Death-of-a-Salesman-推銷員之死PPT課件

1、2021/7/231Death of a SalesmanIntroductionENG4CMs. Alexander2021/7/232ARTHUR MILLER: The PlaywrightArthur Miller was born in New York City on October 17, 1915.He wrote Death of a Salesmanwhich won the Pulitzer Prize and transformed Miller into a national sensation. Many critics described Death of a S

2、alesman as the first great American tragedy, and Miller gained eminence as a man who understood the deep essence of the United States. 2021/7/233Miller continuedHe published The Crucible in 1953, a searing indictment of the anti-Communist hysteria that pervaded 1950s America, which is set during the

3、 Salem Witch Trials of 1690. Miller is also famous for having been one of Marilyn Monroes husbands! He died in 2005. 2021/7/234The PlayDeath of a Salesman,Millers most famous work, addresses the painful conflicts within one family, but it also tackles larger issues regarding American national values

4、. The play examines the cost of blind faith in the American Dream, that success and status are rights, not earned privileges. ( 2021/7/235The Play continuedIt is a play viewed by many as a scathing attack on the American Dream of achieving wealth and success without regard for principle or morals (h

5、ttp://wiki/Death_of_a_Salesman). 2021/7/236“The American Dream”nThe American Dream is a belief that in the United States of America, hard work and determination can lead to a better life, usually through the earning of money. These were values held by many early European settlers, an

6、d have been passed on to the newer generations. (/wiki/American_Dream) 2021/7/237“The American Dream” contdnTraditionally, Americans have sought to realise the American dream of success, fame and wealth through thrift and hard work. However, the industrialisation of the 19th an

7、d 20th centuries began to erode the dream, replacing it with a philosophy of get rich quick. A variety of seductive but elusive strategies have evolved, and today the three leading ways to instant wealth are large-prize television game shows, big-jackpot state lotteries and compensation lawsuits. In

8、 this article, Matthew Warshauer, Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University, examines why so many Americans are persuaded to seek these easy ways to their dream. (.uk/Online/American_Dream.htm).2021/7/238The Lomans.nThe play centers on Willy Loman, an aging

9、 salesman who is beginning to lose his grip on reality. Willy places great emphasis on his supposed native charm and ability to make friends; 2021/7/239The Lomans stating that once he was known throughout New England, driving long hours but making unparalleled sales, his sons Biff and Happy were the

10、 pride and joy of the neighborhood, and his wife Linda went smiling throughout the day. Unfortunately, time has passed, and now his life seems to be slipping out of control.2021/7/2310The LomansWilly has worked hard his entire life and ought to be retiring by now, living a life of luxury and closing

11、 deals with contractors on the phoneespecially since increasing episodes of depersonalization and flashback are impairing his ability to drive. Instead, all of Willys aspirations seem to have failed: he is fired from his jobwhich barely paid enough anywayby a man young enough to be his son and who,

12、in fact, Willy claims to have named. 2021/7/2311The LomansWilly is now forced to relyon loans from his only real friend (and the word is used loosely at that), Charley, to make ends meet. None of Willys old friends or previous customers remember him. 2021/7/2312The LomansBiff, his 34-year-old son, h

13、as been unable to find himself as a result of his inability to settle down (caused by Willy drumming into him the need to make it big within two weeks), and Happy, the younger son, lies shamelessly to make it look like he is a perfect Loman son. 2021/7/2313The LomansIn contrast, Charley (who, Willy

14、tells his boys conspiratorially, is not well-liked), is now a successful businessman, and his son, Bernard, a former bookworm, is now a brilliant lawyer. We are told how Willy had at least one affair while out on business trips: one in particular was discovered by Biff, and broke his faith in his fa

15、ther. 2021/7/2314Finally, Willy is haunted by memories of his now-dead older brother, Ben, who has constantly overshadowed Willy, and he is in many ways the man that Willy wanted to be. Willys emphasis on being well-liked stems from a belief that it will bring him to perfect successnot a harmful dre

16、am in itself, except that he clings to this idea as if it is a life-preserver, refusing to give it up. His boys are not only well-liked but quite handsome, and as far as Willy is concerned, thats all anyone needs. He pitches this idea to his sons so effectively that they believe opportunity will fall into their laps. 2021/7/2315The Tragic FlawWilly witnesses his and his sons failures and clings ever more tightly to his master plan, now placing his hopes vicariously on them: he may