June 18

Blackout Poem – “Death of a Salesman”

The play, “Death of a Salesman,” by Arthur Miller is a story about life and tragedy. It follows the life of travelling salesman Willy Loman and his family. His stay-at-home wife Linda is supportive of Willy and only wants the best for him. Their eldest son, Biff, has just returned home and is still trying to figure out what to do with his life, while also pleasing his father. Their other son, Happy, has his career figured out, but he can’t seem to manage settling down with one woman. Willy is seemingly unhappy with his life, while his family, especially his wife, are doing what they can to support his through his struggles. Willy’s father was a successful salesman, while his now deceased brother, went into the African jungle and found diamonds. This play represents tragedy because it is about a man who is depressed and unhappy with his life, which eventually leads to his suicide. Willy also has an affair with a younger woman in Boston during his work trips. The following is a blackout poem, where key words and phrases that represent both tragedy and, “Death of a Salesman,” are singled out so the words picked stand out. In the blackout poem below, three images are shown, the first is an unidentified man carrying a briefcase, this image represents Willy and how he doesn’t have an identity. The second image is of a car from the 1950’s. This represents Willy’s job as a travelling salesman as well as the weapon he killed himself with. The final image, shown in the top right corner of the page, is a picture of Africa and a diamond within. This represents how Willy’s brother, Ben, went to Africa and found diamonds while there, one of Willy’s biggest regrets is not going with him.