Father and Child Relationships in Death of a Salesman and A View from the Bridge
In literature as in life, we go through events which are the effects of the relationships between parent and child. In both plays Death of a Salesman and A View from the Bridge, Arthur Miller depicts the possessiveness of human nature through the eyes of Willy Loman and Eddie Carbone. Willy and his son Biff exhibit an undoubtable strain in their relationship. Willy gives all his dreams to Biff in hope that he will carry on or create success for himself. Eddie wants the best for his niece, Catherine, but is unaware of his over protectiveness which in actuality is an element much more repelling. The relationships between father and child characters place tension upon everyone and ultimately is a factor in the protagonists common tragedy.
In Death of a Salesman, although Biff and Happy are both sons of Willy Loman, there is a strong emphasis on Biff only. Willy places all his hopes on Biff and even overestimates him. "Because you got greatness in you, Biff, remember that. You got all kinds of greatness...like a young god. Hercules...God Almighty, he'll be great yet. A star like that, magnificent, can never really fade away!"(Miller, DOS 68) Willy views Biff as a mirror image of himself when he was young, successful and "well-liked." He wants Biff to be what he was and what he never became. Willy has overwhelming pride in Biff and expectations that cannot be fulfilled. These feelings exhibited by Willy is purely due to human nature. It is the desire of
all father to have a son who emulates their successful aspects and to carry these traits into the preceding generations. However, Biff knows that h...
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A war does not necessarily require physical weapons to fight. From 1947 to 1991, military tension and ideological conflicts held place. Cold War is defined as a state of political hostility existing between countries, characterized by threats, violent propaganda, subversive activities, and other measures short of open warfare, in particular. The causes of the Cold War between United States and the Soviet Union were the mutual distrust that had taken place in World War II, intense rivalry between the two super powers, and conflicting ideologies. The two superpowers differed in views of political and economic principles and were eager to spread their ideologies to other countries. The United States were in favor of democracy and capitalism while the Soviet Union sought for the chances of influencing communism. Cold War did not involve the use of physical arms but was intensely fought. Propaganda, economic aids, Arms Race, and the creation of alliances were the main methods to fight the war. The use of propaganda played a crucial role in containment by criticizing the other power and raised the morale and spirit of their nation. The economic support for nations helped them recover from the desperate situation after World War II, which prevented the nations from falling under communism. Also, the Arms Race and forming alliances between the two main powers were important weapons for competition and rivalry in Cold War.
JB Priestley’s intent in ‘An Inspector Calls’ was to convey the attitudes of socialism to the minds of the society in the Edwardian Era as he was a passionate believer of the concept. Priestley has attempted this through the employment of ‘Inspector Goole’ in the play. In the play drama is displayed through a variety of methods for the interest of the audience and the communication of personal views from JB Priestley.
Rabbit Proof Fence. Dir. Noyce Phillipe. Perf. Everyln Sampi, Laura Monaghan, Tianna Sansbury. Mirimax Films, 2002. Film.
The Holocaust was the systematic persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945. The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community. Gypsies, people with mental and physical disabilities, and Poles were also targeted for destruction or decimation for racial, ethnic, or national reasons. However, did The Nazis party ever unravel the true intent behind Hitler’s desires to extinguish the inferior race? This question is one of the most difficult to answer. While Hitler made several references to killing Jews, both in his
The history of the time the play was written helps us to understand the views and the feelings expressed by Priestley in the play. The inspector transfers Priestley’s views and he shows the difference in social classes at the time. A gap which he wants to diminish. He illustrates the reason for this in the play, via the inspector, where he outlines the ways each of the Birlings have influenced someone from a completely different background and social class. This is the way Priestley viewed pre-war England.
Cardullo, Bert . "Death of a Salesman and Death of a Salesman: The Swollen Legacy of Arthur Miller." Columbia University in the City of New York. The Columbia Journal of American Studies, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. .
Both of the speeches, Martin Luther King's and Cesar Chavez', are powerful peices and communicate one vision: equality. King and Chavez have two very different styles of writing but the message from both is simmilar. for example both king and chavez discuss how their people are discriminated against because of their skin color, and how their people have neither the right to vote in the the south, nor the will to vote in the north , and in Chavez' situation, to have their vote counted. however similar their message's may be, their writing styles are different. Chavez talks about statistics, about why and how his people are treated. king held that the atrocitys commited against his people were self evident and as such did not need to be proved to anyone. kings message was meant to encompass the entire Uninted States while Chavez' was directed primarily at California.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman: Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem. Harmondsworth, Eng.: Penguin, 1976. Print.
In the film Rabbit Proof Fence by Phillip Noyce there is a relevance to the present and past days of society. The relevance is shown through the strong judgment of racism between the white Australians and the Aboriginal people, and the actions that had been taken and only in the past 40 years changed. The race of people is still judged today in current society, Rabbit Proof Fence makes the viewer aware of the racial discrimination then and now.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Eds. Alison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. 2128-2193. Print.
In 1949, the pinnacle of contemporary American playwright, Arthur Miller, published his works “Death of a Salesman”. After the advent of this play, not only caused a sensation in the theaters in the United States, but also became the Western model of modern tragedy as one of the most important drama after America's World War II. Miller was twice won the “New York Drama Critics Award” and also awarded the “Pulitzer Prize.”[
Miller, Arthur. “Death of a Salesman”. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. Dana Gioia and X.J. Kennedy.10th Ed. New York: Pearson, 2007.
Eisinger, Chester E. "Critical Readings: Focus on Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman: The Wrong Dreams." Critical Insights: Death of a Salesman (2010): 93-105.
Miller, Arthur. "Death of a Salesman." 1949. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. E. New York: W.W. Norton &ump;, 2012. 238-303. Print.
"Death of a Salesman By Arthur Miller ." Goodreads . N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .