Analysis Of The Of A Salesman And Millers And...

The playwrights we discussed after Tennessee Williams have adapted disparate elements of postmodernism to undermine the modernist assumptions undergirding O’Neill’s, Glaspell’s, Wilder’s, Miller’s and Williams’ plays. I will use Fences, The Hungry Woman, Topdog/Underdog, Glengarry Glen Ross, Six Degrees of Separation, and The Heidi Chronicles to support my claim. To start off, I will come up with working definitions of modernism and post-modernism. Modernism is a movement in culture that seeks to set an ultimate grand narrative of society. It provides the lenses through which we should view and judge societal operations. Essentially, it creates sweeping definitions for everything in society that should be referred to by everybody. â€Å"This is what success looks like†, â€Å"These are the benefits of capitalism† †¦ It is imbued by its overarching sense of progress. For example: In Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman, the modernistic agenda is to show what it takes to achieve the American Dream. Willy Loman fiercely believes that anyone attractive and well liked can be successful in life. â€Å" 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.† (Miller, 33) Postmodernism is a reaction to the logic, simplification and objectiveness of modernism. It is an abandonment of convention and reevaluation of traditional institutions. Ideally, it focuses on specific local contexts as well as onShow MoreRelatedWilly Loman, the Modern Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman1739 Words   |  7 Pages In Arthur Miller’s essay â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man†, a picture is painted of a â€Å"flaw-full† man, known as the modern hero of tragedies. Miller describes what characteristics the modern tragic hero possesses and how he differs from the heroes depicted by classic Greek playwrights such as Sophocles and Aristotle. In order to understand how drastically the modern hero has evolved, one must first understand the basic characteristics that the heroes created by Sophocles and Aristotle encompass. TheRead MoreAnalysis Of The Appearance Theme By T. S. Eliot, Tennessee Williams, And Arthur Miller2539 Words   |  11 PagesSydney DeBerry Motlow English 2130 Mrs. Lockhart 20 November 2014 An Analysis of the Appearance Theme in Three Works by T. S. Eliot, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller â€Å"Once you allow yourself to identify with the people in a story, then you might begin to see yourself in that story even if on the surface it s far removed from your situation. This is what I try to tell my students: this is one great thing that literature can do -- it can make us identify with situations and people far away.Read MoreWillie Lomans Tragic Misinterpretation of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman2413 Words   |  10 Pagesthat of a traveling salesman. Faced with the termination of his job, he begins to examine his past life to determine its value. At this critical point in Willie’s existence, his oldest son Biff has returned home for a visit, and Willie’s old desire for his son to be a traditional success in life is rekindled. But the old tensions between the two men are also renewed. Once again, to Willie’s great disappointment, his son rejects Willie’s values and aspirations. (â€Å"Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller 1949Read M oreFeminist Approach to Witchcraft; Case Study: Millers the Crucible6554 Words   |  27 PagesTitle: Re(dis)covering the Witches in Arthur Millers The Crucible: A Feminist Reading Author(s): Wendy Schissel Publication Details: Modern Drama 37.3 (Fall 1994): p461-473. Source: Drama Criticism. Vol. 31. Detroit: Gale. From Literature Resource Center. Document Type: Critical essay Bookmark: Bookmark this Document Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning Title Re(dis)covering the Witches in Arthur Millers The Crucible: A Feminist Reading [(essay date fall 1994) In the followingRead MoreSupernatural in American Fiction Essay2928 Words   |  12 PagesMankind would never submit to this. He will immediately turn to the darkness. Drawn by his own cords of fear and longing, man will imagine that he is tired of the light and his small, familiar world.3 No amount of rationalization... or Freudian analysis can overcome the thrill of the chimney-corner whisper or the lonely wood.4 Why? Children will always be afraid of the dark and men will always shudder at what they do not understand, yet everyone will continue to seek it. Perhaps it is becauseRead MoreStudy Guide Literary Terms7657 Words   |  31 Pagesskies. Busy old fool, unruly sun. 11. archetype-something that serves as a model or a basis for making copies; this painting is a copy of the original  [syn: original] 12. atmosphere- the dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of art, as of a play or novel: the chilly atmosphere of a ghost story. 13. antithesis- opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction. *Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue