Death of a Salesman Literary Analysis Essay - 991 Words

Trent Beebe Beebe 1 Mr. Arena 4th hour AP Lang Comp 12/17/09 Death of a Salesman Essay The story, Death of a Salesman, is a story that has many literary devices that help to make it the deep and riveting story that has become an American classic. The use of symbols in the story adds to the overall effect and theme and also creates a different mood that the reader must infer from it. The symbols not only represent something in the story as literally a symbol, but of much importance because of the numerous times they appear in the work. There are countless symbols in the story that help to give the reader a different feeling for it but there are a select few that really represent the most important themes and†¦show more content†¦He was missing just one thing; His academics. He flunked math and was not able to graduate, meaning he could not play college football unless he passed. Biff’s friend and â€Å"study buddy†, Bernard, assured Biff that if he didn’t study he would flunk math and not graduate. Biff ignored this idea and instead went to practice to become a better football player. This event comes full circle when Biff eventually becomes a bum all due to the fact that he never passed math and Bernard is a big successful lawyer. A decade after this whole ordeal went down, Willy goes to visit his neighbor Charley, at his office. Willy is surprised to see Bernard there and has a quick chat with him about how he became so successful. Through this process, Willy noticed that Bernard had a tennis racket, and asked Bernard what he needed it for to go on this trip. Bernard eventually told him that it was to play tennis at one of his friend’s house in Washington D.C. Willy is surprised by this and feels happy for Bernard. The whole point to that part of the story was to use the tennis racket as a symbol showing the significance that hard work has on people. The old saying goes, â€Å"you work hard, you play hard†, and Bernard worked hard and is now getting to play hard and Biff never worked hard and now his life is dull, boring, and he has become a bum mooching off of his parents. A third symbol used in the story as a literary device was the thought of getting richShow MoreRelatedDeath Of A Salesman Literary Analysis768 Words   |  4 PagesFormal Essay 2: Drama Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is based in post-World War II America where a man named Willy Loman has the hopes and dreams of becoming a well-esteemed, successful salesman. However, throughout the play, it becomes evident his pride and delusion interfere with this dream and having the model family. The playwright uses symbolism and several forms of irony throughout the play to deepen the plot and intensify the conflict, as well as further illustrate the characters. ThroughoutRead MoreLiterary Analysis: Death of a Salesman Essay1705 Words   |  7 Pagesyou end up worth more dead than alive, (Miller, 98). This quote was spoken by the main character of the Arthur Miller play Death of a Salesman: Willy Loman. This tragedy takes place in Connecticut during the late 1940s. It is the story of a salesman, Willy Loman, and his family’s struggles with the American Dream, betrayal, and abandonment. Willy Loman is a failing salesman recently demoted to commission and unable to pay his bills. He is married to a woman by the name of Linda and has two sonsRead MoreLiterary Analysis: Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman† – A Tragedy?1416 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is man’s focus in life? What is man’s purpose in life? Is it materialism and/or the prospect of how others may view him? Should man put their trust in God’s Word the Bible or leave it up to himself? In â€Å"Death of a Salesman† b y Arthur Miller, but is it correct to define this theatric drama as a tragedy. According to Klaas Tindemans, â€Å"Aristotle’s concept of tragedy has been perceived as both a descriptive and a normative concept: a description of a practice as it should be continued† thereforeRead MoreArthur Miller s Death Of A Salesman1027 Words   |  5 PagesAn Analysis of Tragic Heroism of Biff Loman in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller This literary study will define the tragic heroism of Biff Loman in Arthur Miller’s play The Death of a Salesman. Biff is initially a victim of Willy’s continual harassment to make more money and find a better career. In this family unit, Biff must endure the unrealistic and fantasy-based elusions of his father in his fanatical pursuit of the American Dream. However, Biff soon learns of Willy’s extra-marital betrayalRead MoreFailure Of The American Dream In The Writings Of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zora Neale Hurston, And August Wilson1418 Words   |  6 PagesThis literary study will define the failure of the †American Dream† in the writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Arthur Miller, Zora Neale Hurston, and August Wilson. Fitzgerald’s account of the Jay Gatsby s rise to fame in the 1920s defines the failure of financial success as part of the American Dream. Gatsby will eventually die due to his excessive greed, which is not unlike the emotional deat h of Willy Loman as he fails to become a successful salesman in Author Miller’s Death of a Salesman. MoreRead MoreWilly Loman, the Modern Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman1739 Words   |  7 Pagesrelatable; therefore, the audience would become attached to the character, allowing them to feel the hero’s pain or joy. Most importantly, they were able to learn from the characters misjudgments and take something of moral fiber away from the play. A literary term that is similar to morality is known as the tragic flaw. As defined in the book, Literature, an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing, on page G30, tragic flaw is the fatal weakness or moral flaw in the protagonist that brings himRead MoreHamartia in Oedipus Rex and Death of a Salesman834 Words   |  3 PagesHamartia in Oedipus Rex and Death of a Salesman Hamartia is defined as a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero. Aristotle defines a tragic hero to be a man â€Å"who is not completely good and just, whose misfortune is brought out not by vice or immorality, but by some error or weakness.† The three key requirements of Aristotle in regards to a tragic hero are; a high social standing, goodness or moral excellence, or error committed by the hero in unawareness or ignorance. Two quality examplesRead MoreDeath of a Salesman Analysis Essay2107 Words   |  9 Pagesfamily; however, there has been much debate over whether or not the American dream is still obtainable in modern society. One piece of American literature that substantiates the fact that the American Dream can not be gotten is Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman which describes the tragedy of the average person in America. A number of other writers also draw the inability to capture the American Dream. John Steinbeck demonstrates in his highly a cclaimed novel The Grapes of Wrath how hard economic timesRead MoreQuest For Literary Form : The Greeks Believed That The Tragedy1742 Words   |  7 PagesQuest for literary form The Greeks believed that the tragedy was the greatest form of drama, and Aristotle’s concept of tragedy followed this belief. In the modern times, there has been a change in this view with various authors abandoning the classical form to follow more liberal forms of literacy. (Kennedy Gioia, Pp. 1203) Aristotle s Concept of Tragedy The analysis of Aristotle on tragedy formed the guideline for later poets in the Western civilizationRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1470 Words   |  6 Pagesto American soil to try at a chance of a better life, and in doing so, they too venture on a path to achieving this so commonly understood â€Å"American Dream.† Arthur Miller, a well-known literary writer in America, seems to disagree with this national phenomena, offering a different view in his play Death of a Salesman. In this play, he demonstrates through the life of an average American family, how this so called â€Å"dream† is much more complicated than the world is lead to believe. By using the Loman

Article Review of A Livelihoods Analysis of the Water...

The source that I have chosen to discuss is A livelihoods analysis of the water taxi operators in the Grenadines, by A. Cooke, R. Mahon and P. McConney. The article appeared in CERMES Technical Report No. 9, and was published in 2007. The following is an excerpt from this source: ORIGINAL SOURCE: The major daily operating costs relate to the gasoline and oil consumed for the water taxi operation. The cost of preparing food for customers when requested is incurred by some operators. Few operators could give an accurate account of how much they spend. Many could however estimate the cost of gasoline and oil for daily operation and in some cases for a trip to the Tobago Cays (Appendix 6). According to one operator from Carriacou, his boat which is 6.5 m long uses up to 75 litres of gas per day costing up to US$60.00 along with the four bottles of oil which cost US$5.00/bottle Many operators do not have insurance for their boats: liability or boat loss. This is due to the difficulty in getting insurance for wooden boats. Two operators do however have their boats insured. One is among the largest boats which has passed the inspections of the Grenada Port Authority. The premium is US $5000.00 each year. In addition he is required to pay XCD$275.00 in tax each year on his operation. These costs along with the other operation, maintenance and repair costs are proving to be burdensome given the low recent tourist arrivals in Carriacou. This paragraph discusses the

Damodaran on Valuation Regulatory System †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Damodaran on Valuation Regulatory System. Answer: Introduction: The DuPont analysis is focused on analyzing the return on equity that is generated by the company for its shareholders. For this the product of three ratios that is Total asset turnover ratio, profit margin and financial leverage is calculated. Significant indication can be found from the DuPont analysis done in the table. In the year 2001 all, the three ratios increased thereby creating maximum ROE (Gitman et al. 2015). However in the year 2002 and 2003 the profit margin increased to 30% and remained there while the other two ratios i.e. Total asset turnover ratio and financial leverage started decreasing thereby resulting in a decrease in the ROE of the company from 25% to 14%. After 2003 the profit margin kept on decreasing over the years along with no significant increase in the other two ratios thereby the ROE of the company decreased from 14% in the year 2003 to 8% in the year 2007. The company should focus on increasing its profit margin in order to create value for the shareh olders in terms of increased ROE management. From common size income statement, the following trends can be found very evidently: The company was able to generate good EBITDA between 2000 and 2003 with 54% being the highest in the year 2001. Thereafter the companys EBITDA has shown a downward trend that has resulted the EBITDA to drop to a minimum level of 19% in the year 2007. This is an adverse indication that the companys earnings are reducing significantly over the years. The EBIT of the company has followed more or less the same trend as that of the EBITDA due to the fact that the depreciation of the company has not experienced very significant change over the years the highest being 4 and the lowest being 1. Thus the EBIT of the company has also decreased over the years to the minimum level of 17%. In terms of Net Profit, the company has recorded the minimum amount of 9% in the year 2007. Common Size Balance Sheet The calculation indicates that the available cash of the company has decreased substantially over the years. It has dropped from 11% in the year 2000 to 6% in the year 2007. Another most important and significant occurrence is that the company has completely lost its reserves and surplus that means it has become negative over the years (Damodaran 2016). The companys share capital has also decreased over the years. After recording highest percentage of 70% in the year 2006 the share capital of the company fell to 43% in the year 2007. The operating income of the company has been able to increase 16972% with respect to the base year of 2000. The corresponding operating expenses grew to over 24202% from the base year. The EBITDA of the company has recorded consistent growth and finally increased to 7699% which shows that the company has been able to increase its operational profitability to a great extent (Meng 2015). The net profits of the company have followed the same trend as that of the EBITDA and recorded a change of 9956% with respect to the base year of 2000. Balance sheet Analysis The cash of the company though started with a slow growth rate but later on due to the increased sale and profitability there has been infusion of cash in the business thus increasing the percentage change in the cash to 8368%. The share capital of the company has grown by 13783% with respect to the base year. This shows that there has been an infusion of shareholders capital in the business which shows confidence of the shareholders. The company has also been able to increase its retained earnings over the period and the [percentage change in the retained earnings is equal to 10722%. This is sync with the fact that the company has been reporting high operational profitability management. As we know that a score which is less than that of -2.22 is favourable for the company and a score greater than that indicates that the company has engaged itself in some manipulations of the earnings. It is clear from the table that from the year 2003 there have been manipulations in the records of the company (Aithal et al., 2016). The company has done the most significant manipulation in the year 2006 in which there has been an abnormal increase in the days sales in receivables index that has resulted the score to be around 26.49. This indicates the company has engaged in manipulation of accounts. Reference Aithal, P.S., VT, S. and Kumar, P.M., 2016. Analysis of ABC Model of Annual Research Productivity using ABCD Framework. Damodaran, A., 2016.Damodaran on valuation: security analysis for investment and corporate finance(Vol. 324). John Wiley Sons. Gitman, L.J., Juchau, R. and Flanagan, J., 2015.Principles of managerial finance. Pearson Higher Education AU. Meng, Q., 2015. A Study of Islamic Financial Regulatory System from the One Belt and One Road Perspective.Journal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics,5, p.010.

The Road To Beauty Is A Long And Thin One Essays - Eating Disorders

The Road To Beauty Is A Long And Thin One The definition of beauty as found in Websters New World Dictionary is, Beauty- 1. the quality of being pleasing, as in form, color, etc. 2.a thing with this quality. 3. good looks. 4. a very attractive person, feautre, etc. The concepts of beauty were first described by the anicient greeks. The classical values pushed order and serenity. Greek philosphers Plato and Socrates were attempting to define beauty. They thought of objects or nature as being inherently beautiful: beauty is inside the object, The beauty within an object is it's pure and ideal beauty. In our present time beauty no longer resides inside. It in completely outlying. The road to become beauty is a long, hard and most importantly thin road. Being thin is the biggest emphasis on people today. In earlier times thin was not that in. Fuller figured women were the ideal picture of gorgeous. Now you have to be a twig to be comsidered beautiful. Society keeps pushing the emphasis on being thin. Through magazines, ads to lose weight, hundreds of diets and phone numbers to aide in this fight against fat. They are being nothing but deleterious. Also in the magazines the skinny models who are the picture of perfect in their glamorous clothes and makeup. The tall thin legs and high cheek bones. Television is also a major contributer to this obsession people have today with losing weight. Turn on the television and what is seen? Youthful boney models and actors running around in barely anything to sell a can of soup. A Jenny Craig commercial to remind poeple of what a minority they are and how they must strive and pay her money so they can be perfect just like everyone else. Even driving, wheter it be to work or a trip to the mall. Giant bilboards are a constant reminder of whats beautiful and whats not. It's a sick obsession and is taken way too seriously. To the point of death even. People feeling corpulent and are dying to be t hin, literally. It all beings with youth. Adolesence is the most vulnerable point in anyones life. This is where it all starts. Being a teenager is not easy and there are many pressures that they face daily. The feeling of being anomalous.Eating disorders can be very much about control, so if they feel like everything around them is out of control, they may develop one to gain a sense of control. It is important for families to raise the teenager to be proud of who they are and not place any importance on their appearance. Fellow students at school are also part of the prolbem. One child has a faster motabolism than another. One is comstantly reminded how much lower than he or she is just because they aren't as thin as some one else. Teens need to be able to express all types of emotions. They should be encouraged to do their best, but they should not be expected to be perfect. They need to be encouraged to be themselves and to be proud of who they are, so that they will not give into the pressures from their peers to try and fit in. If they are happy with themselves and love who they are, they will be less likely to try and attain society's unattainable ideal body image, because they will accept their bodies just the way they are. For men, they want to be the big muscled, winsome male that is persued in just about every commercial. Women wany the skinny model look. The truth of the matter is a mojority of people will never be what the ideal image of beauty is. They are not a monirity as they are led to believe. All the talk, advertisments and televisions repitition of this matter lead people to feel beneath others, it gives them a low self esteem and leaves them vulnerable. When this happens, eating disorders develop. People think that eating disorders are bizare and out of the ordianry in actuality there quite common. What by definition is an eating disorder? An eating disorder is defined as eating for the wrong reason. Not because