Examine the relation between words and action in the stagecraft of Tennessee Williams
'I think of writing as something more organic that words, something closer to being and action' Examine the relation between words and action in the stagecraft of Tennessee Williams. In 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', Tennessee Williams uses the direct genre of drama to 'snare the truth of human experience1'. Although his main themes are sexual repression, communication breakdowns, and scandal, this essay will explain how he explores the more organic themes of defiance towards society's conventions, human relationships, and the uroboros cycle of life. He deliberately designs characters that are not entirely definable, in order to reflect reality accurately, and uses theatrical devices such as speech, movement and set, to realise the 'how' rather than the 'why' of human behaviour. Williams constructs a powerful relationship between words and actions; they conflict and collaborate to portray the thoughts and emotions of the characters, and create an atmosphere of awkward ambivalence, which offers the audience an insight into the work. Williams begins to establish an underlying sense of mystery in characters, which is reflected and enhanced by unanswered questions evoked by the play. For example, Brick is referred to as Big Mama's only child, which infers that she may not consider Gooper as family, and there is the possibility is that he is illegitimate, but this concept is not
Japanese Americans. It is best to examine the Issei, Nesei relationship by looking at the strongest one in John Okadas No-No Boy
Damato 1 Francesca Damato WR100-ES Dr. Kordonowy 22 October 2010 Immigrants and Their Children: Is a Cultural Difference Detrimental To The Well Being of 1st Generation Americans? The hatred thrust upon the Japanese by other Americans during and immediately following World War II made it much more difficult for the Japanese to restore their pre-WWII lives. Japanese Americans were discriminated against based on their appearance alone and had to deal with a great deal of negativity from other raced Americans. However, it wasn’t just the white Americans that kept the Japanese down. In other words, the Japanese were also the root of their demise. Without looking at the effects the Japanese had on people within their own culture, it is impossible to fully understand the strength needed to begin a new, successful life postwar. Ichiro, for example, is a young Nisei with major internal conflict. His mother, a strict Issei, raised her children with as much Japanese influence as possible. This was an issue for many Japanese Americans. The young adults felt caught between their homeland (America) and their parents while their parents felt caught between their homeland (Japan) and their children. Nisei and Issei were two generations that were lost in translation; because of this, many Nisei, including Ichiro, felt lost and unable to escape from a dominant discourse (Ling 367).
Analysis of "No Ideas but in Things"
Analysis of "No Ideas but in Things" I am going to show the implications of Williams' maxim by demonstrating the effects it has on his poetry, and most notably himself. First of all I would like to divert our attention to duality as a major theme, and affecting factor of such a maxim. For my introductory explanation I would like to consider the criticism of J. Hillis Miller. In his famous essay on William Carlos Williams in Poets of Reality (1966), J. Hillis Miller contends that the world of Williams is beyond dualism. According to Miller's pre-deconstructive argument, "A primordial union of subject and object is the basic presupposition" of Williams's poetry ("Introduction" 6). Citing Williams's dictum, "No ideas but in things," and such poems as "The Red Wheelbarrow," Miller claims that-in contrast to the duality inherent in the idealism of the classical, romantic, or symbolist traditions, wherein the objects of the world signify transcendent "supernatural realities"-the objects of Williams's poetry signify themselves and nothing more, existing "within a shallow space, like that created on the canvases of the American abstract expressionists" ("Introduction" 3), exposing the poem not as a representation of an object, but as an object in itself. Miller finds in Williams's verse "no symbolism, no depth, no reference to a world beyond the world, no pattern of imagery, no
Death of a Salesman - the American Dream
Death of a Salesman 'The American Dream´ is based on the 'Declaration of Independence´: 'We believe that all men are born with these inalienable rights - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.´ (Thomas Jefferson, 1776). This 'dream´ consists of a genuine and determined belief that in America, all things are possible to all men, regardless of birth or wealth; you work hard enough you will achieve anything. However, Miller says people have been 'ultimately misguided´. The origins of the American Dream seem to have been rooted in the pioneering mentality of the 18th and 19th century immigrants, most of whom came to America because of a promise of a new and better life. In particular, the opportunity to own one´s land. But land 'ran out´ and so cities developed and massive variations arose in wealth, which meant that this 'American Dream´ changed from being a potential reality, into being a dream, like the name implies. Most of Miller´s plays are directly or indirectly about the American Dream, because ultimately this dream wasn´t going to succeed as lots of people wished. 'Death of a Salesman´ written in 1949, is a moving destruction of the whole myth. To be hard working, honest and have ambition were the ways of the American Dream. This lead onto success, wealth and in due time - power. But this dream for everyone developed, and encouraged greed, selfish
Death of a Salesman.
Death of a Salesman 'The American Dream´ is based on the 'Declaration of Independence´: 'We believe that all men are born with these inalienable rights - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.´ (Thomas Jefferson, 1776). This 'dream´ consists of a genuine and determined belief that in America, all things are possible to all men, regardless of birth or wealth; you work hard enough you will achieve anything. However, Miller says people have been 'ultimately misguided´. The origins of the American Dream seem to have been rooted in the pioneering mentality of the 18th and 19th century immigrants, most of whom came to America because of a promise of a new and better life. In particular, the opportunity to own one´s land. But land 'ran out´ and so cities developed and massive variations arose in wealth, which meant that this 'American Dream´ changed from being a potential reality, into being a dream, like the name implies. Most of Miller´s plays are directly or indirectly about the American Dream, because ultimately this dream wasn´t going to succeed as lots of people wished. 'Death of a Salesman´ written in 1949, is a moving destruction of the whole myth. To be hard working, honest and have ambition were the ways of the American Dream. This lead onto success, wealth and in due time - power. But this dream for everyone developed, and encouraged greed, selfish
Discuss the view given of the American way of life in 'Death of a Salesman.
Death of a Salesman. Discuss the view given of the American way of life in 'Death of a Salesman. Context. Millers' most famous work deals with the painful conflicts within one family but also relates to American national values. It examines the blind faith of the American dream, a post war tragedy. Miller in 'Death of a Salesman' accuses America of selling a falsehood to the public in the post war economy built around a capitalist materialistic doctrine superseding the original American dream of the country's founders. America, post World War two, faced profound tensions domestically in what became known as 'The Cold War'. The propagation of the myths of a peaceful homogenous America was counter manded by a constant anxiety of the Red Menace of communism and bitter racial conflicts. Most post-war Americans could not join in the affluent dream that the American economy was now making a reality for the conservative rich. However the pursuit of this materialistic dream meant a radical change in the mindset of the American public as they became embroiled in a race for conformity within the material world of keeping up with the trappings of neighbours and peer groups. The accessories of affluence in the form of material possessions such as appliances, cars and television drove the American economy. At the same time the post war generation of writers and artists, influenced by
Is Willy Loman Presented as a Hero/Victim in "Death of a Salesman"?
Is Willy Loman Presented as a Hero/Victim in "Death of a Salesman"? Willy Loman is presented as both a tragic hero and an unconscious victim in "Death of a Salesman". "Death of a Salesman" is very much based upon the American Dream, and whether we are slaves or conquerors of this dream. This is an idea that the playwright Arthur Miller has very passionately pursued both through Willy's own eyes, and through his interaction with the different characters in the play. Firstly, the definitions of a hero and a victim very much influence the way that Willy is viewed by the audience. Miller has not used the play to suggest that Willy Loman is an ordinary hero, but more a tragic hero. A tragic hero, simply by definition means that the reader already begins to see Willy in a more sympathetic light. A tragic hero is somebody who cannot forget his past, and so is destroyed by the consequences of his own actions. In order to picture Willy as a victim, again one cannot think of a regular victim, but of an ignorant victim. This would mean that Willy was completely unaware of his role as a victim in the play. It would also imply that Willy was not in control of his own fate. From the beginning of "Death of a Salesman" we see Willy playing the very victimised role of the conformer. Near the end of the first scene, as he speaks to his sons in one of his flashbacks he says: "the man who
"The Caretaker" is either about nothing or everything! How far do you agree with this statement?
The Caretaker Tom Spooner "The Caretaker" is either about nothing or everything! How far do you agree with this statement? "The Caretaker", written by Harold Pinter, is a rather bizarre play that belongs to Theatre of the Absurd, a theatrical tradition that surfaced in the 1950s with a group of playwrights that included Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, Jean Genet and Harold Pinter. Their plays expressed a common atheistic and pessimistic belief in a godless universe where human existence has no meaning or purpose and human beings are unable to communicate. This led to the abandonment of coherent, logical dialogue and was replaced by both irrational and illogical speech where the characters in the play would talk at each other rather than with each other, which helped to convey the futility of human existence. Theatre of the Absurd derived from Existentialism. This was the theory of Jean-Paul Sartre who argued that if the past is fiction and the future un-knowable, then all that remains is the present. This frees man from worry about God, tradition or hope. Existence now is all that matters. If we agree that existence is absurd and that theatre is a mirror of life, theatre also must be absurd with no plot, no meaning, no beginning or end and no purpose. The Caretaker can be seen as about nothing or absolutely everything. On the surface, it seems to be like most
Analyse how character, language, setting and structure contribute to the dramatic effect of Death of a Salesman.
Death of a Salesman Analyse how character, language, setting and structure contribute to the dramatic effect of Death of a Salesman. The American Dream is the promise that any man may become a success through hard work and a good personality. Death of a Salesman is based on the false promises of the American Dream and follows the struggles for success of Willy Loman and his Family. Arthur Miller sets the play mainly in the Loman household in 1942. However, there are several dramatic flashbacks where Willy remembers back t o1928. Miller has set the play in the time of the American Dream and by using this real life situation he adds realism and dramatic devices in historical context. During scenes in the present, the actors ignore walls and all physical boundaries on stage. In the past, however, these boundaries are totally ignored. By using this theatrical technique, Miller not only helps to differentiate past from present, but also adds a dramatic effect by creating a sense of illusion and dreams. Another way in which Miller helps to separate the flashbacks from the rest of the play is by using music. In one of the scenes that is set in the past, happy and joyous music is played. This music is to represent the happiness of the past in Willy's mind; it also adds a sense of darkness and unhappiness to the present. At the start of the play, flute music is played. This gives
'Death of a Salesman' is about characters that lie to themselves as well as others. How does Arthur Miller present the theme of dishonesty within the play?
'Death of a Salesman' is about characters that lie to themselves as well as others. How does Arthur Miller present the theme of dishonesty within the play? The play 'Death of a Salesman' was written in 1949 by a famous playwrite named Arthur Miller. He is famous for such plays as "The Crucible" and "A View from a Bridge". 'Death of a Salesman', is regarded as one of the great American plays and even won a Pulitzer price. Miller began writing plays while a student at the University of Michigan, where several of his dramatic efforts were rewarded with prizes. The "Wall Street crash" occurred at this time of the play. It was also known as "The Great Depression". It followed the conclusion of the First World War and just before the outbreak of the Second World War. At this time of havoc, thousands of Americans saw their destinies vanish. The depression jolted many out of the American dream, the pattern of unemployment, frustration, and anguish was neither a worldwide nor identical condition but a reality. The American dream was a vision that some people from America were said to have. It would consist of being wealthy with the perfect life. This may have been to be well-off enough to get food on the table night after night. Also, it would consist of having a good job; one that paid well; one that was of great importance; one that everyone could be proud of.