The significance of this scene is the fact that now there are no lies and his children and wife can see for themselves, how weighed down he really was by the American Dream. The American dream offered people a chance to achieve riches even if they had started penniless. Becoming wealthy in all aspects required characteristics of charisma, masculinity and competitiveness, having these meant you were on the right road to success. This could be an indication to the audience, showing us that these are the main reasons why Willy pressurizes his sons to be more successful with their personalities than their education as this is his way of living, and his way of learning how to grow up to be successful forces Willy to live his façade. “Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead.
2. While there are many reasons to prevent slavery from being abolished, maintain the social order and economic gain are possibly two of the strongest reasons to keeping slavery. White Americans do not need any more competition in their lives, and with freed slaves this would create less jobs, money, or political strength within the colonies. Whites must keep their superiority in order to maintain status quo. Men are entitled to own slaves and this right has always been protected.
Okonkwo's one and only weakness was his fear of becoming a failure like his father. This fear drove Okonkwo to embrace the values of manliness and fueled his desire to be strong; which then drove him to rashness and in the end contributed to his death. Accepting the ways of manhood isn’t a sign of weaknesses, the problem is how narrowly he defines it. Okonkwo was part of a patriarchal society and the male gender was already established with great authority. For Okonkwo, however, any kind of softness and tenderness was a sign of weakness.
In Willy’s eyes, he is already immortalized, a martyr who serves as the spokesman for a noble cause. In being well-liked and remembered, Willy is validated by the love of others through ways in which his family cannot. As a result, he overlooks the human side of Singleman, envisioning him as a happy man when in truth he may have been just as troubled as Willy himself. Ironically enough, Willy’s most coveted position of salesman is one he is
Maria Reyes English 170-1 September 27, 2011 Essay 1-Arguing for a Key Momma’s Boy American screenwriter Joseph Stefano once said, “A boy’s best friend is his mother” (“Joseph Stefano”). While this may be true, a mother and son can also be the worst of enemies. The generation gap between them can lead to disagreements concerning what is “right” and what is “wrong” in society. Another element that makes up this complex relationship is the belief that a mother is the dominant individual who molds what type of person her son will become. His behavior and outlook on life are influenced by how his mother raises him.
Willy has a dream that he refuses to give up even when it becomes clear that his dream is shallow, unrealistic and unattainable. The American Dream, a belief that any man can achieve material greatness and subsequent happiness if he works hard enough, if he fights for it, had a personal connotation for Miller, whose uncle was a travelling salesman, and whose father was a wealthy manufacturer before losing his wealth in the Great Depression. His family’s ongoing struggle with poverty certainly influenced this particular work, and others. Willy genuinely believes that that personal attractiveness (constant references to the importance of being “Well liked”) and hard work is enough to guarantee success. His view of success was inspired by Dave Singleman, who at the age of 84 could sell anything to anyone from his hotel room and whose funeral was attended by hundreds of people.
In the perfect society, Plato believes that it is necessary for rulers to occasionally refrain from telling the whole truth. He explains why it is in the best interest of the governing class to lie to its working classes in order to maintain the structure of power. First, he discusses his reasoning behind The Guardian class. His system of rulers is based on individual ability, unlike most ruling systems where the people in charge become so based off of family history and financial status (in The Republic, Guardians are not specifically wealthy or poor, as he believes either circumstance would render them unable to accomplish their work). Plato's society is one built around excellence and formed under an aristocratic class that thrives off of the necessity to be as first-rate as possible.
Not lazy like American people.”’(Tan, 91) Lindo Jong showed extreme pride in her home country while shining a stereotypically negative light on Americans. Little did she know that her deceptive daughter was interested in learning more about “torture” than “Chinese.” Lindo’s nationalistic behavior showed her slight disapproval of Americans and caused Waverly to question her engagement to Rich. Lindo’s tendency to over-encourage her daughter to work harder resulted to Waverly’s constant longing for her mother’s approval on her life’s major events. Despite the culture difference, the pairs were also in fact mother and daughter. The mothers’ more traditional ways disputed with the daughters’ modernistic ideas.
What he means by this is that it’s not only the right thing to do but it is the duty of the wealthy elites to ensure the advancement of society as a whole. Moreover, he even takes it a step further and asserts that, “They [rich men] have it in their power during their lives to busy themselves in organizing benefactions from which the masses of their fellows will derive lasting advantage, and thus dignify their own lives” (Carnegie 370). Thus, the philanthropy of the rich is not only beneficial to the community but also the individual. His favor of a Carnegie later goes on to even go as far as condemning those who worships wealth as a false idol. He is very critical of those who hoarded their surplus riches while living and only wait until their death to allow their amassed fortune to be used for public goods.
Joe Keller is a man who loves his family above all else, and has sacrificed everything, including his integrity, in his struggle to make the family successful. In the first scene of the play, Miller presents Joe Keller to the audience as a “good guy”. At first he appears a likeable man who has made his own fortune. He is practical, a reasonable father and a considerate husband. He lacks education but is perceptive, additionally a good business man.