Blackout Poem – “Death of a Salesman”

This blackout poem is based on the play “Death of a Salesman”, written by Arthur Miller. This poem follows a dysfunctional family, who are struggling to make ends meet, while dealing with their own personal problems..
“Death of a Salesman” (DOAS) takes place in New York, in the late 1940s. It features Willy Loman as it’s main protagonist. Willy Loman is a failing salesman in his 60s, who’s struggling to make ends meet financially. Willy lives with his wife Linda, who is very supportive and loving of him. Willy’s two sons Happy and Biff are visiting, Willy has high expectations for his sons, which they are not meeting. Happy has a job and his own apartment, but Biff changes jobs often and does not make much money. This creates an unhealthy relationship between Biff and Willy. Willy is also struggling with his mental health, as he talks to himself often and shows signs of Alzheimer’s.
DOAS is a drama, with the sub-category of tragedy, it carries many characteristics of a tragedy. The noble hero (Willy Loman) goes through a great downfall. Willy used to be a successful salesman, with sons who had a promising future. Unfortunately, as he grew older, his sales skills deteriorated, and now he is no longer making enough money to provide for his family.
Willy’s sense of pride limits him from achieving success, when Willy’s neighbour offered him a much-needed job, Willy’s pride forced him to decline the offer.
Also, Willy made a grave mistake of having an affair with another woman. This added to his mental instability, as it constantly haunts him. It also left a lasting negative impact on Biff, who caught him having the affair. In the end, Willy goes through a revelation, when he realizes that Biff really did care for him and love him, after which he commits suicide so his family could get a sum of money from his life insurance. All of these factors make DOAS a tragedy.
The blackout poem describes Willy’s suicide. It is described through the point of view of Linda. It shows that “it was dark” (1). When Linda heard Willy speeding off in his car she knew “something [was] wrong” (4). The blackout poem also utilizes imagery to portray symbols from the play. The first line is in the shape of a 1928 Chevy. This was Willy’s former car, which he reminisces about often. The second line, is in the shape of a suitcase, this is to symbolize Willy’s profession. The third line is in the shape of a tombstone, which is to symbolizes Willy’s death, and the last line is in the shape of a pen. This is to symbolize the pen that Biff stole from his former boss, Bill Oliver. It also more deeply symbolizes Willy raising his sons poorly, as he encouraged them to steal.
This blackout poem, describes the suicide of Willy Loman, from the tragic play, “Death of a Salesman”.

DOAS Monologues

The following shows my understanding of a monologue, this is a monologue I wrote for Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman.

This is a monologue because Willy is having a long, uninterrupted conversation with another person in which he is revealing something about himself.

This monologue would fit in the current plot if Willy was to apply for financial aid.

Willy:
“I am in my 60s. I work as a traveling salesmen, and I have a loving wife who is very supportive and has lots of empathy for me. I value people-skills and wish to be well liked. I have very high hopes for my two sons, Happy and Biff. Happy is successful, but Biff cannot find his place in the world and he is not living up to my expectations, which makes me ashamed of him. Lately, my job has been taking a huge toll on my mental health. I am no longer able to financially provide for my family and I must ask my neighbour for financial support. My neighbour has been offering me a job at his business, but my pride forces me to decline his offer every time.”

LOTF Podcast

5 facts we found online:
1. (https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/early-childhood-moral-development/) Morality – Why do children misbehave when not around authority?
According to Piaget, children between the ages of 5 and 10 see the world through a Heteronomous Morality. In other words, children think that authority figures such as parents and teachers have rules that young people must follow absolutely.

2. Morality- Murderous children often come from families where they see or experience much violence. (https://mobile.nytimes.com/1983/10/11/science/children-who-kill-personality-patterns-are-identified.html)

3: Morality- How do boys and girls differ in terms of mortality? When boys are confronted with a conflict involving fairness they tend to argue it out or take their ball and go home. females are typically less concerned with justice and more concerned with caring and maintaining relationships, http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=118

4: Mob Mentality – majority rules when it comes to influencing the opinion of preschoolers (https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.ndtv.com/offbeat/herd-mentality-even-kids-know-to-agree-with-the-majority-390835%3famp=1&akamai-rum=off)

5. Mob Mentality – herd mentality is strongest around age 8 and it lessens as we age. (https://dyske.com/paper/1039)

Characterization (3D) – Ralph

These quotes describe Ralph characteristics through direct and indirect characterization. Ralph is a tall boy who has fair hair and attractive appearance. He is physically fit and one of the oldest boys on the island (12 years old). Ralph has wide shoulders, he also has a kind looking, friendly face. He is one of leaders of the boys on the island. Ralph is confident and has good leadership skills, most likely passed down from his father who is a commander in the navy. After a few months on the island Ralph’s physical appearance changed, his hair grew significantly and was covering his eyebrows, Ralph’s skin was also very tanned.

1. “The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way toward the lagoon” (Golding 1).
> This quote describes Ralph’s hair colour: fair (likely blond).

2. “He was old enough, twelve years and a few months, to have lost the prominent tummy of childhood and not yet old enough for adolescence to have made him awkward. You could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil.” (Golding PDF 11)
> This quote describes Ralph’s age (12) and physical appearance like his wide shoulders and kind looking face

3. “His [Ralph’s] fair hair was plastered over his eyebrows and he pushed it back.” (Golding PDF 90)
> This quote describes that Ralph’s hair has significantly grown since his arrival on the island and it is covering his eyebrows

4. “Something deep in Ralph spoke for him. ‘I’m chief. I’ll go. Don’t argue’” (Golding 155).
> This quote demonstrates the confident, leadership qualities in Ralph.

5. “But there was a stillness about Ralph as he sat that marked him out: there was his size, and attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch.” (Golding PDF 28)
>This quote describes more of Ralph’s physical characteristics, such as his size and attractive appearance. It also shows how the other boys view him as powerful because he has the conch.

6. “Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering” (Golding 76).
> Ralph was raised with proper, innocent morals but the primitive savagery of the island is taking over.

7. “And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy” (Golding 248).
> Ralph’s appearance included: a dirty body, matted hair, and a filthy face. Ralph has feelings and empathy, as he was crying for the loss of a close friend.

8. “We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire.”
> Ralph was pretty smart, and thought it was important to focus on a signal fire for rescue.
9. “His mouth was tight and pale. He put back his hair very slowly… He forced his feet to move until they carried him out on to the neck of the island” (Golding 130).

10. “‘I could swim when I was five. Daddy taught me. He’s a commander in the Navy. When he gets leave he’ll come and rescue us.’” (Golding PDF 15)
>This quote shows us that Ralph is physically skilled, and is a good swimmer. His father is also a commander in the Navy which most likely gives Ralph good physical qualities.

 

 

 

“Lord of the Flies”- Island Description

The following are quotes and a photo that describe the island form Lord of the Flies

The scar- “All round him the long scar smashed into the jungle was a bath of heat” (Golding 6) .

The platform/ meeting place- “Here the beach was interrupted abruptly by the square motif of the landscape; a great platform of pink granite thrust up uncompromisingly through forest and terrace and sand and lagoon to make a raised jetty four feet high” (Golding 13).

The beach- “The shore was fledged with palm trees” (Golding 10)

Site where piggy and Ralph find the conch-“Ralph had stopped smiling and was pointing into the lagoon. Something creamy lay among the ferny weeds.” (Golding 18)

The Lagoon- “Out there, perhaps a mile away, the white surf flinked on a coral reef, and
beyond that the open sea was dark blue. Within the irregular arc of coral
the lagoon was still as a mountain lake—blue of all shades and shadowy
green and purple. The beach between the palm terrace and the water
was a thin stick, endless apparently” (Golding 4)

The Stream- “The pink granite of the next cliff was further back from the creepers
and trees so that they could trot up the path. This again led into more
open forest so that they had a glimpse of the spread sea” (Golding 24)

The Mountain-

“It was roughly boat-shaped: humped near this end with behind them
the jumbled descent to the shore. On either side rocks, cliffs, treetops
and a steep slope: forward there, the length of the boat, a tamer descent,
tree-clad, with hints of pink: and then the jungly flat of the island, dense
green, but drawn at the end to a pink tail. There, where the island petered
out in water, was another island; a rock, almost detached, standing
like a fort, facing them across the green with one bold, pink bastion.
The boys surveyed all this, then looked out to sea” (Golding 26)

The jungle- Ralph disentangled himself cautiously and stole away through the branches. In a few seconds the fat boy’s grunts were behind him and he was hurrying toward the screen that still lay between him and the lagoon. He climbed over a broken trunk and was out of the jungle. (10)

 

Walter Mitty Daydream 6

The firing squad took their aim, and unanimously pulled their triggers. The guns went bang and time seemed to move in slow motion. Walter bent down to a ninety-degree angle and dodged all the bullets. The firing squad was astonished to see Walter spring back up. Then, Walter leaped forward at the firing squad and pandemonium ensued. Walter knocked out all of them one-by-one. He thought he was done, but then he heard a voice behind him… “Walter what are you doing? Stop play fighting, we have to get going,” said Mrs. Mitty with an insolent tone. Embarrassed, Walter followed his wife out of the alley and onto the street. As they were walking to their car, Walter Mitty overheard a conversation two men were having on a bench, “have you heard of that new gangster Al Capone, from Chicago?” asked one of the men. “Yes, I hear he’s been causing some trouble,” replied the other man…

“Make sure you pay Jim a visit, and don’t forget about Tony. He still hasn’t payed back his debt,” said Walter “The Boss” Mitty to his henchman, while counting a stack of money. “The Boss’s” black fedora hat and suit made him look dangerous and mysterious. Suddenly, the doors to his office swung open and a henchman with a distraught look on his face ran in; “Boss! You have to get out of here! The cops are outside, they’re trying to break in!” Yelled the henchman. Walter “The Boss” Mitty slowly stood up from his expensive tiger skin chair, and calmly walked down stairs and into his garage. He and two of his henchman got into the bullet-proof 1930 Chevrolet Series 40 Lincoln, and Walter stomped on the gas pedal. The car jolted forward and broke through the front gate, the police reacted quickly and were hot on Walter’s heels. They were gaining on him, and started firing at Mitty, one of the bullets shot through the car and almost hit Mitty. “Don’t just sit there! Shoot back!” Ordered Walter “The Boss Mitty”, when suddenly something struck his leg…

“Walter have you forgotten where we live? You missed the turn!” Yelled Mrs. Mitty. Red-faced from embarrassment, Walter made a U-turn and drove home.

 

Plot Point Photos – “Father and Son”

The goal of this project is to Identify the 8 plot points (by using quotes) of “Father and Son”, by Bernard MacLaverty. Under each plot point I also have to write 3-4 sentences explaining the quote. The story is about a father and son who reside in Ireland. They are involved in a conflict. The Son is associating himself with dangerous people. The father is trying to find out what’s going on to stop his son from getting hurt.

1) Exposition
: “I do not sleep. My father does not sleep… My son is breaking my heart. It is already broken. Is it my fault there is no woman in this house? Is it my fault a good woman should die?” (MacLaverty 16)

Explanation: This is the Exposition because we are further introduced to the characters. We find out that the mother has died. We also find out that their is some kind conflict between the Son and father, as the father mentions that his son is breaking his heart.

2) Rising Action
: “My son, he looks confused. I want you to talk to me the way I hear you talk to people at the door… I pulled you away from death once and now you will not talk to me. I want to know if you are in danger again” (MacLaverty 166)

Explanation: In this rising action we are further introduced to the conflict. We find out the details of conflict; such as the fact that the son had escaped death once, and he may be in serious danger again. We also see that the son and father don’t have a very close relationship. This all builds up the plot to the climax.

3) Rising Action
: “Son you are living on borrowed time. Your hand shook when you got home. I have given you the life you now have… Let me put my arm around your shoulders and let me listen to what is making you thin. At the weekend I will talk to him” (MacLaverty 167)

Explanation: This is a rising action. It builds up the plot and conflict by showing the reader that the father wants to help his son and find out what’s going on, but he keeps procrastinating and putting it off for later.

4) Rising Action
: “For two years, I never heard a scrape from you. I read of London in the papers. Watched scenes from London on the news, looking over the reporter’s shoulder at people walking in the street… Then a doctor phoned for me at work… ‘I had to go and collect you. Like a dog’” (MacLaverty 167-168)

Explanation: This is a rising action because it shows the reader that the Son has been in trouble before, and it’s very likely that he once again could be in serious danger. From this the reader can see that the Son doesn’t care for his father, while the father is very concerned for his son. This builds up the path to the climax.

5) Rising Action
: “The door swings open and he pushes a hand-gun beneath the pillow… ‘What’s that? Under your pillow?’” (MacLaverty 169)

Explanation: This is a rising action because it reveals that the Son owns a handgun. This builds up the conflict between the son and father. This also hints to the reader that the Son is most likely involved with dangerous people, and foreshadows what may happen next.

6) Climax
Quote: “There is a bang. A dish-cloth drops from my hand and I run to the kitchen door” (MacLaverty 169)

Explanation: This is the climax, because the whole story leads up to this moment. The story has been foreshadowing that the son is in danger, and how his father keeps trying to warn him. Here the reader sees that the conflict concludes in the Son getting shot.

7) Falling Action
Quote: “I take my son’s limp head in my hands and see a hole in his nose that should not be there” (MacLaverty 169)

Explanation: This is the Falling Action. The plot begins to wrap up; it confirms that the Son did get shot and is dying.

8) Denouement
Quote: “My son, let me put my arms around you” (MacLaverty 169)

Explanation: This is the Denouement, because this happens right after the climax and offers the reader the last pieces of information. It is an expository sad ending. All loose ends are tied up; the reader finds out that the Son does die, which the story has been foreshadowing. The father finally gets to hug his son.

Capital Punishment in “Two Fishermen”

Capital Punishment is when a person receives a death penalty for a crime they committed. There are five types of capital punishment: lethal injection, lethal gas, firing squad, hanging and electrocution. Canada in the 1860s was open to the idea of capital punishment, a person could be executed for murder and treason in Upper and Lower Canada. In 1961 murder was classified in two categories in Canada; capital and non-capital. Capital punishment was given for a deliberate murder and the murder of a police officer or guard while on duty. In 1962 the last death sentence was given out and in 1976 capital punishment was finally removed from the criminal code, but still remained in the Canadian National Defense Act, for the most serious military offenses.
If the story of “Two Fisherman” was based in Canada it could have taken place anywhere from the 1860s to almost a century later in 1976. This is because up to 1976 the premeditated murder of a civilian could have received capital punishment.

In my opinion, if “Two Fishermen” is taken place in present day US, then the death penalty was not justified for the situation. In the US the death penalty is given if a person commits one of six specific crimes. Thomas Delaney didn’t commit any of these six crimes and he shouldn’t have been hanged. Also, Thomas Delaney attacked Mathew Reinhardt in defense of his wife, so in my opinion he deserved some kind of punishment for killing Mathew Reinhardt but not capital punishment.