Death of a Salesman
by Arthur Miller
Publication Date…1949
Facts and Facts and FiguresFigures
PPopulation in 1949… 132,122,000opulation in 1949… 132,122,000
AAverage Salary in 1949….$1,299verage Salary in 1949….$1,299
Unemployment…8,120,000Unemployment…8,120,000
Minimum Wage…$.43Minimum Wage…$.43
National Debt…$43 billionNational Debt…$43 billion
Life Expectancy…Life Expectancy…
34,500 Automobile 34,500 Automobile deathsdeaths
1949 Cadillac
US homes with indoor US homes with indoor plumbing in 1949…plumbing in 1949…
55%55%
American Households with a TVAmerican Households with a TV
9%9%
INVENTIONSINVENTIONS
Invention #1Invention #11. This invention was a popular
toy
2. It was created by a ship
inspector in 1945
3. Kids played with it on steps
4. It was inexpensive and simple
♫ SLINKY…SLINKY…a wonderful, magical toy…
Invention #2Invention #2Invented for working
mothersAre still popular todayCan be found in any
supermarket
TV DinnersTV Dinners
Invention #3Invention #3Sold at partiesCan use it to make popsiclesCan use it to store crackersCan use it to keep food freshComes in a variety of colors and
functionsContinues to be popular today
TupperwareTupperware
Invention #4Invention #4Used by hairdressers for coloringUsed by campers for cookingUsed for wrapping thingsUsed for kid projectsUsed for rabbit ears on the TVEveryone has used it
Aluminum Foil
National and International
Events
Supreme Court Decision
African-AmericansAfrican-Americans
DO
have the right to vote
Antarctica discovered….
to be a continent
Ireland and England
Ireland gains its independence from England in 1949
Communist Victory in China
Led to the Red Scare led by Joseph McCarthy
NATO founded on April 4, 1949NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION
An alliance of 10 European and 2 North American countries
Committed to defend each other
Combat the spread of Communism
COLD WAR begins….
US and USSR become Super Powers
Germany splits into East Germany
and West Germany
Fear and uncertainty
Arthur Miller1915-2005
Once married to…Marilyn Monroe
PlaysAll My Sons (1947)Death of a Salesman (1949)The Crucible (1953)Broken Glass (1994)
Considered to be the masterpiece and cornerstone of the contemporary American Dream
Miller’s success is attributed to his portrayal of the hopes and fears of middle-class America
Examines the myth of the American Dream and the shallow promise of happiness through material wealth
Accomplishments Pulitzer Prize 1949 National Medal of Arts 1993 Plays performed on Broadway 742 times Avery Hopwood Award for playwriting from
the University of Michigan (alma mater) New York Critics Circle Award Tony Award for Death of a Salesman Academy Award for the screen adaptation of
The Crucible, 1996
Theme in Miller’s work…
What happens when manloses his integrity due to social and economic pressures?
Focus on the individualFocus on the individual
Has evolved into an Has evolved into an understanding of understanding of social institutions social institutions as reflections of as reflections of the good and evil the good and evil residing in human residing in human nature.nature.
Can a common man be a tragic hero?
What does Miller What does Miller say?say?
“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.”
What Do You What Do You Think?Think? Who are the heroes
who best represent Miller’s ideal?
How do our modern heroes represent the culture in which we live?
How have our ideas about heroes changed since the 1940’s? 5th Century B.C.?
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