DOAS Study Questions

1. Personal interaction operates on two levels in the play, on within the Loman family and one between the Lomans and the larger society. Which one level is Death of a Salesman most effective -- as a depiction of family conflicts or as a social commentary? Explain.

2. Define "The American Dream." In what way does Death of a Salesman point out the hopelessness of chasing this dream? Are there any rewards?

   3. Is Death of a Salesman a tragedy and Willy Loman a tragic hero, or is his death merely the pathetic demise of a small man? (Must a tragedy involve a great individual?)

4. Does Willy's world end or did it ever exist (as he thought it did) in the first place?

5. Does Willy truly self destruct or is his tragic end brought about by society? Is Willy self aware enough to self destruct? Explain.

6. The quotes listed below are from Arthur Miller’s essay, “Tragedy And The Common Man.” Choose one or more of Miller’s assertions as what you see as the theme for the play. Explain.

A) “The tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing—his sense of personal dignity.”

B) “[The tragic flaw is] the hero’s unwillingness to be passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of his rightful status.”

C) “Observing the individual pitted against the unchangeable environment elicits our pity and fear. When the consequence of this individual evaluating himself justly results in his destruction, that suggest an evil or a wrong in his environment. This is the moral lesson of tragedy—its discovery of moral law.’

D) “Tragedy involves a questioning of the conditions of life—the tragedist must be fearless about questioning everything; no institution is immutable, everlasting, inevitable. It is all brought forth for examination. For instance, the “naturalness” of the value of “getting ahead” in American culture.”

E) “Tragedy is not pessimistic…”

TRANSITION WORDS/PHRASES

Transitions indicate relations,
whether within a sentence, paragraph, or paper.
This list illustrates "relationships" between ideas,
followed by words and phrases that can connect them.

Addition:
also, again, as well as, besides, coupled with, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover, similarly

Consequence:
accordingly, as a result, consequently, for this reason, for this purpose, 
hence, otherwise, so then, subsequently, therefore, thus, thereupon, wherefore

Generalizing:
as a rule, as usual, for the most part,
generally, generally speaking, ordinarily, usually

Exemplifying:
chiefly, especially, for instance, in particular, markedly, namely, 
particularly, including, specifically, such as

Illustration:
for example, for instance, for one thing, as an illustration, 
illustrated with, as an example, in this case

Emphasis
above all, chiefly, with attention to, especially, particularly, singularly

Similarity:
comparatively, coupled with, correspondingly, identically, likewise, similar, moreover, together with

Exception:
 aside from, barring, besides, except, excepting, excluding, exclusive of, other than, outside of, save

Restatement:
in essence, in other words, namely, that is, that is to say, 
in short, in brief, to put it differently

Contrast and Comparison:
contrast, by the same token, conversely, instead, likewise,
on one hand, on the other hand, on the contrary, rather,
similarly, yet, but, however, still, nevertheless, in contrast

Sequence:
at first, first of all, to begin with, in the first place, at the same time,
for now, for the time being, the next step, in time, in turn, later on,
meanwhile, next, then, soon, the meantime, later, while, earlier,
simultaneously, afterward, in conclusion, with this in mind,

Summarizing:
after all, all in all, all things considered, briefly, by and large, in any case, in any event, 
in brief, in conclusion, on the whole, in short, in summary, in the final analysis, 
in the long run, on balance, to sum up, to summarize, finally

Diversion:
by the way, incidentally

Direction:
here, there, over there, beyond, nearly, opposite, under, above,
to the left, to the right, in the distance

Essay/Paper Checklist For ALL Classes

INTRODUCTION

• Introduction has a clear, obvious Thesis Statement

• The topic of each of the Body Paragraphs is presented clearly, obviously and in order.

BODY PARAGRAPHS

• Each and every Body Paragraph has a clear, obvious Topic Sentence.

• Each Body Paragraph gives clear evidence and arguments to support the Topic Sentence.

• Each Body Paragraph begins and/or is finished with transitional words and phrases or sentences that clearly connect it to it's preceding and following Body Paragraphs.

CONCLUSION

• Conclusion clearly and obviously restates the Thesis Statement.

• Conclusion clearly and obviously reviews topics sentences of each of the body paragraphs.

• You use the Conclusion to present some new information, questions, insights, or ideas.