Nature VS city

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Nature VS city American Dream

• By Callam Molloy and Jessica Yeh

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Presentation will include

• Key Quotation
• Key scenes
• How the theme is shown through character
• How the theme link to the society/ the world
• Is theme relevant today? Explain
• How the audience response to the theme?
• What is the playwright trying to say about the
  theme?

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The stage direction

• Towering, angular shapes behind it, surrounding
  it on all sides Page 1
• Through this we can imagine how the little house
  of the Lomans are surrounded by all the modern
  days building. Seems like the city is taking
  over. This may also be a reflection of Willys
  own life. He is just like his little house, being
  surrounded by the materialistic city and not
  living the life he really want. Nature and the
  city represent two different way of living. In
  Death of a salesman the city represents a life
  controlled by external pressures, Willy is under
  pressure to own material things and to be seen as
  someone likable. He is living under peoples
  judgments and expectation. Nature represent
  knowing who you really are and striking for
  things you really. It is about live for yourself
  and not for others.
• It is closely related to America dream because
  Willy is the best example of someone chasing the
  dream blindly. Hence the author might want us to
  understand how foolish it is to dream about
  something without facing reality, and misses out
  many more better things in life.

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Quote Biffs' point of view of life

• shipping clerk, salesman, business of one kind
  or another, and if its a measly manner of
  existence. When all you desire to do is to be in
  the outdoors, with your shirt off, thats how you
  build a future

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Explanation from quote

• This is how biff reels towards life, city and
  even the American dream. He thinks living in
  the country side and being in the out doors is
  how you be happy and successful. He dislikes the
  city and thinks the city is all about work and
  labor. This is relevant to nowadays since it is
  still like that now. Cities are all about the
  high buildings and sky scrapers and money. But
  the country side is all about the nice fresh air
  and nature. Arthur miller portrays that the city
  is a dim and quite chrostrophobic place. City
  life is all about materialism and owning things
  etc. but nature in the other hand is conveyed
  positively and maybe a bit exaggerated and
  unachievable. But Arthur miller may be trying to
  imply that the city is like Willy Lomans life,
  compacted, uncomfortable, dark and confusing.

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Willys speech

• The street is lined with cars.not a breath of
  fresh airgrass dont grow any moreyou cant
  raise any carrotremember those two beautiful elm
  trees Pg 12 Willy
• This is showing the growth of the city and how it
  is taking over the nature. Everything seems to be
  crowded and restless. The way he say theres not
  a breath of fresh air shows that the city is
  making him hard to breath. Since he is crushed
  under all the pressure. This might also express
  the authors point of view, that American Dream
  isnt always a good thing. It can be good but
  with many negative effects too. As the city grow,
  our home nature is being destroyed by us. Not
  only physically, but mentally, too. We are
  setting a box for ourselves when we can achieve
  much more outside the box. We shouldnt trap
  ourselves with our own interpretation of success.
  Success can be anything, as long its what makes
  you happy.

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Biffs speech

• Shipping clerk, salesmanTo suffer fifty weeks
  of the year..when all you really want is to be
  outdoor, with your shirt off.And still thats
  how you build the future. Pg 16
• In the play Biff seems to be the character that
  convey Millers thought. Here it is saying that
  even though Biff know that he cant get his
  happiness out of those job but that is how the
  future is build on. This shows that everyone
  might have this common interpretation of success
  is working in the city. People betraying
  themselves by doing things thats not really what
  they are willing to do. They still do it anyway
  because everyone think it is what we all should
  do. However the author might think this isnt
  right, we should be able to do other things and
  maybe we are more capable at them. We can deduce
  this by the word suffer.

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Willy and Biff

• That is a one-million-dollar idea!....you guys
  together could be absolute lick the civilized
  world. Pg 50
• Willy never think about the real life problem the
  at he could be facing. He never knew what his
  children really could do and what they cant. He
  is absolutely delighted and hopefully however,
  this trigger the audiences emotion. We already
  knew its not a happy ending so when Willy is so
  happy, we knew it is not going to be happy.
• Will you take that phony dream and burn it
  before something happens? Biff pg 106
• Biff seems to be the voice of the author and the
  audiences. Since weve been through what Biff
  been through. We woke up just like Biff does.
  Since he found out that hes been living as
  someone he is not and he has found about all
  those lies been told in his home. He realize that
  Happy is becoming to follow the America Dream
  that Willy always followed. Happy is lying to
  himself a lot. He realize that his mom is blinded
  by the love that she have for Willy, so she
  doesnt want to break Willys lies. Biff found
  out that everyone has been lying and it is all
  because the idea of American Dream. So when Biff
  said that, he is saying what the author want to
  say. In the end, seems like Biff is the only one
  that see the truth, and felt how foolish he was.

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Quote Willys point of view of the city, page 12

• There's not a drop of fresh air in the city

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Explanation of quote

• The quote relates to society extraordinarily
  well. Now a days cities are very polluted and
  compacted. There are so many tall buildings
  surrounding you in each side its as if you
  suddenly just turned chrostrophobic. Not only
  that in cities there are lots of high polluting
  factories letting off tons of smoke every day.
  Arthur miller once again may be trying to convey
  that Willies life is represented as the city,
  very compact and difficult to live.

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Linda

• I made the last payment one the house today.
  Today, dear.. Pg 112
• This sounds extremely sarcastic to the audience.
  If Willy didnt kill himself, then he would
  finally be free. However this is still the way
  life goes. When all that Willy believes
  shattered, he couldnt take it anymore. He is
  more confused then ever, that why isnt thing
  going the right way as he wanted to. He died not
  knowing the truth and still believing what he
  always did. The idea that everyone likes him and
  success is about the properties that you own.
  Through this empathetic ending, the author wants
  the audience to understand about what is the true
  happiness about life. Life isnt only about
  materialistic things. Anyone can be successful
  just by being together with your family. In the
  end, even Linda didnt cry, because Willy was
  never there. She definitely love him but, shes
  just too used too Willy being gone.

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The end