seeds represent Biff. Willy did all that he thought possible to care for and raise Biff into a, sort of, beautiful and productive plant. But his once ever-so rich seed has turned into nothing but a broken and worthless product.
I am choosing Willy's apparent Alzheimer's/Dementia as my symbolic prop. Willy is a very contradictory character in the play, and with his mind being in a bad state, it may be a contributing factor to all the stress he causes his family and how he brings his entire family down with him. I am going to research these diseases to provide insight as to the causes of it and what exactly is going on inside his head. I am going to use the diseases to symbolize, on a greater level, the hypocrisy and declining morale in families and in our society in general.
Cars symbolize freedom, power, and control, and the “All American Dream”, Everything that Wily in “Death of a Salesman” lacks and craves. This is shown through Willy having trouble driving, which shows his loss of control, and his inability to fulfill his dreams. In the beginning of the play Willy comes home not being able to drive anymore, and being completely exhausted. This symbolizes Willy’s exhaustion with life, foreshadowing his ultimate death. Another foreshadow is when Willy losses control of his car, swerving off of the road. When he does this, it’s foreshadowing his death by driving, and his loss of control in his own life, and his family. Another thing that foreshadows him dying in his car is when he purposely got in a car accident, he was literally “driving himself to his own death”. Cars are powerful; they take a person from one point in their life, to the next. But Willy is stuck, and he can’t move. There is no way out for him, and no matter what he does, he stays in the same spot.
The symbolic prop I’d like to analyze is Biff’s football trophy. The trophy itself represents an achievement of Biff’s past that he is proud of. However, the trophy is located above Willy’s bed which speaks volumes about the relationship between father and son. Willy takes more pride in the object than Biff does. He is living through his son, recognizing Biff’s successes as his own. Biff’s lack of success means Willy’s lack of success. Willy is very often angry with Biff, wanting him to get his life together. This is an issue for many parent-children relationships, Willy and Biff being a loud example. It can lead to strained or distance ties between family members as well as an identity crises for the children pressured by their parents.
The symbolic prop I chose from “Death Of A Salesman” was the stockings seen through much of Act I. There is much conflict that arises out of such simple pieces of clothing that reveal much about Willy, Linda, and their relationship together. Expressions of regret and guilt are topics I definitely want to dive further into when doing my research. I believe the simplicity of the prop represents something more as well, something underlying that I hope to uncover when looking more into it.
My topic is the percentage and side effects of children grown up without a father and my prop is the flute. This will relate to Willy and his relationships and issues present during the play due to his father’s absence throughout his life and how that has affected him.
I plan to research dementia, and use the Chevy as my prop to allude to the play. Willy's cognition declines with every dream sequence, and more than once his car has been mentioned. There are many scenes referencing his old Chevy, and they serve to show nostalgia and morbidity as Willy's mental health worsens.
My topic is the nuclear family specifically during the 1940’s and how through the Loman family, Arthur Miller portrays the truth about how a family functions. The 1940’s was all about the “perfect family,” but there is no such thing as perfection, which is displayed through the struggles of the Loman family: Willy’s infidelity, money/career troubles, unloyal children, mental disorder, lying, stealing, and having expectations that cannot be fulfilled. For the research portion of this assignment I plan on supporting my theme through an article on how taboo cheating was during the 1940’s, another article comparing what family means to people in eastern cultures versus western cultures, and lastly an article on the definition/concept of the American dream. I really want to emphasize the American dream because it is a key concept throughout the story and the era.
My research topic is the idealistic image present by society through media. I'm connecting it to Willy because he has an unrealistic image of what he should be, and how his life should have turned out. He desires to be something more successful than what he is now, and that leads to his daydreams. The prop I’m connecting is the flute, because it plays and connects to the desire Willy feels, and stems from the desire he has pertaining to knowing his father. It plays whenever he is daydreaming or desiring for something more. The song I’m using talks about many things. It mainly talks about the desire to be more than you are and life having little point.
I chose Willy’s encouragement of Biff’s cheating, particularly through football, as my play topic. Willy is okay with Biff stealing the football (deciding Biff must’ve deserved it), encourages Biff in Biff’s desire to make a touchdown without the help of anyone, and tries to get Benard to help Biff cheat on the math exam. I connected this with the rules of the American system, where everyone has the equal opportunity to work hard to to get proportionate results, and how people increasingly lose faith in the efficacy of this route, often opting for cheating instead (Willy, who passes this mindset down onto Biff). My related research will consist of what conditions (psychologically and socially) lead to a prevalence of cheating (primarily in academics by youth such as young Biff) and the effects of engaging in frequent academic dishonesty.
The symbolic prop I chose was the kitchen table that only had three chairs. There are four people in the house at the time of the play, yet the table only has three chairs to show the conflict between the family; as none of them can be together at the table at the same time. There are no spare chairs also, so it shows that the division is permanent within the family, no matter what they do to try to come closer together. I would research the concept of the nuclear family which was evolving at the time that this play was written. With nuclear families, it was not uncommon for estranged members of the family or older family members to remain in the same house. It is uncertain how many people would be in the house at a time, so it is unknown how many chairs would be needed at a table. Also, with a larger number of people in the home, conflict between them is also inevitable, so the missing chair would symbolize the the inevitable conflict created from the new concept of the nuclear family.
ReplyDeleteThe suitcases are definitely symbolic, in quite a literal way. Willy has baggage. He takes the suitcases with him when he leaves, implying that although his problems exist while he’s at home with his family, it doesn’t directly affect them. At least he doesn’t think it does. Everywhere that Willy goes, his disorders follow him, at home, on business, etc. The suitcases are never show as open on stage. Suitcases represent travel, and this emphasizes the fact that Willy is very disconnected from those around him. He keeps a lot of distance between his feelings and his family. No one actually thinks they’re crazy, and Willy would probably never think that his family thought of him as sick, since he likely doesn’t think of himself that way.
ReplyDeleteThe suitcases do not exist in Willy’s spells unless in the hands of another person. Ben has a suitcase with him, and he is a burden that Willy carries with him. Willy hadn’t seen him in years before he died, and when he was alive, Willy was constantly being compared to him. The suitcase is there in the hotel as well, with the Woman, who represents guilt. Inside his own head, Willy believes he’s completely lucid, and projects his hardships onto others who cannot protect themselves (since they are only memories). The suitcases symbolize distance, regret, burden, and memories.
The symbolic prop I chose is the solo flute playing. The flute is often heard right before one of Willy’s episodes. Being that Willy’s father played the flute, and that it is associated with his troubling dream sequences, this represents the way that Willy’s relationship with his father causes many of his issues. This also can be compared to how Biff’s relationship with Willy leads to many of Biff’s problems. I will research the way an adult is affected by their poor parental relationships. This should apply to both Willy and Biff and explain some of the reasoning that causes their drastic actions.
ReplyDeleteThe prop i selected was the family car. The car is symbolic in the ways of good and evil. It provides a way for Willy to go to work and make money for the family. At the same time the workplace is where his affair began. So it's that bridge between good and evil, heaven and hell. In the end it ends up taking Willy's life and what was thought to be a luxury back then ended up being an instrument of doom.
ReplyDeleteThe prop that I chose from the play is Linda’s and The Woman’s Stockings. I believe that they symbolize a source of conflict and how characters see themselves and others. I will research studies on outbursts of guilt and sources of conflict.
ReplyDeleteThe prop that I chose as symbolic was the Loman's house. The house represents the "old culture" of the neighborhood while the buildings and streets around it represent the "new culture" of the neighborhood. It represents Willy's lack of willingness to change anything in his life. The way Willy describes the house like run-down and old looking represents the way he feels inside his own body: tired and old. The house really reflects his dementia because of the fact that every time he's done with a trip, he comes home all tired, but very willing to argue with his family about the littlest things, like cheese. The fact that he gets angry over the smallest things reflects his dementia, and the house, with everyone in his family there, really brings out his disappointment and anger even more than just with Linda there.
ReplyDeleteThe prop I chose are the seeds. Willy goes out, in the night, to plant his garden. This represents his desire for the growth and prosperity of his family and his household, but the fact that he is doing it in the dark represents that the time has run out for his family to be successful. These seeds also show the struggle that Willy faces daily to provide for his family, specifically putting food on the table. Finally, the seeds represent Biff. Willy did all that he thought possible to care for and raise Biff into a, sort of, beautiful and productive plant. But his once ever-so rich seed has turned into nothing but a broken and worthless product.
ReplyDeleteI am choosing Willy's apparent Alzheimer's/Dementia as my symbolic prop. Willy is a very contradictory character in the play, and with his mind being in a bad state, it may be a contributing factor to all the stress he causes his family and how he brings his entire family down with him. I am going to research these diseases to provide insight as to the causes of it and what exactly is going on inside his head. I am going to use the diseases to symbolize, on a greater level, the hypocrisy and declining morale in families and in our society in general.
ReplyDeleteCars symbolize freedom, power, and control, and the “All American Dream”, Everything that Wily in “Death of a Salesman” lacks and craves. This is shown through Willy having trouble driving, which shows his loss of control, and his inability to fulfill his dreams. In the beginning of the play Willy comes home not being able to drive anymore, and being completely exhausted. This symbolizes Willy’s exhaustion with life, foreshadowing his ultimate death. Another foreshadow is when Willy losses control of his car, swerving off of the road. When he does this, it’s foreshadowing his death by driving, and his loss of control in his own life, and his family. Another thing that foreshadows him dying in his car is when he purposely got in a car accident, he was literally “driving himself to his own death”. Cars are powerful; they take a person from one point in their life, to the next. But Willy is stuck, and he can’t move. There is no way out for him, and no matter what he does, he stays in the same spot.
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ReplyDeleteThe symbolic prop I’d like to analyze is Biff’s football trophy. The trophy itself represents an achievement of Biff’s past that he is proud of. However, the trophy is located above Willy’s bed which speaks volumes about the relationship between father and son. Willy takes more pride in the object than Biff does. He is living through his son, recognizing Biff’s successes as his own. Biff’s lack of success means Willy’s lack of success. Willy is very often angry with Biff, wanting him to get his life together. This is an issue for many parent-children relationships, Willy and Biff being a loud example. It can lead to strained or distance ties between family members as well as an identity crises for the children pressured by their parents.
ReplyDeleteThe symbolic prop I chose from “Death Of A Salesman” was the stockings seen through much of Act I. There is much conflict that arises out of such simple pieces of clothing that reveal much about Willy, Linda, and their relationship together. Expressions of regret and guilt are topics I definitely want to dive further into when doing my research. I believe the simplicity of the prop represents something more as well, something underlying that I hope to uncover when looking more into it.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMy topic is the percentage and side effects of children grown up without a father and my prop is the flute. This will relate to Willy and his relationships and issues present during the play due to his father’s absence throughout his life and how that has affected him.
My topic is lying and the effect on family, symbolized by the stockings. I'm researching the reasons why people cheat and why people lie
ReplyDeleteI plan to research dementia, and use the Chevy as my prop to allude to the play. Willy's cognition declines with every dream sequence, and more than once his car has been mentioned. There are many scenes referencing his old Chevy, and they serve to show nostalgia and morbidity as Willy's mental health worsens.
ReplyDeleteMy topic is the nuclear family specifically during the 1940’s and how through the Loman family, Arthur Miller portrays the truth about how a family functions. The 1940’s was all about the “perfect family,” but there is no such thing as perfection, which is displayed through the struggles of the Loman family: Willy’s infidelity, money/career troubles, unloyal children, mental disorder, lying, stealing, and having expectations that cannot be fulfilled. For the research portion of this assignment I plan on supporting my theme through an article on how taboo cheating was during the 1940’s, another article comparing what family means to people in eastern cultures versus western cultures, and lastly an article on the definition/concept of the American dream. I really want to emphasize the American dream because it is a key concept throughout the story and the era.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMy research topic is the idealistic image present by society through media. I'm connecting it to Willy because he has an unrealistic image of what he should be, and how his life should have turned out. He desires to be something more successful than what he is now, and that leads to his daydreams. The prop I’m connecting is the flute, because it plays and connects to the desire Willy feels, and stems from the desire he has pertaining to knowing his father. It plays whenever he is daydreaming or desiring for something more. The song I’m using talks about many things. It mainly talks about the desire to be more than you are and life having little point.
I chose Willy’s encouragement of Biff’s cheating, particularly through football, as my play topic. Willy is okay with Biff stealing the football (deciding Biff must’ve deserved it), encourages Biff in Biff’s desire to make a touchdown without the help of anyone, and tries to get Benard to help Biff cheat on the math exam. I connected this with the rules of the American system, where everyone has the equal opportunity to work hard to to get proportionate results, and how people increasingly lose faith in the efficacy of this route, often opting for cheating instead (Willy, who passes this mindset down onto Biff). My related research will consist of what conditions (psychologically and socially) lead to a prevalence of cheating (primarily in academics by youth such as young Biff) and the effects of engaging in frequent academic dishonesty.
ReplyDelete